In one of the other threads I saw, someone said they “left their vehicles outside where they belonged” or something like that. Got me to thinking that a lot of people do that, but others don’t.
I never leave a vehicle or piece of equipment outside unless it’s just overnight, I don’t have room inside, and I know it’s not going to rain. Had that drilled into my head from the time I was a kid.
But the people who are renting my spec house have never parked in the garage. The garage isn’t full of junk or anything. And I gave them a remote garage door opener. But they just use the (attached) garage as a point of entry instead of using the front door.
So what about you folks? Have any thoughts on this?
I am becoming increasingly worried that there isn’t enough anxiety in my life
Replies
If you live up here where they use huge amounts of salt in the winter, The theory is that as the snow and ice melts it causes your car to rust faster. Also if you've ever pulled a car out of a nice moist warm garage when it's -10 f or lower the inside of the windows freeze as soon as you pull the car out.
Having said all that I can see how not having to clean off the outside of the car is a benefit. Since the ice storm 4 years back I can see more cars being parked in the garage. The ice then was some 6-8" thick on the cars.
"if you've ever pulled a car out of a nice moist warm garage when it's -10 f or lower the inside of the windows freeze as soon as you pull the car out."
Never heard that. But it seems like if the car was reasonably warm when you pulled it out, and the defroster was going, it wouldn't be a problem.
There definitely is a lot to be said for not scraping car windows in the winter. And getting groceries (Or little kids) out of the car in an attached garage when it raining.
Entropy just isn't what it used to be
I worked on a project for a year or so with a couple of gents from Southampton, England. They weren't shy about expressing wonderment at why so many people in this country park their cars in their houses. Of course, they weren't shy about expressing their opinions on just about anything, but I digress.
Be seeing you...
here it doesn,t really get colder than 60. My truck is 17 years old and only gets in the garage to change the oil
Boss, About 14 years ago when we lived in Iowa we had a really bad hail storm come up. It was spring break and the college age son was home from Iowa State. He had enough sense to go out and get the car and move it into the garage !!. No hail damage to the car -- insurance company had to pay for a new roof on the house.
I always said he was a good kid !! Smart too, gets that from his mother.
Dave
Boss,
I am a firm beleiver in keeping thing inside if at all possible. If you saw my wifes 1984 Riviera, you would swear it was new. It has been garage kept since day one. I know of other 1984 cars in this area (Maryland) that have been repainted twice and still look like heck. My 99 Tahoe has only been waxed once since new, and it still beads up water when washed...its also garage kept. On the other hand, my 1984 S-10 shop truck has to live outside...no more indoor space available....it is getting pretty rough, and rusty, and I have cared for it about as well as anyone. It has over 200K miles and still runs like new, just cosmetically the sun has killed it. That prooves to me the benefits of indoor storage.
As the clever Brits pointed out, the garage is [usually] the largest room in your house. Unless your car is a Smithsonian quality relic, it doesn't belong in your living room. The garage is your built-in shop space and your immediate storage space. Don't waste it on waterproof cars.
Personnally, I live in a studio [MGM] and wuld dearly love to have a garage but then this also inhibits my tool-buying habit. If I had a garage, I certainly wouldn't put my car in it but then, at 10 1/2' high, it wouldn't fit anyway.
-Peter
My garage is a dedicated shop. I dont think I could park a car or truck in it if I had to. Darkworksite4: When the job is to small for everyone else, Its just about right for me"
I've got two and a half shops in my 28x26 detached garage Ron. My woodworking/remodeling tools take up part of it and my wifes' stained glass studio take up another part. The 1/2 shop is for our custom picture framing business. Throw in the five year olds toys and in it looks more like a maze than any type of shop or garage.
I garage everything. I have a 3 car attached(heated), for the family vehicles and a 30 x 40 detached for my work vehicles and small shop(heated). Across town I also have a 30 x 60 for the main shop.
This is Ohio, and when it's not snow or rain, it's frost. I don't want to scrape, shovel, or get the stuff wet in the back of the truck when it has to sit outside.
Brits.......figures. I'm waterproof too, but I'm not living outside.
I don't care what they say, my stuff stays inside and looks 10 times nicer than the stuff my guys have that live outdoors year round.
Thats a very interresting subject. My renters seldom use their garages for their cars. Its normally storage or to work on something . One renter I have uses it as a play room for the kids, toy storage. She cant stand the stuff in the house and their loud voices, hmmm, Im the same way myself . Ive wanted more storage for a long time and Ive got a 24x40 shop, and a 26x30 garage . I just bought a house that has a 30x30 shop on it Im planning on using for storage. That said our cars sit out side . Trucks sit out side , as does the boat , camper , and Im moving the four wheelers out this morning . Im going to cover the four wheelers , and the boat is covered year around .
Is it smart ? Absolutely not! I hate it every day. I feel a need to be rich just to keep my stuff covered . I resell furniture and appliances in the garage . My inventory is filling the garage where I CANT GET AROUND IT . The 3 four wheelers will help. I would hate to do with out the nice profit income I would miss with out that side business.
I keep my tools in the garage and my truck in the driveway, which is just as well cuz if I pulled my truck into the garage, I would have to walk out the garage door and in through the front door because the truck bumper would be right up against the door to the house. Doesn't make much sense how this garage is built. A couple years ago we were thinking of buying an Expedition, but figured out that we wouldn't be able to fit it in the garage. (House was built in '87)
Boss I was the one that said my trucks were weather tight and were parked outside where they belonged.
The wifes truck is a '97 Dodge super cab that we kept when I bought a new work truck. New being a '99 dodge super cab that was bought in '01. Since neither of these vehicles are ever going to achieve collector status, I see no reason to waste precious shop space to park them inside. The other reason for not parking them in a garage is that we are on the coast of Georgia and it rarely snows or really even freezes here.
We keep them both washed and waxed, and I have never felt like I lost a lot of trade in value when I go to pick out a "new" company truck.
Just my .02 and I might be wrong.TCW Specialists in Custom Remodeling.
Keep my "everyday drivers" - '63 GMC 4X4 dump truck and '71 Datsun and '84 Chrysler (wife's car, the "new one") in the garage a breezeway away from the house. The other 2 attached garage spaces are automotive shop. Also have 2 '67 Datsuns in garages, a '78 Dodge 4X4 and one JD 440 in garage. Heck - lots of my building experience is building garages!. Leave another 440 and about 10 other parts cars and '80 Buick licensed 'spare' out in the rain.
In the Seattle area, a car not in a garage with a covered passageway to the garage (or attached) is a recipe to miserable commutes.