What's your favorite parking story?

"Nibby" (nibby68) 12/23/2013 at 21:09 • Filed to: None

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Mine was when I went to a local restaurant a couple summers ago with a small parking lot (8 spaces). All except one were used up. And of course, there are 2 white Ford Econoline vans parked *over* the line on each side. I was driving the 2011 Wrangler Unlimited Sahara. I thought I could fit in and I managed to squeeze it in there. I couldn't even open my doors on either side. Luckily, I had the top down... so I just folded the rear seats down and went via the tailgate. :D

Manuél Ferrari > Nibby 12/23/2013 at 21:18

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Here is my fav (and most embarrassing) parking story

I was leasing a Mercedes E350 with a push button start/stop

I was talking on bluetooth when I parked the car. I didn't hear the warning when I hit the button to turn off the engine because I was on the phone. I didn't see the warning either because I was distracted.

And the warning was a bad one: the engine was not shutting off because I had forgotten to place the AT in park.

I switched the phone to handset and got out of the car. That's when I noticed the car was still on! Luckily nothing bad happened because the parking lot was level and there was a parking stop thing that stopped the car from rolling forward. The only thing that got hurt was my ego after making a bone headed mistake.

Lessons I learned from that:

1. To stop using Bluetooth to use every possible minute of driving to be productive. Instead of focusing on emails while at the desk and making all my calls on the road I started listening to the radio more and enjoying my drives.

2. Be careful with push button cars. Especially if they have an AT!

3. It's safer to get exciting cars with loud engines. Super quiet Mercedes V6s are tricky cause you can't even tell when they're running!

FlipperB > Nibby 12/23/2013 at 21:22

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A kid in my high school had an old beater Plymouth Volare wagon. Adjacent to the student parking area, there were a handful of "modular classrooms" — i.e., trailers.

One day, this kid showed me that he could start his Plymouth simply by turning the key cylinder without a key in it. You see where this is going...

I waited a couple of weeks until one day I found myself in the parking lot with not a lot of people around. I hopped in his wagon, started it up, and parked it behind one of the trailers.

Once he discovered his car, the otherwise mild-mannered kid did not find it funny. Nearly came to fisticuffs. :)

Nibby > Manuél Ferrari 12/23/2013 at 21:26

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Hahah, well at least no damage!

In the Prius, if you turn off the car via power button before putting it into park, it will automatically "park" itself.

McMike > Nibby 12/23/2013 at 21:27

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I was at a party and started getting fresh with this girl. She wanted to go somewhere private, so we went for a walk. We started making out against the car, and eventually ended up getting in... It was the perfect night. Cool breeze, the sweet smell of summer and sweat, and we didn't hold back.

Even after she threw up in the back seat and the rear footwell, nothing could stop us.

As we were walking back to the party she apologized for throwing up in the back of my car. I said, "Don't worry about it. That wasn't my car."

Manuél Ferrari > Nibby 12/23/2013 at 21:28

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Interesting

Will the Prius drive around the block to pick you up too? That would be cool if you were walking home and got tired at the end :)

Nibby > McMike 12/23/2013 at 21:28

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Wahahaha! That was an asshat move!

Nibby > Manuél Ferrari 12/23/2013 at 21:32

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Nah. It's not automated :P

You could just set cruise control to 15mph I guess...

Manuél Ferrari > Nibby 12/23/2013 at 21:33

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unless you're a google exec! then you can make it do whatever you want

haha your cruise control comment reminded me of anchor man 2. have you seen it yet?

McMike > Nibby 12/23/2013 at 21:34

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At first, I actually thought it was hers.

Nibby > Manuél Ferrari 12/23/2013 at 21:36

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Nah, I don't really watch movies much. I'm too busy Photoshopping cars and whatnot. :P

jariten1781 > Nibby 12/23/2013 at 21:38

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Favorite: When I was at a Hampton Inn in Albuquerque for a work trip one time I was out grabbing a smoke and watched some young guy in a Gallardo pull up and park across three spots then grab his bag and walk in. Now I stayed regularly in this hotel and knew that the place filled up almost every night during the week so this wasn't going to end well. I let desk attendant know and got a sort of brush off and a 'what do you want me to do?' response.

Fast forward to the next morning and as I'm leaving said young dude is agitated and arguing with the hotel manager. Turns out two heavy duty pickups parked inches away from his front and back bumper boxing him in.

The young guy demanded that the pickups be towed so he could get his car out. The manager told him that he'd be happy to give him the number to the tow company they use and he could pay to have his car towed out.

Don't know what happened after that since I was heading to a meeting, but when I got back, neither of the pickups had moved but the lambo was missing.

Worst: My parking cable snapped on a very slight grade (I would have said it was flat) 20 minutes after I parked it and my car rolled out into a major road and got hit by a bus. Lesson learned, don't trust the parking brake alone even if you think you're parked on level ground.

Manuél Ferrari > Nibby 12/23/2013 at 21:38

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cool I'll just tell you without it being a spoiler since you won't see it anytime soon anyways

ron burgundy gets the old news team back together. they're in an RV and one of the guys notices something is weird and asks ron who is driving. ron says "it's on cruise control" and his buddy says "that only regulates speed, it doesn't steer" right before they roll over

Nibby > Manuél Ferrari 12/23/2013 at 21:46

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hahaha good ol' Ron

Clown Shoe Pilot > FlipperB 12/23/2013 at 21:51

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I went to high school w/ a guy named Karl who had a Yugo. He HATED it. He wanted someone to steal it or crash into it and total it. He left it unlocked in the parking lot w/ great regularity.

Several days one week, the folks I went out to lunch with and I decided upon returning from lunch that Karl's car was parked in the wrong spot. Since he left it unlocked, it was trivial to pop it into neutral and push it around the parking lot. The steering column was locked but it was light enough that we could just lift the front of the car and move it one way or the other to steer it. We'd usually move it one or 2 rows over (no concrete dividers in the lot) and possibly change its side-side positioning by up to 4 cars.

About the 3rd time we moved his car, Karl went COMPLETELY non-linear. I came out after school to find my truck (1981 Suburban, 8 MPG!) with 4 flat tires, covered in shaving cream, and with posters all over stating in no uncertain terms that I enjoyed the company of other men.

I had grand plans for Karl's car the next day but his mom also called the cops and I got pulled into the principal's office during 1st period and had a short discussion w/ officer whoever-the-fuck and he convinced me that Karl's car should stay in whatever parking spot and configuration he left it in.

Triborough > Nibby 01/09/2014 at 11:12

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It was about 2:15 a.m. in Manhattan about a block from the UN.
After working on a crappy TV pilot which will never see the light of day for an unexpected 15 hours, there were three people who had left their cars at various train stations in New Jersey who I offered to give a ride to since it would be about five-ten minutes out of my way and I didn't want them to suffer waiting for the first train out of Penn Station in a couple of hours.
I tell them I am parked by The New York Times building which was near the first location of the day.
We get dropped off by the Port Authority and walk the block or two.
As we are walking down 40th Street I remote unlock the car when we get by it.
They were all amazed I was legally parked on the street for about 16 hours.