German man buys 2 Smart cars just to keep driveway clear

Don't you just hate it when someone parks too close to the shoulder of your driveway? Yeah, life is tough. For one man who lives in the tony Oberkassel district of Dusseldorf, Germany, it was apparently enough to devise a novel solution: buy two Smart cars and leave them parked as bookends, assuring plenty of real estate for him to navigate in and out of the driveway.

First reported by German publication RP Online, the unnamed man lives in a five-story building on Kaiser-Friedrich-Ring across the street from a park and greenspace along the banks of the Rhine River. Parking is apparently at a premium in the densely populated neighborhood, and more so because of its proximity to the park and its tennis courts.

The man enjoys what appears to be a fairly broad, brick-paved driveway and a garage, but that apparently wasn't enough for the "powerful SUV" that neighbors told RP he or his wife drives. So he bought what a photograph appears to be two Smart fortwo minicars in metallic silver. And left 'em there.

Neighbors at some point caught on that the cars, which are reportedly popular in the neighborhood full of row houses, never moved. They say they've been parked in the spots for at least three years, having only once been temporarily moved. RP reports that lush weeds have taken root on one of the car's tires and in the adjacent gutter. Local traffic authorities say it's perfectly legal to keep them there, so long as they can be moved if necessary.

We can't say this is a terrible idea. It's also not a terrible use for a Smart.

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By Sven Gustafson