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Garages!

  • 13-06-2005 6:20pm
    #1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,490 ✭✭✭


    Lads,
    I'm just wondering how many classic owners keep their cars in garages. I will get a classic some day but I probably won't have a garage. And I'd be worried about leaving it out in the Irish weather 365 days a year and having it deteriorate on me. Also, when the inevitable bodywork/mechancial repairs are needed it won't be too pleasant working on the car outside in the crap weather.


Comments

  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,501 ✭✭✭Alfasudcrazy


    Nice idea Brian - but classic car and garage have to go togather IMO.
    I have my TR6 for almost 13 years and it still looks great - why? I was polising it every second day - nope. I kept it in a sheltered place - nope.

    What I did when I got it was build a nice garage for it and kept it in there unless it was being actually used. Also got a small de-humifidier and with a few vents here and there it has not deteriorated at all. :D
    After my buying spree of classics late last year my GT 1300 Junior was without a garage for about 2 months - I could see the effects straight away - its a complete false economy to own a classic and have no garage - they will suffer under Irish weather :)


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,309 ✭✭✭✭alastair


    Getting a garage (or an affordable one in any case) can be no easy matter.
    I've been willing to pay 150 euro a month for a garage/lock up in Dublin, and haven't found anything in months of searching.

    If anyone has any pointers I'd love to hear. Car (Volvo 1800ES - great nick) is under a decent cover, and no signs of problems so far, but with their tendancy to rot, I'm not willing to risk it any longer than I need to.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,660 ✭✭✭Blitzkrieger


    I've realised I have to go buy a house (with a garage attached) before I can go buy that Mustang I'm dreaming about. To get a decent sized garage it usually has to be a monster of a house too :(

    I'm looking for somewhere to park - not somewhere to live.


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 25,558 Mod ✭✭✭✭Dades


    Brian,

    I say it depends on the car.
    If you're looking to keep a car sparkly and original like Alpha's TR6, then I guess you need a garage.

    I refused to wait 10 years before I move to a house with a garage before living the dream though. Hence my classic was a relatively cheap daily driver that I intend to use year round (i.e. has a fantastic heater). A classic run everyday will love you long time!

    A car cover can shield it somewhat, but keeping her moving is the key. My brother kept an MG outside for years.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,490 ✭✭✭BrianD3


    Lack of garages pisses me off. Most houses in towns/cities don't have them (and don't have any room to build one later) unless you can afford to pay 300-350k+. Even they do have them they're usually tiny eg 14 ft by 9 ft. House buyers these days want "family rooms" in place of garages. Also, developers are squeezing so many houses into estates that there's not enough room around houses to swing a cat, let alone build a garage.

    I agree with the point about everyday driving. Cars seem to last well when driven everyday and cleaned regularly. Car which are used infrequently really should be in a garage when they're not being used.

    I would run a classic without having a garage however i'd only consider a shoddy but sound car. It would be a sin to buy some immaculate, low mileage car and then leave it outside in the Irish weather :)


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,501 ✭✭✭Alfasudcrazy


    I only discovered this recently but there is an outdoor 'Carcoon' available for classic car storage - might be worth a look. :)

    http://www.carcoon.com/


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,037 ✭✭✭shagman


    Buy a plastic car and drive it every day.
    Theres a few fibreglass bodied classics. I have no garage either so went for a fibreglass bodied practical classic that doesn't require pampering. I decided on a Scimitar but theres a few more grp classics to choose from. Still wish I had a garage though.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,033 ✭✭✭Silvera


    I agree that the ideal situation is to have a garage for your classic.

    However, if you read any of the classic magazines you will see that there are thousands of classic car owners in the UK and Europe who store their cars outside all year round (usually with just a regular car cover over them) - and their weather can be just as bad as ours :confused:


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,892 ✭✭✭Kersh


    Luckily for me, mine is kept indoors in a company around the corner, under a cover. The only worry is, any damage...tough sh1t. Its tucked away in the corner beside an 83 merc. I did store it outside foe about 6 weeks, and it didnt like it at all.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,309 ✭✭✭✭alastair


    I've conceded defeat on finding affordable storage, and looked into the carcoon thing. I'd been offered a spot in a carport, but turned it down. It looks like an outdoor carcoon under a carport will offer a pretty good storage arrangement, and the cost of dealing with rust will work out a lot more painful than the initial outlay on a high tech bubble to keep the car in.

    Carcoon1.jpg


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,501 ✭✭✭Alfasudcrazy


    Great Alastair - let me know how you get on with it - obviously punctures are the main worry with an outdoor one - either caused by nature - friction against an abrasive wall or sharp plant - or the local smart ass with a penknife. :mad:

    I would be particurlarly interested in how they fare in high winds - the use of one under a carport seems a good idea :)


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,309 ✭✭✭✭alastair


    Wind shouldn't be that much of a problem in this spot. It's beneath large trees and beside a large concrete shed. Well sheltered corner (until the trees blow down of course!). It's off the road, and out of public view, so penknives aren't too much of a worry either. The carport isn't built yet, so I won't be buying the bubble until late summer/early autumn.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,501 ✭✭✭Alfasudcrazy


    I am actually thinking of getting a car port done myself as well. The car port obviously has to be on a portion of a building away from the prevailing wind – says he stating the obvious. Also im afraid at least in Kerry they do require planning permission. :confused:
    I favour something prefabricated and modern like the one below – see link. Plenty of suppliers in the UK for this stuff that come and fit it for you (at WHAT cost is the big question of course) :rolleyes:
    Have not seen any Irish suppliers – though im sure there must be. I saw a link for a place in Nothern Ireland before but can’t find it now. :(

    http://www.123v.org/ :)

    port.jpg


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 25,558 Mod ✭✭✭✭Dades


    I'm a bit dubious about the benefits of the shelter in the pic above. Doesn't really look like it would provide must shelter in an Irish winter (or summer for that matter).

    Maybe it's just because I haven't room for one. :(


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,266 ✭✭✭MercMad


    Well I keep my Pagoda outdoors most of the time and use it every day. If its going to be really frosty or I'm n ot using it for a week or two I'll put it away in a warehouse.

    I dont believe my car has deterirated at all ov er the last 4 years because of this. It HAS deteriorated through wear and tear, stone chips and the like, but my reasoning when I decided to buy a classic was that unless you bought a house on a larger plot of land you weren't going to get a garage big enough and even if you did you'd pay so much extra for it that you could afford to do any repairs or maintenace that was needed anyway !!

    Dont forget that even a 3 bed semi with a small garage anywhere in Dublin is going to cost €350,000, you are paying 50G for the poxy garage. If you rent a place you'll end up paying €2000 a year just for that and you'll find you cant wortk on the car there either !

    All these old cars were made as daily drivers when new so if you do that and wash/polish them regularly you will be fine.

    Regular use is the key. I have people in our Club with the same make of car as mine, some of them standing their owners 2.5 to 3 times what mine does and they get about 10% of the enjoyment yet have much bigger annual bills for their repairs than I do. Cars dont like standing still !

    Of course in an ideal world I'd have another similar car cocooned in a heated garage too ! :D


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,765 ✭✭✭ds20prefecture


    I agree with most of the sentiments expressed here. I've had my DS two and a half years, parked outside and used almost daily. So far so good, apart from the usual nicks and scrapes.

    I don't agree with the "carcoons" concept, unless it's dehumidified.
    Ditto a heated garage. Any car storage should be well ventilated and very dry.

    I use a tailored breathable car cover from covercraft for when I am not using the car for a while, and it does an excellent job. It folds tiny too, so I can keep it in the car.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,309 ✭✭✭✭alastair


    I don't agree with the "carcoons" concept, unless it's dehumidified..

    Why not? It seems pretty solid theory (constant circulation of air reducing humidity) and the evidence of users is that they do a very effective job of clearing condensation rapidly.

    The final option, and probably the best if your garage is separate from the house, is an airchamber. By isolating the car in a dust-free bubble and blowing filtered air through all the time, these products ensure as clean and dry an environment as possible. The air flowing through gradually removes any moisture that has adhered to the car, arresting any corrosion. The only significant disadvantage for the ordinary user is one of bulk – in a normal garage it will effectively block off shelves and tool racks around the car.
    http://www.classiccarsmagazine.co.uk/nav?page=classiccars.specialfeatures.detail&resource=651222


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 691 ✭✭✭gs39t


    I use a tailored breathable car cover from covercraft for when I am not using the car for a while, and it does an excellent job. It folds tiny too, so I can keep it in the car.


    Where did you get this cover ? And roughly, what did it cost? :)


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,765 ✭✭✭ds20prefecture


    alastair wrote:
    Why not? It seems pretty solid theory (constant circulation of air reducing humidity) and the evidence of users is that they do a very effective job of clearing condensation rapidly.

    My understanding of these things was that you drove your car in and zipped it up tight. I understood the blower is to sustain the structure of the cocoon by keeping positive pressure inside the cover, rather than circulation. If it did exchange the air regularly, then I suppose it is as good as keeping the car outside but covered. How much are they?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,309 ✭✭✭✭alastair


    The carcoon works by running a 'dehumidifying' mode initially when you put the car in them, and then recirculating the air inside the bubble, keeping the outside environment air out except for minimal amounts that are filtered.

    It should offer considerably greater protection that a car cover. I'm currently using a Classic Additions car cover, which does all that it claims: keeps the rain out, breathes, nice soft cotton inner lining, doesn't blow off, well fitted, etc. It still potentially allows damp in through the undercarriage however.

    Prices depend on size and if you want an indoor/outdoor one: http://www.carcoon.co.uk/carcoons.asp


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,765 ✭✭✭ds20prefecture


    gs39t wrote:
    Where did you get this cover ? And roughly, what did it cost? :)

    www.covercraft-europe.com. They have fitted covers for most cars. The one for my DS is very snug.

    It cost me about €400 all in. You can buy much cheaper in the US if you know someone over there who'll ship it for you.

    I think I would need a size 6 carcoon, which would cost STG590, or €900.

    If the car was being stored or only occasionally used, the carcoon looks to be a good job. For something more portable and suitable for regular use, the car cover (or nothing) might be a better deal.


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