Park car in gear (against slope) or in neutral?

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That's it really, DP and I disagree. Do you park the car in gear or in neutral? Vote needed please !

Always in gear against the slope.

In gear.

DH had a new car with a very stiff handbrake and after being left in neutral it rolled off down a hill and crashed into a building as the brake wasn't on hard enough :( Fortunately nothing and no-one hurt except for his shiny new car.

If you’re facing uphill, also turn your wheels away from the curb.

I don't get this part. won't this cause the car to roll into the street?

These days, I drive an auto, and you have to leave it effectively "in gear". What do you mean by that? The autos I've owned are left in "P" (some of them won't let you take the key out of the ignition unless you're in P. Is that what you mean by "effectively in gear" ie that the gear box is locked.

alway in gear - as advised by my manufacturer

you'll fail your driving test for starting a car with your foot on the clutch that can't be true now though - my car is touch start and wont start UNLESS the clutch is down

In gear, my car rolled down a hill and into the middle of a grassy area when I was parked by the sea.

Only exception, was when I parked my car for a long period of time on the flat in parents drive, I left it in neutral with handbrake off, so it could be pushed out of the way if necessary

Always in gear - what if the handbrake cable snaps?

Neutral it's 2018!!!!

What has the year got to do with it?

I always park in neutral. I've almost always lived, and parked, on steep hills, and when I didn't I had a car with a piss poor handbrake.

Aaaargh!

No, I don't always park in neutral, I always park in GEAR!

Pedant alert: you'll fail your driving test for starting a car with your foot on the clutch,

That must be new, as I was taught to start the car with the clutch down always. (Yes, yes, that was ahemdecadesahem ago).

Is that what you mean by "effectively in gear" ie that the gear box is locked.

Yes. The "Park" setting usually puts pawls into the output shaft (see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parking_pawl) rather than putting it in gear, because a torque convertor doesn't provide a complete lock in the way a clutch does. But since the discussion is "in gear" versus "in neutral", it's easier to think of "Park" as being "in gear".

That must be new, as I was taught to start the car with the clutch down always.

Sorry, I meant "in gear with the clutch down". ie, with the clutch the only thing stopping the car moving forward on the starter.

Sorry, I meant "in gear with the clutch down".

in fact, wasn't there some oldentimes stuff about always starting with the clutch down, even if the car was in neutral, to minimise the load on the starter motor? That probably dates back to before multigrade oils, or at least multigrade gearbox oils, when in the winter the gearbox oil could be very thick and even in neutral impose a substantial load. Or something. That definitely where "it's 2018" does come into it.

I always leave my car in neutral unless it's a really steep hill. Then I'll turn the tyres towards the kerb and leave it in 1st or reverse depending on the direction I'm facing.
I always forget the car is in gear otherwise!

I'm assuming a lot of Americans here (from references to the "curb" rather than the kerb), so there might be a disproportionate influence of the extremely steep hills of cities like San Francisco.

I used to park with handbrake only but my ex-wife complained that she then couldn't get the handbrake off because it was pulled up too tight. I got into the habit of parking in gear, but also had to get into the habit of pressing down the clutch pedal before turning the ignition key.

Less than a month ago... - www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/mar/20/girl-dies-wales-missing-car-river-teifi-cardigan

Christ no you don't start the car with the clutch down. You would fail your test.

In gear, always. I have to put my clutch in to start my car (keyless, push button start). I also have a very steep driveway!

Often what people are taught when learning to drive changes over time. Some of this is because cars are much better now than they used to be.

I passed my test 2 years ago and I started the car with the clutch down. It wouldn’t start otherwise

I always start the car with the clutch pressed in - I was taught it reduces the strain on the starter motor. I learnt to drive in the early nineties.

Hurrah! I park in gear. We are in a hilly country, it's rare to get a roadside park in the flat, but I will admit I always park in gear by habit anyway (even on the flat). DP parks in neutral and forgets to use clutch when starting the car. We often have to park into a wall where there is a downhill slope away from the wall. He's scared he's going to drive straight into the wall as the car starts. I have problems remembering to not do my totally unconscious parking in gear ....

Yes you start with the clutch down. For all of the reasons said upthread.

In gear.