Can a brother get a break?

WARNING: Another long rambling post by me follows. So, I drove the car to work all last week. I work in Downtown Houston and always park on the very top floor of the multi-storey in a space that allows me to cross the line and have a good 4 feet or so between me and the car next to me. There is no space to the other side so I'm not taking 2 spaces. I still come out to find some SUV parked over their line from time to time and inches from me, but no door dings as yet. Yeah, I also park in the very last space in regular car parks too; my fat **** can use the exercise. My method of parking does me well; I've only received a single door ding in the Lancer I've owned for 3 years and that was when I had no option to park where I did (the car that did it had left). Anyway, came out to my car mid week and the lights flashed a bunch of times when I unlocked. Nobody parked next to me. Did a walk round as I assumed the alarm had gone off and saw no scratches or dings. Drove home and parked it. Went out later to get something out of the garage and immediately notice a fist size dent in the top of the passenger fender. It looks like someone hammer fisted the car to see if it was alarmed as there is no paint damage. One would think the flashing red light in the windshield would give that away, but whatever. I'm already sick to death of this car and this is the straw that broke the camel's back. What's the point in trying to make this a perfect example of a 996? Why should I spend endless hours fixing the faults and making the paint shine so that some jackass can just come along and ruin it all in one immature action? If it's someone I pissed off then come to me, don't attack the thing I take pride in. If you want to steal it then take the damn thing, don't just vandalise it. Is it jealousy (doubtful)? If so, get a better job, better yourself and maybe you too can have something nice that you've dreamed of owning for a long time. I think I'm done. I'll get the dent pushed back out and then the car's gone as soon as I can sell it. Just don't have the heart to put up with this **** anymore. I've had my last Evo keyed, twice, and even drove it with 3 lug nuts missing after someone, presumably, tried to steal the wheels. The Mustang before that had all 4 tyres slashed and was also keyed. I can't **** off this many people!!

Well that sucks. Get the dent fixed, keep the car and check building management to see if they have surveillance cameras and if they don't, perhaps make the suggestion. You might save others from the complete lunacy of this child dressed in man clothing perpetrating this low of the lowest juvenile act. People never cease to disappoint me.

Any jaded ex girlfriends?? That's the worse history of nonsense i've ever heard.....good luck. j

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No surveillance as they have people patrol the garage and feel that is sufficient. My company pays for parking (which is outrageously expensive) so I have little choice . Pretty sure none of my ex-girlfriends would be immature enough to do this. Plus, they don't know where I park .

You've had more mishaps than a majority of the guys on here....either you live in a bad area, or there's something about either you or the car that's attracting that much negative attention. Are you in charge of co-workers or live/park in an area that this sort of thing happens to nice cars? You have indicated that this happened to the EVO, the Mustang, and now the Porsche....three different types of cars....makes one wonder what the common denominator is.

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The Mustang was a bad neighbourhood. I lived in an apartment that was, well, a little ghetto. I had THE nicest car there, so that should tell you something . I write that one off to poor judgment on my part. The Evo was garaged in my house and was keyed in a mall parking lot and outside a pool hall. Lug nuts went missing in my nice neighbourhood when the wife decided to use the garage. People aren't targeting me; I'm an old fat man who minds his own business.

I feel ya. I have a lousy/unlucky history with cars too. Many times I wonder why I bother having something nice so that some schmuk can get a kick out of messing it up either on purpose or by being an idiot. Here is my list of trouble. my first car, a 1984 camaro I saved to have painted, lowered and BIG stereo, someone keyed it in Palm Springs parked in a single space. Later I had a lexus SC400 that was keyed on both sides while valet parked, but they waived liability because I picked up the car after they had officially closed. Uggh my 996 was hit in the bank parking lot on the front left after I owned it for less than 30 days. It made me sick. Had that repaired and then after x-mas the motor blew - cracked cylinder #1. Just sell it and move on. This car does not seem to be in the cards for you.

i believe in bad luck cars... my friend bought a brand new 2nd gen lexus 300. he ran over a cat and cracked the front fender (meow!)... spun the car out on the way to vegas, hit 2x while parallel parked (LA, what can u do? no parking), and numerous door dings... sold it, drives a beater, and happy as pie... get rid of the car and move on, u deserve better...

You are going to find haters despite the car you own. I park like you do and I encounter the same issues. BTW, my 996 brings a huge smile everytime I drive it to relieve all the work stress.

I drove onto the parking lot (with assigned parking spaces) behind my studio...and saw 2 women from sweat shops located a couple of units over walking between my Porsche and the wall and standing right next to my P (or so I thought)...parking the X5 behind my P I saw that they had their F...ing handbags on my driverside front fender and were diggin thru their handbags while smoking and japping to each other.....needless to say I LOST IT!! They got their old crappy toyota's with the paint peeling off parked right next to my P...so why the F do they need to use my car as a side table?? By the way when I lose it it isn't nice!!! remember the hulk??? I don't turn green but everything out of my mouth is worse!! I don't think they will try again!!

Nicolaas: Although I wouldn't pull a Hulk scenario with attendant language and raving at the gals....I can sympathize with you over the seemingly unconscious demeanor of some people when it comes to sitting, leaning, or stacking things on an obviously pristine and expensive car. I had a gal set her Starbucks cardboard coffee cup on the roof of my parked car as she opened her door to put her kid in the child seat. I was sitting outside under one of those umbrellas next to the sidewalk so I could keep an eye on the car. I walked over there....hemorrhaging internally withe every step. I asked her if she would please take the coffee cup off the roof....which she did, but it left a ring where some of the coffee had spilled down the side onto the bottom. I was totally dumbstruck...she buckled her kid in and just took the cup and started to go around to the other side and started to get in and drive off. I asked her if she was really going to leave the coffee ring on my roof, and she said she was sorry, grabs the baby's barf rag, with a very deliberate and angry looking walk..... wipes the ring off the roof still leaving a bit of a streak....then gives me a "what an **** *******" sort of look and walks off in a huff. I wanted to unleash a string of colorfully descriptive adjectives usually reserved for a bunch of drunk deer hunters sitting around a campfire after a successful hunt....but limited my comment to...."I just don't understand some people". I can't imagine how inconsiderate, uncaring and unconscious some folks can be about this sort of thing. JASTX (had one of the nicest concours 930's Ive ever seen) told me he was tired of this sort of demeanor and sold his beautiful car and bought a Miata. He said he just couldn't enjoy himself when out shopping or at a restaruant because of worrying about the car....so he bought a Miata. I can understand his actions. My wife hates going out if I take the Porsche....she says she knows Im looking out the window watching the car....consequently I'm not being attentive or conversant with her. She's right.

so sorry to hear dude, i'm pretty paranoid about vandalism since it's kinda out of my control. but you just gotta deal you know? what else u gonna do? drive a fuqin jeep? (wait, i do drive a jeep )

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Let me guess - do you do any ticket towing???

The vast majority of people who own cars that are special to them, do not use them as daily drivers. You don't see many Ferraris or high end Porsches on parking lots because of the dangers of incurring damage from inconsiderate or jealous people. It's best to buy a Toyota as your DD and reserve your Porsche for pleasure driving. Moreover, most insurance companies will give you a significant discount on cars used solely for pleasure driving.

UFO, you've had one heck of a frustrating and sad story of ownership so far, I feel for you. But if you sell now, you have no chance of turning this thing around, it will end badly. Give it some time, think it over. Don't let scumbags get one up on you. Give yourself at least 2 years (engine warranty period?). Don't let this beat you down I'm sorry to hear this **** GL -Ludwig

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The sig's a joke: I work in the computer field. Now, if I did own a towing company then I'd expect this sort of treatment!

Honestly, it is because you live in Houston. My Father lived there for 7 years and got jacked twice. One time, they stole a pistol out from underneath the seat of his truck in the airport security parking! WTF? I dont want to make you sick but I left my 996 unlocked for 2 years and no one ever broke into it! The alarm was acting up so I stopped locking it to avoid the alarm going off in the middle of the night in the street. In two years of parking in lots, I never got a door ding either.

"Giving A brotha getting a break" is an oxymoron.. It appears that no matter what car you drive someone will still beat it up. My experience has been similar every ding and scratch I've had on my vehicles have come from people at work. I've come back to the car after work to find hairline scratches on my 996. Fortunately, whomever it is/was must be in a rush while trying to "key" my car because I've been able to polish the scratches out with standard car polishes.

Yeah, it's funny as I use a 99 4 runner as my daily. I recently discovered a dent in my back bumper where someone "hit and run" me in a parking lot. That bumper has already been replaced once and was in mint condition. BUT, it doesn't bother me as the car is my beater. I've already sustained a ding in my porsche from parking in a lot. I won't make that mistake again. I will just drive it for pleasure and not get anywhere near a public parking lot.

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Asked and answered. I used to be like this, when I was younger and driving cars that I really couldn't afford. Looking back, it was kind of a joyless way to be a car enthusiast. Especially since nobody had figured out paintless dent removal yet... And, yeah, it was odd how much more often stuff seemed to happen. If you want to get into concours, pick a more collectible Porsche and leave it in the garage. Otherwise, this is just life in the big city. Fix it and move on. And keep your blood pressure down. Life's too short as it is.

For once, I agree with Ben, get a beater so that these kinds of things don't come up. I do drive my car on nice days to work and other places but only if I feel confident about the place I'm going to park the car. On those other occasions, I drive my grand cherokee. Someone dinged the tailgate a few weeks ago. Although I was annoyed at my otherwise pristine jeep got dinged, it quickly passed. I think I thought of having the dings pulled but that though left my brain about a hour or so later. I also has a few scratches on the rear bumper where people have bumped it. Oh well. It's the beater.

Don't get rid of the 996 because of superstitious reasons or because it "wasn't meant to be". It's just a car and it'll happen to any other car you choose, too, so you might as well just decide what you want to drive and deal with driving it. As others have pointed out, welcome to driving and parking in the big city; I'm glad I can almost always park my 996 completely away from other cars no matter where I go in my city.

UFO, I think that is a Houston thing. I lived there for a couple of years (1979-81) and had what I felt was a very nice car at the time, a red '76 Cutlass Supreme with white leather interior. I always kept it immaculate. Someone keyed it once and someone slashed a tire once. I honestly have never had anything like that happen before or since! Andy T UFO towing being a joke was good to hear as I too thought the answer was obvious.

You can't be afraid of the dings and things that may happen from driving daily. I drive mine daily and so far have been fairly lucky. I don't have any door dings. The worst thing so far was someone with a black car left a black streak on my front bumper in a parking garage. The car was off to the side and well away from anyone else but they still managed to hit it. Luckily they did not break or scratch the paint and it mostly rubbed out and is not noticeable. At the same time though some idiots fell on the hood of my 2006 Audi A4 and severly dented the hood to the point where the only repair is replacement at $1200. We don't know who did it or even exactly where since we did not spot the dent until daylight and the car had been driven to a couple of different places. Basically whether an Audi or a Porsche these things are consumable cars. They are meant to be driven and enjoyed. It is nice to keep them in absolutely perfect shape, but that is only possible if you just don't drive it. Of course if you don't drive it, then you open yourself up to other problems. Just be careful where you park and you can avoid most problems. And if you get dinged, it can always be fixed although at a cost.

It is what it is. My first VW Corrado was stolen and basically destroyed. My second VW Corrado (this time with an alarm) was vandalized, but fortunately not stolen. Here in New York, I had antennas stolen off the VW, air valve caps taken off both my old M3's and old Boxster's wheels, a cab driver have a seizure and blitz into my parked VW, my own mother back into my old M3, etc, etc, etc. Driving cars is like new sneakers: you hate getting them all marred up, but once you remember that the point of a car is getting from point a to point b, life gets a little less stressful. And the beauty of a Porsche is that it can get you to point b a lot faster, and generally via detours that include twisties. I used to get all bent out of shape about bumper taps in the city (Riad will know what I'm talking about), but once you get used to the idea that it's not a huge deal, and that a simple repainting makes the bumper good as new, you REALLY start to enjoy the car for what it is: THE BEST WAY TO TRAVEL. Heck, some of you know that my car was just hit and run a couple weeks ago. I was pissed, but I ain't losing sleep over it. Keep the car. Fix the dent. Drive hard.

Paint the car WHITE it disguses imperfections better, drive a beater and what ever you do, do not fix right away park it anywhere you want like it is a beater and get it repaired every once in awhile or until luck changes. In the 80's out west because of the gas crunch almost all of the parking spaces got smaller while the cars have grown in size this may cause some problems.

The tough part is, if you have a life (a nightlife in my case), it is inevitable that you'll have to drive it into the metro away from suburbia where parking spaces are at a higher premium. You have to, in a sense, because you convince yourself you bought this car to flaunt on nights (life is short blah blah blah) like this so once in a while you just feel compelled to do it especially if you got a buddy or girl riding out with you. It's not that people can see you at night especially with 20% tinted windows, but the atmosphere is superior driving a car like the 911. It makes the drive an event. Anyways, I got a couple of dings one night this way. In another instance, you're sick and tired of driving that damn Jeep since it's been raining like crazy 10 days straight and the P-car is kinda dirty anyways so what the hell I miss it so let's drive it against my good 911 conscience. Start car, drive, parking karma por favor. I'm still trying to not get all pissed at people dinging my car because I know I'm the type who's going to call the ding guy and setup an appointment immediately. It can be fixed. But that's $50-100 out your pocket to get your car back to what it was before which simply is zero net new value for your hard earned $s. That's what pisses me off the most and the fact that I can justify the spend because of this o-complusive need to have my car in tip-top aesthetic/mechanical shape. At the end of the day, though, it is a luxury item, it is a toy. So as I age, I'm slowly but surely becoming more open-minded/tolerant about STUFF in general. Life gets shorter (or faster depending on how you look at it) as you get older (need more rest, physical limitations, more responsibilities, etc). Thus why I try to avoid splitting hairs and why I argue with some of you over wheel weights, corner balancing, lap times, what is bling what is not, etc. Like Martin Luther King said, if people traveled more the world would be a better place (major tangent) and door dings wouldn't matter as much.

Your car is clearly cursed.

Your Pcar has lost its Karma, that sucks man!

Sorry to hear this my friend. I have a house rule... Never mix business with pleasure (i.e., do not wear your play cloths to work and do not drive your you machine there either). Try to keep business and pleasure separate. I have a Nissan for business time use (work transportation, etc.) and the 996 for pleasure...