Where do apartment dwellers store their D?

[ramiel05]

Hello! I’m not a DeLorean owner yet, but I’m saving and hoping to land one within the next couple of years.

Where do you apartment dwellers keep your D when not in use? Has anyone found good garage rental spaces to keep the car stored safely when not in use?

My apartments don’t have garages, so that’s out of the question.

Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks!


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[Matt Carpenter]

Hello! I’m not a DeLorean owner yet, but I’m saving and hoping to land one within the next couple of years.

Where do you apartment dwellers keep your D when not in use? Has anyone found good garage rental spaces to keep the car stored safely when not in use?

My apartments don’t have garages, so that’s out of the question.

Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks!


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Good question. When I lived in an apartment I rented a storage unit. I also found an apartment that included its own garage, a rarity. I’d look for either. You don’t want to store the car outside, even with a cover. Cheers


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[mr_maxime]

My apartment complex has detached garages which you can rent for $100/month

My old one didn't have any, but it was in a pretty upscale area and it had a gate. Only concern was the sun damaging the interior and hail damage the one time it did hail.

[Josh]

A garage is a very necessary requirement to owning a delorean (or any old car), in my opinion. You need to have somewhere to fix it when it breaks.

[ramiel05]

Good question. When I lived in an apartment I rented a storage unit. I also found an apartment that included its own garage, a rarity. I’d look for either. You don’t want to store the car outside, even with a cover. Cheers


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I was thinking of doing the same, finding a storage unit. Did you let the storage place know a vehicle was in there? Do they generally care at all? Was it climate controlled?

Yeah, I definitely wouldn’t want to keep it outside in Texas weather.




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[ramiel05]

A garage is a very necessary requirement to owning a delorean (or any old car), in my opinion. You need to have somewhere to fix it when it breaks.

I agree, ideally I’d find a place with room to work as well.


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[ramiel05]

My apartment complex has detached garages which you can rent for $100/month

My old one didn't have any, but it was in a pretty upscale area and it had a gate. Only concern was the sun damaging the interior and hail damage the one time it did hail.

I wish my apartments did. I’ll probably try a storage unit until I move somewhere with garages.

Did you notice any sun damage on the car? How long was it stored outside at the gated place?


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[SS Spoiler]

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.....?

[mr_maxime]

I wish my apartments did. I’ll probably try a storage unit until I move somewhere with garages.

Did you notice any sun damage on the car? How long was it stored outside at the gated place?


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About a year, some more cracking happened on the binnacle and seats. A-pillar trim became much worse. This was before I started using a sunvisor which I should have done in the first place

Maybe it's because its my first classic car, but it bugs the crap out of me that my accord was always outside for years yet there was no damage to the interior. What kind of garbage material did they use on the Delorean? Granted the paint will never bake off of it and headlights wont yellow over.

[DMCMW Dave]

r. What kind of garbage material did they use on the Delorean? Granted the paint will never bake off of it and headlights wont yellow over.

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.

[David T]

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.

[Jonathan]

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.

[dodint]

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.

[dn010]

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.

[papanoel]

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.

[Shep]

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.

[mr_maxime]

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.

[Gfrank]

One of mine lives outside all driving season. They do make car covers :)

[Shep]

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.

[Andrew]

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.

[David T]

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.

[mr_maxime]

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.

We were expecting a pretty bad wind storm one night and I was worried about other car in case they got blown around. I was going to put it in the cul de sac away from other cars next to the wooded area then thought "what if a tree falls on it?" so i just parked as I normally do next to other cars. Woke up the next morning to see a tree had landed on top of where I had planned to park. Felt good knowing I made the right call.

I daily drive my car and do not have classic car insurance on it. Having it garaged is not a requirement for me.

[Shep]

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.I worked in the IT department of a vehicle insurance company for 5.5 years, most of that next to claims. We insured your auto if you had a motor home insured with us first.

Yup.

Claims people can be sharks. I have seen / heard them deny claims for accidents under very similar pretenses. The reactions of the Insureds are expectedly angry, but I swear it's like everyone forgets an insurance policy is a contract. If you've already broken your end of the contract, the insurance company is absolved of their end too. The number of people that don't understand this is astounding.

Also, depends on the insurance company, but sometimes not having a "custom equipment" coverage is grounds to deny a claim if you mod your car, other times they just won't pay for your mods, that varies by company -- ask your agent. Note that the value in my experience doesn't matter as long as you specify that you do have some on there. It just helps cover your bases.

(By the way, not arguing with anyone here -- this is a warning I'll say a million times and David hit the nail on the head here).

I will note that while Hagerty allowed for "occasional" pleasure use when I was with them, they did not at all attempt to specify what that meant, which actually opens them up for a lawsuit if they ever cite that as a reason for denying a claim as the term is entirely subjective (it "occasionally" is sunny and warm in Akron, for example). American Modern makes me tell them the expected annual miles, which is way harder to battle in court.

[Gfrank]

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.

It’s obnoxious the way a maple leaf will leave a stain. Real prick to get off

[DMCVegas]

I'll chime in on this as well as someone who was an apartment dweller for many years with the DeLorean then as my only car.

The first thing to consider is the insurance. Regular daily driver insurance doesn't care if you have a garage or not. It's the classic car ones that begin to get picky about that, so that's one consideration. Another is given the fact that *technically* the apartment complex has a key to your garage, I could totally see that as a reason to deny a claim, but I won't even go down that rabbit hole...

If you need a place to wrench on the car, definitely look for someplace with a garage where you can work on the car. Condos can come with a garage, sure. But they may have an HOA that frowns upon auto repair, so the owner you lease from may not let you. On the flip side I have run across places with garages that not only supply power, but will totally let you do whatever you want inside of the garage. You can't do a brake job in a parking spot, but they will let you do engine swaps and whatever in the private space. Complexes like this DO exist.

As for vandalism or theft, don't sweat it. As long as you're not an idiot that leaves valuables in the seats that just beg for a break-in, you'll never have a problem. I'd lived for years in places that had constant notices about break-ins and the regular bi-monthly stolen car. No one ever touched the DeLorean. First off, my DeLorean came factory-equipped with the greatest anti-theft device in modern history: a manual transmission. Second, it's a highly conspicuous car that has absolutely zero incentive for thieves to steal. A straight cop magnet with no blackmarket for stolen parts. No one wants it save for maybe joy riders, which almost none of them can drive a stick. I'd honestly be more terrified to owning a Honda or late model Toyota than I do a DeLorean. Stray cats have given me more of a problem that humans.

[Michael]

First off, my DeLorean came factory-equipped with the greatest anti-theft device in modern history: a manual transmission.

Am I the only one who uses the inertia switch as a anti theft device?

[Delorean Industries]

Am I the only one who uses the inertia switch as a anti theft device?

No you are not.... This is a funny one too. I have an owner who originally lived five miles from our Ohio shop and then accidentally moved to phoenix only five miles from our shop. Twice in Ohio his inertia switch outright failed. It became a thing of meeting up with him locally with starting issues.This happened again in PHX when he called and was surprised to find out I was out there. But this time I caught on. He had glued a larger stopper on the top of it. Turns out this was his anti theft since he was convinced the door lock module would get him killed if used. The contacts internally are not made for extended on off use. After so many cycles issues develop.

[Farrar]

Depending on where you live, you can rent an apartment with a garage - detached or attached. I've been an apartment-dweller for many years and have not had a problem finding an apartment with a garage.

An attached garage is better than a detached garage, of course, but I've been able to make both work. In a townhouse sometimes the first level is simply the garage - as a bonus, in this situation sometimes you get extra storage underneath the stairs.

I suggest you get a garage with at least one power outlet available. If you don't have any place to plug in your air compressor or other power tools, your work will be a lot more difficult!

Good luck.

[dn010]

Another option would be, as far as power outlets and tools are concerned, is to see if there is an owner nearby willing to let you use an outlet and compressor for some work. I know I've always been open to helping people out working on their cars, I'm sure others are out there.

[David T]

If there is a light bulb you can get an adapter and get "some" (not much) power out of that. A trouble light and small hand tools, not a large air compressor!

[Shep]

given the fact that *technically* the apartment complex has a key to your garage, I could totally see that as a reason to deny a claim, but I won't even go down that rabbit hole..Sorry, venturing down a bit to bust this myth before it starts. "Vehicle must be typically parked in a locked enclosed structure" is approximate legalese used to define your garage, it says nothing about who has the keys to said garage. I've not seen nor heard of any insurance company that even touches on access.

Unless the garage itself causes damage, in which case that's the apartment complex's liability and things get REALLY fun. So make sure to get a garage that isn't falling apart first.

[DMCVegas]

Sorry, venturing down a bit to bust this myth before it starts. "Vehicle must be typically parked in a locked enclosed structure" is approximate legalese used to define your garage, it says nothing about who has the keys to said garage. I've not seen nor heard of any insurance company that even touches on access.

Unless the garage itself causes damage, in which case that's the apartment complex's liability and things get REALLY fun. So make sure to get a garage that isn't falling apart first.

Happened to myself with Hagerty. First bought my car when I was 21 and contacted them for classic car insurance. To sum up the entire conversation, I could take out a policy with them to insure my car so long as I never had any physical access to it.

Now I know that sounds crazy, so imagine how I felt. I asked the woman to explain and she said that the rules for Hagerty were that you had to be at least 18 in order to take out a policy with them, but no one under the age of 25 was allowed any physical access to the vehicle. It had to be kept under lock and key, and despite the fact that I was the sole legal owner of my car, I could not have any physical access to the vehicle whatsoever.

Now I don't know if Hagerty has changed their policies since then, but back in the year 2000, that is exactly what they told me over the phone. And yes, it sure as hell did deal with specific restrictions on both where the vehicle was stored, as well as who had access to it.

Now just as Las Vegas isn't a town built on winners, auto insurance companies don't get rich paying out claims. Sure, they'll collect those premiums from you, but if and when you have a claim, it certainly isn't in the company's best interest to pay out on it. But hey, that's just me and my trust issues. But yeah, I absolutely have dealt with access restrictions before, so that is NOT a myth and I can personally attest to that. Make damn sure you ask detailed questions and get everything into writing.

[Shep]

That's 100% irrelevant to what I responded to, and what you stated previously is certainly still a myth. Age is only a factor getting the insurance, the same one I had with Hagerty as I was 21 when I got their insurance. I got around it by finding an agent that spoke to underwriting seeing the title was in my name, and they agreed to insure me at that point.

I again need to point out, insurance policies are contracts, i.e. you signed up agreeing to the terms, and they agreed to insure you under those terms. What you described in the second post is an underwriting challenge, i.e. problems getting said contract. Saying that's a direct line to problems in claims, i.e. enforcing said contract, is a load of rubbish.

You threw the age 25 out there, here's where it ties in. No one under the age of 25 is allowed to drive the vehicle. I'm sure basically anyone on this forum with Hagerty can attest to that verbage being on their policy. I can also attest that the underwriting stage puts what's internally called an "override" in place nullifying that requirement if the title is in the name of someone under the age of 25.

It also sounds like you spoke to an agent on this rather than Hagerty themselves. Agents are everywhere and will dismiss easily, it took me about a hundred to find one that was willing to ask Hagerty's underwriting at all on it (Vegas-based, Bond-villan-named Nikki Needles), but the best source is straight from Hagerty.

Every shred of that being said, I again have to be blunt: nothing limits access to the garage or what is inside the garage on Hagerty policies, nor on American Modern policies. Age restrictions are for driving only, and even all that aside, it doesn't come close to justifying your nonsensical statement that "Hagerty can deny a claim because the apartment complex has a key to your garage", all I got in response to debunking that one was an irrelevant side point.

[DMCVegas]

No, it actually is quite relevant. You see, what we have here is the fact that you stated a claim about something being as such (in this case, garage access). Then when I challenge that claim with evidence of my own experience that happened to run contrary to your own statement, you basically call me a liar in order to try and save face.

Now if your experience was somehow different (which even you claim you had to go to over a hundred different people to try and finally get someone to accept you for insurance), that's fine. My experience was mine, and even if they have revised conditions of insurance since then, our experiences are just that. Mine just so happened to run contrary to your statements, and no amount of trying to attack me in order to somehow justify yourself is ever going to change that.

My point is also that no one should ever assume anything except that they will face a challenge on receiving compensation if they file a claim, let alone being insured. You must ask those questions about things such as access, and force the agents to question the underwriters or whomever to get the answer you need. And then get it in explicit writing versus just going by what anyone "claims" on the internet. Which even applies to me. Which again, if Hagerty has changed their policies from what they told me they had in the past, then that's fine. What happened in the past may not apply any longer, but make damn sure you verify that before you sign anything so that you know what you're getting into.

[Shep]

Okay Robert, you really need to grow some thick skin if I'M the one getting to you on here. "Basically calling you a liar"? "Attacking you"? Seriously?! Let me remind you what it is exactly that I'm disputing, in its entirety:


given the fact that *technically* the apartment complex has a key to your garage, I could totally see that as a reason to deny a claim, but I won't even go down that rabbit hole...

I stated that this was false, and your defense was that you had issues because you weren't 25 yet. Age doesn't have any bearing on the above quote, and my pointing this out while also telling you the restriction is for driving, not for access, was enough for you to feel horribly insulted and crushed or something, I don't really know. Nevermind the fact that apartments aren't limited to those under the age of 25. I live in one myself, and I'm 28. You are wrong, mentioning age restrictions is nothing but smoke and mirrors when the focus is the part I'm quoting and that part alone.

As I underlined (!) in my last post, and will underline and further elaborate since you breezed through that part and didn't even stop to see it, insurance policies are legally binding contracts. Once you sign them, both parties must oblige, which includes the insurance company as much as it does the insured. In every post since the one I quoted, your responses have used a personal experience to say that is justifiable reason for an insurance company to deny a claim. The law relies on contracts that are signed, and neither of my contracts have any access clauses at all. Bitter feelings towards salesmen / agents aside, you signed on the dotted line, and so did they. In fact, just to crush your tiny violin as quickly as humanly possible, I went out of my way to prove this by providing the relevant section of my insurance policy where "garage" is defined, as well as surrounding context to demonstrate that it is provided in full:

55195

For those interested, the form is CV 90 11, and that verbage has remained as-is on there from the present iteraion dating back thru Feb 2009 (I don't have immediate access to earlier versions). That's over a decade of consistent verbage, I would be hard-pressed to believe it has changed at all since the form's inception, but I know exactly who to ask to confirm that. Make a note of what's missing however. See anything about access to the garage? Nope, and Ctrl-F'ing through my current policy documents for various synonyms on "access" came up empty handed too. If the wording seems strange, it should be: this is one of those giant "exclusion" blocks. Policy packets are never straightforward and frequently involve a bit of a wild goose chase to come to a clear-cut answer, and this paragraph is basically a intermediary step of said goose chase, used to legally beef up the definition of what a "garage facility" is exactly.

I will take a quick moment to remind everyone that for 5.5 years, my job was dealing with vehicle insurance policy forms and dumbing down their contents to the end user (95% of the time agents), as well as building entire system logic around the forms, frequently presented to us with zero context and the most unhelpful (but well-paying, deep-pocketed) people I'd heard of, meaning I not only had to see a form and know roughly what it meant, but by now I am fluent in the language of whatever you call insurance legalese (and please dear god don't give it a name). So to pretend like I don't know shit about what I'm talking about here is an exercise in futility. I'm not going to sit here and call insurance companies saints (far from it, if anything) but the reality is, Robert painting this to be some kind of smear campaign against him tells me he's basically got nothing left other than to try and distract attention away from the statement made, and shift it to the individuals at play, which is more smoke and mirrors. We've gone from discerning if Robert's statement is true or not to who do you like better, and truth is the statement needs a citation now that counter-evidence has been offered. Proof is right there guys, read it and weep. In your own policy packets even, they're PDF's now.

Now Robert, if you would like to have a serious conversation about the part I am quoting and am disputing, given that you went the emotional pleading route and I provided cold hard evidence, I would love to see what counter-evidence you have to offer as, again, I have never seen nor heard of any, and can't even find any either.

[mr_maxime]

Am I the only one who uses the inertia switch as a anti theft device?

I've thought about that, usually though I just take out the RPM relay.

[David T]

If Haggerty (or any other insurance company) has terms that you can't live with, it is best to figure that out BEFORE you purchase insurance from them. That is just one reason why you need to get several quotes, each company has different rules and they vary from State-to-State. You really do not want to start off already in violation of the policy. That could give them grounds to deny any claim and drop you. Just as examples, if the owner/driver must be over 21 and you are not, that would be a clear violation, just like you say it is garaged and it is not. Or there is a mileage limitation and you exceed it. Or it is your daily driver and you use it to commute to work because it is your only car and you want cheap insurance. There can be huge consequences for falsifying your application or not abiding by the rules of the policy. Just sayin' and not implying you are doing ANYTHING contrary to the policy rules. Just trying to give good advice.

[Deric]

I just purchased my Delorean recently and this was an issue I had to deal with. I was able to find a garage for rent in my neighborhood using the NextDoor app for about $150 a month. This allowed me to get a policy with Haggerty. They actually pulled the address on Google Maps while I was on the the phone to verify it had a garage.

[SoCalDMC12]

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.

[SamHill]

I just saved a bunch of money on my car insurance by switching to Geico.

[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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