Lexus CT F SPORT Owners Blog: The Parking Rules


It’s time for me to come clean — I have a phobia. Not only that, I’m willing to bet most of you reading this suffer from the very same irrational fear:

I hate parking my car anywhere near other vehicles.

The worry of dings and scratches and carelessness fills me with a deep anxiety that even I consider crazy, and that means parking great distances away from other drivers.

It wasn’t always like this — I wasn’t worried about damage to the beat-up ’93 4Runner I inherited from my wife, the first vehicle I could call my own. I used to consider the scrapes and abrasions a kind of patina, something that brought the truck character.

Even after purchasing my 1994 LS 400, I wasn’t all that concerned. That all changed after an overnight visit to Toronto, where in the morning I discovered not one, but three dings on my mint door panels. From that point on, I have cultivated and developed a strong aversion to other vehicles.

The condition does have a certain triggers — after the “Toronto Incident”, I now refuse to drive in large cities unless absolutely necessary, preferring to park in the suburbs and use transit instead. The other occasion that sets me off are the winter holidays. From October through to January, I avoid mall parking lots at all costs.

It’s all very ridiculous — for the most part, any damage caused to a stationary vehicle can be repaired with a little effort. Door dings can be popped out, scratches can be smoothed away. Caring so much is difficult to explain, but it’s part of what makes me an enthusiast.

I’m sure there’s some stories out there, how do you park your car?

This CT 200h F SPORT was made possible by the folks at OpenRoad Lexus Richmond, the premier Lexus dealership in British Columbia and a proud sponsor of Lexus Enthusiast.

CT Owner Blog
Comments
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    Jim Ollick
  • January 17, 2016
I do the same as you Kevin and RAL. It just stinks that some have no respect for other's proper try.
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    james_m300
  • January 17, 2016
whats annoying is when you park far from other cars but out off all the parking spots, someone pulls up right next to you like really...
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    Lexus Cohen
  • January 17, 2016
In all honest I park all the way at the end where nobody wants to go. if I spot another Lexus in close proximity to the store I'll park beside it. I think other car brand owners will scratch my car so I trust Lexus owners only...lol. Wherever I park really far and someone parks beside me it pisses me off, I inspect my car THOROUGHLY before I leave!
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    OOT
  • January 17, 2016
Great minds think alike! I too do the same thing for shopping malls. These are my preferred spots:Find a remote spot far away from entrance and next to a concrete column so 50% less chance of getting hit as there is only one car next to mePark next to luxury carsAvoid parking next to P platers and old bombs.Although my camry is 10 years old I bought it new and it still looks newish and has some new car smell inside. It’s ground hog day when it comes to my car. Over the years my front fender has been scratched 4 times by idiots at the mall who can’t park or hoons who cut corners and scrape my car. After each incident my car was then hit 3 times by 3 P platers in low speed accidents. So I get a new front fender from the insurance but months later it gets scratched again. Drives me nuts even though it’s only a camry.When I buy a Lexus I don’t think I’ll drive it to a public car park or the mall. I’ll keep my camry for that!
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    Skipetenj
  • January 18, 2016
I agree with everyone - its harder to find the 'right spot' then choosing where to go first in a mall. One interesting note, a least all of us parking in the remote spots are receiving a benefit - a little extra exercise. In our area you see a lot of vehicles with bumper protectors - now we need side body protectors. I.m glad to see so many others suffering from PPP (paint protection paranoia). Where are you going to park your new LC500? The moon. KREW, thanks for coming clean.
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    Riyad Babar
  • January 19, 2016
Same with this. I almost never ever park next to another car, always in a spot that is ample space where I can hug the curb so the spot next to me is far away from the car or just in a spot where I'm fairly certain another car won't park. Also In the city, I have certain streets in every neighborhood that I know are solid for large spaces and well lighted etc. also I use the Robotic parking garage on any Saturday night or Friday night out near the bars. The garage is cheaper than the traditional garages and keeps the car completely safe. It works like this one, https://youtu.be/w3vtpGtyw1k

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