That's a good point. Although I think you'd feel differently if you saw the way the van was parked(how close and crooked it was) and there were 25 other empty spots where he would have been just as safe. Trust me, it was rude. It's not the first time this happened to me, that's was provoked me to ask if this happens to others here.
Couper

Actually I take my Yukon to movies and stores so I really don't experience this problem much. My Boxster is just a weekend toy. The other thing I never do is Valet parking. I know these guys park cars much much nicer than mine (pricewise) but I don't care, nobody valet parks my Boxster for me. I'll just go to restaurants that don't have valet parking. There are plenty nice ones that don't.

I have a mini van that I use for my business and I respect it like I do my Boxcar. I will park the van far to the back of the lot with plenty of room around me as I don't want it dinged any more than I would want any car I own to be dinged. Sure enough there will be one other vehicle parked right next to me when I return. Loads of space all around me but there we are, side by side, with empty spaces on either side of us. Frustrating for sure. Probably some reasons for this behaviour; People tend to figure that you must park next to a car to uniformly fill in an area just like when you go to an event and an attendant parks one car next to another until a row is filled. Secondly, as has been pointed out, the driver feels that if you parked there you will respect his car and at least one side is protected. And thirdly, there are just some plain ordinary all-american A**holes out there that haven't a clue. Just live with it and marvel.

AKL

Allen, That exactly what I'm talking about but guess what i just figured out........It must be an upstate NY thing. You live in New Paltz??? I'm in Poughkeepsie. Heh Heh.

In addition to looking for end spots, I also look for openings next to the handicapped slots. Around here it seems like a third of the spaces in the lot are for handicapped and you are lucky to see one in ten used. Usually you see five rows of three or four designated slots so the odds of someone using the outer one next to you is nil. This has worked well for me.

Steve, in Houston, it's "cool" to take your elderly relative's handicap hangar and use it when they are not with you, so every single handicapped spot is taken around here. This really pisses me off and the city won't do anything about it. But I digress.

Because of the potential for vandalism, theft, carelessness on the part of others and just plain vindictive behavior often seen in Houston, I do not park my car in public places. In fact, I have stopped driving my car to church where I thought I could safely parallel park it in one particular area that is safe... the soccer moms in mini vans have rubbed my driver's side back bumper a couple of times and never once confessed to doing it. And everyone at my church knows who owns the black boxster smack dab in front of the church's front doors. Grrrr.

I've said it before here and I'll say it again... I wish I lived in Germany or that their respect for other people's property (especially their cars) would infect our country. They must park so close to one another that their side mirrors are always closed and it would seem that they get out of their cars through the back hatch or the window and then roll it up with the key. And even though they park like packed sardines in a can, they rarely, if ever, ding a door.

If you ask me, it's all an issue of rampant narcissim or selfishness. As a country, we just don't give a crap about anyone else or anyone else's property any longer. Sorry for the long post, but this issue of door dings and not being able to drive my car and park it in public places really pisses me off.

Hey, if you have joined PCA you are in my region. Dr. & Mrs. Kill and wife and I are thinking of meeting up at the Rhinebeck Aerodrome as it is re-opeing on Fathers day. Have yet to set a date but if you are interested in joining us let me know. If we get enough interested we get a group rate and a roped off area to park in eliminating the need for 'sentinels'. Get back to me at: aklon30@yahoo.com

AkL

I agree with you 100%. It's like that everywhere these days. This country is akin to the Roman Empire ripe for decline because we have become fat, dumb, and lazy.

Maybe the mini van contained a dad and some kids that wanted to check out your kool car. I get that all the time. I take my car everywhere when the weather is nice. I park it at the store with the top down. I've been minimaly keyed once but that is it. I'm going to enjoy my car, that's why I bought it. Driving the car is what's fun, if I had a door ding I wouldn't be able to see it from the driver's seat while I'm pushing on the gas pedal!

I always park on the end (ALWAYS) but never take more than one spot. If I go to a place with a big parking lot (like a mall) I'll park all the way at the end and hoof it back. I've taken several pictures with my c-phone of my car all the way at the end of the lot.............with one other car parked right next to me. I'm with you, I don't get it.

This quote was taken from another forum I visit:

I was at my local BBQ place with my friend ..... I see a Porsche parked outside (Boxster). Of course, parked on the end spot, as close to the curb (and as far from the other spots) as possible. I say to my friend: "Wow, a porsche; parked by a porsche owner"...

So, I guess that answers our question. Somehow we are pricks for not wanting our cars dinged even though we are not harming or inconveniencing anyone.