[fjdude]

I can't wait to get my coupe in Feb but a lot of people are scaring me about random vandalism and telling me i have to be careful re: neighbourhoods where I drive and parking at parking lots near nightclubs.

So my question is, as BMW owners do you follow any rules of thumb when determining where to park your vehicle? My friend who drives a TSX tells me to park it far away from any other vehicle. He also told me not to park near other expensive cars as people who own expensive vehicles don't care too much about scratches since they're "loaded" (and don't care about costs to fix/repair) and while opening/closing doors they really wouldn't care if they scratched my coupe in the process.

After reading about some random acts of hate/jealousy i'm a bit worried about driving the coupe when I get it.

I live in Toronto (Canada) so i'm wondering if maybe we have a relatively lesser number of "haters" than US folks.

fj

[wj4]

IMO it all depends on your luck. I've tried to be very careful while parking, ie park where there are no cars or perferctly park between the lines so no one can open their doors and bang into mine. I still get hit and scratches every now and then.
Then there are my friends who aren't into cars and don't care that much. They park as close as they can, squeeze into any open spot and their cars are flawless after 2+ years of owning.

[Jaws]

Originally Posted by fjdude

I can't wait to get my coupe in Feb but a lot of people are scaring me about random vandalism and telling me i have to be careful re: neighbourhoods where I drive and parking at parking lots near nightclubs.

So my question is, as BMW owners do you follow any rules of thumb when determining where to park your vehicle? My friend who drives a TSX tells me to park it far away from any other vehicle. He also told me not to park near other expensive cars as people who own expensive vehicles don't care too much about scratches since they're "loaded" (and don't care about costs to fix/repair) and while opening/closing doors they really wouldn't care if they scratched my coupe in the process.

After reading about some random acts of hate/jealousy i'm a bit worried about driving the coupe when I get it.

I live in Toronto (Canada) so i'm wondering if maybe we have a relatively lesser number of "haters" than US folks.

fj

Test your hypothesis by parking your new car around Jane and Finch for a few days.

Doesn't matter where you live, they'll always be an idiot about.

I'd certainly rather park btw two nice cars than two POS. Don't be afraid to walk if you can find a parking area that's empty. Avoid parking next to coupes (longer doors) and minivans (kids, although they have sliding doors).
But of course it mostly comes down to luck.

[fjdude]

Originally Posted by Jaws

Test your hypothesis by parking your new car around Jane and Finch for a few days.

Doesn't matter where you live, they'll always be an idiot about.

I'd certainly rather park btw two nice cars than two POS. Don't be afraid to walk if you can find a parking area that's empty. Avoid parking next to coupes (longer doors) and minivans (kids, although they have sliding doors).
But of course it mostly comes down to luck.

JANE and FINCH!!! lol....

if I parked there i wouldn't have to worry about scratches...i would be more worried about bullets in the car!

[GregL]

Originally Posted by fjdude

JANE and FINCH!!! lol....

if I parked there i wouldn't have to worry about scratches...i would be more worried about bullets in the car!

Car? What car? I don't think you'll even find it after parking it there for a few days!

[Chesmu]

DON'T - take up two spots instead of one. That's arrogant and asking for it
DON'T - drive like an ass in the parking lot. That's asking for it
DON'T - leave valuables in plain sight

DO - park away from other cars if possible
DO - Park next to car that is pulled in straight. Crooked parkers are bad drivers
DO - face the fact that you will get door dings.

[STE92VE]

Originally Posted by fjdude

He also told me not to park near other expensive cars as people who own expensive vehicles don't care too much about scratches since they're "loaded" (and don't care about costs to fix/repair) and while opening/closing doors they really wouldn't care if they scratched my coupe in the process.

I can't believe someone really put thought into this statement. I guess you would have more security parking near a Kia.
At first I was reluctant to consider the BMW because I had the same concerns.
But the driving experience was too srong and overcame those feelings as well as my wife telling me that it's just a car and you should enjoy it. You should be aware where ever you park. I once had a 1976 Corolla that was broken into in NYC and have had idiots open their doors into my 1994 Civic. If you're too concerned about random acts of dumbness, than just keep it parked in the garage. Think of all the gas $ you'll save.
Get out and drive...it's what the car was designed to do.

[dmboone25]

Originally Posted by Chesmu

DON'T - take up two spots instead of one. That's arrogant and asking for it
DON'T - drive like an ass in the parking lot. That's asking for it
DON'T - leave valuables in plain sight

DO - park away from other cars if possible
DO - Park next to car that is pulled in straight. Crooked parkers are bad drivers
DO - face the fact that you will get door dings.

Nicely put!

[hkwallace328]

i prefer to park to nice cars, i mean who want to dent their brand new 7 series right? but there are always ass that park as close to your car as possible and the next thing u know a DING!

[bavarian19]

I park well away from other cars. It gives me less chance of being dinged by other cars, and more excercise...

I do the most that I can not to draw attention to my car. I drive pretty reserved around other drivers, and very cautiously in parking lots. I rarely drive my car going out downtown, and I let my friends drive their cars.

Scratches and dings do happen, but you can do something to try to avoid them for as long as possible...

[picus]

I'm not trying to scare you, but there are just as many "haters" in Toronto as in any US city I've ever lived in. By virtue of my job I get to see all kinds of nice valdalism; a client today had his e92 covered in chocolate at a Marlies game (nice, I know...).

I think generally you just have to be smart. Chesmu's definitely got it on the money; try not to piss others off and *hopefully* you will have good luck and no one will just mess with the car randomly. My only other suggestion is to get an alarm with a tilt sensor.

In general if I am at the grocery store or something (like today), I will park kind of far away, or close to cars of similar expense to mine. I parked beside a 330ci today for example; I mean of all people another 3 coupe owner isn't going to mess with my shit, right?

[Javier]

i always try to park between 2 empty spaces and if not, at equal distances between the cars next to me.

I used to park really far away in empty areas until one day i was walking back to my car and there were a bunch of guys around my car getting ready to plunder and/or steal it. When they saw me coming the jumped into their 1987 corolla hunk-o-junk and fled.

i just try to be really careful. (i got a scratch the 1st day i had it, and my mom scratched it at the dealer before we even paid for it, luckily the dealer buffed it out for delivery)

just be very careful, but in the end there is no escaping scratches and dings.

i'm always really careful with cars next to me in hopes that they'll be really careful with mine.

[John 070]

Yep, I found it weird that when I've parked "away," someone always parks next to me in some cases. I confirmed that these individuals are just like the guy who got caught molesting bread on Fox News. It's a fetish or sickness, the guy just liked damaging baked goods in the supermarket and got caught on camera. He would just squeeze it to the point where the bread was not saleable.

We had this conversation at work in the elevator, about parking away, and these two contractors said if they ever see a nice car parked all by itself, they'll go out of their way to park their work truck really close to it. Pretty sick, huh? At least what they said confirms that such individuals are out there. We sure don't live in a perfect society.

[John 070]

Originally Posted by bavarian19

I park well away from other cars. It gives me less chance of being dinged by other cars, and more excercise...

I do the most that I can not to draw attention to my car. I drive pretty reserved around other drivers, and very cautiously in parking lots. I rarely drive my car going out downtown, and I let my friends drive their cars.

Scratches and dings do happen, but you can do something to try to avoid them for as long as possible...

I'm totally with you, 100%. I parked by myself on Fri. in the city and we come back and some kids are getting out of a Corolla and the Toyota is parked right up against me even though there were about 8+ empty spaces. I was not shy in running across the street and letting them know they parked next to me (i.e. at least they know someone is aware of them).

[SoYank]

One of the things I learned in a defensive driver's course was to park at the end of the row and as far to the edge as possible. This eliminates 50% of the problem unless you get some asshole that has absolute no regards for the parking laws. When I park in a multi-story garage I will go to the top levels and then try to find the end spot. I also try to back in whenever possible. I'm not one to split lanes. It's inconsiderate for one thing and is asking for trouble either from the yobs or the traffic warden.

Drive defensive...buy a tank.

[GregL]

The Toronto Star had an article on the Armet Gurkha yesterday, the editor took it shopping among other things and said the beauty is that the doors are placed so high, that when opened they clear most other parked car's roofs I'm sure the armour plating doesn't hurt when it comes to repelling dings either!

http://www.aavi.com

[ScheerSpeed]

i always park my car in BFE. i parked close one time because i was with a girl, and what do ya know.....i get back to a door ding on my right rear door.

[GregL]

Originally Posted by ScheerSpeed

i always park my car in BFE. i parked close one time because i was with a girl, and what do ya know.....i get back to a door ding on my right rear door.

Excuse me, but whats BFE?

[crqflier]

Originally Posted by GregL

Excuse me, but whats BFE?

I think it's a part of Egypt...

[Fraggy]

THanks for clearing that up, I was confused as well

[Jaws]

Originally Posted by crqflier

I think it's a part of Egypt...

Maybe, but it doesn't fit the context of his statement.

[crqflier]

Originally Posted by Jaws

Maybe, but it doesn't fit the context of his statement.

B = Butt or Bum, your choice. F = F*#!. E = Egypt. Means way out in the middle of nowhere.