Do not stress about parking fast. Remember who is honking. Turn the music UP. At first you may feel parking impaired, but after a while it will be better. As you know, I don't do highways, but scoot around side streets, squeezing my Shadow into any available spot. My the force be with you, it's the practice makes perfect thing. xoxo

Ok...here's the thing about big cars: [I used to drive a 1978 Pontiac] You don't need to see to park it. Your brain and eyes are smarter than your consciousness.

Also, at the speed you will be going, hitting someone's car isn't that big of a deal. In Montreal, where there is only street parking, if the space is too small, you just back up slowly into the car behind and push it back a little so you'll fit. Lots of cars are parked practically bumper to bumper.

My advice is park the trunk properly and the rest will follow in line on its own.

YOU CAN DO IT!

The middle finger generally gets people to stop honking. Two work even better.

I'm also one who bumps the front a little, bumps the back a little to get into a space. It's just a bump...it'll be fine. In my experience city drivers/parkers are less likely to react than in the burbs.

Sometimes, I make Will park the friggen' Beetle because I get so worked up and anxious.

I had an Oldsmobile Achieva when I lived in Brooklyn and parking was annoying. I was not a great parallel parker...but I got a lot better. One think I would do was when I was coming home...if I saw an open slot on the street that wasn't being cleaned the next day...I would get in the car and move it then. I also figured out the optimal time in the morning that spots opened up on the street and would be up and moving the car at the same time other people were leaving for work or whatever. Yes...it's a little OCD...but it made me much calmer to move my car when everyone else wasn't and to have a plan. As far as people being impatient...if you can get mostly in the spot...wave people by and then futz around getting it parked. You can do it!!!

I have parallel parking phobia too, and jacob has a 1988 volvo station wagon so it is huge and long. I usually get out of the driver's seat and make him park it, but when I absolutely HAVE to, I find the best way is to a) park a little farther away if the option is an easier spot to get into (bigger, you can pull in), park on a wide street so people can get by as needed, or park badly and leave quickly, so nobody yells at you for doing the shoddy 3-feet away from the curb job.

Back when we had a car, my husband was so good at parallel parking that one time our neighbor ran out of his house just to applaud my husband's parking skills. He really did squeeze into a small space that day!
So, the answer is, if you hate parallel parking, make someone else do it.

Back when we had a car, my husband was so good at parallel parking that one time our neighbor ran out of his house just to applaud my husband's parking skills. He really did squeeze into a small space that day!
So, the answer is, if you hate parallel parking, make someone else do it.

My driving teacher taught me a fabulous way!
1. Make sure you drive up CLOSE and have the tail of your car at the tail of the front car (popping out for a quick look can help till you're absolutely certain how long your car is)
2. Turn the wheel of your car ALL THE WAY over before beginning to reverse.
3. Reverse until you can see the back car's rear bumper when looking over your shoulder in your car's triangular rear window (or the beginning of the rear window if you don't have one)
4. Turn the wheel of the car ALL THE WAY OVER to the other side and continue to reverse until you are parallel parked.

You can get this wrong, particularly if the forward car is badly parked, or if you've completely misjudged the space your car needs! But generally this gets me in first time, every time. And practice does make perfect.