What's your most Camry driving move ever?

[nate]

Clyde gave me a good idea.

Notwithstanding the stupidity of backing into a low overhang, that probably isn't my most Camry move.

I'd pin that back when I was driving my dad's car as a teenager, probably 16 or 17. I stopped at a gas station, paid with a card and let the car fill with gas while I went inside for something. Came back to the car and started to drive away. Unfortunately, it was quickly apparent that the nozzle was still in the car. Oof. Fortunately the smart guys that design gas pumps thought of this and the hose is designed to detach without damaging the car or pump. No consequences save the embarrassment.

[kognito]

my BMW 2002 had a "poor mans cruise control" it looked like a manual choke cable, but it was actually connected to the throttle. You could pull the cable out, twist it to the right, and the throttle would lock in that position.

I discovered that when I was having a hard time getting home driving in the snow, (stuck going up hill) I could use this cable to get the rear tires spinning, open the door, get out and help push the car using the door frame. As the car got moving, I'd hop back in.

Third time I did this I slipped on the snow, and the car got away from me. :eek: It went into a snow bank about 20 feet up the road, and luckily no damage was done.


That was the last time I did that move

[ZBB]

My Camry moment was when I lived in Atlanta and I had the 325Ci. I got home from work one evening and pulled the car into the garage like I always did. For some reason, I made 2 mistakes -- I left the car in neutral instead of putting it in 1st, and I didn't pull up the parking brake. I got out of the car and closed the door -- and the car started rolling out of the garage.

Our driveway was sloped and had a slight curve. Straight back from my garage was the fire hydrant at the street. I ran after the car, was able to open the door and jump in and hit the brake (can't remember if I hit the peddle or pulled the hand brake…). But I avoided a gusher from the fire hydrant and the car wasn't damaged. I felt like an idiot...

my BMW 2002 had a "poor mans cruise control" it looked like a manual choke cable, but it was actually connected to the throttle. You could pull the cable out, twist it to the right, and the throttle would lock in that position.


My '65 Landcruiser had a throttle cable, similar to your 2002. You'd pull the button out of the dash and it would hold an RPM. Was easiest to do when the peddle was already depressed and you were holding a speed -- you could pull the button out easily, and right where it gave resistance was about the current RPM. I'd use it as a cruise control when driving on the interstate (and my top speed was ~60 -- while most of that stretch was 75).

[Nick M3]

Probably the time I "wrecked" the race car inside the garage.

Unfortunately, the car has a clutch interlock. Every now and then, when working on it, I would want to start it to check something. Of course, with the cage, getting in to start it wasn't really desirable, so I would reach in, push he clutch down by hand, and start it. One day, I forgot to check whether or not it was in gear. It was.

I imagine the sight of my legs hanging out the side of the car as it knocked over an engine on a stand and punched a hole in the drywall would have been pretty comical. Luckily, it stalled against the wall, so no real harm done, but I felt pretty stupid.

[John V]

Probably when I backed into my old motorcycle with my wife's Jetta. I forgot I parked the bike in the little turnaround pad on the driveway at our old place and was in a hurry to get to work one morning. Fortunately I didn't hit it hard enough to knock it over but it did leave a nice scratch in the bumper of the VW.

[Josh (PA)]

This spring in the e61...
It was my wife and I and the 3 kids. We were out to dinner. After dinner, it was dark, we all get in the wagon, the kids are 3 across the back all on their phones/Ipads, so the car is all lit up with the 'Apple Glow' making it hard to see out the back. I start backing up and "bang". After the bang the PDC starts beeping like crazy...before the bang it had picked up nothing behind me.

There was a jacked up pick up truck that wasn't in a regular parking spot, at a 45 degree angle behind the wagon. It was so high the PDC didn't pick it up. It also had a huge tow hitch w/ 3 balls assembly on the back that I neatly placed square in the middle of the wagon tailgate just at the top of the license plate.

Nice dent in my sheet metal, no damage to his truck. I was very pissed at myself. The dent is still there reminding me every day that I was a dumb ass.

[Plaz]

Rear-ended (at slow speed, I'd guess between 5 and 10 mph) a town car in the Lincoln Tunnel because I got distracted freaking out over a spider in my MINI. Did absolutely no damage to the town car whatsoever, whilst the front end of the MINI was pretty well smushed.

[Josh (PA)]

Rear-ended (at slow speed, I'd guess between 5 and 10 mph) a town car in the Lincoln Tunnel because I got distracted freaking out over a spider in my MINI. Did absolutely no damage to the town car whatsoever, whilst the front end of the MINI was pretty well smushed.

I caught a curb a number of years ago freaking out over a spider...
Actually it wasn't even a spider, it was a Daddy Long Legger.

The night before we had been enjoying cocktails with friends. We got on the topic that Daddy Long Leggers are actually very poisonous, it is just that their mouths/fangs are too small to bite you (I have no idea about the validity of this factoid).

Well, the next day I'm driving my old 540 wagon and the BIGGEST Daddy Long-Legger I've ever seen comes sauntering across the dash board. My first thougth was that m-fer is so big I bet his fangs would be big enough to kill me. As I roll down the window and do one of the jerky flick the bug out without really touching it moves (I may have squealed like a 4yr old as well). I jerked the steering wheel in the opposite direction and slammed a wheel into the curb. Flat tire - new rim :(

[Plaz]

I caught a curb a number of years ago freaking out over a spider...
Actually it wasn't even a spider, it was a Daddy Long Legger.

The night before we had been enjoying cocktails with friends. We got on the topic that Daddy Long Leggers are actually very poisonous, it is just that their mouths/fangs are too small to bite you (I have no idea about the validity of this factoid).

Well, the next day I'm driving my old 540 wagon and the BIGGEST Daddy Long-Legger I've ever seen comes sauntering across the dash board. My first thougth was that m-fer is so big I bet his fangs would be big enough to kill me. As I roll down the window and do one of the jerky flick the bug out without really touching it moves (I may have squealed like a 4yr old as well). I jerked the steering wheel in the opposite direction and slammed a wheel into the curb. Flat tire - new rim :(

Doh!

Glad to know I'm not the only victim of arachnocamrya. :lol:

[Plaz]

Before that spider incident, my most Camry-esque move was probably fifteen years earlier, pulling forward over a parking divider in Vegas in my old MX-6. I'm not sure whether the sound of the initial scraping against the undercarriage was worse, or the much slower, more deliberate sound of the scraping as I dislodged it.

[ZBB]

I just thought of another one, although it was my brother that had the "Camry Moment"...

Back when I was in college and my brother was still in high school, I was home (can't remember if it was summer or just home for a weekend). For some reason we went some place in 2 cars. On the way home, we get off the freeway, and while turning right, we both come to a stop at a yield sign -- and I'm in front of him. A second or two later, I feel a bump -- he'd driven right into me. I looked in the mirror and just see him shrug. Fortunately, it was just a tap -- and no damage to either car...

[clyde]

Since Nate posted the question, I've been trying to think of the *most* Camry like thing I've done while driving (or, as some of you have described, just kinda being in charge of a car) and it's too hard to figure out, so I'll go with the most recent.

A few weeks ago, I bailed out off the arterial road I was on while commuting home onto a side street (16th somewhere between Military and Blair Cir). With cars parked on both sides, there was just about 1.75 car widths for traffic in both directions. An asshat in a van was parked/standing halfway up the block and a few cars were stacked up on my side and, it turned out, on the other side coming the other way. Seeing this, I immediately stopped and started backing up to flip around in a driveway and go back to the main road, but someone else had bailed, too, and wouldn't give me the couple extra feet I needed to get to the driveway. Ok, whatever.

Spent the next few minutes waiting for the van to clear out, which took more minutes because there were cars blocking him front and rear. Couldn't see how it all sorted, but about 10 minutes after I turned on to the road, the van was finally heading up the street. The stacked up traffic in both directions was kind of trying to take turns going through because no one seemed to realize that wasn't going to work. Another 10 minutes later, the on coming traffic had all positioned in a manner that let traffic in my direction get through, so away we went.

I got as far as I got when a woman in car headed the other way decided she had waited long enough. I'm not sure if it was red mist or absolute frustration, or maybe even self preservation because I knew there wasn't enough room for both of us, but...if...I...could...just...get...that...far...b efore...her we would clear. And that's when...

I gave just a little more space on the driver side of the car and heard "thwack" as my passenger side mirror hit the mirror of a parked car. I stopped up ahead where there was space and walked back to check the parked cars, but I couldn't tell which one I touched because none of the three it could have been showed any signs of being touched. My own mirror didn't show any signs of fresh damage either, but i never repainted/repaired/replaced the mirror cover from when the box truck sideswiped me a couple years ago.

Felt like an idiot.

[clyde]

The night before we had been enjoying cocktails with friends. We got on the topic that Daddy Long Leggers are actually very poisonous, it is just that their mouths/fangs are too small to bite you (I have no idea about the validity of this factoid).


This what the internet just told me: http://spiders.ucr.edu/daddylonglegs.html

arachnocamrya. :lol:

:thumbup:

[lupinsea]

Came back to the car and started to drive away. Unfortunately, it was quickly apparent that the nozzle was still in the car. Oof. Fortunately the smart guys that design gas pumps thought of this and the hose is designed to detach without damaging the car or pump. No consequences save the embarrassment.

This.

With my Jeep. About 10 years ago. :roll eyes:


The filler had a quick disconnect on the hose so no damage to the Jeep, pump, or filler hose thingie. But it did cost me $25 (fee the station charged for when customers did something like this). Fair enough, not too bad of a stupidity tax in the grand scheme of things.