jma242

So today I parked my GS in a normal spot at the supermarket, a few rows from everyone else. a few lanes in front of me were two vans filling up with 8-10 older teens that were very loud and rowdy. Already had a bad feeling in my gut as I was walking away from my car.

Walked halfway to the store when I heard one of them yelling about the car. When I turned around he had already ran over to it and had his right hand and foot on the front bumper, with his full weight on the car, posing for a picture.

I yelled so loud across that lot for him to get the **** going that he bolted like the Flash. Some guy got out of his van and started asking him what he was doing. I sat in my car until they left just in case.

Am I wrong for being so angry?

CC_Corvette

Not at all. I would do the same and go shop at another supermarket.

Nobull

Hell no!!! Hand and foot on the car? The hand part is bad enough, but a foot also. Your reaction was right on the mark.

Ron'sGS

No ......I think I would've reacted the same way if someone had done the same to my car.

jma242

Sadly this is the best, and safest supermarket in my area.

Parking and leaving this car is a PITA. I got to take my Jeep out more I guess.

AceG

Lol right foot on it too? Lol i dont blame you one bit for your reaction but i would of approached him a bit differently and explain to him that he is welcome to pose with the car just dont touch it.

jma242

I would have done that but I was so far away from the car I was worried about what damage he would do before I got back to it.

davepl

I had a father and son (maybe 5 years old) ask if the little guy could get his picture taken with the car. I said sure, they could even stick the kid in it and take a shot of him behind the wheel. I left it unlocked (top down, it's a vert) and went on my way so they could take their pics. That's what happens when people ASK nicely.

You're not out of line being annoyed that someone put their foot on your car. That's over the top.

Depending on how it was going down (and I wasn't there) I might have walked over and said "You're fine taking pictures with it, just don't touch the paint". For some reason adding "the paint" makes it clear to people that you're concerned about the finish and not just being merely territorial. Of course it's your right to be territorial if you want, I'm just conveying what's worked for me in the past.

On a separate note I can't TELL you how many people can't resist the urge to rub my cars. Drives me mental. It's some non-car-person way of appreciating a nice finish, I guess, but... don't touch!

If that all sounds too calm, queue the inevitable parade of people who'll invoke the castle doctrine and tell you how they would have murdered the offender.

Olden Slowe

You handled this more calmly than I likely would have.

JimNeedsC7

I often drive my pickup for just that reason. It is a truck - I don't care if someone does something to it nearly as much as my car. There are a lot of parking lots where I prefer not to leave my car without me being around to protect it.

We also need to remember just how dumb some of us were when we were kids. I still remember being young and dumb at times myself.

But putting your foot on my C7 is just like slapping me in the face. I really don't recommend you do that, unless you are armed or freaking enormous.

Kevin A Jones

I would have done the same thing too.
I don't know why people can't just enjoy a beautiful shiny surface without touching it?
Same thing with beautiful motorcycle gas tanks, they got to touch them.

KevinGS

Much more calmly, I agree....feet on the car is cause for a full reprimand.

Zo62018A8

What about really small children? 5 or under? I'm assuming they do this since it resembles toys their parents give them? I don't want any 4 year old drooling over my car.

mschuyler

Drooling? I think you need to be reasonable. A kid touching the car and leaving fingerprints is a far cry from the teen described by the OP. At car shows kids flock to the car. I always ask them if they'd like to sit in it and have Mom take a picture. They are delighted; the parents are grateful, and if they leave a couple of prints, I can easily wipe them off. And who knows? Maybe I just made another fan of the Corvette. If you are worried that a 4 year old might touch your car, perhaps it would be best to leave the car at home and only take it out when and where you can guard it 100% of the time.

23/C8Z

That sucks but there's nothing you can do about it at least you caught him before they did any more damage. Like they said you can't fix stupid

jma242

If a kid ever shows interest in my car while it is parked I have no problem letting them sit in it or take some pictures.

The thing that drives me CRAZY is the attitude of "I'll just walk right up to someone's property and do whatever I want with it for the lolz. I teach sixth grade so you would think it wouldn't bother me as much, but lately it seems to bother me more. Most of my students can get away with murder at my school and they know it.

felkebg

If I am in a restaurant, I might even do a remote start as fathers with smaller kids approach. This usually keeps them from touching it too. I guess they are afraid it will do a remote launch too!

dvilin

You handled it fine.

JerryU

Hmm, not sure I would have even parked after that!

Recently was parking in a wide open area near our small towns museum where I was to meet several others. When I got out of the car two ~30 year old, sloppily dressed guys came over and one asked for money for breakfast-unusual in our town! When I gave a usual response, that I carry no cash only use credit cards one asked if I would come to a close restaurant and buy them breakfast! Too sharpe and fast a response for locals in our town! As they walked away one kept looking back. Heard comment about these small town folks etc.

Got back in the Vette and parked around the block behind a church. The walk was better than getting keyed! In the OP's case the young kids may have to prove to their buddies they would respond for being chased away.

Just my $0.02.

fyreline

It isn't the things you have control over in life that eat you up - it's the things you have NO control over (or very little). One of those things, and a penalty of Corvette ownership, is people touching your car. If you ever - and I repeat, ever - drive your car and leave it anywhere, even just for a few minutes, even in a remote corner of the parking lot . . . you have no control over people touching it. They're just going to do it, it's that simple. Common sense and common courtesy are nowhere near as common as they used to be. Most of the time it's just a minor annoyance, a little detailer spray and a microfiber towel take care of it in a few seconds. I'm certainly not excusing the behavior of these cretins, or the lack of parenting where small children are concerned - but hey, let's keep things in perspective and not lose our mud over fingerprints (I do agree that a foot on anyone else's car is over the top.)

In the end, you can't control what other people do . . . but you can control what YOU do. Park defensively. Don't panic. And most importantly, don't let the risk of a mark on your paint keep you from driving and enjoying your car. Life is too short, and unless your idea of a good time is staring at your roped-off car parked in your own garage from your lawn chair, get out there. Life is a banquet, and most poor bastards are starving to death.

End of philosophical rant. I'm going down to Home Depot for some deck screws - anybody want to come? You can watch my car.