Miata Parking Hazards to Look Out For

You'd think parking a wee lil' baby car would be easy, but naw, it just ain't. 

With a regular car, maybe you park far out from your destination to avoid door dings and errant shopping carts. Maybe you don't because you don't care that much and you'll slip your Ram 2500 HD between a Ford F250 and a Suburban without so much as blink. 

With the Miata, you can squeeze it just about anywhere with little worry your parking neighbor will smash their door into yours. It's truly a boon.

 

That is, until this happens. 

Somehow, I returned from my shopping to find another parked so close to me I couldn't get into the car and it was raining. 

I'm sure they need a brodozer with too-wide tires and it's totally worth all the downsides. A Short King with the cleanest cowboy boots you ever did see needs that lifted monstrosity with a 6 ft bed to carry a single Cliff bar to the gym.

Or maybe not. I don’t know who that person is. For all I know, they were aggressively pregnant and needed an emergency c-section, so they parked haphazardly, waddled into the legendarily clean Bucee’s bathroom, and pushed that baby right out between the jerky wall and the Beaver Nuggets.

I just don't know. 

I was mildly inconvenienced and that's all that matters.

After snapping photos of the most incredulous offense I've ever witnessed, I let the top down and wriggled my big boned body into the car easily enough.

Still, I came far too close to having a car with even more damaged paint. Have I told you about that, yet? Oh yeah, my car came with dealer installed swirl marks, but that's a story for another time. 

 

Right, so what's the best way to park the Miata? Here are three simple guidelines.

• Avoid parking all the way into the space. 
  
  
• Too many motorists texting their cousins about probation have whipped into spots and smashed Miatas in the butt since the car is easily hidden by neighboring, parked vehicles until it's too late. Parking towards the open end of the space makes the car more visible sooner, lessening the chance of you returning to a Miata with no ass.
   
• Park in the middle of the spot to ensure you have room to get in and out. 
  
  
• This one is easy enough.
  
  
• If you find a spot with a curb on one side, even if it's farther from the store front, take it. 
  
  
• This way you can pull right next to the curb and feel the cool confidence of knowing there is no way the curb side will damage your car. Unless, like... A tree limb falls on the car or something.

Anyway, I left with my car's doors scratch-free. May your Miata's ass remain fully whole and forever dingless.