csorrows

I would never take up two spots. Ever. Even if I drove a big truck, I'd take up one spot far away from everybody else, and let it creep into the next spot. At least it's a "I tried to only take up one space" effort.

Funny about the poster who said take a photo of the cars' license plates to the sides of you. I took my C4 to church a couple weekend ago, and parked in the church garage, and although my spot was pretty wide, there was one person on the right hand side. I decided to take a photo of their car and license plate. Nothing happened (thank goodness) but I guess it is kind of a mental insurance.

NJtarga4

I am sorry to have taken up two spots, not that there weren't lots of spots closer to the market, but I learned a lesson on this forum. I still can't explain walking around with post-it notes in my pocket. Talk about crazy.

Gino230

what exactly are you going to do when you come back and your door is dinged....even with the photo?

Mike in CA

Well at least if you are, you've got company in the rest of us....

Fin Fever

Hunt

MagnusB

Weird, I always park close. But I make sure the cars next to me actually got their cars into their spot properly and not getting too close to the driver door on the right. Never got dinged except for when my wife drove her car into mine ...

dak911

Some small advantage to being a disabled vet..(handicapped parking permit) BUT, I almost never leave the Porsche in a lot.
When I had an 02 Boxster I parked it in a "faraway" spot and came out to find that someone had backed into the left side of the bumper and also destroyed the tail light assembly, fortunately there was no body damage, just a new (used) light and my body guy was able to heat and fix the bumper...
NO NOTE OF COURSE.. Did they not see the car? That car was black, and with the top down it was easy to miss it I guess, NEVER happened with the S/Y Boxster!
Now I don't have to worry, since the "new" car is not only RED, but being an automatic, it's never home when I need it.."SHE" has taken it, she loves that car and is more OC with it than I am...

JonasJ

Once I was at a big busy parking lot and a woman with a panamera would take up 2 spaces that said small car. Right in the middle, even I was tickled as an enthusiast. Did I have the chance I would have probably put my (small 911) right next to her in a way she won't be able to get in hers from the drivers side.

Besides that it always my mission not to **** anyone of in a parking lot, but strangely since I drive the 911 I get a lot of fingers ^^ mostly for no reason.
I like to take border spots where I can park so far away from the other car so my car is not in doors reach.

Another favorite of mine.
I was watching a older lady park so close next to my car that she had absolutely no chance to exit her car without hitting mine. Getting ready to exchange contact information I realized i don't want this today. So I went up to her car opened the door for her and asked if I could hold it for her so she wont hit the car. (she barely made it out with the door being 3 cm away from my car)
Then I asked how long she would be, since it was shorter then me I went to look for another parking spot.


Sometimes I wish I had a 5k car

marcus0277

Truth.

Just because you were far away doesn't make it OK to use more than one space. If you think you're far enough that nobody would be needing that space anyway, then you're far enough that you wouldn't have to worry about anybody parking next to you, so you could just be in one space.

Don't take more than your fair share. Ever.

Quadcammer

slightly ain't the word for the 9 step parking checklist.

my list...find spot...park in it

sharmat

Another reason to not use 2 spots (even what you think is far away) is that the lot may start to really fill up and suddenly your car is taking up 2 spots in the middle of that lot. I have instances where I parked really far away thinking the lot won't fill up only to find that not only the lot filled up but I people parked on either side of me. I usually put the car dead center of the space anyway so it been fine.

Mspeedster

There's no squeezing an adjacent spot, because as I said, you do this at an end space.

So the part where you park wide is at the very end, no car next to you on that side. You do it so your wheels are barely on the white line, so at worst the tires sit on the line, but never fully over the line to where it's so obvious. Again, no car next to you on that side, because it's an end space. On the other side where a car could park next you, you've got plenty of space.

Edgy01

As a Porsche driver since 1974, I have always been careful about where I park. It's something I'm sure most of us understand. There is a very real protocol to parking. I learned this protocol over the course of decades of driving and ultimately, parking.

Some rules to consider.

Try not to draw unnecessary attention to your car. (Parking over two spots does that).
Think about the turnover in cars where you park. Are you at a stop-and-shop where the car lot turns over every ten minutes. Are you at an airport? Turnover is once every few days.

Ends are good--but which ends? The ends where the passenger door would perhaps hit you is better than the other way around--because most drivers are alone.

Use caution on windy days. Shopping carts can do a number when unimpeded by other cars that can take the hit for you. Also, car doors can accidently be blown open and hit your car. Park facing the wind.

The occupation of two parking spots is unnecessary and draws unneeded attention. It's telling others that you are special, and your car is special, and thus, you don't need to comply like the common man. Sadly, that brings out the worst in people. People see that scenario and seek out a method to get your attention. You were extremely lucky. If that was Detroit, the car would have probably been keyed (because of the parking and the foreign car in American motor country).

USMC_DS1

If the parking lot has a grad to it make sure that you're parked on the high side. Many years ago my car('92 4Runner) was hit by another car(Honda Prelude). The Prelude owner forgot to put her e-brake on and did have it in 1st gear so her brand new car rolled into the rear steel bumper of my old 4Runner. Her front end caved in... thousands in repair for her. Some Windex on my bumper removed her car's red paint from my bumper. Since that day I have always tried to park my cars on the high ground in a parking lot.