Let me limit the audience of this to those with 991s (or 997's) that are our DD's and only car (Ok anyone, but just don't respond that you drive one of your other 9 cars or your beater instead)..

So how many of you go to ridiculous measures to avoid close proximity parking in most public parking lots or public places.. Of course I suspect almost all of us park as far as we can in the supermarket or mall parking lot..

But how ridiculous are you..? For example, I turned down tickets for a concert recently because the thought of parking my 991s at the Hollywood bowl gave me hives...And I often avoid happy hour with my buddies, because the parking lot at their spot.. is always crowded. I'm also embarrassed to admit, I parked about 4 blocks away from a business meeting (building had a parking structure but had "compact" parking spaces...

I bet there are a few more paranoid than me...

 

Been there , done that , even wrote a similar thread on this topic years ago https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ive-997tt.html

For many years I had a 911 as my only car . I even sold a 911 in 05 after xenon light theft was rampant in my region . Much like you parking the car is a concern and it led to buying a second car in an effort to preserve the numero uno .

The funny thing is that when most people imagine buying the dream car they ponder driving it in ideal situations . They don't imagine a shopping cart ding , or parking under a tree where birds are crapping on it , or having someone in front of you like this ..........

 

In Los Angeles, there are a ton of good restaurants but I am limited because they are all valet only. Not the good valet mind you at like Fogo and other places down La Cienega, but $2 cheap valets who don't particularly car about your car.

I haven't had good KBBQ since.

Also, I want to see Book of Mormon before it leaves the Pantages Theater. First thought was: "where the hell am I gonna park the car?"

 

Call me crazy, but I ignore every worry and park my daily-driven 991 wherever I want, whenever I'm out. Supermarkets, shops, malls, valet, etc. I haven't had any problems. I know many people don't see it this way, but I don't want to change my lifestyle with the "worry" that something may happen to the car.

Hell, from personal experience, many friends and family members who shiver at the thought of parking in a shopping mall or valeting their car are actually the ones that end up having a horrible experience.

I've been valeting cars everywhere I go for years… I was in K-Town just last night and parked at a crummy lot.

But, a friend's Mercedes, which "has never been touched by a damn valet driver," was literally totaled a few months ago here in Los Angeles after his first (and, obviously, his only) valet check-in resulted in an accident.

 

I hate to say this, but I probably would not own a Porsche if I could only own that and had to use it as a DD. The downside to owning and driving a $100K+ car is having to be careful of it when you do park it. I don't think I could stand the constant worry, hehehe!


I am having a hard enough time with all the people insisting on driving right beside me on the highway wanting to get a look at the Turbo S.

 

Well. With the cost of these machines, I would just buy the 991, then buy a cheap Toyota Corolla for 15k (cost of ceramics and PDCC), and just drive that to work or if you think you are going to a bar after work.

 

Actually, I did that a few years ago, when I bought my first sports car, bought A bare bones Toyota pickup.. It was the perfect compliment to a sports car.. And I didn't worry about dings

 

I've had two 911's as DD's and am very protective about where I park, but I do bow down to convenience sometimes. I went to Walmart today and parked up close to the store in a spot with cars on either side because I had my two little kids with me and didn't feel like dragging them a quarter mile from the nearest "safe" parking spot (i.e. a spot far enough from the store that nobody was likely to park on either side of me). But the spots are pretty big so I could almost open both of my doors all the way without hitting the cars next to me. I won't park next to older vehicles or ones with dents, and I always pay attention to what cars would be next to me. I don't think I'd turn down concert tickets and would just find a lot where I could park safely even if that meant walking a mile to the concert. I don't think it's embarassing to park 4 blocks from a business meeting either. I won't park in a "compact" spot at all. I need to be able to open both of my doors to the first stop without worrying about hitting the car next to me or the spot isn't big enough!

 

This is best attitude to have, give in to the universe. Bad things sometimes happen, but usually they don't.

I definitely won't be parking at the back of the lot taking up two spaces, that's just inviting trouble. I think my criteria will be: ordinary, non-COMPACT space, not next to a minivan or Prius.

 

At least the first part of your question, going to bars, party's and concerts could be explained by old age. Welcome to middle age.

Went to a local plumbing distributor to get a faucet. Parking lot was too crowded - spaces too narrow - and not the best town so I drove an hour to another shop that had the same faucet. Do I qualify?

 

My 991S is my DD. I park it in a garage in Manhattan every day. They let it park it myself and most times it's still in the same spot when I return. I tip them $10 a day. But every morning, before leaving the car, I take a snapshot of the current miles and compare them when I get back.

As of parking lots, I tend not to park isolated, but instead try to park in between nice cars (usually germans), hoping that the owner will be careful to HIS car, and therefore mine....so far so good.

I know it will eventually happen...but that's why I have dings and dents insurance...

 

"Every increased possession loads us with a new weariness."
-John Ruskin

"The things you own end up owning you."
- Fight Club

I park all my cars in the first available parking spot that is reasonable.

 

Doesn't seem to matter how careful you are, how far away you are, how isolated you think you are -- there will always be that someone who will park next to you even in the emptiest of lots, or the abundance of spaces.

 

Been there! But I didn't mind because we had a top down... Might as well enjoy the ride schlepping there.

 

I would spend about an extra 10 min looking for an ideal spot... The last thing i would want is a huge ding from a door.

I know it will happen one day, eventually, but im not going down without a fight!