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I know you folks are going to gripe that I don't have any pictures so I promise to have some soon.

Since I got my Yaris I've discovered something that Europeans and Asians have known about it for years: You can fit it into parking spaces that are too small for just about anything other than a motorcycle.

Many places around Lake Tahoe don't paint lane marker lines in their parking lots because a) they're not required to if the lot is under a certain capacity, and b) the roads here go through so much in a year that paint never lasts that long, and is buried under snow for weeks on end anyway.

One of the results of this is that you get a quick and dirty lesson in just how screwed up most folk's sense of perception is. When left to their own devices their spacing when parking looks nothing like an organized lot.

A side effect of this is that any given lot ends up with a ton of wasted space, which in turn means less spaces for vehicles to use and other folks end up parking blocks away and walking back to their destination.

This is where having a subcompact really shines. :)

At least once every other week or so I end up parking in tiny gaps between two vehicles which, in days past, I would have driven right past after quickly regarding as impossible.

When a utility truck is one one side and is larger than his allotted lane, and a Subaru Outback is on the other side right up against the lane line, most folks simply can't use the space. I back right into it and go eat lunch.

Just today at lunch I found that all spaces were taken except a small gap between a Suburban and yet another Outback (Subarus are very popular among the locals because of their AWD and small size). I backed right into it and as I walked past one restaurant on my way to the second a pair of older, wider, badly permed, nylon-clad ladies sitting near the window shot me a very nasty look. It turned out they owned the Suburban.

I see door dings in your future....

Good Luck

BailOut -- I used to do that with my father's '70 VW Bug. :D I miss those days...

I used to be able to roll down the passenger window without even leaning over that much! I'm 6'5", but COME ON!! :eek:

Sounds like you are really enjoying your Yaris! I've never sat in one... think a guy my size would fit comfortably?

Sean,

Yes, you would fit both as a driver and passenger, but one of the two tall fellows that rides with me from time to time remarks that he feels like the roof is too close to his head. The other one has never complained, though, and he's the taller of the two at 6"6".

I see door dings in your future....
The car is only 2 months old but already it has battle scars on its hood, 2 of which will require repainting. Yes, my commute is that rough. hehe In other words some door dings will blend right in, given another 6 months.

Im 6'3" and fit in a Yaris. Was just like driving and setting in my old Festiva. Well exept for the goofy dash.

Most people have no clue how to back with their side
mirrors, and no clue what their exterior dimensions really
are. They also seem to be unable to just drift very slowly
while maneuvering, relying on sudden jerks of brake and/or
gas, only increasing the odds of doing more damage when
they hit something. Nonetheless, it often became a game to
park perfectly properly in a marked stall but with about a
half-inch of clearance from the yutz who previously parked
very badly in the next one over [and half of mine], just to
make a point that maybe they should pay attention next time.
.
In that situation, there's no room for traditional door
dings; they have to get in the other side...
.
_H*

"Parkability" is one of the advantages touted for the SmartCar on their website. They also point out that this saves gas in an urban setting because you don't need to drive around as much hunting for a parking space.

The SmartCar is about as long as a normal car is wide. In Italy I have often seen them parked PERPENDICULAR to the curb for even tighter parking with less maneuvering! Makes me laugh every time.

Nonetheless, it often became a game to
park perfectly properly in a marked stall but with about a
half-inch of clearance from the yutz who previously parked
very badly in the next one over [and half of mine], just to
make a point that maybe they should pay attention next time.
:)
Good, I don't feel so guilty having done the same. (But not in the Prius!)

I would do the same thing years ago when I had a vehicle with a broken driver's door. (I got it fixed eventually.) I would have to crawl over and get out of the passenger side door. If I saw someone on the line, I would put my driver's side as close as I could to their vehicle so there was no way they could open their driver's side door. More often than not, it would be some a** that parked taking up two spaces so no one would ding the doors of their Mustang/Camero/Edsel.

Now I just park in the lines and go about my business. Unless of course there's another Prius in the lot. Then I go park beside it. :)

Hi Brian:

___I can see your Yaris fitting into spots nobody driving a P/U or SUV would be able to touch. Just another advantage wrt your choice of vehicles! Imagine if you would have purchased that Smart coming out later this year? I cannot think of a parking place you could not get that little beauty pulled into! And where are those pics ;)

Now I just park in the lines and go about my business. Unless of course there is another Prius in the lot. Then I go park beside it :)___Jim, that is the ultimate sign of respect. Or your Prius is just horny :D

___I park in the back of wherever with little to no others parked around me in a Face-out as priority one. I try to keep a light pole or curb to one side for protection but we cannot protect them 100% of the time :( As the lot fills up later on in the morning, so be it. When it is time to go, get in, remove or install all that needs to be removed (badge/sunglasses/containers …), get belted in, and as soon as she passes 1K RPM from the light off, she is in D and moving ready for the first FAS ;)

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Just today at lunch I found that all spaces were taken except a small gap between a Suburban and yet another Outback (Subarus are very popular among the locals because of their AWD and small size). I backed right into it and as I walked past one restaurant on my way to the second a pair of older, wider, badly permed, nylon-clad ladies sitting near the window shot me a very nasty look. It turned out they owned the Suburban.

We need a new catch phrase to for this: gas guzzlers that vent at fuel sippers



Tangent: imagine rush hour with Yaris-sized vehicles instead of Suburbans. The length of the queue is halfed - people can see around each other. :)