purextc

This all sounds familiar to me and my friends.

dragonwang

I'm pretty much the same way wherever I go; parking at work, movie theater, grocery, etc..

Rocketsfan

I'm like you guys for the first year or two ... after that, eh ... lol.

dwest1023

I doubt any of you are as anal as I am.If I am shopping on a Saturday, I park at a bank drive through window. That way NO one can park near me. Plus I park sideways as far out as I can. If I have to park anywhere near another car, I use these. http://doordefender.com/dis_index.html

jspagna1

Ya I always pick the last spot in a parking lot or one that's far away. My wife also has an assigned end spot at her work which makes me feel better.
Lots of times, we just take another car if we're not sure where we are going.

DreDuo

I do the same. Also go out when the weather is Not perfect so there are fewer cars out.

g37guy01

This is too funny. I'm just as anal.

under9hell

that's me with my first new car ha ha now I just don't care much ..

LaCostaRacer

There's an entire web site dedicated to this subject with photos here: http://parkingbydesign.com/

If you think you're an expert, take the quiz and see how you do at: http://parkingbydesign.com/summary.html. I aced it.


Enjoy!

SPAWN

i park at the end. coz from where i live there's just too many gran am pontiac. and i get a little bit of exercise too.

SPAWN

very helpful!

belcom

iTrader: (1)

I always try to park in places where there are less cars around but it never works. Although there are plenty of spots away from my vehicle there will always be 3-4 cars parked all around me. WTF??

Now that I have the TL that literally looks like it is brand new without a single dent in it I am quite worried that it will be dinged. Just the other day I was coming back from work and got off a train and while walking to my car I saw 2 middle aged women hit the cars beside them and not even notice or act like something happened. When I see shit like this I feel like jumping on their hood and stomping on it.

We also bought an 06 MDX a year and a half ago which my wife drives. The car was like new when we bought it. Now we have scratched front and rear bumpers, scuffed side view mirror, dinged doors. Had I seen any of these incidents while it was happening I am not sure if I could control myself I am even angry now just writing this... need some cool-aid

JayTeeL

Guilty to all of the above!

dwest1023

I do not think any of you are as anal as me. When I go to a shoping center or mall, I look for a closed bank drive through and park my car so no one can get near me. If I see a shopping cart in the lot near me, I turn it over on the ground so there is no chance of it rolling to my car. I always park uphill in a parking lot so carts can't roll my way. If in a pinch I use door defenders on my car so no chance of door dings. I park under no trees, cuz acorns, debriss can fall. I never let the dealer park my car in the parking lot after service. My car is to be bought out front for me to retrive it.( I tip my service writer) . I do not park were anyone might walk by my car. If its a lady, you gotta watchthose handbags hitting your car. Valet is a curse word for me. NEVER to I let anyone drive my car. I also used bumper protector If needed. IF I drive my car to work, it gets covered with my car cover. If any of you is worse then this, you need help like I do -

JT4

Anytime i m going into a parking lot i try to aim for the spot furthest away from everyone and the chaos or i simply just don t pull in. End spots in a parking lot i love cause you can sometimes hangover a little giving your self extra space.

I have also invested in a bumper bully for those rare times the car is parked on the street. I know they look dumb but they protect that bumper! So anytime i have to park on street go into my trunk and pull it out then put it away when leaven.

Park away from trees! Birds seem to love the color of my car WDP

greatfolded

Glad I came across this thread, now I don't feel so bad about my own habits .

I do most of the same, but frequently am at least minorly screwed, in terms of parking. I sacrifice closeness for room or an end spot when I can. Even as my cars age and start to show some wear and tear, I look for good spots. But when I can't find them, I'm not as anxious when the car is older.

I've had this car for about 6 weeks, and have yet to drive it all the way to my gym (cramped lot, and usually crowded). I can jog to the gym from work (about 10 minutes), so even on the weekends I park at work.

It does crack me up at the gym how some people will hover over a spot for a few minutes when someone's leaving instead of taking an open spot that would make them walk an extra 20 feet. Into the gym. To exercise.

RPhilMan1

I still park my 8-year-old TSX like this. At the gym I park all the way at the end of the lot, which is also a corner spot. Unless it is unbelievably full that day, no one usually ever parks next to me. As greatfolded said, I'm at the gym. Who cares about the extra 30 second walk? Same thing with the grocery store. I definitely don't want any carts near my car.

And I plan on being even more anal with the TL.

purextc

I go to the mall of america almost every week for something and i drive around for like 20 mins looking for the safest spot where nothing can happen. I know kind of crazy but i love my cars as much as my daughter!

Nabooly

I just don't understand how someone can hit a car and just run away? So much as a little scratch that goes down to the sheet metal can cost hundreds of dollars to repair! Just because I own an Acura doesn't mean I can blow money on a paint job whenever I want.

Uni is the worst. I see so many bumper taps it's ridiculous. I don't understand how you can be going 1 or 2 mph and hit a car standing still? If you don't think you can make it into the space, back up and try again!! Takes maybe two seconds! Before I had my TL I had my Escape hit by some girl while she was parking. Thankfully I got lucky and she left a note with her dad's number.

Passengers are another problem. I had someone in my Escape once that opened the door from the inside and hit a candy red 911 right next to me. Imagine my face O.O The guy didn't mind though and told us to have a nice day.

JT4

The problem nowadays is people have no respect for others! Or what makes me go nuts is when someone tells me its just a car! Maybe to others its just a car, but i take great pride in keeping my car in amazing condition and always clean, and detailed. Nothing feels better then when you step back and look at your car and you can see your whole body in it and it brings a smile to your face! I m 100% sure everyone on this forum can agree with that (:

FirstTL12

I'm going to bookmark this thread and every time my girlfriend yells at me for parking far away I'm going to point her here.

Unfortunately living in Los Angeles gives me little choice sometimes in how I park. But yes I do look for large spaces, nice cars to park beside (and yes I've seen Trixies and rich doucheb*gs who don't care, but odds are still in your favor compared with old rusty beaters), and stay away from hazards like grocery carts and exits/thoroughfares for foot traffic.

Haven't bought edge film or any other bumper/ding preventer, but reading everyone else's testimony makes me want to consider it...

And yes, I do wonder when I'm able to find that one lone spot way out in the end of the lot, and then come out to find that one large truck that decided to park right next to me despite 20 other open spots, what that person was thinking. Other than "I'm a [expletive here]".

RPhilMan1

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rphilman1/7753086652/

JT4

EXACTLY!!! I park the same way.. I'll never ever take two spaces but I park far away and always try to "hug" an island..

My dad parks the same way....

012TL-GLM

I use to be like you guys, then some asshat ding'd my door anyway, so now I feel like the battle was lost and don't take as much care parking. Its true people have no respect for cars; I want to put a sign on mine that says touch me and you get AIDS, maybe that'll keep em at bay...

manutd

i do it all the time, my gf gets so angry when i park far away lol but i think every car enthusiast does it because we love our cars..... While im walking away from mine i look at it like 4-5 times as im walking away.

jspagna1

OMG I'm 51 years old and I still do that.

AnyaBoo

I am the same exact way now. I traded in my 2006 Nissan Altima for a 2012 Acura TL last week. My Altima was beautiful when I first got it. When I traded it in it had dings on both front doors, and it was keyed across one of the rear doors. Whenever I parked next to a nice car in the Altima, I was always careful and courteous even after the Nissan endured so much damage from careless drivers. I now park way out in the parking lot away from EVERYBODY! I purchased a maintenance plan that covers all scratches and dings and I had them spray a clear coat that is scratch resistant over the entire car. There I clear bra coverings over the rear view mirrors and inside the door handles to prevent scratches from rings when someone opens the door. There is also clear bra on the front grill and hood and mag chloride protectant on the front grill and rims. Even though I know that the dealer will fix the dings and act ratchets for free through my coverage, I don't want any at all!

AnyaBoo

Sorry about the typos, my spell checker went beserk. Hopefully you can translate...LOL

rossfarneth

Add me to this list!

-I have the cart OCD where I have to move it from my car.

-At my work the people that park in the furthest back lot usually park every other car (as most have nicer cars who park there) and there is always that one person that parks next to someone and messes up the parking order. Which decreases the amount off ppl that can park in every other spot.

-At times when I park further away I feel as if it makes my car more of a target for someone to mess with it.

Ahhhh the joys. Funny post topic. Seems to fit a lot of us well!

Limelight

This thread is priceless. I thought I had to be the absolute worst on this. I park far away, hug the island, take the end spot and hug the outer line, park on the street where possible, get somewhere I've never been before a few minutes early to scout out a prime spot, stress in the store if the lot is busy etc... Drives my wife nuts but she understands my issues.

Nothing pisses me off more than when I choose to park in the middle of nowhere and some prick in a shitbox parks right beside me. Real funny - I go psycho and can feel my blood pressure rise. What's it to anyone else if I choose to park out there? I never double park because that's asking for trouble.

ucf_bronco

iTrader: (1)

Glad to see this thread is still alive and kicking, and that there are so many others out there like me

This is me 100%!

I stress when in the store / restaurant / etc. if I don't like where I'm parked and am always in a hurry to get back out.

I get pissed when I park way in the back with many vacant spots ahead of me, only to come out and find someone has parked right next to me. I have my key in hand ready to do work if there's a ding or scratch.

Sometimes I won't take my car if we're going somewhere and I don't know what the parking situation is like.

My work is the same way. I love it how it's this unwritten rule that if you park in the last row (and in the last section of that row) you do every other spot.

I also get worried that I'll become a target. I try to get as far back as possible without being the only car in sight, and I NEVER take up two spots.

Slithr

That's what large phillips head screwdrivers are for. They actually make very nice holes in fenders and doors and don't make much noise doing it.

Mr Marco

^Dog shit under the drivers door handle. You can usually find some nearby in the medians of the parking lot.
Works best for these kinds of door handles \/ because it is easier to conceal.

TLbullet

My OCD....don't park in front row where you will get the most foot traffic where u may get scratches from bags/jackets etc. as they walk by. I also don't park next to certain 2 doors bc sometimes their doors r longer, thus increasing chance for ding. OCD I'm sure im not alone.

TLbullet

I forgot one more....never park within 3 spaces of the shopping cart return pen. First bc of people ghost riding their carts in and second bc the employees retrieving the carts hate their job and could give 2 sh*ts less they sideswipe u.

Limelight

^^^ you want to talk about OCD, I make my wife get in ass first and click her feet together like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz to get any dirt/rocks etc.. off her shoes before she gets in. Even moreseo in winter time with snow and slush on boots...

I also hate when people get in the car lazily and kick the rocker panel with their shoes/boots. Or close the door by pressing the door vs. the handle - and get finger prints all over the door. Or touch the inside of the window glass. There is no need to ever touch the glass.

I could go on..... please help me.

Mustapha.Mond

I disagree. People have always been selfish and lazy if they weren't raised the right way. The planet is just becoming more crowded, and there are too many cars on the road with drivers that are not car enthusiasts. Whether it's Hong Kong or Chicago, people will ding your door or tap your bumper thoughtlessly.

I love your attitude. I always treat every one of my cars with the utmost respect and care. Friends always comment how pristine my interiors feel and smell even when the cars become old.

Typical drivers never understand that maintaining the condition like we do always pays off in the long-run. Problem is, like many things in this era, people don't appreciate craftsmanship anymore. They keep their possessions for a short time or they become bored with them. New spouse, new lease, new cell phone, new shoes, etc.