The constant fear of the door basher

[lordrobs]

Okay, so who else out there is going to admit to worrying about this? I'm not talking "ooh, I'll park out of the way". Oh no, I'm talking full lap of the car park, socially profiling the owner of every car, looking for the points where people are going to walk between cars, trying to find the prime spot, walking away from the parked car, then going back to move it because you've seen a better spot. Then still thinking an hour later "nah, I should have gone for that space between the two tidy cars rather than going for the end space and risking someone parking next to me".

The irony is that I always say to other people "it makes no difference where you park, you are just as likely to get hit". I even proved this by parking in a row of 6 empty spaces at the services to come back, cappuccino in hand, to some fat lump levering herself out of her battered Fiesta. The obligatory (and completely pointless) post parking inspection showed the tell tale vertical clean stripe and even a clean, two stage polish and wax hasn't totally removed the mark... not that anyone else can see it but to me it is like a neon beacon of humanity's inconsiderate nature. Still I almost got 1000 miles on the car before that happened, not bad going.

I'm thinking I need either therapy or a battered old wreck I don't care about. Perhaps some support from others that worry about these things will help in the meantime!

 

[lordrobs]

Get a daily beater OP

The absolute irony of it all... I've actually got a company car! People say I shouldn't care about it but it's new, I pay a fortune every month in tax to have it and I want to keep it tidy.

I am less precious about the MX5 as that has many a ripple down the doors and seems to pick up a new mark if you look at it funny.

 

[lordrobs]

Sounds miserable. Why put yourself through it: just drive an older car.

I've always been like it. I had a brief rest bite when I had ex pool cars as company cars as they were batted beyond the point even noticing another mark.

6 year old 306 (owned to 9 years old)
4 year Octavia (owned to 9 years old)

Exactly the same with those. To be honest I'm still pretty bad with the MX5 and my wife's car

 

[lordrobs]

respite?

That was what I meant! Combination of typo and autocorrect fail I think!

As for people parking next to you when in the middle of nowhere... Sometimes I think the logic must go - this guy obviously cares about his car so they aren't going to damage my one so at least one side is safe if I park next to them!

 

[lordrobs]

Surely with the new focus on mental health people like me can be assessed and issued a green (or any other colour apart from blue!) badge that gives you access to extra space bays placed in that bit of the car park that no one uses* because it is 1/2 mile from the shop

*until you park there of course and attract a random to park in the next bay in their fertility bus.

 

[lordrobs]

In Cornwall on holiday at the moment and parking in some places is a case of grabbing the first place you see in the tourist spots. So far wherever I've had to park tight to another car mine has been unmarked. The one time I park with spaces to the side... I come back to a door hit with a nice trace of red paint. Maybe I've been taking the wrong approach all these years. Park tight to the next car to minimise door swingage