peeon

How many people own a IS in a large urban city like NYC, Chicago...etc? How banged up is it? Do you have street parking? How does it manage on the potholes and dings? I noticed many people (via their pics) have the IS in the burbs or rural parts of the country. I brought a new IS and I fear my baby will be ruined by the city.

mdgrwl

iTrader: (7)

I live in NJ and travel to NYC all the time and see most, if not all cars that park on the street very much abused.

ernestfyu

iTrader: (6)

i live in sf, there are 4 dings on my rear bumper from people who don't know how to get out of a parking spot. the city kills my mpg too.
i just learned to deal with it -.-.

NoHoIS350

Street parking in Los Angeles is a crap shoot most just f'n hit your car & could careless..Ahh i just tapped it...As for our roads well as you all know California is poor. Our road are getting worse by the minute. I couldn't tell you last time i actually seen a crew fixing a side street...I drive around & memorize the streets i drive daily so i know where every hole or speed bump type obsticals are..

shui3000

I don't live in the city, but I drive in Chicago for work during the weekdays and entertainment on the weekends. Potholes suck! I got a one inch hole in the sidewall of my tire from hitting one. Luckily I got a full warranty from discount tire and they replaced the tire with a new one for free. But, that's the risk you take. I still wouldn't downgrade to 17" (I have the oem 18").

If you're decent at parallel parking, getting stuff damaged shouldn't be an issue (except when other people bump your car).

But, other than that, it's not horrible.

I would recommend getting your next set of tires from discount tire since they're the only ones that I know of that offer a full warranty on tires and have a price match guaranty (their warranty is awesome).

shui3000

Be thankful you're in Chicago, people are usually decent enough not to bump your car while parking. In NYC, doesn't matter what kind of car you have, it's gonna get messed up from all the people bumping your car. Also, Chicago roads are pretty good in comparison to cities like philly and nyc.

I've somehow managed to not get a single dent on my car

iRock

iTrader: (12)

You never win in big cities. More people = more people that just don't care about other people car. I got a fat scratch on the bumper of the 07 is I had within the first month. Oh I'm in the bay area by the way

L-S-D

iTrader: (-1)

i live in a decent sized city 3 or 4 million ppl

my rear bumper has 2 scratches on it from parking lots like the mall and stuff
stupid old ladys who dont know how to park or drive and bump into me with there big *** boat cars those 1990's buicks

The UPS Store

iTrader: (1)

I try to pick my parking spots. I like to park next to other nice cars or the furthest spot available.

svntwosix

iTrader: (3)

I parallel parked my car no more than 10 times, and already have 2 blue marks on my rear bumper. I live in SF and haven't even gone down to neighborhoods with cramp parking yet. I know people can't park here already. My previous rear and front bumper was so hideous with marks.

RYLITT

haha that doesnt mean much, just because the person next to you has a nice car doesnt always help. i saw a lady in a S550 smash the car with her door into the car next to her.. not cool.

penone

I live in NYC and my rear bumper has quite a few nicks on it from people parking behind me. There was one time that a Bronco bent my front license plate because he just had to park in front of me (mind you - he was parked in front of a hydrant). Of course, he had a police placard on his dash so he was probably a cop. Needless to say that I was mighty pissed and ended up...umm...better keep that to myself.

Am thinking of painting my bumper but am having a hard time finding someone I can trust in NYC to do the job right. Definitely get a Bumper Badger or something like that if you plan on parralel parking.

-P

shui3000

Yeah, good thing we don't have that problem in Chicago. New York is the worst place for a car. I would just drive an old pick up truck there so that I don't give a crap what happens to my car (or take the subway).

HeartmyIS

iTrader: (18)

I live in SF, so far I don't have a single scratch from other people or cars. I try to avoid these things by parking in my driveway/garage. I never parallel park. And I always pay to park in garage when I am downtown even when it's free parking. There's too many people who don't appreciate their own cars and would care less if they scratched the car next to them. Sf roads are horrible especially downtown and sunset 19th ave....

Bobby206

iTrader: (1)

My rules:

-Park far away from everybody else.

-Dont parrallel park in busy streets

-If in a parking lot, park next to the curb as close as you can so you leave as much space for the next car.

-Dont bother with tight spots.

-Park in garages as much as you can.

-Dont park under trees, branches + bird poop effs up paint.

I live in Seattle and for the most part I find decent parking if not I pay to park in the garages just for extra assurance.