At what point do you stop caring about your daily driver?

[Porschephile944]

Disclaimer: I'm a college student and its 2AM on a Saturday (technically a Sunday) I'm a slight bit inebriated

I came back from hanging out tonight and walk by my car to notice a huge paint scuff on the back bumper which wasn't there before. This pisses me off to an incredible amount (car doesn't have any dents or major scratches on it yet). No note has been left and the campus police don’t have a camera on the spot I'm parked in. So needless to say I’m a little pissed off, but then in the back of my mind I did expect this to happen at some point. I mean come on its a college parking lot with tiny little spaces and people are reckless about how they drive so its not unexpected but it does piss me off. At what point would you say fuch it and just keep driving the car around figuring its just a car and not worry about things like this happening and at what point you say fuch it and get a car you don’t particularly car about.

Just to keep it all in perspective the car I currently have is much better for what I use it for than the car I would go home and get.

Also, if you found out who did this what would you do to them? Keep in mind that I am employed by the college and want to keep my job (means I can't tell someone to "unfuch themselves before I screw off there head and defecate down there neck" although if they live in my building I have the potential to make there life a living hell)

[serge944]

Don't let it bug you and just move on. Any car you DD will only get worse with time...

[slodave]

I have two cars. My Toyota Corolla - It is my daily driver and it shows. Many scars... I bought it with the idea that it won't be worth much or look good when I get rid of it. My Porsche is another story...

Dave

[nostatic]

smack a hunk of concrete. that'll change your attitude...

But my daily driver looks a lot better than my SC.

[84porsche]

Originally posted by nostatic
But my daily driver looks a lot better than my SC.

Isn't that cheating a little, you just drove your daily driver off the lot.

I don't think you should ever stop caring but you have to let go for now and repair when you can. My VW got egged by some neighborhood kids in the driveway and left an egg shell mark and driving home the day after I bought the car, a high velocity paintball gun shot struck the rear passenger door as I was driving through the canyons, thought I blew a tire only to find orange paint everywhere. I am upset that the damage happened and that others don't respect my property however my options are limited. My insurance will cover the repairs but I don't want the hassle but I will fix eventually. Right now, I bought over the counter stuff and wax it as make her look the best I can.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Park near where there's a camera or guard house, if possible.

Invest in a car cover (and a cable lock for it so nobody steals the cover).

Get some touch-up paint.

Go on with life. It's a 944, not a concours 911. Admittedly I'm a tad anal about my cars too, but I accept that things will happen especially when they're driven on the public roads with all manner of idiots. All you can do is take reasonable precautions against human stupidity and opportunistic vandalism by jealous individuals. I routinely park two of my 944s on the street and I have yet to have a problem other than some jackass backing into my 951 and adding a dent to the header panel (at least that's fixable and honestly it's not that noticeable - for now I just keep the car bra on it).

People are retards for the most part and suck for the rest of it. Accept it and take reasonable precautions, but unless you're willing to keep your car in a bubble, things are invariably going to happen.

Best of luck in the future.

[Porschephile944]

Thanks for the responses everyone. It seems like the general consensus is that I should just live with it as a part of life.

Originally posted by Porsche-O-Phile
Park near where there's a camera or guard house, if possible.

Invest in a car cover (and a cable lock for it so nobody steals the cover).

Go on with life. It's a 944, not a concours 911.

Fortunately it wasn't my 944. Also the car cover and cable lock are unreasonable in my mind. More trouble then it would be worth for a car that is probably driven 3 times a week. A cover would also attract unwanted attention to it IMO.

Originally posted by Porsche-O-Phile
People are retards for the most part and suck for the rest of it.

A truer statement has not been spoken.

Best of luck in the future. [/B][/QUOTE]

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Well, I dunno, but I find that the car covers deter unwanted attention. . . Standard operating procedure for my 944s (when being parked on the street) is stereo faceplate or keycard out/removed/taken with me, no valuables (including radar detectors) left in the car, club on, doors locked, factory alarm engaged and car cover on (and locked with cable lock). Haven't had a problem yet. If I go out of town I have a large (30') kryptonite cable lock that goes around a tree right in front of the spots I usually park in that I run through the back wheel and frame of my motorcycle (punks have been jacking bikes around here by getting a crew of 4-6 guys with steel pipes, putting 'em through the wheels and then hoisting into the back of a pickup truck and taking off, rendering ignition locks and/or rotor locks useless). Anyway, if I'm leaving for a long time, I run the same cable through the wheel (and around the t-bar) of my 944, remove the DME relay and ignition coil. Sounds like a lot, but actually takes under two minutes a car to do.

A car cover also keeps the car clean.

[Tervuren]

If it didn't go through your rust protection, I'd say leave it. I've aquird a chunk out of the front of my 944 spoiler, desn't bother me *that* bad. Not my first priority to fix...

[epbrown]

While I accept that people are jerks, I decided I'm not driving some beat-up banger because of them. I take precautions, but if one of my cars get's hurt, I fix it and move on. No way do I just leave it like that - that's letting the jerks get you down.

Speaking of which, I'm off to get an estimate on my 3-series today. Some maroon rubbed my paint in a Crate & Barrel parking lot recently. Most of it came off with some rubbing compound and a microfiber cloth, but a bit of it will need buffing.

[pwd72s]

Can you guys explain why people seem to enjoy the "park by ear" method with your Porsches? Mine never leaves my sight or stays in a locked garage. So, ding free. But I have another rig I can parallel park, and NOBODY parks by ear...they seem to take great pains to avoid bumper tag, even. It's bumpers are unscathed, other than bugs, mud, raindrops. Can you tell me why people are kind to this driver,while I know they'd ding my P car in a heartbeat given the chance?

[thrown_hammer]

You need a Daily Driver like mine. It's painted with Bull Dozer paint. And even if it does get scratched big deal.

[pwd72s]

I love Baja Bugs...but where do you carry the field dressed Elk or Moose?

[BlueSkyJaunte]

My daily driver isn't dirty; it's just got a nice protective coating.

[chuckw951]

I'm not sure who called daily drivers "appliances" on another thread, but the more I think about it the more it make sense. Daily drivers have a tough life. Buy a decent car and drive it into the ground and then buy another one. I'd like to be able to buy a new expensive daily driver but the depreciation hit is just too big...whether you own it for ten years or trade it after five.

[Dan in Pasadena]

"At what point do you stop caring about your daily driver?"

If you're an anal retentive like I am, never! I sometimes wish I could, but I can't.

If I had to have a POS Gremlin or a Hyundai Whatevermobile, I would still have to (okay, I'll admit a little more occasionally) clay bar it, wax it, buy at least cheapo Pep Boys seat covers for it, etc. I can't help it, I need a twelve step program when it comes to cars. I can pretty much see something I like in ALL of them. God Help Me.

My current daily (Ram 4x4) with my former 944 - which was very neglected when I bought it as a daily and pretty much perfect when I sold it to get my 911:

[Drago]

When you drive a 944?

[Dan in Pasadena]

Do you get tossed for using four letter words in OT?

Drago, really drive a well maintained 944 and tell me they're not a great car. I'll certainly admit they're not the fastest, but then again neither is my 911 anymore (if it ever was). In fact, you can be a much less skilled driver in a 944 and drive fast than you can get away with in a 911.

[Drago]

Hey Dan, did ya see the or not?

Tell you what, I'll fix my Porsche ownership list below for ya...