What would you do?
 

I bought a new Mercedes C300 and when parking it at work I position it over 2 parking spaces. Please note, I park the car way over in the corner, there's no cars within 30 feet, so I'm not taking up anyones space.
Yesterday I found a note on the windscreen, it reads:

Dear Mercedes
It is not my intention to pry, however I have noticed that your inability to park between the lines is sub par at best. You seem to be new around here so I assume that you're not just another pretensions snob that feets the nedd to disassociate oneself from those of the common class. I don't know how things are done in Germany, but in the good ol' USA we believe in things like equality and fairness. I don't believe your actions fall in to either categories. That brings me to charity, another great American trait. I fear that you may have misconstrued this particular trait...you see, charity is something that is given not taken. If there are physical reasons for this behavior I wouls suggest seeking professional help ASAP. In the meantime, stay between the lines.
Regards
American Made

What would you suggest is my path forward?
Thanks in advance.

I would park between the lines. And, if it's so far out there, why do you feel the need to take two spaces?

Your car will definitley be vandalized soon. I suggest parking it where you can point a web cam or some other sort of monitoring device.

I would ignore the note and continue parking the way you are.

This should really piss him off!

http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...8Se6-OMLPGYUY=

Better get Macco.

I have a small car and I have squeezed into what was left of a parking space when someone did that.

ding ding.

double parking or quadruple parking is an asshat move. Stop it!

Man if you could figure out who it was I would drive my piece of crap pickup to work and squeeze right in tite next to his/her car!

Better yet, black out the yellow lines and paint your own!

is this a private work lot? Meaning, is it highly probable that the note was left by one of your associates? It's the details and particulars of this situation that would determine my reaction to this incident.

.........and did the guy find out who you were?

It is a private parking lot but there's a few hundred people in this building, alot I don't know.
What details / particulars would determine your actions?

He was gone when I got back. I guess he climbed in through the passenger side.:D

Good grief. If he is 30 feet away, who gives a rat's ass? Obviously someone in the office is jealous and not a car person at that. I love the web cam idea.

What I'd probably do is copy the note enlarging it 2X and posting it at the entrance to the office along with a poll. The choice of questions is up to you. I know what mine would be.

I would park tween the lines but away from all of the other cars if you like, taking up 2 spaces begs for someone thats not on that page to do something damaging to your ride

I saw a Honda rice-racer car the other day, in the exact center of FOUR parking spaces. The parking lot is not that big, and it serves a QFC grocery store and gas station, a McDonalds and a small strip mall. If I see it again, I may put a note under the wiper that the car will be KEYED if it continues to take up FOUR parking spaces.

Since you're parking away from everyone anyway, why take two spots? It's like a neon sign saying that your car is somehow ultra-special compared to everyone elses. An invitation for a rebuff (no pun intended).

I always park as far away as I can, and try to scout out an end spot so I can get close to a wall or such, and allow as much room next to me as possible to avoid a door ding, assuming someone else also wants to park in the boonies. Normally, others who park far away are also concerned about getting dinged and will respect your common interest. But double parking only pisses people off.

A Carrera GT or Enzo might be the exception, but an entry level Mercedes doesn't qualify....in fact, just the opposite.

That was a well written hate letter.
I'd park between the lines and leave a return note:
"Dear American made. Thank you for pointing out my obvious attributable flaws of psychological perspective.
I have made corrections to both my behaviour and mindset and await it's impact on the global well-being. Somewhere, sometime, I hope my selfless efforts will radically enliven another's existance.

Just an FYI, it is most likely that this foreign automobile was built in Alabama and is also American Made.
While Ford and GM have been moving their plants to other countries, this German Car was built right here. In fact, these days it's impossible to buy any car that isn't assembled from parts sourced from all over the world.

Have a good day."

I really don't understand the need to use 2 spots when you park way out in left field.

There are a-holes out there and it's just inviting trouble.

Some people see it as elitist regardless of the car. Tossing a Benz in the mix does not help.

That guy needed 4 cars to box his ass in, maybe 4 big trucks driven by nasty rednecks.

I strongly dislike whenever people take (2) spaces, park across the yellow lines, or along the fire lane in front of the dry cleaners. You are nothing special, consider the note fair warning and park in (1) space.

pfft. . . just a Mercedes C-Class... Good thing it's not a black audi wagon.

That's just a stupid statement

That's also equally stupid.

Thanks to the rest of you guys.

Quoted for truth... make sure the camera is focused and captures adequate detail.

We have a winner!!
Thank you.

x2

As I said earlier... "I would ignore the note and continue parking the way you are."

Some people get off on crapping on your dream. (actually a lot of people get off on it)

My brother had knee surgery a while back.

During the rehab period he was issued a handicap card.

Every morning he pulls into the same Dunkin Donuts.

During the rehab period he used the handicap spot.

There was an old guy in the place every morning as well.

He'd always give my brother dirty looks and one day followed him out and proceeded to chastise my brother. Basically, "big deal, you drive a Porsche, does not make you better than the rest of us and does not mean you can break the law"

My brother pointed out his legal handicap card and told the guy to have a nice day.

Couple of days later same deal but this time there was a cop (irony) that the old guy dragged out. Cop looked at sticker, date valid, asked brother why he had it. Brother told him Knee surgery. Cop says he's been thru it as well, sucked. Told brother to have a nice day and if old guy gives him any more chit to let him know.

I can't believe folks won't just talk to one another anymore. Whoever left the note should have just politely approached you and discussed the matter with you.

Me, I could care less how folks park if there is plenty of room for everyone. Sure, I think "what a dick" when I see cars parked like that, but if it impacts no one else, who cares? Of course, now if everyone did that in an effort to protect their cherished new car, we would quickly have a problem. Best to suck it up and park like everyone else.

What really chaps me are the special people who park illegally, in a crowded lot, in such a manner as to make things difficult for everyone else. My favorite was one day years ago when some ass hat parked his car in a clearly marked "motorcycle parking only" area here at work. It's right next to the gate to get in, so by doing so, he saved himself a bit of a walk accross the lot. The lot got pretty full in those days. Anyway, this was on a Monday morning. At lunch, I noticed he was well and truly parked in by at least two dozen motorcycles. In the afternoon, as the second shift started arriving, they made sure to take spots in such a way that when the day shift bikes left, the car would still be parked in. This went on all week. The car sat there, unmoved, until I left for the weekend on Friday. He must have come back over the weekend to retrieve it.

The moral of the story is not to park like a dick. The vast majority of us don't, so the plan works for everyone. We don't do so so that you can park your special car in a special way. We do it because we all need to get along out there, including you.

This is why I want to buy a drycleaner's van or some such beast. I plan on parking with one wheel on the curb of the planter all the while being crooked in the scheme of the marked lines. I'll even give you a screw driver to key the thing while I watch.

Then when you go inside.........................

My friend was gifted a old 280D

Valued at about $500

People still gave him tude because he drove MB

Funny thing people would smile, wave, thumbs up, yell "nice car" when he drove his 1966 Pontiac.

Same as people who give me dirty looks when I drive my $2000 Porsche... but don't seem to have a problem with my $15,000 Hyundai.

The person who wrote the note on your car is a tool... however you are in danger of having you car vandalized so I would recommend using one parking space in the future, perhaps on the end of the isle or some such safe place.

Find a curb as far out as possible. Park as close to it as you can. Unless the contractor who put down the lines was trying to cram in extra spots, the method should give you at least 3' of space between your car and anyone who parks next to it. I've been doing this for 20 years now and have yet to find a ding.

Everyone's entitled to one spot. When I see people taking two, I usually assume they'll be walking out of the building with their hat worn sideways.

I hate it when someone thinks their car is soooo special that they should have two spots. Yea, if you are parking way out where no one else needs a spot, then why hog up two spaces? 30 feet aint that far. What's that, like 3 car lengths?

Funniest thing I saw last time I was in No Cal...a guy in a run-of-the mill ~80s Carrera takes 2 spots in a crowded parking lot. What, your 20K car is so much more valuable than the 30K Honda Accord that manages to fit in one spot? Everyone I was with mentioned that was typical Porsche-A-Hole kinda behavior.

Sorry, but I have never been a fan of taking up a bunch of spaces, like others have pointed out, it just begs for unwanted attention and makes you look like an ass-hole, not only that, but makes all of us who drive high end cars look bad.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1280507397.jpg

This is what I do, but of course, I don't take me Porsches to the mall (or my self if I can help it) that is what my truck is for...


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1280507928.jpg

+1...double parking is eventually going to net you the exact opposite of what you're trying to do. I'm picky about spaces too, and when I used to park it at work, I'd sometimes go a floor or two higher in the deck and find the rightmost "corner/end" spots (next to the passenger side of the next car) that left me plenty of room between cars. Never had a "door ding" (or had it "keyed") on any of my nice cars that way. I did have an "uppity" note on my windshield about driving too fast in the deck once though. I wasn't, but my car sounds "fast" in a covered deck and going round and round up several decks probably sounded like I was at an autocross :).

make/model of the car is irrelevant. Taking up two spaces is the trigger for the letter, the rest is just blowing steam.

The lines are there for a reason. If you take up two spots, you are telling the world that the rules don't apply to you, and hence, you're better than them. Period. Doesn't matter what you're driving. The Mercedes just made the argument a little easier to frame.

Park far away from other cars but in between the lines and odds are you'll never have an issue. Well, except for the guy that will come over and park right next to you just because. Can't control other humans...

I was in a crowded parking lot once and saw an empty space, turned right into it and then saw there was already a car hanging in the forward half of the spot, taking up the rear half of the spot in front of the one I wanted. I was soooo pissed. When I finally parked, I wrote "A$%HOLE" on a piece of paper and walked up to place it under his wiper. There was already a note with the same word written on it. Loved it.

Thanks again
One parking space it is, complete with note!

hey, I have that book, got it 20 years ago or so.

I usually park way far out there, so as not to bug anyone.

I don't think it's about dollar value, I just don't want door dings from people
throwing their big SUV doors into mine. :eek:

I am glad you found a post with a winning suggestion, and I agree with it. A return note that is neighborly. But my statement is not only cogent, it is the same statement you see a dozen times in this very thread, and I think it is a chance for you to learn something, if you're open to it. The note I am tempted to leave on the Honda is not a threat. It is a prediction. I am not going to harm his car. But......park a car in a fairly busy parking lot so it takes up four spaces, and you are BEGGING to get your pride and joy keyed. Just sayin.......SmileWavy

Here's a good rule of thumb for life. Ask yourself this question... "What if everybody did it?" If every owner of every car decided they needed two spaces to protect their cars, would the outcome be acceptable? Probably not.

I never think twice about someone parking a nice car away from others... taking up two spaces crosses a line (cue rim shot :D).

I park with the crowd and take life as it comes. Taking 2+ spots and/or parking on the outer fringe only draws attention to the car.