A Ferrari Parking Tale

It was his FIRST day of owning the car. He has the right to be a little paranoid and worried since he had only owned the car for a few hours.

 

I hear there's a space on a mountain top in Tibet, ...

Do we need to get a big purple dinosaur to explain about sharing the road? And the parking spaces?

Taking up two spaces is saying "I'm more important than you". You don't really expect people to respond well to that, do you? Would you accept the notion than an Enzo owner has the right to have your Ferrari pushed out of the way so he could take up four spaces?

People learn bad citizenship from each other. People may think that chivalry is silly -- but seeing it makes them less comfortable with performing to lower standards.

If you don't like the drivers in parking lots, don't park your Ferrari there.

When you leave your car out in the open, you relinquish all control over who will park next to you. When you park next to another car, you get to pick what car you park next to -- such as avoiding the car with all four fenders pushed sideways.

At work, I do tend to prefer to park between the Mini and the concrete pillar. About an inch from the pillar. That way, the Mini has tons of space to open the doors. And when I can park with an inch's precision, it tells other drivers that they'd look pretty silly if they drift two feet off course to hit another car.

--
It's ten o'clock; do you know where your corners are?
Lead by example.

 

Been discussed many times before, but taking two spaces invites people to be angry and possibly damaging your car just to prove you wrong. Parking at the far end of a lot next to the landscape island in one space is perfectly acceptable. Only a hostile type A personality would park close just to annoy a total stranger that has done nothing, except being careful with their car without harm to anyone else. It really annoys me when I see some jerk park really close (or worse, ding a car) when the other driver has clearly gone out of their way to be protective of their car. Not everyone cares about their cars, but we should at least respect the wishes of those that do.
BT

 

A couple of weeks ago I took the 456 to the mall and, as usual, parked in Siberia. I was less than pleased when an SUV pulled into the space next to mine, but I had to smile as four boys aged 10-12 or so piled out (from the side opposite my car) and surrounded us, jumping up and down the whole time. One of them was lording his expertise over the others, crowing, "I told you it was a Ferrari!" Mom gave me a smile back and a look that said, "Boys - can't live with them, can't live without them." The kids asked lots of questions, were very polite, and were careful not to touch the car.

 

We have a little Sunday ritual at our house. Generally about 3:00 in the afternoon, we wash the cars, then my daughter gets in the DB9, wife in the 430 and me in the SLR (maybe the other way around, we tend to fight over the 430), and we head out for our Sunday drive to Starbucks!

Once we get there, we park at the end of the lot, all three by each other. Lots of people pull up nearby and take pictures, or get out and check them out, but I've yet to see anybody do anything really stupid yet.

The funniest thing I've seen so far was a few months ago we came out from grocery shopping in the SLR, and someone had kissed it, leaving big greasy lip prints on the drivers window!

It is true that when we park in mall parking lots, away from everyone else (always in just one space), when we come out there are always several other cars parked nearby. I'm not sure why, but it's an interesting sociological study!

And for all the Ferrari fans out there, the 430 gets at least twice the attention that the other two cars get. I think it's due to the fact that not a whole lot of people know what the other two cars really are, but everybody knows Ferrari.

 

Aha! A subject dear to my heart. Last Summer I took a road trip in the E-type. Parked in an indoor mall lot with the passenger side closest to the wall, about 6 inches. I left at least 18" of room on the driver's side. Came back to the car and found an Excursion parked 6 inches over the line into my spot, he was so close to my car that I could not open the door enough to squeeze in (top was up). He didn't ding my car, but I couldn't get in!
I had to find a mall security guard and he had the SUV towed out of the spot - but only after I begged him. I was forced to wait 45 minutes before they were willing to do this.

I've never keyed a car before but I have to tell you I came very close that day.
Randy

 

I've never keyed a car but I've left a few notes saying that I did! - George

 

I've had a woman park,then SMACK! a dent into the side of my car once, waddling off into the store, inner thighs chaffing.....I steamed for a minute and although I didn't damage her SUV, it WAS missing the wheel stems on one side, when she came back....

They had auto service, round to the side....

I still have the 4" vertical crease in the rear quarter panel.....

 

Lol. This happens to me all the time at the airport parking structure (I take the Jeep, not the Ferrari, so I wasn't in a panic - just annoyed). Next time I'll take your suggestion!

What about carrying around some of those violation stickers like they use in private parking areas? Slap a red sticker on the window...

The post about finding an end spot with the post or kerb on the passenger side is excellent advice. I also just make it a habit to park in wide spaces instead of those miserable little compact ones (I don't know who comes up with the dimensions for those, but if you're careful you could squeeze a Ducati into one...)

Some people don't, some do. I never take the Ferrari out for a 2AM 7-Eleven run downtown. But if I'm having lunch in La Jolla or Del Mar (nicer parts of San Diego), I'm sure more people are interested in buying the car than dinging it.

 

At the plant in MA, there was an old Buick that would constantly park cockeyed in the lot, as though the driver simply drove in the general direction of the lot and parked wherever the car came to a stop.

After seeing this for a couple of months, I decided that the way to make a gentle hint would be to leave a coloring book and a box of crayons on the windscreen, with a note reading: "Practice staying inside the lines".

Alas, to my consternation, I found that there are apparently no such things as coloring books, anymore. All I could find in local stores were "scribble pads". I guess "staying inside the lines" is considered too restrictive a requirement for the younger generation.

I also took to carrying around a soft cloth to deal with the collection of fingerprints that the (black) Ferrari would accumulate over any given day parked at that plant.

But another company plant was worse, although it did give me a lesson about jumping to conclusions. I used to park out by the back fence in an empty row. One time I came back to find a large SUV parked next to the Ferrari, and the passenger mirror askew. I was really miffed, but while I was contemplating vengence upon the SUV I noticed that the paint marks on the mirror didn't match the SUV. Another driver had come by, decided to park next to the Ferrari, but changed his mind after hitting the car while pulling in. Then a completely different driver parked next to the Ferrari in the same space (still in an otherwise empty row).

Standards are falling all over.

 

I absolutely agree. The general public is often inconsiderate, clumsy, and with respect to exotic cars, often vindictive. Since you cannot predict when one of this ilk will park next to you the minute you leave your car, my philosophy is simple: I do not park/leave unoccupied my Dino, EVER. This may be paranoid, but I have several other vehicles to choose from, daily drivers that can, and have, "taken the hit".

 

i have to say when i park my car, which isnt a ferrari but i still like to keep it tidy, i will look for the most expensive or well kept cars to park next to. basically because they are less likely to swing a door into my car.

i never park next to the dirty suv with childrens seats in the back!

 

Hmmmm....just a thought, but maybe the SUV's and other cars seek out and park next to Ferraris parked in the outer reaches because they are confident that the conscientious Ferrari owner will not ding the doors of their SUV's etc !

 

Exactly. When you park next to an empty space, you have no idea who's going to park there.

Pull up close and park between the SLR and the Roller.

Or the ricer with the $8000 paint job.

 

I own one of those, too.

 

people are just nuts! True story....I am out for dinner on a nice eve and go for a drive so I go to a special restaurant near austin street in Forrest Hills and I and a woman and young daughter in a very nice late model mercedes are circling looking for parking spots...circling, circling and as luck would have it on my pass a car pulls out and I pull in and I was a "lap" ahead of the woman in the mercedes, I pull in the spot and sit at the outdoor cafe across from the spot and I see this woman drive around slowly close to my car ( a previous ferrari -- this was a few years ago) and leans out the window with a key and keys the entire street side of my car ---with a young girl in the passenger seat (daughter?)....unreal thing to watch...my GF freaks out and says call the police and get the plate etc... I told her to calm down it is only a car and not worth ruining this woman's life (criminal record, bail, vandal etc.) over this and welcome to NYC and we came here to enjoy a nice Spring eve out to dinner.... funny I think people that would never be criminals normally get in their cars and think they can run people down ( Martha Stewart) or dent cars or vandalize or steal...couldn't stand the scratch -- really ruined the car for me so brought it the next day to LIC to be painted and it was not worth putting in for insurance either so it was one expensive parking spot, but that is life....for a hundred blessings we invite a few curses.

 

You're a better person than I am. I would have made the call to the police and the local newspapers. Great example for the daughter...

 

If that sentence was freeway traffic, the collision would be headline news in four states.

(I'm guessing you never diagrammed a sentence in english class. )

 

dont park next to me please. thanks

 

You and me. I'd have had a real tough time not going bananas and bashing her car.... the kid there would have chilled that, but still. I would not have let that one go. The daughter was being taught it is ok to be a criminal.

You don't happen to walk on water as well do you? - George

 

Funny thing. When you see one of these old beat-up 70's car parked (no matter where), no one seems to want to park next to it! Or at least, no well taken cared of vehicle.

With these types of exotic cars, you just have to be mindful of where you take it to and where you park it. Supermarkets, Costco, Walmart, movie theater, or any areas of high concentration of traffic (car traffic and shopping cart traffic), you end up just taking a bigger risk of someone or something (a run-away shopping cart) dinging your vehicle.

I have some exotic motorcycles that I use on the weekends and there is no way I would park my pride-n-joy at one of these venues for any amount of time. Why? Because it is just inviting trouble.

The way I see these exotic vehicles is this. You take them out on weekends (or days off) and enjoy a nice drive. Stop by a small cafe/restaurant where you can park in front and see your vehicle while eating. Then enjoy the ride back. And should someone call and ask you to pick up some milk and bread at the local grocery on your way back, go home and get another vehicle for that task. This should help minimize issues.

Before my weekend rides, I always know where I'm going and what to expect at the destination in terms of parking and wheather or not it suits my risk level of having the vehicle unattended.

For the daily drivers out there, I applaud you. I'd have too may heartburns just thinking about my vehicle left there all alone to chance.

 

Man, personally I would have gone "Sonny Corleone" !! No excuse for doing a thing like that, on so many levels.
-Luigi

 

I think the bottom line is that most people dont pay attention and that is the risk you take when you drive your exotic car(s) in cities full of morons and haters.

Something that I always find funny is that these same people think I am stupid for PAYING attention. As most poeple know, in the LA area there are a lot of dips in the roads for water drainage and the 430 scrapes the front bumper on just about any surface that has a 10 deg. incline or greater. When I slow down and take these, or speed bumps sideways people yell and honk like no other. Some guy told me to lay off the booze the other day at 2pm for doing this

 

... driving the other vehicles.

The one that weirds me out are the "traffic calming devices" (e.g. speed bumps) strewn merrily around Alexandria.

They're wide enough that the Ferrari doesn't have trouble taking them at the posted 25 MPH.

So why do the monster SUVs have to come to a dead stop to crawl over them?