My parking preferences:

- Park where no cars are near you, but sometimes it's not possible, or the space is too far (especially for my wife).

- Park where one side of the car won't be occupied (i.e. next to a non-parking space), then park as close to the non-parking space as possible.

- Park next to a handicap parking space, since chances are, noone will park there.

- If you have to park between cars, then if it's at work, park closer to the car to your left (assuming all cars are facing forward). Most cars at work don't have passengers, so better to park closer to the car to the left. Anywhere else (such as a grocery store or mall), park closer to the car on the right since chances are, the car to your left will have passengers. Drivers tend to be more careful when opening their doors.

Or, just get a ding right away, and then after that, you'll care less :-) .

 

Not necessarily. Depends on where you live. In the town I work (Greenwich, CT), which has the highest income in the country, people around here are so filthy rich that a car for them, no matter how expensive, is just a car. You see people treat their high end cars like $hit, hit curbs, open doors on other cars, drive them for months without washing them, etc.

The safest way to park is as far as possible from anyone else. Even if it means a longer walk - I do it.

 

Good tips above; plus, no one has mentioned: never park next to 2 door vehicles.

 

Don't try any of these two if you live near Asians... I hate to say it because I'm Chinese myself, but damn... parking far to one side is only going to invite some handicapped driver (or at least should be) to park as close to your space as possible, sometimes in your side of the line. So that extra space isn't always going to make any difference there.

And with the handicap parking, people in this area tend to use that spot for loading at times. If they're loading anything that requires them to park closer to the store, watch your doors...

I prefer parking out in the boonies and walking about a mile, but just like Murphy's Law states, some ricer always ends up parking right next to me.

 

Like others have said, I park in the middle of nowhere, and have still had one minor ding repaired (PDR rocks!).

And amusingly, one time I'm parked in the far corner of the parking lot, with no-one around. Some guy pulls up in the row behind in an Escalade, parks; then inexplicably looks at my car, and decides to pull up next to it?? Then he and his kids get out, and only when they see me watching do they pull the doors back from their microscopic gap from the paint.

I then get back in to move my car, he says "Am I too close?"
"No, I'm just moving so we're both clear."
"Then someone else is just going to park beside you."
I look around, and there are no other cars within 50 yards. "No, I don't think they will..."

Freak

 

ITS IMPOSSIBLE TO AVOID DINGS OR SCRATCHES!!!

i got my first ding the other day on my rear driver door...not huge but def noticeable. I am so **** about parking and where i choose to..its gotten to the point to where my GF is like my "spotter" lol

anyways these things will happen EVENTUALLY...and there is nothing you can do about it...some people out there just dont give a flying F about who they park next to or how they open and close their doors.

I got my ding removed for 70 bucks in 10 min. Go figure 70 bucks down the drain for some a$$hole

 

impossible... no matter how far u park or how big the parking lot is, some car will find its way next to you.

 

Take up two spots when you park. HAHAHA

 

That's just an invitation to get scratched.

 

Maybe he figured that the parking lot may eventually fill up later on, and the best place to park to minimize the possibility of his Escalade getting dinged is to park next to a car parked far away, knowing that the owner (i.e. you) is the type who will be very careful when opening doors.

I suppose this brings up another parking tip - if the parking lot (e.g. a mall the day after Thanksgiving) will get full eventually, you may as well park next to the fancy car at the end of the lot, knowing at least on one side of your car, you'll be safe from the other driver

 

Back in high school when I had a rusting Renault Alliance I was always tempted to park as close as I could to anybody who parked at the end of the lot, though I wouldn't have dented their cars (having a father who restores classic cars leads to one being very careful around other people's cars). In the end, laziness always won out over my desire to annoy drivers with nicer cars.

 

No, if he has any sense, he'll move...

 

Walk, its good for you and you're really not saving time by parking close with everyone else. . .

park far all by yourself!

and to the park by nice cars idea . . .umm yeah in a lot of areas in southern cal. . nice cars are as stated above a dime a dozen. . . doesn't mean those people take care of their cars

 

Don't forget about parking next to cars with scissor hinged doors ...

 

haha.. cute!!!