How Should You Park Your Corvette to Protect it From Idiots?

The debate continues on: how should you park your Corvette to protect it from those who have no respect for other people’s property?

For decades now, nothing gets people’s blood boiling more than seeing a car taking up two parking spaces in order to keep other people away from it who don’t share the same value you have for other people’s property.

As Corvette owners we’ve all been faced with that situation.  If we park our Corvettes in such a way that we take up two parking spots, we’re considered douchebags.  And if we park all the way at the end of the lot away from everyone else, every now and then some idiot comes along and intentionally parks super close just to try and prove a point.

The latter happened to me several years ago when I pulled into a strip mall and parked my Z06 all the way at the end of the lot in a single parking space where there were no other cars.  It was a nice day, I didn’t mind the walk and liked the exercise.  When I came out from shopping and walked back to my car, I found some jackass had parked their truck on my driver’s side with about a foot of space between the doors.

Instead of climbing through the passenger side, I waited…patiently for the jackass to come back.  A short time later, he walked up pretending I wasn’t there and refusing to look at me.  I had a few choice words for him as he climbed into his truck giggling.

Now, if we take up more than one parking space, we run the risk of someone intentionally causing damage to our Corvettes.  Initially, this appeared to be the case in Sioux Falls, South Dakota as the leader image above shows.

Recently, a staff member of KSOO AM radio station out of Sioux Falls wrote an op-ed about people taking up multiple parking spots in busy downtown Sioux Falls.  The picture in our leader image, is a picture he took in a shopping center parking lot located at 2715 W 41st St, Sioux Falls.  There’s a few anchor stores in the shopping center including a well known pancake house and Jo-Ann Fabrics.  On weekends, it’s exceptionally busy which is when the author took the photo.

As I pulled into a parking spot last Saturday, preparing for a delicious brunch at the Original Pancake House, I couldn’t help but notice the way this Corvette had parked.

In what world is this considered acceptable, especially in a busy parking lot on a Saturday afternoon? The answer, of course, is it’s never acceptable. Was the driver in a hurry? Did they feel entitled? A little bit of both? And did they hit the vehicle next to them? Or maybe, the Kia intentionally parked up against the Corvette to prove a point?

Apparently, the Corvette owner came out a short time later and backed their car up which revealed a large scratch in the driver’s side front-end.

In an update to the story, it turns out the driver never intended to park the car like this at all. According to Martha Huisman, who was coming out of the boot barn at the time, the Corvette was in neutral, was moving in the direction of her vehicle, but then veered into the KIA after driving over a bump. Had the parking break been engaged and the care put in park, it appears this all could have been avoided.

The point is, when you’re parking, keep others in mind because it’s not all about you. For the safety of everyone else, obey the rules and park properly. It only takes a few extra seconds to ensure you’re parked inside the lines, making sure your vehicle’s park break is engaged as well, as this is a crucial component of parking.

While the Corvette owner apparently didn’t intend to park like this, the author of the op-ed took it upon himself to assume the Corvette owner was an ass.  In this situation, that wasn’t the case.  However, if we do “obey the rules and park properly”, so to, should others – AND respect other people’s property.

If you see a car taking up two spots in a parking lot, drive around it and find another spot.  Don’t be a douche just to prove a point.

And, for the love of God – don’t be lazy and bring your shopping carts back to their proper “parking spaces”.  Don’t just leave them in the middle of the lot, so a breeze can catch them and send them sailing into someone else’s car.

So dear readers – what are your thoughts?  How do you protect your own Corvettes from being the victim of someone else’s ignorance and lack of respect in a parking lot?  Tell us what you think below!