Driving vs. protecting - keeping your sanity

[SCW-Greg]

That is ALWAYS a good strategy! I do that all the time - gotta find a guy who loves his little snowflake as much as we love ours.

Like GG says, I do park next to the nicer vehicles (tho I suspect my wife may not think twice about this). I also look for where the is no parking spot on the right (last spot on the right) - since every car has a driver door opening up, but not necessarily will every car have the right passenger door opened (i.e safer to have a car parked on the left of your vehicle, than on the right).

 

[SCW-Greg]

I think parking strategies where you park at an angle taking up two spots, park on a line...etc actually attract more attention to your car and could lead to someone doing something to your car to teach you a lesson. I'd say park in a regular spot and enjoy the car. Something will invariably happen to it but that's just part of going out into the wild. Only way to keep the car safe is to never drive it.

@DSM363, Also agree about parking at an angle covering a couple of spots. When I was cocky and in my early twenties, I would be that guy who would go up and park right next to them and park at the same angle. (sorry folks)

I had a red Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder back in the day, one of the newer body styles and left the top down on it from time to time, but always worried some bird, or some person, would drop some kind of load in it. Fortunately never had an issue with that one.

You're right, I should not worry about it and just enjoy it every day I can.

 

[SCW-Greg]

P.S. I meant to say, it sounds like you live in a horrible area! Or have horrible luck. ;-( Sympathies to ya.

Yes, we apparently do - with this car. And I agree, for the most part I don't think people are out to get my Avalon with all the dings in it, but the paint blister does look intentional. The car just seems to be a magnet for it and so I worry about someone gunning for a truly gorgeous/unique car like the S, or some meat-head who has it in for EVs.

 

[AndyM]

I plan to get a lot more walking exercise done by parking far away.

 

[Jason S]

As soon as I get used to the size of the car (probably the first weekend; take it out to a parking lot and do exercises with it) I'll just park like normal. As jerry33 suggested, it is just a car. It'll get dings and whatnot, but I'll do what I can.

 

[kendallpb]

Why the hate for parking in the last spot of a strip of spaces? It's not cheating anyone out of any space, it's just reducing cars next to you from 2 to 1, and if you park over towards the edge of your space you have lots of distance between you and the other car.

Please read what I quoted--purposely "park at an angle taking up two spots, park on a line"--that's what I hate. If there are 50 free spots, take any one you like! Don't take two spots because you think you or your car are special, though. IMHO.

 

[ckessel]

Please read what I quoted--purposely "park at an angle taking up two spots, park on a line"--that's what I hate.

Agreed. My confusion was no one was talking about that tactic at all and you threw it in there as something of a non sequitur.

 

[kendallpb]

I didn't see anyone recommending that

Did you not read olanmills's (sorry, olanmills) note: "always hunt for end spaces where I can park over a line" or perhaps not read what I quoted (the reply saying, roughly, "don't park over two spots/on the line")--to which I said yeah I hate that, which--even missing the previous note, I thought it was clear if you read what I quoted, to get the context. Sorry it wasn't clear to you.

 

[kendallpb]

Yeah I never park in such a way as to take two spaces. That's not what I was saying.

Ah, it's pretty unclear from this: "where I can park over a line" ;-)

What I was talking about, is in my parking garage at work, many of the end spaces have have a a buffer where you can park over the line without harming anyone, without reducing pedestrian space, without reducing another parking space, without reducing a driveway or road space. In fact, parking like this helps everyone because then the next guy can also park over the line some and so on.

No, it just makes a cascade so everyone either has to or thinks they have to, until it snowballs--everyong parking a little more-- and there's a spot that car X that would fit into, but can't because car X-1 is actually in the space. Obviously this doesn't always happen, but I've seen it happen a lot, with regular spots and with the type you're talking about (with kinda like rectangular buffer zones between spots, methinks). One can sometimes walk down a row and very easily see this effect.

Plus the buffer zone is--IMHO, though of course I didn't design these things--to make it easier to have space for opening doors without hitting other cars, in case people are bad parkers (not purposely doing it wrong), as well as space to walk. Flouting it just because there's extra space is not using the lot as intended (whatever the purpose and whatever your reasoning).

But yeah, it's not like what I thought you were saying. ;-) Thanks for clarifying and apologies if I (and maybe not only me) misunderstood.

 

[ckessel]

It's standard practice in pretty much every parking garage I've ever seen for someone on the end row to squeeze out that extra buffer space. Hell, those spots are taken for floors and floors in some parking garages while the regular spaces are empty just because that's a prime parking tactic.

 

[dhrivnak]

My experience is people have been considerate of the Roadster. No vandalism but over 14 a few small scratches. I do try to park away from crowds and in an end alot when possible.

 

[brianman]

It's standard practice in pretty much every parking garage I've ever seen for someone on the end row to squeeze out that extra buffer space. Hell, those spots are taken for floors and floors in some parking garages while the regular spaces are empty just because that's a prime parking tactic.

Evidence that modern cars and parking spots are not "customer-friendly" as a pairing. If the spaces were large enough (or the cars small enough), they wouldn't need "tactics" just to park.

 

[jerry33]

Evidence that modern cars and parking spots are not "customer-friendly" as a pairing. If the spaces were large enough (or the cars small enough), they wouldn't need "tactics" just to park.

This is the result of the clash between the laws that require a certain number of parking spaces per m[SUP]2[/SUP] of occupied space and the desire to have as much occupied space (e.g. rental income) as possible. The result is each parking space is made as small as possible rather than being correctly sized.

 

[sp4rk]

Makes me wonder the countries of various posters.

UK: parking is awful. The spaces are always tiny. Hate them!

France: Would never own a nice car in, say, Paris. No respect for street parking anywhere.

USA: Big parking spaces. Some are even divided with "double lines".

Ironically, though, I took my Leaf to a restaurant last night that had "forced" valet parking.

They wouldn't touch it! "What is this thing?"

Mind you, having had it only a month, still protecting it from dings.

Now, my "S" ... that'll I'll baby for ever!

 

[bonnie]

USA: Big parking spaces. Some are even divided with "double lines".

'Scuse me. Where are THOSE spots?? I deal with the 'compact car only' spots filled with SUVs every morning when I look for a spot at work. I'd sure like to find those big parking spaces you're talking about.

 

[jerry33]

'Scuse me. Where are THOSE spots?? I deal with the 'compact car only' spots filled with SUVs every morning when I look for a spot at work. I'd sure like to find those big parking spaces you're talking about.

You live in the same universe that I live in. The only double line spots I see are handicapped spots (and I'm told mental doesn't count:biggrin.

I do avoid the compact car only spots filled with SUVs by coming in before almost everyone else and parking next to a pillar.

 

[steve841]

Great thread.... In my neck of the woods, they are doing non stop construction on the highways and they are a total mess. When my model s arrives, it's back roads till 2014. So my daily commute will be longer, I guess me and the touchscreen will be best of friends.

 

[jerry33]

Great thread.... In my neck of the woods, they are doing non stop construction on the highways and they are a total mess. When my model s arrives, it's back roads till 2014. So my daily commute will be longer, I guess me and the touchscreen will be best of friends.

The roads here are mostly toll roads so if I take them I'd spend way more on tolls than I do on gas. I've also found that those who take the toll roads actually take longer to commute than I do. And the non-toll roads are far better for mpg (30% better 55 vs 73 so far this year).

 

[brianman]

'Scuse me. Where are THOSE spots?? I deal with the 'compact car only' spots filled with SUVs every morning when I look for a spot at work. I'd sure like to find those big parking spaces you're talking about.

+1 (random text to be more than 5 characters)

 

[gg_got_a_tesla]

I'm a touch concerned about taking the Model S near gas stations even to take a quick bio break on road trips or to grab a snack from the food mart; wary of ticking someone off over there (particularly as my license plates go OILSTNX)!