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Hi,
To be sure, there are advantages to leaving a Manual Car in Gear when Parked... but there are also some disadvantages.
If you park the Car for an extended period, the Clutch/Gearshift Mechanism can sieze. It's usually a lot more work to disengage a stuck Clutch/ Linkage than it is to engage it if it siezes.
Add to this, if parked on the street and left in gear, should someone hit you, even slightly, it can damage the Clutch and/or Linkage even though it may not effect the bodywork too much, especially with Urethane Bumpers.
I am not advocating using either method, because Handbrakes are also notorious for failing, not because cables stretch as had been suggested by some others, but because if the Brakes are HOT (and therefore expanded) when you apply them, as they COOL off, they contract, loosening their grip on the Discs, and can then slip.
For me, parking on the Street, I put the Car in Neutral, set the Handbrake, and turn the Front Wheel into the curb if on level ground or facing downhill. If facing uphill, I turn the Wheels away from the curb. This way, the Drivetrain is protected and the odds of the Car running up the curb are minimal. Hope this helps...
Happy Motoring!... Jim'99
Last edited by MNBoxster; 01-11-2006 at 03:15 PM.
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