Guilty as charged.

 

finding safe parking is an art... it takes practice...

 

Sounds familiar. My wife always got mad at me for parking my Chevy Silverado far away from other parked vehicles and far away parking places. Well now that she has her new Mini guess who's being forced to walk now into stores and buildings from far away parking parking places?

 

I look for spots next to empty handicap spots.
I too, look back at the lights when locking her, but I miss the chirp of the alarm in my previous ride. Come on BMW release the alarm system for the MINI!

 

Finding parking, safe or not, on Manhattan streets, is a challenge. The hard part is coming back to find the conversion van 12 inches from your bumber, and about the same from the car behind. I remind myself that a skillful parallel parking job can be done with this amount of room, but the problem is, I rarely see skillful parallel parking.

I used to be a wiz, but I still find myself massively overcompensating front and back. I know to some degree it is general paranoia about the finish, but some of it is simply not believing how little else there is to the car outside the cabin. Anyone else have this?

And ding? Got one in two weeks, a nice indent on the right side of the bonnet, with an smaller one behind and a scratch down to the metal about 1 inch long. Has anyone priced or gotten repairs for dings or scratches yet? And what about paint? is the BRG available as touch up yet?

 

>
>>I used to be a wiz, but I still find myself massively overcompensating front and back. I know to some degree it is general paranoia about the finish, but some of it is simply not believing how little else there is to the car outside the cabin. Anyone else have this?
>>


Whew! And I thought I was the only one!

_________________
The little SharkFin antenna is 2 much fun!


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>>I never cared where I parked until the MINI was in my possession. Now I will park as far away as possible to get away from other motorists and when at the grocery store or someplace that has grocery carts I make sure to park alone and on any gentle uphill slope. That way if someone loses a cart it can't roll into me.
>>

I've always tried to park the MGs as far from other cars as possible but I never thought of the uphill slope idea. Very clever!!

I often try for a spot at the end of a row. Then they can only get you from one side.
No, it's not paranoia. We've probably all been hit in parking lots before.

 

Mee too!

Funny thing is people come up to us and say, "that must be great to park in the city!" However, now I'm too scared to put our baby in a dangerous parallel parking spot. I'm just dreading that first scrape on the bumper when people park by braille. Whereas I used to think a 6-inch buffer between car bumpers was generous, I now am looking for only the metered spots that have the painted borders around the spot.

 

I had that problem with every new car i bought. Then a friend of mine (and he still is) taught me a solution to this problem.
All you do is go to a parking lot and find a shopping cart.
Take the cart over to you car and say "I'm sorry to do this to you but it won't hurt a bit"
Then lightly tap the cart to the bumper.
Once you do this the cart magnet in your car has been used up and you should not have to worry any more.

 

>>Whew! Good to know I'm not the only one with this affliction. So I'll just assume it's normal to sleep naked in the backseat each night.

********
... and nobody said a word about sleeping naked in the backseat!! Hey maybe those of us that park the car and then insist on staying within eyesight are normal too?

It is all too easy to become obsessive/compulsive, obsessive/compulsive, obsessive OH hang on I said that already didn't I. :smile:

 

All I do is to park far and in double space.

 

Have faith my MINI friends...we have had our Silver/Black Cooper since May 6th and have yet to get a ding on it. Maybe folks find it so nice they can't bring themselves to injure it with their car door. Sadly, I must admit, we do have a couple of small stone chips on the front of the car from our interstate travels!

Joe

 

I do the exact same thing!

It's harder and harder, with the hollidays coming. I figgure there are several benefits to this.
1) more exercise, never a bad thing
2) you get to look at your MINI for longer as you walk back from wherever you were, and
3) If there is a car parked next to your MINI, chances are it is parked there so someone could get a better look, which means they are probably more careful about not smashing it.

How long does it take before you can walk away from your MINI without looking back lovingly at it? I have to turn around at least twice on any given trip. Of course, i have plenty of time to do it casually, as I'm parked a half a mile from my destination.

 

My wife drives our MCS to work, and I've been trying to convince her to park far away. She sarcastically asked for a list of "parking rules", but since friend of ours from her office has a TT, I just told her to park in the same area as him (but not right next to him!) :smile:

As for looking back at the blinking light...even hit the lock button when I'm approaching the car, just to see them flash! I told the wife that Hermione is just happy to see us, and that's her way of saying "hi"

 

>>Maybe folks find it so nice they can't bring themselves to injure it with their car door.


This reminds me of an incident that occurred when I was still parking at the stadium parking lot and walking to the office:

I got there early to get "The" spot as many others here do. There was a game later that day and people were already arriving for "tailgate parties" when I was leaving the office. When I got to my car there was a party of about 25 people ALL AROUND Molly. There was no way I could even get out without running over people in lawn chairs. I approached the car *extremely* anxious that they had dinged it or set a beer on the roof or any of a number of stupid things that raced through my head. As soon as I got to the car the people all looked up and asked "Is this your car?" Then they proceeded to tell me just how much they loved it - and how CAREFUL they were being to not touch it! I was shocked! Upon closer inspection they had actually formed a little barrier around it to keep people from banging into it!!!! After chatting with them for 10 or 15 minutes - and having to refuse beer (afterall I was DRIVING home) - they all moved their chairs and waved me out of the parking lot!!!

- SO, maybe you're right Ninedriver! I've had Molly since mid-June and no dings (just little stone chips)!

 

>All you do is go to a parking lot and find a shopping cart.
>Take the cart over to you car and say "I'm sorry to do this to you but it won't hurt a bit"
>Then lightly tap the cart to the bumper.
> Once you do this the cart magnet in your car has been used up and you should not have to worry any more.



I'm so glad to have it confirmed that I'm not alone in my parking peculiarities... I figure I'm gonna lose a few pounds this way, what with having so much walking to do...

Came out of a restaurant yesterday and what had parked right next to me but a Hummer... only an H2 though, not a really really giant one like Hermione chatted with the other day. Plus it was brand new and shiny, so I guess they were being as careful as I was. But still...

Cheers,

Leslie

 

I am another guilty parker. I now find myself justifying the cold walk across the parking lot as twice daily exercise.

But, I am on the only one here at work with the disease. I park with the same cars every day - Boxter, Z06, CLK430, S4, M3.

 

Hi, my name is Anthony. I too am a parker and a grinner.

 

>>Hi, my name is Anthony. I too am a parker and a grinner.


Anthony, you kept your Cooper? COOL! Everything fixed up?



I always look for the "Dent free space" too. At the end of a row or next to a curb, so I can tuck it away against the side with no cars! I have a '79 BMW that is relatively dent free due to this strategy. (my dad was just as crazy about that car - then I got it and had to continue the madness)

 

>>I had that problem with every new car i bought. Then a friend of mine (and he still is) taught me a solution to this problem.
>>All you do is go to a parking lot and find a shopping cart.
>>Take the cart over to you car and say "I'm sorry to do this to you but it won't hurt a bit"
>>Then lightly tap the cart to the bumper.
>>Once you do this the cart magnet in your car has been used up and you should not have to worry any more.

I race BMX bikes for a living, and when ever I get a new helmet it is MANDATORY to drop it on the ground before I race in it. I'd rather it hit the ground without my head in it the first time, besides you have to get it (the first impact) out of the way.

I do it to my racing gloves as well!

 

>>All I do is to park far and in double space.

************************************************** *****************

I've always been afraid to take up 2 spaces, I'm sure that there are people out there who would damage your car just because you used 2 spaces. Especially this time of the year when people's nerves and judgement are fried anyway.

I always believe in parking far away. If the others are too lazy to walk it ususally means they are also too lazy to ensure that they don't smash my door when they open theirs.

 

I used to always complain about my boyfriend parking his supra so far away from the door of wherever we were going.....now that I have my MINI, I do the same thing!! I either park far away, or drive around and extra 5 minutes trying to find an end spot!

I also look at my car as I'm walking away. :smile:

 

>>>>All I do is to park far and in double space.

>>I've always been afraid to take up 2 spaces, I'm sure that there are people out there
>>who would damage your car just because you used 2 spaces. Especially this time of
>>the year when people's nerves and judgement are fried anyway.

I've actually seen four guys get out of a car and try to force a double-parked car forward so that they could park in the wasted space. I would NEVER park this way, not just because I fear retaliation, but because it's just a vastly inconsiderate thing to do.

 

repeat after me......

it is only a car!
it is only a car!!
it is only a car!!!

IT IS ONLY A CAR.........................

PLEASE PASS THE PROSAC