Joe2000C4Cab

You know I too am as wary as the next p-car driver about securing a safe parking spot for my car where ever I go but I will admit that when I'm in a hurry, I just park the car (top down or not) and take care of business as quickly as possible. So, given that, I'd like to contribute a "not everyone is an a-hole" story to balance out this thread a bit.

I happened to pull my cab quickly into an end parking space in the back lot of my phavorite Philly cheese steak place here in NorCal and shut the car off. That's when I noticed the two scruffy, obviously homeless people sitting just out of sight. They were clearly staring at my car. Call me crazy (or hungry) but I felt re-starting the car and moving it would have been too obvious and probably elicited the actions I really wished to avoid. So, I quickly went in, obtained the fat laden food I so desired and returned to my car. I'll admit that I did an obvious walk-around before I left the lot (fist clenched ready to kick some a$$ at the first sign of something awry) when one of the homeless guys said "Don't worry dude, we're homeless not car wreckers".

Someone got it right when they said you can dress a pig up but they're still just a pig.

Toreador

Joe, I would have slipped the homeless guys $5 going in.
These guys would then fight to keep other people from touching your car.

996Gurl

I like the "Fairytale" ending too. But it was taking quite a risk. I'm not sure that the scumbag was worth the possible assault charge... but then again... We had the rear window of our Grand Cherokee smashed in last Saturday night. And believe me, as I was picking glass shards out of our baby's seat, I was contemplating doing the same thing.

And the unfortunate thing is, if you believe the statistics of various medical associations, 1 in every 10 people are mentally ill, to some degree.

So who is to say that the agressive trucker behind you didn't suddenly hear a voice telling him to flatten your Porsche because you're an alien invading America?! People can be sick, and/or just plain nasty, and so I've become somewhat cynical

I never leave windows open, try to park in good lots (easy to do in the financial district), etc. I guess it's the price of having nice cars, nice motorcycles, "insert favorite nice toy here", ...

Scouser

Last time I was in the US (a few weeks back) I was referred to as being an "alien".

Eli at Pelican

I would have tracked and caught up to them if I could and with a cell phone in one hand created all kinds of problems for them. . . .

Amazing what a destruction or property or malicious mischief charge can do to ones wallet and time.... maybe these idiots need some lessons.....

jumper5836

I spent some time in east africa, when leaving the car to do errands we would give money to kids or people on the street to watch over it.
A bit different there though becuase you expect some thing to happen if you don't and it doesn't have to be even a nice car.

It's sad that some people think they can act like this. I could see if it was a personal but these people assume that the owner is rich or something. I've come back to find that someone has horked on the car. One time they smeared a ice-cream cone on my land rover.

LVDell

996Gurl....."the statistics of various medical associations, 1 in every 10 people are mentally ill". You equate vadalism with mental illness? I surely hope you do not believe this.

Don't you think that you are generalizing a bit? If those kinds of "factual" statements are going to be thrown around please cite your source.

By the way, there are only 2 associations that you should be quoting from with regard to mental illness (American Psychiatric Association (M.D.'s) or the American Psychological Association (Ph.D.'s)) since these are the two organizations that are the professionals.

vove

jealousy and envy would be the culprit here.

Gretch

"I hear voices.................and they don't like you"............

saw this on a T shirt at Laconia race week..............

996Gurl

Nope. Pls read my post - I was simply saying that there is no way to fathom or predict the reactions of people around you, to you & your vehicle. And that confrontation is, quite frankly, a risky alternative.

Reference: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/numbers.cfm

LVDell

I did read your post and that is why I commented. confrontation is risky and I would agree with you. Where you lost me was your reference to 1in 10 are mentally ill but in no way does how people will react classify in the mental illness category. I think you are confused with personality. No biggie, just responding to a post. Moral to the story.......it's not wise to risk confrontation since reaction is something that is not easy to predict.

Cheers,
Dell

996Gurl

1AS

It's part of the ownership experience. A jealous have-not plus your prize posession equals an idiot's get-back. I've had exotic cars that have had a milkshake dumped on the rear deck (Pantera), all 4 tires slashed (Lotus), and valve stem caps stolen (BMW 850). The world is full of idiots. AS

ylshih

Doesn't even require an "exotic" car or a "nice" car. Many years ago, my wife had purchased her first new car after more than a year of hard savings to make the downpayment - a little yellow Renault R5 (not even a Turbo, just a plain R5). A few weeks later she left it in a shopping mall parking lot and came back 30 minutes later to find a pizza smeared all over the hood. The only thing that could have elicited any envy in that car was that it was new.

DonneyJ

I'm envious of your blonde baby