The prank may be staged, but it’s tremendously satisfying to watch.
Some people never learn from their mistakes. It could be because they just don’t care to change. In some cases, it’s because nobody calls them on their bad habits. Rest assured, the Mercedes-Benz owner in the above video learns the error of his parking ways, courtesy of a pair of Jeep Wrangler owners. Sort of…
It starts with the Benz driver taking up two parking spots and ends with him losing his mind. The video opens by showing a red Mercedes-Benz GLA 250 straddling the line between two parking spots in front of a Best Buy. A modded red Jeep Wrangler Unlimited backs into the space on its driver side – almost literally on its passenger side. The JK driver positions their rig as close to the GLA’s driver door as possible. It’s a tight fit.
Things aren’t any better on the passenger side. A properly muddied – inside and out – white JKU does the same thing there…as a mysterious hooded figure captures part of the scheme on his cell phone. Look closely and you’ll see him.
You’ll also see him play the part of the Mercedes-Benz driver who later comes out to freak out about his lack of access to his driver’s seat. He flails his fists, he kicks tires (that belong to the Jeeps). Most importantly to the Jeep drivers, he commits to the whole prank. He even goes so far as to open the GLA’s rear hatch, crawl through it, and contort himself into the driver’s seat.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
