Found this on my Facebook from a "Laugh it Out" group/page. Years ago a friend lost his motorcycle when he parked like this but in a parking structure. The car driver, thinking it was an empty space, drove in only to find out too late that it wasn't an empty space. The bike was totaled.

Carfull where you park.

 

That's why I park as close to the front of the space possible. Too many idiots out there not paying enough attention.

 

So so true. I remember before I got my MINI, every time I did that and it was a motorcycle or some other compact car, I would go, "DAMN IT!!!"

Now I park and giggle a little to myself

 

It is common practice for friends and I to mutter "damn...short car" when people park like that. I park at the front so that way my buddies with bikes can share the bear of my spot (I always back in)

 

IIRC, one of the early "Let's Motor" booklets had an advisory about this very thing. IOW, *don't* be the guy who pulls in all the way, fooling others into thinking a vacancy exists. Definitely a "no good can come of this" type move.

I try not to park the bikes in car spots anyhow (preferring any of the diagonal striped lane ends, if available), but if unavoidable, I try to make sure they're easily seen.

Same with our Miata. It's also short, and low; the best story for it was when we were enjoying some lunch in the car when Mr. Hi-Jacker 4x4 (who'd pulled in next to us while we were in the store) fired it up to back out, then cranked the wheels full left to just swing 'er out of the spot. He absolutely didn't see us, and woulda rolled right over us without the shrill tone of my Fiamms warning him off.

 

I park as far away from civilization as possible any time I can... problem solved.

But even in my Mazda 3 -- which isn't tiny by any stretch -- I could hide between two big trucks like that. Giant trucks are giant.

 

I try to park far away, next to a curb, at the end of a row of parking spaces.

Dave

 

I always feel no matter where or how far away I park, some behemoth is always parked next to me upon returning to my car. Prolly due to the sheer #'s of giant cars/trucks out there, but I also believe they park there because they know they can fit next to a MINI. Though they often fail even at that, I had a nice corner panel rub by an Escalade one day in a parking lot. *sigh*

 

I watched it happen to my TR6. The woman was driving a big SUV and could not see my car out of her side window. She was busy arguing with her daughter and even though she had just pulled in next to my car five minutes before, she cranked the wheel over hard and backed right into the car. I was standing on the sidewalk talking to a friend and watched the whole thing happen.

 

i like it

 

F'ing small cars....I say that every time I see that. Kind of funny considering I drive a small car.

 

Yea, park to the front of the space. Or else some idiot will take advantage and put his shopping cart there, even though the corral was only across the aisle!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/53074154@N00/2398922505/

 

Here's the dilemma. If you park farther back in the spot, you run the risk of some idiot slamming into your MINI thinking the spot is empty. If you pull up and leave a lot of space behind your car people will see that space as a convenient place to put their shopping carts, which the 16 year old shopping cart "gatherer" has to retrieve and push between your car and the giant truck next to you leaving about a 50-50 chance he will run a cart along the side of your car. You're damned if you do and damned if you don't. Parking in the far reaches of the lot at least gives you half a chance.

 

First, let me say that those pictures look to be of the nastiest dirtiest parking lot ever! Yuck.

Yup, I curse the small car or motorcycle in those situations myself, and I have both a small car and a motorcycle! At work the Mini or the FZ1 are always parked where they can be seen easily for the most part. I back in at work and park next to one of the building support pole things on my passenger side. However, that pole thing is huge and I back up enough to be able to swing open the door if someone rides to lunch with me. But I also park as close to that pole as possible so the lady in her huge SUV that parks next to me won't door ding my car.

And yea, on the off chance I have to park at WalMart or somwhere, it gets parked past the first set of islands almost all the time. I figure most folks are too lazy to walk that far so they won't be parking out there let alone stuffing a bunch of carts behind my car. And WalMart folks are super duper lazy.

 

There's always this option!!

 

LOL- I love the series of pictures. The theme song to "Jaws" started playing in my head as I was scrolling through the pictures.

 

You got it.. I do the same thing or park way out in the lot away from everyone.

 

I do sometimes like parking next to big cars for the comparison, only when safe. This was at work. Notice I left room for door swing of the driver on my right. The driver on my left never has a passenger so I was safe there.

 

Since we are sharing, here's my Mini parked at work. Usually I'm a smidge closer to the pole than seen here.