Wicked 3800 V6

Well, sooner or later I'll be facing a problem.

I live just off campus in an apartment, but work so much that I don't have time to play with my car during the year. And my folks live about 1/2 hr away, so anytime I need to do some work, I can go there, open up my big ol' tool chests, snag the floor jack and jackstands, and go to town. Fluids, spares, ramps, pipes, you name it.

BUT -- in May I'll graduate, get a real job, have more time for car stuff, and there's a fair chance I'll be moving out of state, away from Momma's garage! And while it saves me from repairing the family cars, it also puts a bunch of distance between me and my tools!

I can't see myself lugging a floor jack, stands, and a tool chest up and down stairs just to do some work in a shoddy parking lot, particulary when I can't just leave the car in pieces and go part hunting (as I can at home now). I can't even see myself lugging the ton of tools / auto junk to another state, if it's not going into a garage in a house.

SO -- how do people manage:
1. Moving with their tools / jacks long distances
2. Working on cars while living in apartments
3. Dealing with car withdrawal?

Nine Ball

iTrader: (38)

Simple, find an apartment with an attached garage. I build my 69 project entirely in a 1-car apartment garage, just using jackstands. The car has never even been on a lift.



If you can't get a garage, you are pretty much S.O.L. when it comes to working on cars and having your tools handy.

Camaroholic

iTrader: (1)

I chose to live in apartments with rental storage unit facilities nearby. Kept my 94Z in a storage unit (along with the tools etc), and had a $300 beater car to daily drive around. The 94Z came out on nice days and when I took the women out (I'd just walk across the street and go get it). But otherwise it stayed nicely tucked away in the storage unit. Last storage unit I had was a couple years ago, it was a 10x25 and went for something around $85/mo. Smallest you can go is a 10x20.

Wicked 3800 V6

How about a reprise? Looks like I'll be heading to CT, and I need some way to play with my car ... and maybe a bike?

PureWS6

Well I don't know the situation you are in but, I would look to buy a town house or condo with a garage. Plus you wouldn't be throwing money away for rent; it would be going towards something you would own, and eventually sell for a profit.

SScam68

iTrader: (20)

Well, I managed without a garage in my home. It was converted into an entertainment room. Anytime I needed to work on my car, or my brothers, or my stepmoms, or my dads, or my sisters... I had to lug everything out. Stands, jacks, 2 tool boxes and any other misc. stuff. So been there, done that. Never really bothered me to be honest. I guess I just learned to live with it.

I live in Apts now, married and moved out, but one stipulation was it had to have a garage attached. Small as hell but enough room to keep a small tool box, stands and a jack. I kept a very basic tool set and left the rest to my dad. Its slowly starting to grow again but we have moved to a different apt. complex now. The garage is not attached but it is bigger. Enough room that I am going to buy air tools in the next couple of weeks, make a work bench and buy a tool chest

A buddy works that lives in an apt. has a single car garage and he manages pretty well. Cam swaps and just about everything under the sun. Occasinally we want to use a lift to make our lives easier and go to the hobby shop here in the military base.

....now if I could just manage to squeeze one of those the garage now hmm...

Don't have any pics of the lastest garage, I'll post em up later.

I'd be more worried about the apt. manager though

LS1_PNYTAMR

iTrader: (1)

my buddy and his friends did a cam install in a apartment complex.. 3 ppl simple took up a bunch of parking spaces ine the very very back.. rigged up some lighting and worked all nite.. they had to cars double parked with the one they were working on in the center lol.

i will be facing this same problem soon when me and my girl move out into an apartment. i plan to just park to the back and pray no one complains.. that should be ur big worry is how ur fellow nieghbors will feel about ur banging on ur car and taking up extra space maybe.. as with any complex, even in this nice lil town, most of the "non english speaking ppl" live in them by the half dozen.. nice appartments and all, but im kinda worried about my **** getting jacked when i walk back to the appartment to grab some sweet tea or something lol.

Tally TransAm

iTrader: (17)

my car is currently sitting 3 ft off the ground with no rear or suspension in it in my apartment complex parking lot

sucks but you gotta do what you gotta do. dont head swaps, cam swaps, trannies, rears, clutchs, you name it in parking lots

98TXFBODY

I live in a apt. the garage isn't attached but its only about 30 yards from my doorstep.
I have 2.....one for my car and one for my tools, bike, and other toys. Only cost 65 each a month. A storage unit is more but you can get the heated ones which work very nice in the winter. Alot of storage places also have all different sizes.

Wicked 3800 V6

Bam I could swing $65 a month for a garage or two.

Richie Carbone

iTrader: (3)

Damn! It must have been a bitch to loosen and retighten all those bolts with just jackstands.

You got mad skills!!

luv2spd

iTrader: (1)

93octane

Yeah, I live in an apartment complex with a garage. It helps when you want to work on your car, and it helps keep the door dings off of the car.

robertbartsch

Buy a Honda and sell all your tools - they run forever on cheap gas.

HAMRHEAD

iTrader: (8)

Check with the APT. Complex though. My buddy lives in a complex that does not allow working on motor vehicles in any way. If they catch you they will warn you then if it happens again you get evicted. They are worried mostly about oils, fluids, and unfinished cars sitting around.

Dark Eternal

I have a garage attached to my apartment. I almosy got evicted with no warning for working on vehicles. I had been doing it for 6 months with no complaints and one day I got home with an eviction notice on my door for it. I got them to tear it up but to say the least I was/am pissed. I do all work IN my garage with the door closed most of the time. They saw me working one day with the door open and said it was "unsightly" and they wanted me gone.

I am now trying to figure out how to afford a house.

pimpmaro

Yeah, apartments are touch and go on that kinda crap. In Atlanta, my buddies and I did almost pretty much all of our work in apt. garages with no problems. My last apt. my mgt. new I was workin on my car... especially when they kept receiving car parts for me... =). I'm kinda worried about my new place. I saw that clause in the lease, but I accidentally "overlooked" it. My apt. is on the back side of the complex against some railroad tracks so hopefully I'll never have any problems with it. Gotta be careful though.

SScam68

iTrader: (20)

updated pics of my new garage

Still enough room for an air compressor and some airtools!

greentahoe

iTrader: (2)

As the other guy said. Buy a house. An apartment is a waste and you'll never catch up to rising property values. I moved into a "nice" apt and it turned out to be a real shithole and I had to sue them and involve the health dept and still payed out the *** to get out. I close on my new home tomorrow.

VILeninDM

I was in the same boat couple of years back. Problem with apartments is that even when they do have a garage, there is too many shady characters around and it only takes one to break in and go to town on your toolbox.

I don't know where you are planning to live, but around here my parents are paying $750 + electricity for an apartment, and I am paying $806 + utilities for my house. And in 12 years, this house will be mine. And the house came with 3.5-car garage. House is still a little more expensive, but it is worth it considering a part of every morgage payment goes into your equity, not whole thing going to some land lord.

Another option, is find a local car club. We have guys in our f-body club who got together one day and rented out a 4-car garage. Each pays about $80 per month (I think)