So... I went to a shopping area and parked way at the end. When I walked out I witnessed a Honda sloooly backing into my new Vantage GT - slight bump. Luckily he hit the small plastic pad next to the license plate which cracked.

The young man just bought an engagement ring to ask his girl friend to marry him. He was in a stage of euphoria then whammy. What a bummer. The total (parts and labor at the aston dealer) is less than $300. I figure I'll split it with him as kinda engagement present.

 

Very civil of you. 👍🏻

 

Many won't agree with this statement but I never leave special cars unattended.
Thankfully it wasn't worse

 

I don't take mine to the store anymore since I parked way out in the north forty and a young woman went out of her way to park inches from my Aston.

 

Not so much a disagreement but wondering how practical it is. Do you mean you don't leave the car out of your sight while you have it out?

 

I generally just use my "special cars" for early morning rides on winding country roads. Essentially never use them to get from A to B.
Am I nutty...of course!

 

Neither do I, unless the A to B is a car show. Car goes from garage to garage, never stopping in between unless to buy gas.

 

That's a really classy move on your part. Sometimes having the opportunity to be generous more than offsets the price. You've just set a great example for that young man, and hopefully he'll remember it when someone owes him. Well done, sir!

 

I have a similar story, my car was hit while I was in it getting the nerve to go inside and pick up my wife's an engagement ring, I told them they had to lie on the report and say it was the store across the street so my wife would ask why I was in the jewelry store parking lot lol.
However I was in an older Porsche so not a spendy car.

 

Wow way to keep your senses about you in such a situation. Good call on changing the store name.

To the op, I am sorry to hear about the incident and it is very kind of you to consider splitting the bill.

 

The only one time in decades I've relaxed vigilance with a special car... I parked my Vantage between two cars in a carpark and returned to find a tiny $120 dent on the haunch. It was so difficult for my dent guy to remove he had to glue the puller to the paint and cross his fingers that when he removed it the paint would stay. It did, to my immense relief. That guy is gold - he can fix anything and make it absolutely perfect.

Now I ONLY park in an isolated spot where no other vehicle can park on any side, front or rear. I have about 5 of those special spots in different areas, and most of the time they are unoccupied. If not, I go home. It's not worth the trouble and expense getting a dent in the first place. You always know it was there.

Nice move on the 50/50 split Prefurbia. The good thing is that he'll always have a war story so they'll never forget the event.

 

KUDOs! Thank goodness no major damage.

 

Nice gesture.
I drive my AMV8 Vantage S everywhere, park it like its a beater... Its not a garage queen. After two years I only have one small chip in the paint from a rummy who's pick-up truck's door slammed into my car when he carelessly opened it. I witnessed it. I would have killed the guy but he was a hapless sack of S... I just let it go. The chip is still there but barely noticeable. Whats the point of owning cars like these if you're frightened to park them. The car is insured against anything catastrophic.

 

Very kind of you. I didn't get 100 yards from the dealer before scraping my carbon front spoiler. I call getting a ding "the odds". That you only suffered $300 worth of damage, which you consider an accident, tends to your favor.


Me, I've had three incidents. The first one, and another one to the lower underside edge of my front spoiler. I go distracted while entering a parking spot at the Bethpage Country club. I searched for ages to get a decent spot, and finally found one. While parking the car, the parking sensor stopped beeping so I thought that meant I could go forward some more. Little did I realize that the curb was now "under the radar". Crunch!! I stepped out thinking I had an excuse to replace my now twice scratched bumper, but I didn't; saved by the clear bra!


The third occurred in my very own garage. I believe it was a conspiracy, wherein my own family managed to open a car door and put a door ding in a ridiculously difficult spot. This one hurt. I mean, if I'm not safe in my own garage, then where am I safe! $375 to have it repaired. I took every trick in the book (last resort was to glue a puller to body. Luckily, the paint did not peel).

 

Sorry to hear it happened at all, but it was a nice gesture on your part.

I leave my car unattended all the time. I've had two people mess it up.
1) 7 weeks after I got it, someone backed up into it ($18k+ worth of damage)... while I was sitting in it.
2) I walked out of a store to find some soccer mom resting her door against mine. She drove off before I could get to her, but there's now a chip in the paint where her door was.

Things are going to happen regardless of how vigilant you try to be, might as well enjoy your car for what it is.