Where do apartment dwellers store their D?

[David T]

Something to consider: My DMC is on a regular policy (non-collector), which allows me to drive it as much as I want, and is less restrictive than a collector policy. (And because it's not my primary car, it's not very expensive to insure.) May want to go that route if finding a garage that mets the needs of a collector car insurance policy is a hassle.

You must be very careful when doing this (using a "regular policy). If you do not have "agreed value" on the car you will not get full value if lost, stolen or totaled and often there is a large deductible to cover before you get any money. Again, this varies from State-to-State and among different companies. Another point, a "regular" policy is going to be expensive compared to a "classic" policy. Classic policies are usually hundreds of $, regular policies are thousands. Bottom line, know the terms of your policy and get one that fits your use.

[SoCalDMC12]

You must be very careful when doing this (using a "regular policy). If you do not have "agreed value" on the car you will not get full value if lost, stolen or totaled and often there is a large deductible to cover before you get any money. Again, this varies from State-to-State and among different companies. Another point, a "regular" policy is going to be expensive compared to a "classic" policy. Classic policies are usually hundreds of $, regular policies are thousands. Bottom line, know the terms of your policy and get one that fits your use.

Yup. But when my second D was totaled (on a "regular" policy), I was able to get a reasonable settlement from my insurer so I don't really worry about value in case of a total loss. I was also surprised to find that putting my D on my primary insurance policy as a second car was very affordable. Of course, lots of factors could influence rates, but in my case it worked out real well.

[ramiel05]

I was an apartment maintenance supervisor for 27 years. I lived
on site and stored it in underground heated parking along with 75
tenants cars. I did a frame off, motor change, tranny swap and all
other repairs. It helped that the owner loved cars and had quite a
collection. Iv'e had cars Brocken into beside me and across from
me but no one touched the DeLorean. I didn't have an alarm or
other security devices. I did have a fake blinking LED and fake
warning stickers on the windows. Maybe I was stupid or maybe
I was lucky. Possibly the awesomeness of the car deterred any
mischief.....?

I plan on buying a 5 speed when I get my D, hoping this is also a deterrent, ha!


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[ramiel05]

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.

This is a great idea, thanks for the suggestion. I’ve heard the NextDoor app might be useful, have you tried that?


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[ramiel05]

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.

Haha yes apartment dwelling is very much how I feel too.

Are you renting a garage in another apartment complex or is it a specialized garage place?

My D would be pleasure use, not a daily. So I’m thinking I’d be fine storing it offsite for weekends and occasionally to work.


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[ramiel05]

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.

Yes I agree. I’d like to find storage for my D before buying.

All good ideas, thanks for the tips!


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[ramiel05]

Insurance companies, especially classic ones, are very particular about where you park (store) the car. Not only do they often require secure, indoor parking, your premium is, in large part, calculated based on the location. Misrepresenting could be a way for the company to deny a claim. How can you tell them you store the car in a garage when you put a claim in for a tree branch falling on the car? Not only can they deny the claim you could be at risk for insurance fraud. This is like using the car to commute or putting on more mileage than allowed. You MUST get multiple quotes and select an insurance company that best suits your needs and follow the rules.

Absolutely planning on doing so. Thanks for the heads up.

I know of the few classic car insurers out there, but are there any you know of that are lesser known? Do you know if any major insurers do classic cars like Progressive, USAA..?


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