comotiger

I am planning to drive my LS more frequently but am paranoid about parking in grocery store and strip mall lots. Parking spots in the garage at my work are pretty tight and crowded. I try to find a spot that is relatively isolated, but that doesn't always work (a beautiful LS attracts a crowd ) and comes with its own issues. What strategies do you use to find a parking spot in these situations? Thanks for your suggestions!

enoch861

Park at the back of the parking lot. Typically you'll be the only car there depending on how busy the place it. The other trick is to find a spot with stripes next to it (I should mention that depending on your state it is technically illegal to overlap on handicap stripes, but you most likely won't get any grief over it as long as you are considerate and don't park halfway into the stripes).. Overlap a little bit on the stripes and you should have enough space where the other person shouldn't hit you. The last trick I use is to park on an end spot. Sometimes the end spots are big enough so you park closer to the curb (or overlap the line a bit if no curb) and that should give you enough space between the next car (In this scenario I typically back in). Some store do have spots where you parallel park into, those also work wonderfully. Otherwise you're kind of at the mercy of the public. Most people will look at your LS and be afraid to do anything to it.

roadfrog

Rockstar parking as close to the front doors as I can. That's the extent of my strategy. LOL.

Nospinzone

Park far away enough where it is less likely for someone to park next to you.

Take an end space so at least one side is clear.

If you have to park next to cars, park next to the nicest cars you can find (of course there's no guarantee they won't leave before you do).

Avoid tandem spaces so no one is on your bumper.

I've seen these in primarily in NYC where some people drape these rubber guards off of their rear bumper (looks terrible but I guess they work).

As far as parking in an isolated spot and still having some one park next to you, my experience is they usually have a nice car and are as concerned about their car as yours.

Nospinzone

Oh, and in parking lots with a grade, I always park at the high end, especially if there are shopping carts around.

I hate the garages where you park on a sloping ramp. I always find a flat section or take the upper most spot.

Littleguy

Luckily there is a group of us that park in the same area of my parking garage at work, in these types of situations I think parking next to the same people daily helps. At the grocery store, etc, parking in the back is the only way to stay safe, lol.

seanl

Geez you guys got it easy....I wish my biggest challenge was where to park in a parking lot or mall lot. That's a piece o' cake!

Of course I have my cars garaged at home, but when I have to go to a meeting someplace deep into San Francisco, I use a known parking garage ($$). Occasionally, and I mean very occasionally, I have to park on the street at a meter, but I when I do it's a process finding the *right* spot. Typically I will just use Uber when possible since I can expense it for business during working hours.

Once I get out of the City parking's pretty easy, but like most of you I look for a good spot so that nobody dings up my ride.

My 911 never gets parked in the City, period.

R Z

I park as far away as I can in the best possible spot that has a curb on one side. Last week I was at Harbor Freight buying a plane. The back section of the lot was empty so I picked a nice middle spot with 3 spots open on either side. Of course when I came out, there was a car parked right next to me. Whatchagonnado?

comotiger

Thanks for the helpful suggestions! If you park far enough away from everyone else, the "disadvantage" is that there will be no one around to discourage someone from keying your vehicle or to witness someone bumping your car and driving away. Remember, I am paranoid about this

As a corollary, do you have a habit of doing a walkaround to inspect your vehicle for scratches or dings before driving off.

roadfrog

As much as I love my car, some things I just can't be bothered with. If there's damage, I'll find it when I next wash my car. It's not like there's much I can do if I do a walkaround and find a ding. As for parking far off and away from other cars...that backfired on my wife and her CT200. She did that and then came to find 1700 dollars in hit & run damage to her drivers side rear door and quarter panel. Seems the fella in the truck that hit her (it was on video), saw that there was no cars around and carelessly drove into her car while backing up. Her car was the only one around. If she had parked among other cars, it probably wouldn't have been hit. Her car goes into the body shop tomorrow and will cost us a 750 dollar deductible.

Tec80

LOL when I read this. I have developed a paranoia complex about parking, especially the mercury silver one because that paint would be near-impossible to match if it received damage that wasn't PDR-able. We now get lots of exercise parking waaaay far out everywhere we go. Parallel parking is preferable, as is parking on an end spot slightly into the stripes. I've even used spots next to a curb, and gently driven up so the curb-side tires are actually on top of the curb to maximize opposite-side door clearance. I recently had to park in a lot where no such protection was available, and I was "a nervous wreck" according to my Wife the whole time we were in the museum we were visiting. As I walked up to the car and saw the unblemished, smooth doors, it felt like a weight lifted off my shoulders.

But the absolute height of this insanity is that we used Uber to go to a concert instead of driving the LS there. I literally spent $110 to have peace of mind about the car. I think I might need to get help for this condition.

comotiger

Sorry to hear that. In your case, the damage was obvious and you were able to document it immediately at the site of the incident. I hope the damage is fixed to as good as new.

I am afraid that driving away with a minor ding and discovering it a few days later may not elicit sympathy from the claims dept. if it is considered collision damage.

Nospinzone

Chris, there is truth in what you say about being too careful. Not only in parking but in other things we do. Sometimes if you just do things normally you are better off than taking too much care.

Tec80, you do need to join some help group.
Let me know when the next meeting is!

comotiger

LOL, sign me up too

Nospinzone

Oh, and I refuse to valet my car. It is no end of friction with my wife.

We regularly meet a group of friends at various restaurants in Boston. The restaurants all have valet parking and all our friends use it. So when we all leave the restaurant they are having their car brought up while we walk to the garage/lot. It gets worse if it's raining at the time.

Actually it has calmed down a little because she has come terms with I'm not going to do it.