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Thread: Where do apartment dwellers store their D?

  1. #11
    Senior Member
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    My VIN:    10757 1st place Concourse 1998

    You can look in local listings for someone with a private house where they will rent the garage. Or maybe there is a place that rents spaces out for classic car storage. It is becoming very popular. Most storage units are too small for a car and they aren't heated or cooled. They also don't like you working in them and there is no electric.
    David Teitelbaum

  2. #12
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    Some of the classic car insurance coverage requires you keep your car in a private and secure garage, i.e. not outdoors and not out in the public.

    Agreed on needing a place to fix it when it breaks. There is a big portion of the old car owning hobby that isn't driving it. That's for any car in any condition, just 'cause it's old.

    My experience with common parking areas or undergrounds for apartments/condos is that they frown upon fixing your car in your spot and definitely won't allow you to have a toolbox or other stuff piled in it. Same goes for some communities with home owners associations. I'd ask the people that run your building what you can and can't do to be sure.


    Sept. 81, auto, black interior

  3. #13
    Gess dodint's Avatar
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    Wisconsin is just about the only place I've ever lived where getting a garage was pretty much automatic when you moved into an apartment complex. When I moved to Pittsburgh I initially wanted to live downtown, but I'd have to drive to my parents in the next county to work on my cars and that's just too inconvenient. Bought a two car garage in the suburbs, American dream n'at.

  4. #14
    EFI'd dn010's Avatar
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    When I lived in an apartment I left it outside. Rain, snow, sun - it saw it all. My interior was sun baked from sitting outside prior to my ownership and so vinyl painted the dash, the A post trim wasn't bad and I replaced the binnacle so that looked new. The car was driven and parked outside for years still and I didn't have any sun damage, my biggest issue was water leaks when it rained really hard which I've since rectified.

    Key factors -
    I had a garage I could use to work on my car at any time and I'll admit I did store the car a winter or two in it.

    The car was parked in a small parking area where only a hand full of people parked. Anyone could park or walk through made me nervous but I had zero issues in all the years. (I also installed a pager alarm so I'd know if someone was trying to mess with the car)

    My car was in New York where the sun is less harsh than Florida where it is now mostly garaged. I sometimes leave my car outside during a weekend day but I'll use a sunshade.
    -----Dan B.

  5. #15
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    Location:  New York, NY

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    I live in New York City and park the car in a garage. But there’s garages on every corner here. I recommend you find an apartment complex that has a garage. I lived in New Jersey for a short time and that’s what I did.

  6. #16
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    Join Date:  Sep 2011

    Location:  Middleburg Heights, OH

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    Responding by sheer use of the phrase "apartment dwellers" -- sorry but I absolutely love this and will be using this as it currently fits my use case.

    I live in an apartment complex, most of the buildings have parking spaces nearby but there are also buildings that are purely for garages and such that you can rent. Some with power, some without. This is what I'm doing. I started out renting one garage and having everybody park right in front of it not letting me out, but it had power and was nice if I didn't need to be anywhere. I moved to a second garage that now has no power, but is next to a shitty laundromat, and is narrower. The move was mandated by my wanting to get two garages next to each other. The second garage is somewhat of a dream, it's concrete all around and is incredibly dry even in the heaviest of downpours.

    Believe it or not, that was one of the biggest deciding factors in why I moved here. I wanted an apartment, but it needed to have a locked garage. It's locked with a key, and that fits the criteria for American Modern (my insurance company -- every "classic car" insurance company requires a "locked, enclosed, permanent structure garage" or similar verbage). If you're in a part of the country that doesn't allow for this, but you do need an apartment, you'll have to get creative. With two pages of responses I haven't fully read through and one eye-catching "rent the garage from a house" somewhere in that, that's already being done.

    Condos aren't a bad option either, where you rent out a house or part of one. Usually if they come with a garage, you get half of it. They tend to be a bit more expensive however. And it doesn't protect you from your neighbor.

    If driving your DeLorean is purely for pleasure use, i.e. on a weekend you just want to get it out and drive for a few hours, a storage facility is another possible option. This does, however, add driving time to your commute and doesn't make it easy to drive your DeLorean to and from work if you do that (I know I do). I looked into that myself so I could work in the winter as my current garages have no heat nor electricity, but the drive is too far and they are in high enough demand where prices are too high to make this a reasonable approach. Your mileage may vary.

  7. #17
    Senior Member mr_maxime's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by DMCMW Dave View Post
    Your Accord isn't over 35 years old. Any leather and vinyl dries out after that much time. Not sure about the vinyl and plastics, but the original DeLorean leather was much better than any modern day stuff.
    I understand that, I assume it applies to most classic cars too. It was mostly a vent at how quick so many things got sun damaged within 2 years of ownership.

  8. #18
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    One of mine lives outside all driving season. They do make car covers

  9. #19
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    Location:  Middleburg Heights, OH

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    Quote Originally Posted by Gfrank View Post
    One of mine lives outside all driving season. They do make car covers
    With the right insurance, that is always an option. If your insurance policy forbids this type of parking (Hagerty and American Modern both do), they can even deny a claim in a total-loss accident over something as benign as that, so be careful. I worked next to the claims department for about 4 years at my first job, they were sharks at times.

    Also do note: if parking outside, look for nearby trees and their condition. I say that having moved my car after too many branches fell on my hood, and now having a 7-foot-long branch dangling loosely to a tree as of last night. Any poor chap who parked near it is going to have damage to their car.

  10. #20
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    My VIN:    04194: 5-Speed, Black Int, 79 Peugeot 604 Manifold, 05052: 5-Speed, Gray Int, 78 Peugeot 604 manifol

    When I moved to Michigan for law school, I specifically looked for an apartment with a private garage. I believe that internet apartment locators will allow searchers to select features such as apartments with garages, laundry rooms, etc.

    Also look for a garage that has at least one AC outlet. The garage at the apartment that I found had an outlet on the ceiling for the garage door opener. Thus, I used the extra outlet plug for an extension cord and drop light. My apartment complex frowned on tenants working on cars in the garages, and probably wouldn't have liked my use of their opener outlet, thus, I always kept my projects discrete (worked with the door closed) and quiet.

    I wouldn't recommend owning a DeLorean unless you had secure, indoor storage. This is especially true in highly populated areas, where aside from protection from the elements, a garage offers protection from gawkers and vandals.

    If you can't find an apartment with a garage, you can always look for a storage unit, garage for rent or find a friend / relative who will let you use an empty garage space.
    Andrew
    4194 Since 7/98
    5052 Since 7/14

    1972 Buick Riviera
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