Good News:
Renewed the insurance on the Camaro today. £336.79 same as last year. Not too excessive for a 160mph car.
Sad News:
Called at the local Sainsbury's to pick up some essentials. Sat in the car waiting for the boss to return with the wine, a lovely old Facel Vega crawled past and parked opposite me. I've seen it around before and it looks like it's just come out of the showroom.
Old guy in his late sixties/early seventies gets out, carefully locks his pride and joy, then goes into the store.
Couple of minutes later a Ford Explorer parks next to the Vega and out climbs a young woman with her brood of fashion-accessory crotchfruit. Result ? Two door bangs and the rear door held against the Vega while a kid climbs out !
Is there no respect for other peoples possessions anymore ?
Angered me enough to leave a business card under the wiper saying I'd seen what happened and would be a witness if needed. No call yet though.
Kevin...
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No, there is no respect for other peoples possessions any more. If I had a shilling for, etc etc.
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The trouble is, they do not even respect their OWN property, otherwise why destroy others' with it?
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Supermarket car parks probably have the highest accident rate of any place vehicles use. I use my local Safeways as a pick up point for out of town pupils, and driving through the car park is more hair - raising than two laps of the M25.
Saw a good one earlier this week, two ladies reversing out of spaces opposite one and other with the inevitable result that lack of observation entails.
Have you also noticed how it is fat people who park closest to the adjacent vahicle, and then then wonder why they can't open the door without bending their own and someone elses?
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Tom,
This is why we keep an old Sierra for shopping. OK, tax and insurance cost a bit but no damage to our more expensive motors.
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Having done the best part of 750,000 company miles since 1985, I was continually amazed that I'd escaped any serious road rage attacks.
Until one day late last year in Tesco's car park in Camberley.
A lady in a Volvo. (Yes, it had to be a Volvo...)
One slightly confused road warrior trying to work out the latest in counter-intuitive car park flow control...
A ferocious response. Tarentino-esque housewife of the most dangerously repressed home counties type. Send her to root out Bin Laden, I say. Or banish him to Camberley and accidently miss a few faded arrows on the wet shiny tarmac.
Maybe the lady would like to join me in solo navigation around every major city centre from Aberdeen to Plymouth? After a four hour trek? After a 0500 start? Maybe this would put Tesco's car park into it's proper perspective?
What is it about supermarket car parks?
Does anyone remember the film "Rollerballl"...?
rg
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What is it about supermarket car parks?
Och, the spaces are too wee, like me.
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Tom
I hate to admit it, but I did the same thing as your old ladies six months ago.
In mitigation, it was a filthy night, I did check before reversing, all was clear. The other chap did the same.
Just one of those things!
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Came back to the all black X5 in a Sainsbury's multi-story to find a large trolley of groceries crashed against it while some woman tied her into its The thing is, an X5 is such an arrogant vehicle and the poor woman only had about £200 worth of Astra or something so I'm afraid I let BMW down and simply looked at her until she removed her trolley from the X5's immaculate black paint with a wan but grateful smile that I hadn't pulled out an Ingram and smoked her with it.
HJ
I'm quoting Kevin here.
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It's been said before I know, but for safety's sake you should NEVER reverse OUT of a parking space.
You should always REVERSE into a parking space.
It's not difficult, you can use your wing mirrors and turn your head. You have passed a driving test, you have a license to drive, after all, and that shows that you have full control of your vehicle....
That way, when you leave, you have a perfectly clear view, left, right and across, of other drivers and the Mums and their kids, and can see whether it is clear before you drive out.
If YOU hit a car when you are reversing out then just just thank God you haven't hit a running child, or a distracted mother pushing a pushchair!
How many cars have rising waistlines and poor visibility from the rear ?
What about vans, people carriers and 4X4's ??? How tall is a 3 or 4 year old ?
I bet it's lower than 99% of your rear windows !!!!!
You have got to be crazy, stupid or ignorant to drive straight into a parking space at Tesco's or ANYWHERE, yet 9 out of 10 drivers do it.
Actually, I probably know why people do it -
1. People find it 'difficult' to reverse into a restricted space.
and
2. They wouldn't be able to get those great big trolleys right to the boot.
SO:
Why don't the car park designers make a drive-in/drive-out car park where each lane of parked cars has no others in front of, or behind ? Can't be lack of space surely, as my local Tesco has acres of unused space.
No more reversing and fewer accidents.
It seems to me that the design of the car park is more a cosmetic exercise to fill up the remaining space with a 'pretty pattern' than a real effort to smooth the flow of traffic and provide an effective car park.
p.s
Why are parking spaces ALWAYS at 90 degrees ? What a stupid angle - couldn't be more difficult to get into !!!
45 or even 60 degrees would be much more sensible, apart from the obvious reversing disadvantages mentioned above.
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Reading this thread made me think about car parking on a recent American holiday where all the supermarket and mall car parks seemed to be in a herringbone fashion. Much easier to drive into and I suspect much harder to collide with opposing traffic leaving.
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You lose a few space with herringbone, but they are obviously easier to get in and out of.
I would always through choice reverse into a space, or indeed a driveway, because of the visibility aspects - you can see what's going on around you as you go in, then when you come out. The number of people I see trying to reverse out of their drives, between hedges or walls, onto main roads frightens me. I can't understand why they can't see the logic of reversing in. I have to admit however that when I go to the local supermarket to get the weekly shopping, I do often drive in - as someone else said, how else can you load up the goodies?
From observation, most people seem to have a fear of reversing into a narrow gap using wing mirrors. Although it needs practice, it is not difficult once the art has been mastered. Make it part of the test?
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I am totally hopeless at reversing UNLESS I use my wing mirrors!
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What a bitter and twisted individual the original poster to this thread appears to be. I have always thought that the majority of people who post on this site are generally helpful adults who share a common interest. Indeed, I have posted a couple of daft (=naive) questions here myself and been very impressed with the willingness of people to help. However, I have never seen anything so offensive as when Kevin refers to children as "fashion-accessory crotchfruit". Perhaps this irony but I think not. Good old fashioned ignorance dressed up as trying to be clever. I think so.
I doubt that he has any children himself because if he did he would not use such demeaning terms. Never mind respect for other people's possessions, what about respect for other people? I doubt Kevin has much of this.
Perhaps Kevin was never a child himself and just crawled out from underneath a stone.
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I don't respect people who bash my shed about! I feel like bashing them. Anyway, I think Kevin's remark was quite funny. I hate people who are "politically correct" its boring.
Now sod off!
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I really should know better but...
Robin, if I offended you personally then please accept my apologies.
Robin wrote:
>
> What a bitter and twisted individual the original poster to
> this thread appears to be.
Bitter and twisted enough to be absolutely disgusted by the unnecessary damage done to another person's prized possession. A possession that obviously had more than just a monetary importance.
> However, I have never seen anything so offensive as when
> Kevin refers to children as "fashion-accessory crotchfruit".
Two primary-schoolers in his & hers Hilfiger fetching groceries ? -- Fashion accessories.
..or was it the 'crotchfruit' you objected to ? Substitute whatever term is acceptable to you.
> Perhaps this irony but I think not. Good old fashioned
> ignorance dressed up as trying to be clever. I think so.
>
Old fashioned ? -- Guilty. Ignorant ? -- pot, kettle,black.
> I doubt that he has any children himself because if he did he
> would not use such demeaning terms.
Correct, no kids of my own, but 8 nephews and nieces doesn't make me totally inexperienced.
> Never mind respect for
> other people's possessions, what about respect for other
> people? I doubt Kevin has much of this.
Enough to leave a business card under a strangers wiper when I see what amounts to vandalism in my book. Enough to recognise that parents have a duty to teach their offspring good manners and set a good example.
>
> Perhaps Kevin was never a child himself and just crawled out
> from underneath a stone.
Nope, mum told me I was found under a gooseberry bush but I thank-you for your respectul chastisement.
If you would like to take this off-line I have no objections.
Kevin...
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I agree with both Martin and Mike regarding reversing in and driving out of parking spaces.
Many, many years ago I was parked at the rear of the local supermarket (a novel shopping experience then). There were no dedicated spaces, one parked where one was able. I parked up, loads of redundant space. When exiting the shop I found I was hemmed in on each side of my car by others. Partially across my car rear was yet another vehicle.
I asked the assistance of a youngish male employee to see me out. The plan was that I would concentrate on two cars whilst he guided me past the rear car. Wrong move. He got flummoxed, didn't know his left hand from his right and led me ever so gently into another car. Not too much damage done to other car, none to mine thank the lord..
Yet another lesson learned the hard way.
Rita
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It's difficult to work out the mentality of "the car parker". When reluctantly I have to visit a supermarket or retail park I always park well away from all the other cars, 9 times out of 10 when I get back, guess what somebody has parked right up next to me! D'yer think they do it on purpose or are they just lonely SOB's.
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What is it this weekend ? Too much mid-day sun in the UK at the moment ?
M.
NB. telling somebody to leave in even polite words is not your place, at least not here. Using rude and/or agressive words shows a lack of social grace. Not clever. Leave it at disagreement, not abuse.
If it matters, the frequently quoted description of Kevin's was gratuitous and offended me also. Just not enough to write about.
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Thanks, Mark (Brazil) for bringing some sanity back to this thread. What on earth possess people to be so aggressive in their opinions and so insulting to fellow back roomers? It seems to me that this site is being steadily invaded by puerile cretins who would rather pick a fight than contribute sensibly to an arena that exists to educate and inform. Not unsurprising when one looks closely at uk society.
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Mark BR & Robin UK . Kevin would seem to work for IBM and drives a Camaro
Theres really nothing more to be said on the subject.
B. Rgds Phil I
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Oh dear, the terms I used seem to have upset more than the odd one or two backroomer. Where the heck (oops, sorry), did that button go ?
I can assure everyone that there was no deliberate intention of offending readers/contributors. If I did, read my response to Robin above.
Phil, would you care to explain :
What particular experience with IBM you feel aggrieved by ?
What you don't like about american vehicles ?
Or is it just IBM employees driving american vehicles you don't like ?
Kevin...
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Surely one of the reasons why people drive into parking spaces in supermarkets is because when they come to load their car the boot/hatch is conveniently accessible. This method is especially encouraged in herring-bone carparks.
Its on those occasions when I've properlt reversed into a space that I come out with the trolley from [Sainsbury's/Tesco/ASDA*] and realise how much more awkward I've made things for myself.
On the subject of reversing: when I was going through instruction with the IAM, one of the instructors suggested I find out what the reverse turning circle is like in the car. This meant lining up an imaginary line from the rear seat or C-post with the kerb or obstruction, slowly reversing, and then putting the car on full lock to turn around the passenger side. There's a little variability from car to car and you've obviously got to keep observation up, and be aware of your overhangs (as it were).
* Delete as applicable, but notice there's no Aldi or Netto, not anymore. . .
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Shouldn't worry about it unduly, Kevin.
As for the Camaro - which one ? (i.e. which engine ?)
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Mark,
not worried, just intrigued.
The Camaro ? Not a classic I'm afraid. A '96 Z28 LT1 (350ci), chosen by SWMBO who can't drive it now because she doesn't have a UK license yet.
Kevin...
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Why, instead of participating in the debate/discussion/argument does everyone have to pick through things that offend them?
I have no doubt I occasionally use terms I perceive to be completely acceptable but will offend others. When I see that people have used similar phrases, obviously with the exception of anything racist which has absolutely no place here, I ignore it, work out my feelings towards the issue the post is raising, decide whether or not I will reply and then post accordingly.
If this place is going to start being run by those who take offence at everything that is said here (I know someone who would be highly offended by the term SWMBO even though many find it amusing and acceptable - does that mean it should be banned from here onwards?) then we might as well all not bother.
It's a motoring forum, there are many people from all walks of life, backgrounds and countries here. We all have different views, different manners, different senses of humour and different personalities from each other. It'd be a pretty boring place if we didn't. But the one thing we have in common and the reason why we're here is that we have an interest either in cars, or discovering some fact we require out about them etc. If those aren't your reasons for being here then the door's thataway...
Just learn to live with the differences and this place will be all the better and more valuable for it than it already is.
Dan
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Had the same thing;car took most of my front wing off; but fortuneately two witnesses;police not interested but did give me details of owners of car;company of course.After about 6 months DAS got all my money back.
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