You all know what I'm asking. Do you take up one parking space and run the risk of a ding or do you take two parking spaces and run the risk of someone taking offence and maybe keying your car? I generally try to find a parking space in a far corner of a parking lot and then take 2 spaces. However, I still worry because being farther away, someone could more easily go unnoticed while keying my car. However, I still think dings are more common.

Mark

 

I take two spaces, WAY in the back of the parking lot where there are a lot of open spaces.

If I can't find a suitable place to park, I don't, because I am well aware that on top of the accidental dings, there are PLENTY of idiots out there who will ding our cars on purpose.

I have described on here before, how I witnessed some people put two dings (a four door sedan) in my 340 Duster with a custom paint job, when it was the ONLY car in the entire lane. There were thirty or more open spaces all around it, and they parked right next to it and threw both doors into the side of it.

It was four girls in the car, and it was my sick at the stomach feeling, and my girlfriend who witnessed it with me that prevented me from going out there to confront them.

 

I take one space, but I park far, far away.

 

I have never taken more space for any of my cars since I can't stand it when I see other people doing this. Moreover it probably invites mischief.


Doug

 

One space as isolated from other cars as I can get. I've been told it is in the "Please don't ding me" lot.

 

I don't take up two spots, I think that just attracts the vandals. I park way, way out, preferably with a curb on one side of me. I park as close to the curb as I can get so that if someone else parks in the center of the spot next to me, they will be to far away to ding my door.

Of course, sometimes when I do that, someone else will intentionally park right next to me, on the line, just to be a dick.

 

I park however the Jag Lies when the lot is Empty! But I worry about vandles if I take up 2 or more spots when the lot is full.
I typically like parking far from any entrance just so the odds for dings aren’t heightened, that and my lard a** could use the walk
I thought maybe K-Westra was going to say, “YEAH, I always park in 2 spots!” I would have had no problem chiming in with “no wonder she got keyed” but clearly that’s far from the case! I feel even worse knowing you park far out like me.

 

Agreed. Vandals dislike when someone decides their car is so awesome that it deserves two spots.

I always do what you do with being near a curb or at the end of the row for parking, that way only one side could get it, and only if they had really long doors.

 

How big are your parking spaces? The only experience I have of US spaces is when I visit RAF Lakenheath or Mildenhall where the spaces are so large that you would need a determined idiot to ding your car.

In the UK our spaces are small, designed for European cars at roughly just under 8ft x 16ft. I try to park away from others, but the Jag always overhangs at the front or back. If you take up two spaces in one of our pay car parks you are likely to receive a hefty fine.

The only ding I have got so far was from when I used a secure hotel parking facility at an airport to avoid having to use the public car park - last time I pay for that privilege!

 

I already posted but have another comment. If I can't find an isolated spot far away or the spouse is getting irritated by the search, as a last resort I'll try to find a spot next to narrow cars with shorter doors (generally saloons as they say in the UK).

 

I never take two spaces, but I do park at the far corners of the lot. I don't think it's right to inconvenience others because I love my car...but it's OK to inconvenience myself.

 

I use only one space. I look for end spaces with a curb (kerb) that I can snuggle up next to to leave more room between me and the next car and that also only expose one side of the car to door dings. I also look for spaces betwen other upper end or very new cars believeing their owners and passengers don't want to damage their cars any less (more?) than I want to damage mine. If neither of these options work, I park off in the open space-distance if available. Sometimes I even go about another errand on the list and come back to the parking lots like "Costco" or other big box stores later on. AND, Those big box stores seem to offer the highest liklihood of damage to me. They are filled with big, shopping carts mom's and dads with a number of children and the stores sell products in large containers that require effort to get into a car. All that distraction about working on loading their cars often ads to the risk that they will be less mindful about dinging my nice car/t.
Syd

 

Good reply... and basically what I do as well.

I am worried about getting any door dings, but I'm not paranoid.

 

Only 1 space but away from other cars

 

I see a theme here, taking two spots just triggers animosity and can push normal people over the edge and will no longer 'respect' your car - i.e. damage may accidentally happen.

 

Seems that that is some people's theory, and I agree, if you park in a spot where someone else might want to park. In that case, taking up two spaces is not right nor wise.

In my case, I park so far away that there are empty spots all around, and then I take up two spaces because, amazingly, after taking up one, I would sometimes come out and see a car parked right up next to mine, when there are 30 open spots around it

I have had my car for going on three years, and not a single ding. Of course, it is not unusual for someone to come over to me when I am walking towards it to tell me how much they admire and like it.

 

I agree, 2 spots are asking to be keyed. I park far away and walk. I'm not worried about the vandals. It's the young chippies in the huge SUV's that have to open the door with their foot. All the trophy wives by me spend their time eating yogurt and walking on the treadmill. Their 90 lb frames don't have the strength to open the doors with their hands. Jack

 

Howdy Folks:
I never take more than one space.
Here are some tips I learned while my wife had her SS back in the mid 90's. This past May, I learned that I needed a refresher course (tip #9)after thinking that nobody could park in that tiny space beside me at a hotel on my Key West road trip. I was lucky that no damage was done!
Parking tips to avoid the rash - from Impala SS forum | Facebook

 

Haha! I get rock star parking wherever I go with tons of room around my XKR! Just get yourself a handicapped sticker/placard or plate (my preference). Now you get to park up close and the spots almost always have extra space between them, so no door dings.

 

I rarely take more than one spot, but like a lot of other here I park far away(I too only inconvenience me), on the corners(only one possible door) or next to cars with short doors. Additionally I will often chose to not take the Jag when I know I'm going someplace with tight parking or mindless shoppers(never to the mall). I don't quite treat it like a garage queen, but usually if it's out I'm just driving and know where it'll be parked.