Any other paranoid parkers out there?

[davisinla]

Your parking tips and pics are requested...

http://www.parkingbydesign.com

[gb387]

wow... interesting site. As mentioned in the site, when it comes to my parking it takes a little thought and plan to find a good spot. There are lots of variables hills, can shopping carts be brought in to the lot, do I need to back in to prevent front lower bumper damage and so on... If I frequently visit a store I pick a single spot or area to park every time I visit, rarely are the spots I always park in full as they are so far out no one will walk that far. After about the 3rd circle of a lot people start looking at you funny.

My other truck was 3 1/2 years old and not a single door ding!

[Superior Shine]

That guy must live a pretty good life to just have parking to worry about!

[Aurora40]

Beat this!

Here's my car parked at work. This was at about 10am, not at night or a weekend or something:





Cool site by the way.

Edit: I'd add about slopes. One thing I try to do in grocery/wal-mart lots is park on the crest of any rises. That way shopping carts can't roll into my car, they will roll away.

I also try to park uphill and far away from the cart return things (the ones out in the lot) so that when some lazy jerk just tosses his car in the general direction of the cart return, it won't accidentally hit my car

And sometimes if you can't park out of doors-reach of people, it may be better to be close. If their door can't open as wide, it can't hit your car as hard or at as damaging an angle. It may be the difference between a buffable mark and a dent.

Oh, and I'd also add that in this case:

http://www.parkingbydesign.com/photos/amarillo.jpg

you are sometimes better off not parking that far over, but with your wheels just on the line. Then no worry of a security guard or police officer leaning his belt up against your fender as he sticks a ticket under your wiper. And less risk of someone swiping you as they take a turn. I try to be far enough over that no car parked on the other line could have a door open wide enough to hit me, and that's it. There is no gain in being even further over than that, and some risk. And it can attract the same negative attention as double-parking. I try to be far enough over to be safe, but close enough that it just looks like I'm a bad parker, not that I care about my car (which seems to raise the ire of some people).

[Setec Astronomy]

Aurora, do you always park your car with the hood up?

You say that is 10 AM...so why so few cars around? Do you go up a few levels from where everyone else is (I used to do that at the mall when it used to work...too crowded now for that)?

[davisinla]

Originally posted by Superior Shine
That guy must live a pretty good life to just have parking to worry about!

I think you're right...but then again, we're ALL here for a similar reason - keeping our cars looking good. Right? I mean, we're here because we worry about "shine".

[davisinla]

Re: Beat this!

Originally posted by Aurora40
Here's my car parked at work. This was at about 10am, not at night or a weekend or something:

With all those available spaces, I'm a little surprised you didn't select an end spot.

[gb387]

Re: Beat this!

Originally posted by Aurora40
Edit: I'd add about slopes. One thing I try to do in grocery/wal-mart lots is park on the crest of any rises. That way shopping carts can't roll into my car, they will roll away.

I also try to park uphill and far away from the cart return things (the ones out in the lot) so that when some lazy jerk just tosses his car in the general direction of the cart return, it won't accidentally hit my car

A local Home Depot has a large parking lot sloped away from the store, there are medians/grassy/tree area that provide an excellent barrier from carts(down hill side). Seems HD lumber hauling carts are built like tanks, once they get moving stay out of the way!

And sometimes if you can't park out of doors-reach of people, it may be better to be close. If their door can't open as wide, it can't hit your car as hard or at as damaging an angle. It may be the difference between a buffable mark and a dent.

Interesting thought, makes sense.

[Michael Stoops]

When I went to the LA Auto Show last month I got there early on a weekday and combed the parking garage looking for a nice out of the way spot. I found a single space between a large pillar and a wall and pulled in. A guy in a BMW 3 series pulled in to the space right in front of me. As we got out of our cars we looked at each other and I said "looks like we should both be OK here, don't you think?"

He chuckled and said something to the effect of "I'm always nervous parking in places like this but yeah, this looks pretty good!"

When I got back to my car later in the day it was, indeed, fine. As was the other guys 3 series.

Yep, I'm picky about where I park.

[Aurora40]

Originally posted by Setec Astronomy
Aurora, do you always park your car with the hood up?

You say that is 10 AM...so why so few cars around? Do you go up a few levels from where everyone else is (I used to do that at the mall when it used to work...too crowded now for that)?

I just like to dissipate a bit of the engine heat after driving.

I park a few levels up, and about 1/2 a mile away. Only when I drive the 'vette to work, but it's nice to walk outside a bit anyway.

I don't park on the end in case people come to clean the garage or something. No one will have to squeeze between my car and a wall, no one will be making a blind turn in a parking garage near it, etc.

[Scottwax]

I park as far away as possible, I avoid the areas around the shopping cart corral and I look at the edges of the other cars/trucks doors. If they are all chipped up, you can get they regularly slam their doors into other people's cars.

One of the reasons (other than mostly lousy food) that I avoid McDonalds is their parking spaces are so tight. I'm not a big fan of McDoordings.

[Snowman]

it is so funny hearing all of you say exactly what I do when I go somewhere and try to park my truck. i will walk a far distance before just finding a quick spot which is in the midst of all the other vehicles and shopping carts. I tend to worry more about finding the right parking spot then I do of getting in and out of the store in a timely manner...LOL It is funny though how when you are this way you seem to "eyeball" the entire parking lot for danger zones and then park a good ways out from those trouble spots. It almost feels like you are being a defensive parker instead of a defensive driver....LOL

[SVT Lightning]

Yup.....I'm a paranoid parker. High side of the lot and away from everybody. Even in the pouring rain. It has payed off. My truck is a 1999 and not a single door scuff or ding!

[showtime]

I've actually just up and drove off because there isn't any safe parking spaces.

[Love 2 Detail]

My friends think I'm insane for parking so far away, They hate the long walk, All i say is if the majority of people knew how to open their car doors correctly and didn't brush up against your paint or bump into your mirrors as they got in then id park closer, but that will never happen. However if I'm on dates then i usually drop the girl off at the door and hope she's still there when i walk back.
Or if she really likes you she wont mind the walk. Either way the long walk is good exercise