Napoleon Solo

I need to get something off my chest - I don't know what it's like in the rest of the world but every new mall or housing development in these parts has designated 'small cars only' parking spots in all of the prime spaces in front of the shops. It's painted on the ground and signs are posted identifying all of the closest spaces.
I drive a 3/4 ton GMC extended cab long box. I guess I am an undesireable at the pet store, coffee shop and Wally-Mart of all places. Those spaces are for the good folk who are saving the world by driving small cars. Good boy! Here's a special place for you. I don't go out of my way to hog parking spots but I take whatever is free except of course handicapped spaces. So, if the *** end of my truck sticks out six feet, tea bag. Sorry to hear that.
Maybe Starbucks will have a special line for small car people. Show them your toyota **** box keys and you can skip to the front.

I don't know about you guys but I feel better.

oldcutlass

Well said.

Koda

Meh.

kjr442

I am looking for the like button, LOL I agree.

MDchanic

Never heard of such a thing.

I suspect if they tried it around here, they'd have a lot of overstuffed parking spaces.

Of course, Maine is a fairly poor state, with the few "rich" people concentrated on a narrow area of the coast, and in most of the state, the beat-up pickup truck is the national vehicle, while on the coast, you see Volvos, Subarus, and BMWs - setting aside small-car spaces would be the equivalent of setting aside rich-people spaces, and I just don't see that going over very well around here.

- Eric

Professur

My CC isn't small, but it's not exactly oversized either ... I frequently overhang spots. My big square bumpers and trailer hitch don't help matters either. But then ... seeing the morons I'm sharing the parking lot with .... I don't want to park where their abandoned carts or flung open doors can get at me. Walk through any lot and good luck trying to find any car over three years old that hasn't been the victim.

Mike77

Napolean you need to go downtown, they have "fuel efficient vehicle parking only" WTF.
Ya my truck as a fuel efficiency rating , so I guess I'm good !
Or a new one at Walmart, "family parking only"
Ya I have a family, good to go their too.

buzz lightyear

I was at a Walmart parking lot in Montana with my Uncle, and he pulls in a space with a sign that says " Senior Citizen Parking Only". Yep, they had space's with those signs. Never seen anything like that before.

rustyroger

If they don't have "Land Yacht parking only" or "Boulevard Bruisers only" spaces surely that's discrimination?.


Roger.

joe_padavano

The undersize parking space is common here in the DC area. All the SUVs simply take up two spaces. When I have my P.O.S. Custom Cruiser, I just wedge it in to the small spots. If someone has parked upto or over the line, I especially like to part RIGHT next to him. Does it look like I care about door dings in this thing?

The parking fad that really bothers me is the "expectant mother" spots right next to the handicap spots. Sorry, but pregnancy is a "blessing", not a handicap.

oldspackrat

A local mall has a section with signs that say "Electric car parking only". So of course I park my '95 Buick Roadmaster there as the plugs are fired by electricity right?!

chip-powell

I am a contractor for the government and I can tell you that they do the same thing. Just about every parking spot in the garage next to where I work is labeled for "compact" cars. And when I say compact, I mean REALLY compact. Even the people that drive nissans and vw's are constantly getting door dings from other cars.

If you drive a mid size to large car or truck, we have to park about a half mile away and walk the rest of the way in to work. Makes it loads of fun when it's snowing.

redoldsman

As a guy who drives a 3/4 ton 4-wheel drive F250 with a V-10 that gets 11.8 MPG, I could not agree more.

jaunty75

Where I live, the average vehicle is a big pickup truck that easily takes as much space as my Custom Cruiser. These guys park their trucks anywhere they want, often sticking well out beyond the end of the parking space or extending into the next one if the spaces are end-to-end instead of side-by-side.

All I can say is, more power to them!

455man

I'm sure I don't make any friends when I do this

chip-powell

It is fuel efficient...compared to an M1 tank!

mike's88

I don't drink Starbucks

Oldsguy

I don't notice those down here in Texas, but then again most everybody drives pickup trucks.

Fun71

The strip mall and theater near my house has most of the spots marked "Compact Car" but since a lot of people drive trucks and SUVs no one pays attention and parks wherever they want.

chip-powell

That's the problem with working on a government installation. If we take up more than one spot we get a $50 ticket and might get towed.

MellowYellow

20 years ago I drove a 76 Cad limo as a daily driver. It would fill a compact car only space from line to line. It was as long as an extended cab 8' bed p-cup and door dings didn't matter to me. Go ahead, make my day.

BTW, 5 mpg @ 6005 lbs. 252.2" long, 79.9" wide

mike8162

I mostly see these parking spaces in ramps and I usually park in them. I have to admit though an extended cab long box is a battleship, that is quite a feat to navigate that bad boy. I have an extended cab short box and sometimes things are tight. I say park where you want, I always do.
Cheers, Mike

Lady72nRob71

The sign just means to take your BIG car and use it to COMPACT the small crapboxes there to make your own space.
My full size caddy fits in those spaces and I use them.

Napoleon Solo

You can see the sign just above the cab. My bank wants my money, just not my truck so close. The whole development is like that.
I think it's pretty funny actually - just how rediculous this is. I mean really??

MellowYellow

You need to add a boss plow for an extra 3 or 4 feet.