I'm very conscious of my parking. Since those two tips above are awesome, I'll just add my own:

- I am conscious where I'm going as to which of my vehicles I'll take. Movie theater? Older car. Wal-mart? Older car. Target or Starbucks? Z. I generalize, but I generalize because it's usually correct.

- Douchebags typically don't have patience; they park up as close as they can. So I don't park up there. Larger folks who can't get out of their cars easily or folks with kids who don't care or people who just make mistakes or aren't respectful tend to park as close as they can and exert as little effort as possible.

- I don't park out in the boonies which makes it quite clear I'm avoiding. But I do pay attention to time of day and how busy a parking lot may get. I park away from others, but not so much it actually draws attention.

- I look for larger spaces or more isolated spots as much as possible; medians, edges, corners. Usually these have trees, but bird poo is easy to get off.

- At work, I try to consistently park in a "safe" place. In fact, I park next to the same pick-up every day; he's there when I get there, and still there when I leave. I have no idea who it is, but he parks in close to an island in a large spot, so I can hug the line and still be nowhere near. Most importantly, I reward this behavior with a note of thanks and a gift card on the windshield at least once a season.

- If I have to park next to someone for a brief bit, I pick the passenger's side of their car to park on. Even if they have a passenger, they may not want to damage not only my car, but their buddy's.

- I don't park near trashy cars or ones that are clearly not taken care of.

- I try to minimize my odds of walk-bys as well. This guy at my apartment complex drives a nice 5.0 Mustang, but he insists on parking right next to the mailbox unit; which is the highest traffic place in the entire lot. Not just of people walking by, but also pulling into the "fake" spot next to it that is meant for people just checking mail. Someone doesn't know risk avoidance. :) Two main entances to a mall? Park smack in the middle between them; people seem to prefer walking down aisles rather than across; and very few will cross from one side to the other past my car.

- don't ever drive like an *******. If someone in an Altima drives like an *******, I'll never see or notice them again even if I come across them or a car I think is them. A Z? Probably with a vanity plate? Yeah. Likewise, don't be an ******* in your backyard (work, home, favorite hangouts).

- get a "conceal carry" window sticker.

(Ok, kidding on that one.)


(Sort of...)


/hijack

:ugh2:yeah. Sorry. I am careful about my doors tho.

I have matching qtr panel dings. Fml. Car has only been driven 6 out of the last 12 months. :wtf:

Awesome points! Never even thought of some of those but they all make perfect sense.

:iagree: This is your parking etiquette.Damn well said. Sadly, it causes a great amount of stress and pre-planning..but I cant stand to see a ding...:mad:

A long time ago ... in a Taco Bell parking lot far, far away. I was sitting in my car and a passenger from car next to me wacked my car with her door. It was a mistake kind of as the hinge detents popped the door open further than she expected. It was probably one of the first times she was in the car.

I approached the owner and the passenger and finally after a few minutes got her to admit the damage. She said, "No worries, my brother has a body shop. He'll fix it for you." I said, "I'll have my insurance agent just call you." I let the insurance agent take care of it.

If you can get them to admit it you can get them to pay for it. If not, take pictures and take them to court. Make sure you get their license plate before they leave. In my case, if they won't agree to pay on the spot and give me their phone number generally it's not worth my time and I just pay to have the dent removed. Make sure to still take a picture of the car and the plate of the car that caused the damage.

Thanks! To be honest, it's just the way I am, all of this just kinda happens, so I don't sped much time or stress about it. Even if I park my old car, I still pretty much pick the same spots/behavior.

Sometimes I think I am just being way overly paranoid, then I read stuff like this and I find out that I am not paranoid enough! :ugh2:

Sorry to hear that. My sympathies...

I was thinking the magnetic door guard thing sounded like a good idea and started thinking of making something until i remembered our doors are aluminum. damn

Experience has taught me theres only so much you can do. First it was door dings i had to worry about. Now its ******** walking by your ride and brushing up against it with their jacket and leaving a scratch. You do your best and hope for the best. Best part about finding a door ding is trying to recall when and where it occurred.

I get told that I'm way too paranoid about my car, but I do have some guidelines:

- Always park with a median between my car and the "close spots"

- As inconveniently away from entrances as possible(skewed to one side or another, the middle of the parking lot, away from popular stores in the mall)

- IF I have to park next to another car, if I see that there are kids things in the car or one of those silly stickers on the back, I move my car.

- At work, where I can see how people treat their cars and other cars a bit better(and at home.... stupid garage ramp angle here at my condo makes me nervous about trying to get the Z into the garage) I have learned that nice car does not equal careful owner. There is a guy who I park next to that is VERY careful about other people's cars despite the fact that his car is kind of falling apart.

- If I can park where the nose is facing a lamp post, I do it. This way if someone decides to park in the spot that I face, they can't decide to just "pull forward until they hit something" and have that hit something be my car.

And of course, I am always in security camera distance and if I have bad feelings, quick picture of plates around me.

I have to say, most of my cars before the Z were beaters with high mileage and plenty of dings and scratches and what not. However, I would often park next to nicer cars in an attempt to protect them, knowing that I would be very careful and not leave any unwanted markings on their car (while also admiring them up close). I can't say I ever parked next to someone way out in no-man's land. But even now I look at beater cars next to my Z and think the worst. The fact is, people who drive beaters can be as careful as you and me, and not all fancy car drivers care about anyone else's car or even their own.

exactly. :iagree:
Many times hubby wil drive his F-150 (If mini and I are in the Z) I will park next to a median and he parks the truck on the other side. More protection, and what is better than a big crew cab pick up eh? Love my hubby!

Those things look hidious.:roflpuke2:

me too. take dd when not going on a weekend motoring fun in my Z.

and i know how to fix dings... its not worth my time or energy.

Some of us are not as fortunate to soley use our Z as a weekend car :tiphat:

well, if you ever decide to get a dd, it's AWESOME! :icon17: not having to have to worry about dings and getting key'ed.

basically the last 5-6 dd's ive owned got key'ed...including the one im using now. key'ed at 2wks less than 300miles. :shakes head:

and i dont live in some shitty town either... just dumbarse mofo's from neighboring hoods shopping at the same stores... :ugh:

:icon17:

That's kinda what I was thinking. Just a car (don't flame me), not worth giving third degree burns to the arse holding the gun. They would probably sue and win in this country. Even if they did unload a whole clip into the car.

Can't impinge on their rights to be criminal eh?

jk

I babied my 370 when I had it. I did it for several reasons, but one being I knew I'd eventually sell it one day. Some people will run their cars to the ground, whether it be hammering them, racing them, tracking them, not giving a hoot about door dings, minor scratches/dents, not doing recommended service at correct intervals...and so on. These people usually lease their cars, or maybe they're rich enough to buy the latest and greatest models when they come out....I personally think they live above their means though.

Anyways, I noticed that if you park in shopping places where it's known to attract rich people i.e. there are lots of $50,000+ cars to say the least, people there are respectful about not dinging your doors, no retarded parking jobs, etc...If it's a working class to poor environment e.g. Walmart, Target, supermarkets...you better park far away in no-man's land, away from mini-vans, beat up work trucks, etc. It's basic human psychology.

Forgot to add: ghetto parking lots got lots of fresh oil stains on the parking spots. In the rich places, rarely do you see that; well, maybe the employees' cars do that, but not the patrons. Snob 101 ;)

I have a tip to add to the pile. Try to line up your side mirror with where you think their door might impact. This will serve as a reminder to them since it will hit closer to their window and serve as a barrier between them and your precious aluminum doors. The Z is short enough to allow a lot of flexibility on this one.

I also always look for spots where I can park and only one car will park next to me. This strategy coupled with the mirror barrier tactic has served me well for nearly 5 years now with my Z (knocks on wood...)

:driving:

I got a tip for you. Try not parking next to a performance car that he or she has parked out of the way to avoid folks like you. :tup:

:icon08: wat? why the hate? i didnt post anything that was offensive?

did i somehow include something in my post? :confused:

No sh!t...

My words didnt come out right, no hate honestly. Was supposed to be in jest. :hello:

Back on topic, I went out today, parked my car away from others on two seperate occassions a shitty car or truck parked right next to mine. Never had this issue with my previous car. 370z must be a **** magnet.?

oh.. i dont see, but ok... :icon17:

sorry to hear about your car being a shitt magnet... :ugh:

Let me try to clarify, basically all folks were including myself bitc***ng about old beaters parking next to them and my joke was that one of these drivers was perhaps you in your DD doing this to us...

oh... my beater is actually new and i dont park next to sport cars parked waaay out there. im a busy guy and it'd be a huge waste of my time to walk the distance.

Fairy Muff :roflpuke2: