Downtown street parker scare...
Discussion
The situation is as follows - as of next week I might be the lucky owner of a beautiful and very well cared for Carrera 3.2 ("always garaged, waxed, etc..."
which I will use as a pure weekend toy. As i live in Central London (South Kensington) and don't have a driveway or garage i will have to leave it parked in the street, which is already worrying me (before I even own the car...!!)
The alternative of renting a garage seems prohibitive (over £70+ per week nearby, or £35 per week a few miles away). I wonder whether car covers help in terms of peace of mind? it is the influence of weather, people unable to drive & park, and possibly vandalism that worry me....
Have you guys any suggestions? Those of you who live in a city how do you get around this?
which I will use as a pure weekend toy. As i live in Central London (South Kensington) and don't have a driveway or garage i will have to leave it parked in the street, which is already worrying me (before I even own the car...!!) The alternative of renting a garage seems prohibitive (over £70+ per week nearby, or £35 per week a few miles away). I wonder whether car covers help in terms of peace of mind? it is the influence of weather, people unable to drive & park, and possibly vandalism that worry me....
Have you guys any suggestions? Those of you who live in a city how do you get around this?
I live in zone one, I'm about to advertise for sale my BMW M3. In preparation for the sale the car got dropped off at the body shop to have it's parking scrapes fixed - not that bad to be honest, i've had it for 2 years, total parking wounds? £300.
I'd just be careful not to park it on corners , or the first in a row, people are usually quite carefull when parking in, espcially in residents parking - avoid metered bits!
I'd just be careful not to park it on corners , or the first in a row, people are usually quite carefull when parking in, espcially in residents parking - avoid metered bits!
I lived in West Hampstead until recently. In the time I lived there I owned Lotus Elise, 3.2 Carrera, 993 C4 and Audi S3 (not all at one of course)!
The 3.2 Carrera was by far the best becuase:
- It has rubber strips which protect you from London bump parking
- Fuchs wheels usually have tyres with rim protection (so no kerbing)
Plus classic 911's don't seem to receive the same amount of negative attention as newer 911's or flashier small sports cars.
Park on a quiet or one-way street if possible to avoid the other motorists bumping it when they pass, plus avoid trees as the sap doesn't do much for your paintwork.
I wouldn't cover it or you're more likely to generate interest.
Put the money you save on garaging etc into an account to sort out any repairs you might never get......don't worry just buy it!!!
The 3.2 Carrera was by far the best becuase:
- It has rubber strips which protect you from London bump parking
- Fuchs wheels usually have tyres with rim protection (so no kerbing)
Plus classic 911's don't seem to receive the same amount of negative attention as newer 911's or flashier small sports cars.
Park on a quiet or one-way street if possible to avoid the other motorists bumping it when they pass, plus avoid trees as the sap doesn't do much for your paintwork.
I wouldn't cover it or you're more likely to generate interest.
Put the money you save on garaging etc into an account to sort out any repairs you might never get......don't worry just buy it!!!
Personally I wouldn't go with the car cover, in my experience they tend to scratch the paintwork as any dirt trapped under them will be rubbed in due to movement of the cover in the wind, even if it is a fitted one. Also, if you're lazy like me, you'll never bother putting it on!
My car is also parked on the street and has suffered a scratch/parking nudge to the nose a couple of weeks ago. My local indy said there had been a spate of 993 wing mirrors getting nicked of late (check eBay the day after...) but apart from that, a 911 won't exactly stick out in South Ken!
My car is also parked on the street and has suffered a scratch/parking nudge to the nose a couple of weeks ago. My local indy said there had been a spate of 993 wing mirrors getting nicked of late (check eBay the day after...) but apart from that, a 911 won't exactly stick out in South Ken!
One suggestion. Leave the towing eye screwed in on teh back of the car. That way the first thing that the 
wit parking behind you will hit is the towing eye and not your nice shiny bumper. Ask me how I know .........
The impact bumper cars tend to fare better as rubber is the first point of contact, not paint as with anything 964 or later (again, ask me how I know !!!!)
Dings are just inevitable, you just have to hold your breath and count to ten every time you find a new one ! I've never been convinced that covers are a good idea as they encourage people to try and find what's underneath - potentially damaging both the car and the cover
wit parking behind you will hit is the towing eye and not your nice shiny bumper. Ask me how I know ......... The impact bumper cars tend to fare better as rubber is the first point of contact, not paint as with anything 964 or later (again, ask me how I know !!!!)
Dings are just inevitable, you just have to hold your breath and count to ten every time you find a new one ! I've never been convinced that covers are a good idea as they encourage people to try and find what's underneath - potentially damaging both the car and the cover
freemax said:
The situation is as follows - as of next week I might be the lucky owner of a beautiful and very well cared for Carrera 3.2 ("always garaged, waxed, etc..." which I will use as a pure weekend toy. As i live in Central London (South Kensington) and don't have a driveway or garage i will have to leave it parked in the street, which is already worrying me (before I even own the car...!!)
The alternative of renting a garage seems prohibitive (over £70+ per week nearby, or £35 per week a few miles away). I wonder whether car covers help in terms of peace of mind? it is the influence of weather, people unable to drive & park, and possibly vandalism that worry me....
Have you guys any suggestions? Those of you who live in a city how do you get around this?
which I will use as a pure weekend toy. As i live in Central London (South Kensington) and don't have a driveway or garage i will have to leave it parked in the street, which is already worrying me (before I even own the car...!!) The alternative of renting a garage seems prohibitive (over £70+ per week nearby, or £35 per week a few miles away). I wonder whether car covers help in terms of peace of mind? it is the influence of weather, people unable to drive & park, and possibly vandalism that worry me....
Have you guys any suggestions? Those of you who live in a city how do you get around this?
£70+ per week? Wow, didn't realise the UK had got that expensive. I know it doesn't help much but over here in a large city in Germany, I pay £40 per month with full security, cameras, locked doors with electronic key access etc.
I would much rather leave a Porsche parked on the street in zone 1 London were expensive cars are a common sight, cctv levels are high and chav filth tend not to hang out as much.
I happily leave my roof down in Covent Garden, South Ken, King's Road etc. but wouldn't consider it in my parent's home town of Cheltenham for fear of Chav attack.
I happily leave my roof down in Covent Garden, South Ken, King's Road etc. but wouldn't consider it in my parent's home town of Cheltenham for fear of Chav attack.
mansfa said:
I live in zone one, I'm about to advertise for sale my BMW M3. In preparation for the sale the car got dropped off at the body shop to have it's parking scrapes fixed - not that bad to be honest, i've had it for 2 years, total parking wounds? £300.
I'd just be careful not to park it on corners , or the first in a row, people are usually quite carefull when parking in, espcially in residents parking - avoid metered bits!
I'd just be careful not to park it on corners , or the first in a row, people are usually quite carefull when parking in, espcially in residents parking - avoid metered bits!
Mansfa, can I ask which bodyshop you've used and if you're happy with the results..
ta.
Hmmm. Different kettle of fish entirely, but I keep my 944 on the street in the East End.
Just accept that it will be damaged, although probably only slightly (scratches/small dents), and it is still just as great to drive when you are behind the wheel.
Scum are scum, and will always be with us. Don't let them affect your enjoyment of your car.
And yes, I'd avoid a cover.
Oli.
Just accept that it will be damaged, although probably only slightly (scratches/small dents), and it is still just as great to drive when you are behind the wheel.
Scum are scum, and will always be with us. Don't let them affect your enjoyment of your car.
And yes, I'd avoid a cover.
Oli.
Thanks guys. So I gather that car covers don't help a lot... Explicit vandalism (key-ing etc) I hope will be less common in the Western part of Central London (maybe I'm naïve but I hope that any amount of vandalism will be spread across a large number of more expensive cars...)
How far would you go in paying for a garage if your car is worth 15k?
How far would you go in paying for a garage if your car is worth 15k?
freemax said:
(maybe I'm naïve but I hope that any amount of vandalism will be spread across a large number of more expensive cars...)
How far would you go in paying for a garage if your car is worth 15k?
How far would you go in paying for a garage if your car is worth 15k?
i thought the same. safety in numbers etc... my old £5k e30 was nicked from a street of 911's in fulham 5 years ago. so i moved and bought 2 garages, turned out to be a pretty good investment
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