Protecting a street parked car.

[T Fades]

Still curious how old you are, OP...

It sounds like you have a car that is too expensive for your stage in life.

Do you own the car outright, or are you still making payments? What are those payments? How much are you paying in insurance?

We are not trying to bash you in any way. Quite the opposite actually. We are trying to help. A lot of us have already learned these financial lessons in life, and trying to shed some of our lessons learned onto you to minimize your strain.

What is your long term goal? Say, 5 and 10 years out? If you don't have one, now is the time to create a plan as Skye said, then make baby steps to get there. It will seem daunting at first, but with time you will begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

To be blunt, stop making excuses on why you can't afford to get your own place. Make it work.

My first car was a basic 2001 Civic I bought new for $12k. Of course those prices are gone, but the concept of living within your means is the only way you will get on your own two feet. I was fresh out of college and only making $50k a year. Having an inexpensive car (with inexpensive insurance) allowed me to get my own apartment, and save for a house down payment. I never had 20% down. I qualified for an FHA loan and only had to put 3.5% down. That was only about $10k down on a $300k house. Yes it took me a couple years to get that $10k, but I had a goal and made it happen. Making my lunches to work and not eating out a lot. Oh, and no stupid expensive coffees like starbucks everyday.

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[ORRadtech]

To be blunt, stop making excuses on why you can't afford to get your own place. Make it work.

This, so much this!
My nephew was a husband and father at 19. Now, 6 years later, a plumber, he's a happily married father of 4 who put his wife through college and recently moved into their second home. One they had custom built.
I've not always agreed with his choices but have the utmost respect for him and what he and his wife have achieved.
Hard work and commitment, not excuses.

 

[BigR4444]

Dude came here for advice on how to protect his car from getting hit... I dont think telling him to sell his car and/or "pull himself up by his bootstraps" is a productive direction to take the conversation.
Renting is BS... I dont believe in paying someone elses mortgage for them...
Buying isnt easy. Took $35k-ish for me just to get into my place. Down payment, closing costs, etc. Not everyone has that just laying around. Im not gunna lecture him because I dont know what his situation is.

Hes having an issue with his car, and came here hoping someone might provide an idea that didnt cross his mind.... Its a car forum, lets keep things car related.

 

[Ninjak]

I would advise you to purchase the Blackvue Elite 10 or 8 dashcams front/rear. This dashcam has a robust parking system and will inform you in real time when something happens to your vehicle. It also takes 4k video and still pics. (Elite 10 is 4k/4k, Elite 8 is 4k/2k)

This system also has one of the best cloud features on the market. Also, this system will alert even when someone approaches your vehicle. It may cost a bit more, but if you want a system to alert you when you are parked, this is it.

 

[T Fades]

Dude came here for advice on how to protect his car from getting hit... I dont think telling him to sell his car and/or "pull himself up by his bootstraps" is a productive direction to take the conversation.
Renting is BS... I dont believe in paying someone elses mortgage for them...
Buying isnt easy. Took $35k-ish for me just to get into my place. Down payment, closing costs, etc. Not everyone has that just laying around. Im not gunna lecture him because I dont know what his situation is.

Hes having an issue with his car, and came here hoping someone might provide an idea that didnt cross his mind.... Its a car forum, lets keep things car related.

A lot of advice directly related to the OP's car situation has been given, including cones, finding different places to park, etc. Some advice is even about the color of his car may be a reason his car is being regularly hit by traffic. Those suggestions are shot down by why it isn't possible to park elsewhere. His parents won't allow him to park in the driveway, which turned some of the conversation into him getting his own place. But more excuses were given why he can't get his own place. Sometimes one has to think outside the box and think bigger picture to fix a problem. I still have not really seen anything done by the OP to use the suggestions given.

To your point about renting being BS. While I agree, it is where most people start. A lot of people even have to share an apartment with roommates to afford it. I don't know many people who buy a house/condo directly after living at home. The ones who do live very frugally and save every penny, and certainly do not drive an expensive high performance muscle car.

 

[Joe Gonsalves]

So my suggestion of a brightly colored car cover with reflective strips not even going to be considered? Solves both the visibility and the bird poo issues.

 

[T Fades]

So my suggestion of a brightly colored car cover with reflective strips not even going to be considered? Solves both the visibility and the bird poo issues.

Great suggestion!

 

[Cplennon17]

Challenge your dad to a fight for a parking spot in the driveway.....

 

[geep81]

Hes having an issue with his car, and came here hoping someone might provide an idea that didnt cross his mind.... Its a car forum, lets keep things car related.

This isn't a car issue at all. This is a I made questionable choices that put me in this spot that is not fixable issue.

He came here asking for help that doesn't exist, as evidence by all the replies.

Do you have any advice for him or did you just come here to scold the rest of us for not solving his problems?

 

[BigR4444]

This isn't a car issue at all. This is a I made questionable choices that put me in this spot that is not fixable issue.

He came here asking for help that doesn't exist, as evidence by all the replies.

Do you have any advice for him or did you just come here to scold the rest of us for not solving his problems?

If you'd looked carefully, you would see that I DID give him advice earlier in the thread...

 

[Datalux]

Man, that sounds like a nightmare. Honestly, if you're stuck on the street, no amount of cameras or cones is going to stop a distracted driver from clipping you. I’ve been there with a previous car, and the only thing that actually saved me was finding a way to pay for a private, off-street spot nearby, even if it's a bit of a walk, or just biting the bullet and rearranging the driveway/garage situation at home. It sucks, but at the end of the day, no deterrent is as effective as just getting the car out of the line of fire of random traffic.

 

[Outlaw]

Hello; what you describe sounds normal for the majority of cars. Even Mustangs. There was an anomaly during the pandemic when things reversed.
Owning a vehicle is an overall expense. The moment you drive off a car lot the value takes a hit for say 99% of vehicles. Even if you happen to buy one which does not depreciate there still are ongoing fees, maintenance & taxes.
The market for GT350's has remained strong may be an exception.

I can only guess at what you have spent on body work. Based on your posts must be quite a lot. A generally true thing is a street parked car cannot be kept pristine.

Yeah but the advice to sell it and lose a massive amount of money then lose even more buying a new car which will have the same issues is silly and not remotely feasible when the goal is preserving money. I'm just looking for ways to prevent it being hit as often as it is, it was never an issue until this last year/2. And I post a bit but usually get no responses. My goal paint wise with this car is to get the paint at least done with repainting from damage and then maybe doing the $900 Facebook ads 3-5 year ceramic and paint correction. Is it worth it I'm not sure as I've never had it done but it will at least protect it from birds etc

 

[Outlaw]

A lot of advice directly related to the OP's car situation has been given, including cones, finding different places to park, etc. Some advice is even about the color of his car may be a reason his car is being regularly hit by traffic. Those suggestions are shot down by why it isn't possible to park elsewhere. His parents won't allow him to park in the driveway, which turned some of the conversation into him getting his own place. But more excuses were given why he can't get his own place. Sometimes one has to think outside the box and think bigger picture to fix a problem. I still have not really seen anything done by the OP to use the suggestions given.

To your point about renting being BS. While I agree, it is where most people start. A lot of people even have to share an apartment with roommates to afford it. I don't know many people who buy a house/condo directly after living at home. The ones who do live very frugally and save every penny, and certainly do not drive an expensive high performance muscle car.

Not excuses or bs, money literally doesn't allow for my own place and that's a fact. 5$ is 5$ it won't magically become 100$. The market is not friendly to new renters or buyers in my area.
You are currently claiming it is smarter to
Kill myself and go into long term debt just to get a 400square foot apartment with 0 parking where a vehicle is likely to be hit often and a nice vehicle vandalized or stolen while also increasing living expenses 10x and increasing insurance AND increasing income tax.

Vs

Free lodging, very safe area, mostly safe street parking on a very small side street with minimal traffic as it is not the primary redirect, lower taxes, very low living expenses, cheaper insurance and the ability to save with 0 debt.


At the end of the day the smart choice is clear and what I am doing and either way this post is about PROTECTING A CAR not my living situation so please, stop trying to watch my pockets and criticize my life choices without having any of the facts or knowing ANYTHING about my situation. Do you know my medical history? Do you even know if I can live completely by myself? No you do not so please stop assuming.

Let's take this thread back to what it was originally meant for.

Cones could help yes, my neighbor is a cop and cones are illegal in my township unless it was township authorized and they do not allow private use outside of dumpsters and portable storage such as PODS. That is not an excuse it is a fact and I have explored that option.

Changing the car color, several hits have happened in broad daylight, it's not a color issue it's a bad driver issue.

Changing parking spot, little to no benefit and more downsides than pros, as where it is produces the best width and pathway for people with current parking on the street and neighbors.

We have a shared driveway. I would have to move the car at everyone's back and call for 5+ different people and I being the only one who can drive it makes that not feasible as well as the fact that I do not drive it much ATM with the back and forth with paint shops and insurance. The street IS the best option.

As for the dashcam suggestion. I have a viofo a229 pro front and rear set to motion detection but it was not set at the time because it used to be set to low quality 24/7 parking recording which was turned off since it would kill the battery every night (brand new battery not a battery issue).

Any other ideas. AND KEEP THIS ABOUT THE CAR. I do not want to hear about how you think I should sell the car, scrap the car, trade in the car, move, go into debt etc. car is parked on the street, any ideas relating to that fact to increase security or reduce chances.

 

[Outlaw]

Man, that sounds like a nightmare. Honestly, if you're stuck on the street, no amount of cameras or cones is going to stop a distracted driver from clipping you. I’ve been there with a previous car, and the only thing that actually saved me was finding a way to pay for a private, off-street spot nearby, even if it's a bit of a walk, or just biting the bullet and rearranging the driveway/garage situation at home. It sucks, but at the end of the day, no deterrent is as effective as just getting the car out of the line of fire of random traffic.

I'm looking at that option right now, only real option though is a garage/lot for sale for 1k a month which isn't worth it. I would like more camera options as my dashcam is failing me in this aspect and the last hit and run they got away not even a vehicle description. Just a bag and squealing tires and gone. Luckily for me it was a diff car and not my mustang but it was parked right where the mustang would have been. Home security cameras good enough to zoom to the street? Any other ideas

 

[NGOT8R]

@Outlaw you said you could afford to pay rent in the amount of $1000-$2000 per month. Why take 2 months rent money and spend $2000-$4000 on a cheap car and put the Mustang in storage?

Do you have any friends, who live in a nice apartment complex with garages that can maybe rent a garage for you? I did that for a year in a new complex @ $125 per month, while building a house. Not sure what rates are at a storage facility, but that may even be cheaper/more convenient.

On days when you want to drive the Mustang, leave a bit early and switch cars, enjoy the drive in to work and repeat the process on the way home. How does that sound to you?

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