Re Parking lot tips

["Felix Vicente" <fvicente@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>Avoid parking next to 2-door cars. (This is REALLY important. 2-door
>cars usually have doors that are wider, heavier, swing out more, and
>are thus more likely to reach your car and cause damage.)

<buzzer>

sorry. Wrong.

Look at the trailing edge of a coupe's door versus that of a 4 door.
(it doesn't matter what car, with the exception of the
suburban/tahoe/whatever gmc calls 'em)

while a coupe's door is more or less straight, the back door on a sedan has
to curve to fit the wheel well. IOW, while the leading edge of the coupe
door will most likely strike your rub strip, the leading edge of the rear
door of the car will be right on the characteristic crease on the sides of
the E36 (and others.)

Take a sample in a parking lot and you'll see if a car has a ding, the most
probable location is the quarter panel or rear door right about where a
sedan's rear doors would be on the next car over.

"Ahh", you say. "But the rear doors are less likely to be opened at, say, an
office building where the driver is most likely to be alone." <buzz again>
People (at least at the office building I work at) prefer to throw their
briefcase in the rear seat, which is easiest if you open the rear door.
Likewise if you have any items you're taking home.

And coupe doors are becoming smaller and lighter. There's a big difference
in the E36 coupe/sedan, but quite frankly I think the doors on a (insert any
japanese coupe here) probably weigh less than a e36's front doors.

My favorite spot is a divider to my right with a coupe to my left. (ie no
driver door or rear door to worry about.) Second favorite is the other side
of the divider, but that's not as good since the driver of the car to your
right will be opening his door. There's a much smaller chance that the car
to your left will have its passenger door(s) opened.



Felix Vicente
Miami, FL (occasionally)
'95 325i, blk/blk, BL/SS'd, Sharked, X'd and M3- Muffler'd
'95 525ia, calypso/beige, bone stock - sister's ride

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