I'm very conscious of my parking. Since those two tips above are awesome, I'll just add my own:
- I am conscious where I'm going as to which of my vehicles I'll take. Movie theater? Older car. Wal-mart? Older car. Target or Starbucks? Z. I generalize, but I generalize because it's usually correct.
- Douchebags typically don't have patience; they park up as close as they can. So I don't park up there. Larger folks who can't get out of their cars easily or folks with kids who don't care or people who just make mistakes or aren't respectful tend to park as close as they can and exert as little effort as possible.
- I don't park out in the boonies which makes it quite clear I'm avoiding. But I do pay attention to time of day and how busy a parking lot may get. I park away from others, but not so much it actually draws attention.
- I look for larger spaces or more isolated spots as much as possible; medians, edges, corners. Usually these have trees, but bird poo is easy to get off.
- At work, I try to consistently park in a "safe" place. In fact, I park next to the same pick-up every day; he's there when I get there, and still there when I leave. I have no idea who it is, but he parks in close to an island in a large spot, so I can hug the line and still be nowhere near. Most importantly, I reward this behavior with a note of thanks and a gift card on the windshield at least once a season.
- If I have to park next to someone for a brief bit, I pick the passenger's side of their car to park on. Even if they have a passenger, they may not want to damage not only my car, but their buddy's.
- I don't park near trashy cars or ones that are clearly not taken care of.
- I try to minimize my odds of walk-bys as well. This guy at my apartment complex drives a nice 5.0 Mustang, but he insists on parking right next to the mailbox unit; which is the highest traffic place in the entire lot. Not just of people walking by, but also pulling into the "fake" spot next to it that is meant for people just checking mail. Someone doesn't know risk avoidance.
Two main entances to a mall? Park smack in the middle between them; people seem to prefer walking down aisles rather than across; and very few will cross from one side to the other past my car.
- don't ever drive like an *******. If someone in an Altima drives like an *******, I'll never see or notice them again even if I come across them or a car I think is them. A Z? Probably with a vanity plate? Yeah. Likewise, don't be an ******* in your backyard (work, home, favorite hangouts).
- get a "conceal carry" window sticker.
(Ok, kidding on that one.)
(Sort of...)
/hijack