Mine is basically a DD and I have a reserved spot at work. One side is a concrete pillar, the other a person I know really well. In the "wilds" of malls and grocery stores, I look really hard for a safe spot. It's too nice a car to not be paranoid!

 

I'm probably on the more obsessive side...my wife usually can't tell/see where our destination is based on where I park because it's so far away from everyone... she'll often ask- "Honey, is the restaurant behind that abandoned warehouse we're parked in front of?"-

 

The one and only blemish on my Turbo was parked next to a disabled parking . No place is guranteed. In fact it was on that same incline and i was in the safe zone. There was enough room for an elephant to get out --- I did think twice about it. But I decided not to worry. I came back and saw this. This is an extreme close up so it is small .

Each little slit was filled with touch up and one can't see it unless he stares directly at it closely. When it goes to detail I'll let them work the final majic touch. I have guessed everything from a zipper (like someone took off a jacket) to (more likely) a walker device which may have brushed past the car. Could have been road debris too but no ding. just thse 4 little slots. I never noticed it until that day when I returned .

 

Larry,

I find that your situation can be handled in an orderly fashion with the "Dinger"

Jim

 

I too find parking in the handicapped slot to be the best solution.

 

Ahh you missing a body part too?

 

If I have to park at a multifloor parking garage, where all the lower spots fill up first (like dirt settling out of water), I don't even bother to look for a parking space on any of the floors. I head straight to the roof where it's usually empty.

 

Hey Larry, you know I'm really picky about my car as well My friends call me crazy for that...

I usually try to park where the cars next to the spot are parked head on, I usually assume that only the driver door will be opened so I park a little closer to the right so the driver will not dinge my door when opening theirs

 

Well -I drove the M3 today and parked next to a Toyota Solara . For those unfamiliar it's a two door coupe with big doors. I thought of Jenk's post as i walked awy. After 2 minutes into my walk I went back and moved my car . I came back an hour later and there was a Ford SUV parked so close to my M3 that i wondered how the person got out without dinging the M3. He had no cars next to him yet he (or she) parked this close . No dings .. but a moment where I did look very carefully at the passenger panel of the M3 to be sure.

So.. no matter what avoidance one can try there's always that possibility of a ding .

 

I teeter back and forth with opinion about rooftop . In one sense it isolates the car from other cars and dings. On the other hand a car sitting all alone can attract theft --or even worse one's own safety . The decision factor for me on where to park boils down to the size of the car spaces and whats available . Almost every rooftop parking that i have seen has cameras but even if the theif gets caught on tape will an ipod or sunglass theft get priority attention ? So many questions and thoughts go into choosing a parking space .

It's become a hobby of sorts to find a good parking spot.

 

Got you thinking! Park next to small doors!

 

like most of you on here, I too am really picky with spots, its really just because people are A$$holes and dont care about others. I do all of the above, but I find the most important thing to do is just really go to the end of the lot, park it with one side next to a cement barrier and hope for the best....

Never valet, ever!! give em a $20 and tell them your parking it in the front, take your keys with you, trust me

 

No, had a stroke a couple of years ago and left side doesn't work. PDK has kept me in my Porsche!

 

At work, I've found a spot that has a concrete wall one one side, a pillar on the other, and a steel post (that holds a dividing chain) in front, so I'm protected on 3 sides. There are several such spots in the 5 level parking garage, and I selected one that has no overhead pipes, and the cement floor is clean (others have pipes and the concrete is stained with rust patches).

 

The funny thing is -- the WORSt parking damage I ever experienced was in my own garage . Not with my Porsche but with a former BMW . The electric garahe door snapped in half and fell on top of my car and me. I ducked as it fell but the car was not so lucky.