Renting a garage...

[Spinal]

This is related to motoring, but at the same time it's a bit OT... so wasn't too sure where to hide it!

I've been bugging most of your for the last year or so saying that I want to cross the desert by car... my plans are finally starting to bear fruit, and I'm looking for somewhere to store said car for a year or so... (i.e. until next December)

My driveway is an option, but I have two problems with that:
- there are 3 other cars on the driveway, any more will look bad (and painting one car will paint the others!)
- working on a vehicle under the rain is a pain, not too mention being unable to paint it or do anything exterior...

So I thought of my garage... but that would mean leaving three motorbikes out in the cold! Unless I move two bikes to the shed and sell the third (a long standing plan)... but that would imply emptying the shed which is full of furniture and other bits of junk... A problem here is that it's a single garage, so working on the car would be quite restrictive. Additionally, I would need to inform my insurers that the bikes are being moved from an alarmed, locked and ground-anchored garage to a shed...

Option 3 is renting a garage, double-width so that I can get around the car, and high enough so I can get a 4x4 with a roof rack into it... negatives here are cost and distance from home... (as well as a landlord who may not take kindly to me welding, spray painting and who knows what else inside his garage!)

Any ideas or comments? Which would you go for?

M.

 

[VB123]

Go for space, you will need it......incidentaly, what vehicle are you planning to use??

 

[Spinal]

That's a question I've been posing again and again!
This is my shortlist:
- Suzuki SJ410/Sj413/Vitara
- Mercedes 190E or 300TD
- Lada Niva

and a recent addition (just saw one today), a ford Transit LWB 2.5 diesel with a roof rack and off road lights and off-road tyres (I know, I know... but it just looked the part and was sooo cheap!)

M.

 

[VB123]

The Lada's not as daft as it sounds depending on which desert you want to cross...ie, Mongolia (have you seen "Peking to Paris"?, it's about a group of fools taking 100 year old cars along that trek, re-enacting the race.)
We have a saying in Oz, if you want to go outback, take a Land Rover......if you want to come back, take a Toyota!

 

[Spinal]

The rally I'm joining is similar... it's a group of fools (me included) taking £100 cars across the Sahara! (it's the Plymouth -Timbuktu or the Plymouth - Banjul, depending on wether the car is left or right hand drive).

Sounds like a crazy thing to do, I know... but then again, you haven't met me Most people who meet me (not in a work context) walk away thinking I'm either a lunatic or insane

M.

 

[SilverSaloon]

a W123 diesel - (or petrol). might be hard to find one capable for £100 though!!

 

[Sp!ke]

The W123 is likely to be the most common car en route in Africa and one where spares availability and bush mechanic knowledge will be easiest to source.

If you can find one cheap enough, that would be my choice.

 

[bigyin1]

Extend your garage that way you get to keep everything

My brother is looking to do the mongol rally next year, similar sort of thing but cars <£250.

 

[VB123]

Yeah, if you can find a 123 Diesel for £100ish, perfect.

 

[Sp!ke]

I'm thinking along the lines of spending the money you are thinking of spending renting a garage on the car instead.

That way you'll get something half decent that can be left on the drive and doesnt need too much work done.

Garages (especially double ones) dont come cheap.

 

[Corrado]

The Lada's not as daft as it sounds depending on which desert you want to cross...ie, Mongolia (have you seen "Peking to Paris"?, it's about a group of fools taking 100 year old cars along that trek, re-enacting the race.)
We have a saying in Oz, if you want to go outback, take a Land Rover......if you want to come back, take a Toyota!

Keep it simple.

A Hi Lux could be your answer....




If funds allow its got to be option 3 to make it easy to work on in the cold dark days of winter.

 

[Spinal]

Thanks for all the advice

A few quick points, while the rules do state I'm not allowed to spend more than £100 on the car, I have had a chat with the organisers who say that rule is fairly old and no-one follows it! Hence, I'm looking to spend about £500/£600 on the car (keeping in mind that it goes to charity after the event and I'm a student, that's quite a bit of money!)

As for car choice, it will be what crops up in January onwards (I don't want to re-MOT the vehicle, so in January if I can find something with 12 months MOT I will be happy). I wont be fussy, otherwise it wouldn't be a challenge

Now, getting the thread back on topic - any advice as to the garage situation? I saw a wooden "shed" a while back, which you could build yourself... might be an option...

or maybe park the W202 on the street and leave a good few meters for the new car...

or possibly even sell the Ducati... oh wait, no - that's not going to happen

M.

 

[GordonTarling]

You may have problems finding a double garage to rent around the Uxbridge area - I had an awful job finding a single garage when I needed one recently and have ended up with one at Langley! If you want to be able to do work on the car, the nearer home the better, so I'd suggest a re-examination of your own facilities before renting anything further away.