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Do Public Car Parks put you off taking your "pride & joy"?

I have to be honest, I used to be overly precious with many of my cars.

In many ways, ‘show cars’ are lovely as garage queens and for taking to events etc, but you won’t get to enjoy them anywhere near as much as a relatively tidy car you can just drive and enjoy :thumb:

My 911 is over twenty years old and has a few battle scars. When I first bought it, this used to bother me but I have had more fun over the last year or two just driving it and using it as intended. I think I only washed it twice last year and it’s currently sitting in the garage looking at bit dusty and grubby (awaiting MoT test next week). Still scrubs up well though :)

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I admire cleaner, shinier examples but just know that if I had a minter I’d probably be using it even less than I do already.

I think I’m more precious over the newish-to-me little B-class as that really is as-new and I would probably be more annoyed to find a ding or scrape on that :doh:
 
Totally agree. I'm ultra fussy where I park on public car parks. I'll park as far away as possible from the store, in my case Tesco. The very odd time, I go somewhere, where it's a busy car park, I try and get next to a new or decent motor, my theory being, they are less chance of banging your car. Definate no no's not to park next to are, Works van/pick-ups, really tatty cars and cars with baby seats. Might seem a bit OTT to some, but I really look after my car, and don't want it, dinging/denting etc. 🙂👍

This is my ideal parking.

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Overhanging the white line a bit there...;)😂
 
There are occasions when I'd like to drive my SL but am put off using it by the lack of decent parking in the vicinity of the destination (multi-story, pay and display with tight spaces/high speed bumps). I then just use my daily driver and lose out on the enjoyment of the drive.

Anyone else do this or is it just me?

It's not just you.

I'm afraid my much older SL probably does fall into the 'garage queen' category and I won't park it in supermarket etc. car parks - had too many dings from car doors and trolleys in the past. If you pick a parking space in an empty area far from the doors then the chances are when you come out someone will have parked next to you!

I do use it for other errands in nice weather - took it to the local country store last week to get a sack of chicken pellets :D

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It's not just you.

I'm afraid my much older SL probably does fall into the 'garage queen' category and I won't park it in supermarket etc. car parks - had too many dings from car doors and trolleys in the past. If you pick a parking space in an empty area far from the doors then the chances are when you come out someone will have parked next to you!

I do use it for other errands in nice weather - took it to the local country store last week to get a sack of chicken pellets :D

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The irony is that some morons can't park in an empty bay and use the side of your car as some sort of guide. Utterly bellends who, because they can't park, are actually more likely than average to inflict precisely the type of damage you're trying to avoid....
 
I have appeared on this or a similar Facebook group too, for parking in two spaces, but only ever on car parks with plenty of spaces and only away from the high footfall areas.

⚠️ Long post alert ⚠️

I suspect that I may have featured on such Facebook groups on at least one other occasion and it reminds me of quite a bizarre story.

Mrs D needed something from a shop like B&M or Home Bargains, with a car park shared with the likes of Wickes and B&Q. As we we were in a car I wouldn’t want to risk parking next to someone squeezing big trolleys between cars to get “big” things into their car.

So I dropped her off at the entrance, and parked on the far side of the car park where it was empty, positioned so that the exit of the shop was dead ahead so that I could drive over and pick her up as soon as I as I spotted her.

As I was sat there I noticed someone taking photos of the car on their phone, which does happen so I gave him a thumbs up. He then started saying something loudly but he was quite a way away and I had no idea what it was, assuming it to be the usual “rev it up”.

At that moment I spotted Mrs D, so I started driving towards her and he got into a car. I intercepted Mrs D right in front of his car, so I pulled up just before his space so he could drive out and turned and gave him a thumbs up and a smile.

I hopped out to help Mrs D put stuff in the boot and he went absolutely nuts, shouting things like “get away”, “leave me alone”, “I’m filming this”, and “I’m sending this to the Police”. He then reversed away at speed almost hitting other cars. All very strange.

Mrs D wasn’t able to get something she we for so we went to the “other” B&M or Home Bargains across the other side of town. I dropped Mrs D off at the entrance and parked in a large end space with a view of the door. Perfect.

Whilst waiting the car next to me left leaving an empty space. I carried on doing what I was doing and looked up when I heard shouting. It was the same bloke, and he was parked on the other side of the empty parking space!

This time he started shouting “this is harassment”, “I’ve called the Police” and my favourite was “leave me alone, you’re bigger than me”, and again drove away so fast that it was really dangerous for everyone else in the car park.

I’ll never know but I’m guessing that he takes photos and posts them on these Facebook groups, and someone didn’t appreciate it in the past so he just assumed that I wasn’t going to like it either. Had he not behaved the way he did I would have assumed he was just another car spotter!
Bully Dazler....... 😉
 
I park in the furthest corner of a carpark and then my Mrs says can we order a taxi to the shop door !!!!!
and then when we come out of the shop someone has parked there scrap car close to mine when theirs plenty of room else where ?? I don't get it !!! :confused:
 
I park in the furthest corner of a carpark and then my Mrs says can we order a taxi to the shop door !!!!!
and then when we come out of the shop someone has parked there scrap car close to mine when theirs plenty of room else where ?? I don't get it !!! :confused:

Tossers, obviously. 🤬
Plus I think they realise why you've parked there, so do it on purpose, to wind you up. And guess what, it works. 🤪
 
Is that lower pic Menai Bridge ??
Yes! Went over the weekend twice, second time managed to get a table at the seafood restaurant opposite the parking space. Only went for the first time to Anglesea last year for a track day - now i've moved nearby it's great to go to.
 
Yes! Went over the weekend twice, second time managed to get a table at the seafood restaurant opposite the parking space. Only went for the first time to Anglesea last year for a track day - now i've moved nearby it's great to go to.
Dylans :) .
Thought I recognised the street .
You need to remove Hertfordshire from your forum picture then .
 
Bully Dazler....... 😉
You might be on to something there. Someone else said “leave me alone, you’re bigger than me” and “I’m calling the Police” at around the same time as the above incident! 👀

I was sat in Starbucks with Mrs D, Junior D, Baby D and my parents, when a couple started getting a bit feisty with a very young member of staff when she explained that they were unable to make Frappuccinos.

I’m a have-a-go hero and can’t stand by when something unfolds in front of me, so I observed from a distance. The young girl very politely said that neither she nor Starbucks tolerate abusive behaviour and asked them to leave.

When it started to escalate I walked over to the couple and very politely asked them to be more respectful to the staff. They then started throwing insults at my family and other customers, so I asked them once more to be respectful to all.

They really didn't like it, and became really rather abusive to my daughter in particular. I only do calm, and suggested that they leave and try another coffee shop. At which point the chap said “leave me alone, you’re bigger than me” and “I’m calling the Police”.

The best bit was that someone with them apparently broadcast it all on Facebook Live, as they told us so as they left. My daughter had seen someone filing it so it was probably true. Unfortunately for them it put everyone else in a good light, but for them not so much 😁

Back to topic…
 
There are occasions when I'd like to drive my SL but am put off using it by the lack of decent parking in the vicinity of the destination (multi-story, pay and display with tight spaces/high speed bumps). I then just use my daily driver and lose out on the enjoyment of the drive.

Anyone else do this or is it just me?

Gratuitous pic

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Ferris Beuller took his friend’s Ferrari to a multi storey with valet parking , where it was carefully parked by a ‘professional’ ; and all was well when he got it back !

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I do the same , never take the Porker into Glasgow City Centre as the parking bays are tiny and there are too many drivers and their passengers that care not one jot for anyone`s property so we take the wifes Nissan Joke or the boys Ford Fiasco both of which fly below the radar and can actually be left un-attended without a jealous tw@t having a go at it.

Locally i take it most places , Morrisons carpark is big enough to leave it well away from those that must park closest to the main entrance and i take up two places at the gym.

K
In Glasgow, I regularly go to level seven of the Buchanan Galleries multi storey ; lower levels can be packed , but the further up you go the fewer cars there ; on the top floor there are rarely more than half a dozen cars on the whole floor ; I’ve had the floor to myself a few times , and it tends to be reasonably nice cars which are parked well apart from each other .

From a recent visit

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In Westfield White City, there are a small number of slots in the underground car park that are fully isolated on all 4 sides. These are my first port of call. When these slots are taken, it is almost always by cars who are obviously much loved by their owners... no run-of-the-mill SUVs packed with child seats and discarded food remains :D
 
I try to park "defensively" and getting damage to our cars from others carelessness would be annoying but life goes on and sometime the risk /reward is worth rolling the dice 👌
 
You guys need to use a bit of initiative. (My local sports centre this evening)
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Good idea, but a bit of overkill with the wipers covering the screen. Do people actually try to park on windscreens down your way???
 

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