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924guy
924guy Dork
1/2/10 10:39 a.m.

Brilliant idea, theyre renting upscale vehicle storage areas that come complete with mini bars, bathrooms, and some even have lofts.

Park place car condos

why didnt I think of that???

YaNi
YaNi Reader
1/2/10 10:50 a.m.

I take it you aren't going to do any work on your vehicle there? I can't see grinding or sandblasting + food turning out well.

It seems like a pretty small man cave if you own a Lambo Murc. I would figure you'd be able to buy the whole warehouse...

stuart in mn
stuart in mn SuperDork
1/2/10 11:23 a.m.

If it's like the garage condo complex here, they have different size spaces available and you can set up the space according to your needs. Some are work spaces, some are taj mahals. http://www.automotorplex.com/ There's a guy on the Garage Journal board documenting the buildout of his unit: http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=46593

cwh
cwh SuperDork
1/2/10 11:41 a.m.

That place is less than a mile from me. Watched it go up, it's right next to I-95, easy to see. Would love to know the pricing.

Strizzo
Strizzo SuperDork
1/2/10 11:50 a.m.

My dad tells me that there's one of these places that was foreclosed on in the Dallas ft worth area... Could be a candidate for the grm compound.

poopshovel
poopshovel SuperDork
1/2/10 1:58 p.m.

I suppose if you're the kind of c*(%smoker who cruises around Ft. Lauderdale in your ferrari that's never heard it's own tires begging for mercy, desperately seeking solitude from your alcoholic pill-popping trophy wife who's nailing the pool-boy because you haven't berkeleyed her in ten years, something like that would be masturbatorily sensational.

Seriously. What a load of status-symbol horse E36 M3. If you had money for something like that, why wouldn't you just build a berkeleying garage?

sachilles
sachilles HalfDork
1/2/10 2:09 p.m.

One stop shopping for an enterprising car thief.

Josh
Josh Dork
1/2/10 2:12 p.m.

I'd think it would be many times harder to get a car out of this sort of place than a garage of an empty house, given the video surveillance, and the chance that one of the dozens of other owner could spot the thieves at any point in the job.

And poopy - I'd love a place like this, at a reasonable price point. Not all of us want to sequester ourselves out in the country. All things being equal I would rather live day to day in a walkable downtown city area, but it's highly unlikely that I'll be able to afford the shop/vehicle storage space I want in a densely developed city anytime soon. But maybe I could swing the payments on a $40k garage space in addition to a small city apartment. And if the garage is closer to the local track or autocross venue, even better.

sachilles
sachilles HalfDork
1/2/10 2:49 p.m.

Honestly, video surveillance doesn't really do much in that situation, but does make people feel safer. It would probably only capture the license plate of the car being stolen.

I do like the idea of sharing a warehouse among friends though. I know of one such place semi local to here, where about 6 people share rent on a warehouse and it works good for them.

I'd like to see something more along the lines of a shadetree mechanics club. One central building with tools, lounge, lifts and such stuff. Then have out storage buildings for a car(but not allowing work in the individual units). However, I'm sure the liability on something like that would be a bear.

garyp
garyp New Reader
1/2/10 3:24 p.m.
poopshovel wrote: If you had money for something like that, why wouldn't you just build a berkeleying garage?

You live in a condo? There's no space for another garage on your property? Home Owner Association restrictions? City ordinance restrictions? There's no reasonable way to add a garage without destroying the asthetic's of your property? If you're going to drop some big coin on a garage-mahal, you'd like flexibility of being able to re-sell it seperate from your home?

stuart in mn
stuart in mn SuperDork
1/2/10 4:05 p.m.

That's the great thing about America... individual choice.

924guy
924guy Dork
1/2/10 4:18 p.m.

the idea appeals to me, not because of the "upscale" marketing of the link i posted, but more of the potential of it for car clubs, and small groups of enthusiasts.

lets say you had a local club with 20 or so members, you rent out a 20x20 space with a lift , and it becomes literally a semi permanent headquarters and "club house" If it costs $400 a month, thats $20 a member per month in "dues" for use of the space and a lift, and all that needs to be done is work out scheduling. it could also be used for tech talks, parties and other gatherings. its a garage, raise the lift, unfold the chairs and bam, now its a living room...

Id bet if you filled a 40,000 square foot warehouse in any major urban or suburban area with "car suites" , even if it had a communal restroom and clubroom, the reservation list would be 2 years waiting minimal to get a space.

sachilles
sachilles HalfDork
1/2/10 4:37 p.m.

wonder if you could go so far as to have them as a time share type of setup.

Of course, I think the biggest hassle to deal with would be when someone over estimates there abilities to finish a project in the available time. Then you have a have dismantled car that needs to be cleared out of the way for the next user.

cwh
cwh SuperDork
1/2/10 5:28 p.m.

I wonder what the HOA type rules are like in these places. You know there will be some high stress lawyer types wanting to impose themselves on the rest, and grass roots stuff will quickly be damned. Ferraris don't like to be exposed to Miatas, you know. It might rub off. Personally, I want my own space, even if it is a cheesy storage space.

Salanis
Salanis SuperDork
1/2/10 5:36 p.m.
cwh wrote: Ferraris don't like to be exposed to Miatas, you know. It might rub off.

I wish it would. 9/10 times when I see an expensive supercar out on the track, he's the shiny happy person who's holding up someone in their Subie Imprezza (non-turbo) wagon.

aussiesmg
aussiesmg SuperDork
1/2/10 5:37 p.m.

I purchased an acre, with 4 buildings including a house for $50K, I can park 15 cars under cover, have an office and am setting up one area as a party/workout room. Then there is the house.

Sorry not seeing the value in that for me.

cwh
cwh SuperDork
1/2/10 5:42 p.m.

OK, you're in western Ohio. I'm from eastern Ohio. You cannot deny that cheap real estate is not uncommon in Ohio. My business is quite portable and have to admit there have been fantasies about moving to the frozen northlands to take advantage of housing costs.

aussiesmg
aussiesmg SuperDork
1/2/10 5:50 p.m.

Yep, I have to put up with lotsa snow and roads without any sign of a bend, but property is ultra cheap

Josh
Josh Dork
1/2/10 6:38 p.m.
aussiesmg wrote: I purchased an acre, with 4 buildings including a house for $50K, I can park 15 cars under cover, have an office and am setting up one area as a party/workout room. Then there is the house. Sorry not seeing the value in that for me.

Once again, not everyone wants to live out in the boonies. Me included. If you like it, that's great for you, but I'd probably go insane if I had to live more than a couple miles from a grocery store/gas station/post office/major highway/bookstore/pub/hardware store/train station/thai restaurant/etc., etc.

stuart in mn
stuart in mn SuperDork
1/2/10 7:02 p.m.
aussiesmg wrote: Sorry not seeing the value in that for me.
stuart in mn wrote: That's the great thing about America... individual choice.
Gearheadotaku
Gearheadotaku GRM+ Memberand HalfDork
1/2/10 7:45 p.m.

I'd like something like this, or a place at the GRM compound. Seems like everyone talks about grouping together and buying/building something, but when its time to write a check, all anyone ever has is excuses... I'm stuck with a small condo and a rented garage. Can't sell the condo for anything, can't find a better garage to work out of at reasonable cost....arrrg. Dam housing bubble bursting. Planned to have the condo for a few years, save up, sell it for a small profit, and finally get a house and garage of my own. Economy tanks, can't sell, making 30% less money, arrrggg. Rant off.

Rusnak_322
Rusnak_322 Reader
1/2/10 8:06 p.m.

There are some nice storage condos in my city - a western Cleveland, Ohio suburb. From what i can see as I drive by, some have lofts in them for storage or sitting room. They can fit a RV in there as well.

aussiesmg
aussiesmg SuperDork
1/2/10 8:08 p.m.
Josh wrote:
aussiesmg wrote: I purchased an acre, with 4 buildings including a house for $50K, I can park 15 cars under cover, have an office and am setting up one area as a party/workout room. Then there is the house. Sorry not seeing the value in that for me.
Once again, not everyone wants to live out in the boonies. Me included. If you like it, that's great for you, but I'd probably go insane if I had to live more than a couple miles from a grocery store/gas station/post office/major highway/bookstore/pub/hardware store/train station/thai restaurant/etc., etc.

Me too, but the Thai restaurant is 30 miles away. How remote do you think I am, 30 minutes to both Ft Wayne and Lima, 2 hours to Indy, Columbus, Dayton/Cinci, Dayton, 3 to Cleveland and Chicago.

Post office and pub are 1/4 mile, grocery, gas, highway, bookstore, hardware, etc all within 10 minutes.

wbjones
wbjones HalfDork
1/2/10 8:09 p.m.
Josh wrote: Once again, not everyone wants to live out in the boonies. Me included. If you like it, that's great for you, but I'd probably go insane if I had to live more than a couple miles from a grocery store/gas station/post office/major highway/bookstore/pub/hardware store/train station/thai restaurant/etc., etc.

you sure ? I googled Saco, Me and it looks somewhat small town/boonies to me, 17,000 people and the pictures sure do look laid back to me... looks like a great place to live, if you can stand the cold... (a different thread )

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Josh
Josh Dork
1/2/10 10:22 p.m.

Well, I am a half mile from I-95, and within a mile or so of everything on my little list. Saco's great, but it's not necessarily the city of my dreams. But it is where I grew up, and where I live for now.

It's hard to explain to people who aren't from here, but this part of the New England coast is sort of different to me than other parts of the country I've lived in or visited. The towns individually may be sort of small, but if I drive down 95 from Portland past Boston, I'm never more than a few miles from a decent sized town with a bunch of stores, restaurants, hotels, and other amenities. You never feel like you're leaving civilization. 17k people here is just a small slice of what feels more like an extended city of several million stretching down the coast for another 100+ miles. 17k people stuck out all alone in the middle of one of them flat states out there is whole 'nother thing. But I'm sure this sounds stupid to everyone but me.

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