[Lilbear]

The 300C, the shopping cart, three dents and my wife

I not going into detail but if I had a heavy bag I would beat it until my hands went numb and fell off. Nice dents in my front passenger door from a Target shopping cart that sould have been secured somewhere so it wouldn't hit someone's car parked in the lot. Instead it was left empty on an incline right next to my car by who, you guessed my ex-wife oops did I say ex. Anyway her track record is looking beautiful with damaging my vehicles while parked. My Camaro also developed dents mysteriously while parked over the winter. I am so pissed off right now. She now can only drive the Pontiac until I can find something I really don't give a @%*^ about for her to drive. My Camaro and 300 will be the last cars I buy that I actually try to preserve. From now on hoopties for me and maybe a bus pass for the ex (oops)! Man this sucks.

 

[Cdnhemi]

I not going into detail but if I had a heavy bag I would beat it until my hands went numb and fell off. Nice dents in my front passenger door from a Target shopping cart that sould have been secured somewhere so it wouldn't hit someone's car parked in the lot. Instead it was left empty on an incline right next to my car by who, you guessed my ex-wife oops did I say ex. Anyway her track record is looking beautiful with damaging my vehicles while parked. My Camaro also developed dents mysteriously while parked over the winter. I am so pissed off right now. She now can only drive the Pontiac until I can find something I really don't give a @%*^ about for her to drive. My Camaro and 300 will be the last cars I buy that I actually try to preserve. From now on hoopties for me and maybe a bus pass for the ex (oops)! Man this sucks.

You should probably have one of those dent repair places in your neck of the woods and they can do a fantastic job for you. I have one that I have used for years and I carry his business cards in my glove box and if I see a nice car with dents I try to give the owner one. I get most of my repairs done for free.

I have not had an experience with shopping carts with this car yet, only the woman who doesn't know how to drive that backed into my car.

 

[AWD 300C]

I'm sure I've put the local Dentmasters owners' kids through college!

It took a while but I have trained my wife to park in the lower forty of a parking lot. At the very least, she looks for an end slot so she can cheat to the open side. Even with parking far away, she still gets in and out of the store faster than the women sitting, blocking the lane, waiting for the closest parking space. Besides, the walk is good exercise.

 

[joeSRT8]

I'm sure I've put the local Dentmasters owners' kids through college!

It took a while but I have trained my wife to park in the lower forty of a parking lot. At the very least, she looks for an end slot so she can cheat to the open side. Even with parking far away, she still gets in and out of the store faster than the women sitting, blocking the lane, waiting for the closest parking space. Besides, the walk is good exercise.

I suppose we'll never know why it always seems to be WOMEN that are sitting there blocking the lane waiting for some slow moving people to fold up the baby stroller, get the kids strapped into the back, get into their car and back out so she can have that up-close spot.. women damn near kill each other trying to get the closest spot as if its some f'ing badge of honor to park 20 feet closer.. or just mere psychological contentment in the same vane as a bucket of ben & jerry's.

Ironically, walking a few extra steps is probably what those particular women really need to be doing anyway, but laziness is obviously abound.

 

[LAmagPearl]

It's gettin' hot in here, boys. Flames are a'comin.

 

[jcsganga34]

Guy, I have already had 2 dings removed from my car. Those paintless dent repair guys are good and really work magic. A week after I got the car I brought it down to my softball game. I parked it right behind the backstop. I looked over at my brother and said I think I'm gonna put it around the corner where there is no chance it will get hit. My brother looks at me and goes, c'mon dude you would have to be a complete a$$hole to hit your car in this location. It would take a real moron to hit it here. After all its slow pitch softball and nobody fouls it back. I was like you are right. So my brother gets up to bat in the game and I am on 2nd base. He fouls off the first pitch and it misses my car by about 4 feet. I am on 2nd base just shaking my head. The next pitch fouls it off again, I lose site of the ball as it goes up into the sun and I hear thump. A guy walking in for the next game goes "damn right off the brand new chrysler" I look at my brother and I just see him shake his head and go "I'm Sorry". That ding cost me 150 to get taken out and he didn't even foot the bill. Its that whole Murphy's law thing. The worst part about it is we are good ball players so I have no idea how it could happen...one in a million that is my luck.

 

[HEMEEE]

Well here's a role-reversal for you... whenever we go anywhere in my car (or on the rare occassion that hubeee might take it w/o me) parking is, at MY request, ALWAYS far from the masses and, whenever possible, an end spot. Guess I'm not 'typical'...

 

[joeSRT8]

Well here's a role-reversal for you... whenever we go anywhere in my car (or on the rare occassion that hubeee might take it w/o me) parking is, at MY request, ALWAYS far from the masses and, whenever possible, an end spot. Guess I'm not 'typical'...

Yep, you are definitely an exception which proves the rule.. pride of ownership in a car doesn't tend to be one of the things many females have as priority .. glad YOU do, given that you own a 300C!

 

[wild bill]

you guyssee the add on t v only car on the lot and the old smokeing junker parks right next to you been there .done that

 

[rmedina]

Well here's a role-reversal for you... whenever we go anywhere in my car (or on the rare occassion that hubeee might take it w/o me) parking is, at MY request, ALWAYS far from the masses and, whenever possible, an end spot. Guess I'm not 'typical'...

Same here.. I don't care how far I have to walk, but for some reason there always seems to be a rust bucket right next to it..

 

[II kings 9:20]

That ding cost me 150 to get taken out and he didn't even foot the bill. Its that whole Murphy's law thing. The worst part about it is we are good ball players so I have no idea how it could happen...one in a million that is my luck.

May I suggest you start playing the lottery.

The paintless dent guys are incredible, they did $1700 of hail dents on the X5 when the traditional shop wanted $4K and was going to replace and paint the hood and drill and fill the roof

 

[Tha187um]

When you have A.. holes that want to do damage on purpose, it doesn't matter how far you park... freshly out of the oven (same day I bough it) i drove to home depot to pick some things up.... well, its home depot, Im sure no one wants a scratch from a 2x4 sticking out of a shopping cart well.. I parked to the END of the lot, I was about 50 feet from the nearest car... I parked in a corner with bushes on my left and 5 empty spaces on my right... I came back and someone keyed the front

they purposely walked to the front to do that, because as I mentioned I was in a corner with a bush surrounding me, so no one could just walk by to keep walking because it was a dead end...

well, I on the brighter side, I guess a key scratch is better than a 2x4 scratch

 

[joeSRT8]

When you have A.. holes that want to do damage on purpose, it doesn't matter how far you park... freshly out of the oven (same day I bough it) i drove to home depot to pick some things up.... well, its home depot, Im sure no one wants a scratch from a 2x4 sticking out of a shopping cart well.. I parked to the END of the lot, I was about 50 feet from the nearest car... I parked in a corner with bushes on my left and 5 empty spaces on my right... I came back and someone keyed the front

they purposely walked to the front to do that, because as I mentioned I was in a corner with a bush surrounding me, so no one could just walk by to keep walking because it was a dead end...

well, I on the brighter side, I guess a key scratch is better than a 2x4 scratch

You know, I'm a big guy, at 6'4" and about 230 lbs. .. i've worked out my whole life.. weight training and staying in shape, and so I've found myself in the position of never having to have been in a fight yet because of intimidation factor I suppose.. I also am level-headed enough to know that many situations aren't worth jail time .. you know.. like say your girlfriend or wife's ex-boyfriend shows up calling her four letter words and you happen upon the situation, as what happened to me recently.. despite I kept my cool knowing that sending the guy to the hospital would gain me nothing except sitting on a cement bench inside of county jail.

All that said, if I *ever* came out of a store lets say and found somebody keying my beloved 300C, I would probably be in quite a dilemma not getting violent. People that key cars are the worst form of passive aggressive.

-JoeSRT8

 

[HEMEEE]

I agreed w/you... up until THIS statement:

... People that key cars are below (edited) on the evolutionary ladder.
-JoeSRT8

I love my car as much as the next 'guy', but you really could have chosen a more appropriate comparison to express your contempt.
-Mother of 5; Grandmother of 7

 

[Lilbear]

I don't think he meant that literally. Now the good news, it looks like total out of pocket for the repairs will be 50 trinkets.

 

[StCassel]

I have not had a dent in the last four vehicles that I have owned. No punk has ever keyed my car. [The punk/punkette would have to swollow that key, if I caught him/her.] I use defensive parking tactics to the max. I secure one flank with a parking lot landscaping barrier, pole, or trash dumpster enclosure and then park so as to be the max distance away from any car that might park next to me. But the chance that another car would park next to me is rare. I park two to three spaces/rows away from the nearest rust-bucket. Park along a street. Or on the far end of a row of cars were 95% never park. It is good for me walk the extra distance... a nice brisk five minute walk. I wear a broad-brimmed hat so, rain means nothing to me. I remove any near-by parking carts threats (not that I knowingly park close to a parking cart). I have decided not to go into a restaurant or business, where I could not employ my defensive driving tactics. I would be too nervous to enjoy myself if, I were to take any parking space, that was available.


From two foot operations and fiber myalgia, my ladyfriend has a blue handicapped driver card that we use also in my car when we go out. So I can also park my 300C, in extra-wide handicapped parking spaces within a few feet of the restaurant front door, when I am with my sweetie. I love my sweetie but, only myself will drive my car, as long as I own it. If passengers do not like a long walk, I have no problem with dropping them off at the door, and then go park defensively. Being the perfect gentleman, I later pick them up at the door. I open the car door for my lady, to be a gentleman (also to keep her from accidently scratching the paint, around the door handle w/ her fingernails). There is no eating or drinking in my car either. My car has no ashtray.

 

[HEMEEE]

I don't think he meant that literally. Now the good news, it looks like total out of pocket for the repairs will be 50 trinkets.

I never intimated that I thought he meant it literally, simply that that particular comparison should never have been made... it's out of perspective and offensive.

Now for your good news... it doesn't get any better than that!!

 

[rdmac]

Pretty lively thread. Lots of emotion and testosterone flying. Any how glad to here its not going to cost you much. A family member of mine who was very mad at me at the time threw their key chain at my hemi in a fit of anger. I had done something she (oops) felt was terrible to her (oops again). Long story short this person knew that would be crushing to me (really wasn't). It hit the gas filler cover (door thing) on the side of the car and put in a couple of small dings and scratches. My initial reaction was to get it repaired immediately. Ya know what though, I am gonna leave it for a while in rememberence of the time and place and just the good old days. Different perspective, I know.

Bob

 

[First300COwner]

Pretty lively thread. Lots of emotion and testosterone flying. Any how glad to here its not going to cost you much. A family member of mine who was very mad at me at the time threw their key chain at my hemi in a fit of anger. I had done something she (oops) felt was terrible to her (oops again). Long story short this person knew that would be crushing to me (really wasn't). It hit the gas filler cover (door thing) on the side of the car and put in a couple of small dings and scratches. My initial reaction was to get it repaired immediately. Ya know what though, I am gonna leave it for a while in rememberence of the time and place and just the good old days. Different perspective, I know.

Bob

Interesting. What a new approach. Well done rdmac!

 

[joeSRT8]

I love my car as much as the next 'guy', but you really could have chosen a more appropriate comparison to express your contempt.
-Mother of 5; Grandmother of 7

Agreed. Post was edited.