Owning A Classic Car Without A Garage – Is It A Good Idea?

The allure of classic car ownership is compelling.

In a sea of bland, “white goods” SUVs and crossovers, classic cars provide a near-irresistible charm … in some respects, they are the automotive equivalent of theSirensof ancient mythology, drawing motorists in out of a sea of automotive drudgery.

However, classic cars come with their own set of challenges and problems.

Chief among these is storage.

If you go down to the local Toyota dealer and buy a newCorolla, you’ll probably want to look after it to the best extent possible. But ultimately you’re likely to accept that the car is a “daily driver” and thus will be subjected to the rigours of road use.

You might be more than content to store your humble Corolla (or other daily driver of choice) out on the road, or in the driveway.

But when it comes to classic cars, you’re probably going to be a bit more careful with how you park up and store your “prized possession”.

We all know the best place to keep a classic car when not being used is in a secure, dry garage. But what about owning a classic car without a a garage – is it a good idea? Or do you need a trip to the local shrink if the thought has even crossed your mind?

In this article I cover some of the key considerations you need to make when looking at purchasing a classic carwithouthaving access to a garage in which to store it.

Can You Store A Classic Car Outside Of A Garage?

是的，您肯定可以。

To the best of our knowledge (and extensive research) there are no “classic car police” who will come to your house and imprison you for daring to store a classic car outside. If such an enforcement agency does exist in your jurisdiction, then let me know in the comment section as I would love to hear more.

But in all seriousness, if you’re happy to buy a classic without a garage on your property, then you are good to go … find your dream classic (remember to consult our comprehensive buyers’ guides first) and park it outside to your heart’s content.

You do not need a garage in order to partake in the delights – and occasional frustrations – of classic car ownership.

But do bear in mind that there are some pitfalls and risks that may tarnish the experience for you, and you should consider them fully before making the commitment to buy a classic car without a garage.

What Are The Risks/Pitfalls

Fundamentally, a garage serves three key purposes:

• Provides a dry, consistent environment for vehicle storage (as long as there are no leaks in the roof!)
• Provides a more secure place to keep your car, away from prying eyes – and hopefully you can even lock and alarm your garage. Theft isn’t the only problem here. Some people are just plain bad and will vandalize nice cars. Another risk is that an unsuspecting and unwitting motorist accidentally crunches into your car in a shared carpark, on-street parking situation or so on.
• Provides a space where you can consistently park your car, along with any tools or supplies needed to maintain and repair your car. This final point is something that is very commonly overlooked by those looking to purchase a classic. Older cars tend to need more maintenance and repairs, and if you plan on doing this yourself you’re going to want a place to keep your tools, and be able to carry out the work. Doing so on the street while it’s bucketing down with rain is not the most enjoyable experience in the world.

Therefore, if you don’t have a garage, you:

• Will find it harder to prevent your car from being exposed to the elements – this could lead to faster wear on the paint finish (from UV light, environmental pollutants, harsh weather) and a higher risk of rust.
• Will place your car at greater risk of theft, damage or vandalism.
• Will find it more challenging to do DIY maintenance and repairs, which may affect the “value proposition” of owning a classic

With that all in mind, how can you mitigate and minimise the negative impacts of having to store your classic outside of a garage?

How You Can Protect Your Classic Car If You Can’t Park It In A Garage

So you’ve decided that despite not having garage space, you’d still like to purchase a classic.

If you want to minimise the potential damage and risk to your non-garaged classic car, here’s what you need to do.

Ensure you keep your car clean, and wax it properly and regularly.

A regularly cleaned car is less likely to rust, and you will help to protect the paintwork. Just washing/shampooing your car is not going to be enough.

You’ll want to keep your car waxed (using a quality, long lasting wax or sealant). Regular waxing will help to minimise the harmful impact of the sun’s UV rays, as well as provide a barrier against the elements. You’d ideally want to wash your car on a weekly basis, and then re-wax it every 3-6 months.

Once a year you might like to perform a more thorough detailing, possibly using a clay bar and polish (something like thisTurtle Wax hybrid wax/polishcould be a good choice) to help rid the paint finish of contaminants.

If you don’t have a garage in which to store your classic car, then you really do need to be more thorough and diligent with keeping your car clean and protected.

Protect the “undercarriage” of the car with a quality sealant – if you live somewhere where rust is an issue

Rust is the biggest risk factor for many older cars, and any additional exposure to the elements can increase the risk of rust. As such, if you’re going to be parking your classic car outside (at least in a part of the world where cars are prone to rust due to salted roads) you should look at investing in having the underside of your car coated in a sealant product like Waxoyl. You can either do this yourself, or many detailing shops will be able to help you do it.

Use a reflective windshield protector to keep out heat and UV rays

Over time, sunlight can contribute to dashboard plastics weakening and cracking. Modern cars typically aren’t so bad for this, but a number of classic cars suffer badly from unsightly dashboard cracking or fading (even Toyota isn’t immune, with theCrownfor example being a car that was fairly notorious for cracking dashboards).

One piece of advice here is to always put up one of those reflective windshield protectors – also known as a windshield sunshade – up when your classic car is parked outside. Not only will this help to protect the dashboard from UV/sunlight damage, but you’ll also keep your car cooler in summer and make it a bit harder to see what’s inside the car, potentially deterring thieves.

Amazon has an excellent range of these for affordable prices, and you can usually score a bargain from your local automotive or big box retailer as well.

This is a cheap investment that will pay dividends.

Check for water tightnessbeforeyou purchase the car

This is especially important on any soft top or other type of convertible. Before buying a classic of this nature, ensure that it is fully waterproof. You don’t want to find that your new Miata/MX-5, for example, has a leaky roof that floods the interior when it rains.

在购买新的潜在经典购买之前，请确保您彻底检查任何水紧密问题。

If the car is not watertight, then it probably isn’t a good buy if you cannot store it securely in a dry garage.

Of course this issue isn’t exclusive to convertibles. You might find, for example, that the window or sunroof doesn’t close properly on a car … check this thoroughly before you buy.

Install an alarm, ideally with immobiliser

All new cars come with alarms and immobilisers, and are generally harder to steal thanks to their smart keys (although sometimes these can be hacked).

Older cars can be a great deal easier to steal.

Many classics did not come from the factory with alarm systems or immobilisers, and often have a simple key system that can be overcome by even amateur thieves.

It’s well worth considering the installation of a quality alarm system – ideally one with a proper immobiliser that prevents the engine from starting – for any classic purchase (even if you are wanting to garage the car).

This is one area you shouldn’t skimp on, as cheap aftermarket alarms can be unreliable, prone to failure and often annoying in their operation. Invest in a quality aftermarket alarm and immobiliser and have it professionally fitted by an expert tech. An upside of doing so is that you should recoup some of the cost via reduced insurance premiums.

Use other safety measures and deterrents

除了良好的警报（理想情况下使用固定器）外，您还可以采取其他步骤来保护经典汽车，这些汽车将保存在车库外面。

Purchase and use a good quality steering lock. Although these are “old school” technology they are a great visual deterrent and do also make theft more challenging. This is a good steering lock for a reasonable price, available from Amazon.

Consider a dash camera that can film while the car is parked (without draining your battery). Although an enterprising thief can potentially smash the window and grab the camera – meaning the evidence is gone, unless you’ve got some kind of ‘upload to the cloud’ camera – it is still an additional deterrent.

Consider fitting a GPS tracker

如果你真的想保护你的车greatest extent possible, then a GPS tracking device could be a worthwhile investment. An old friend of mine found out how beneficial one of these was when his Mitsubishi EVO V got stolen from outside his girlfriend’s house one night. The GPS tracker led the police right to the thief’s house, and the car was recovered before it was able to be parted out in a “chop shop” operation. Also invest in some signage/stickers that can go on the windows of your car that indicate there is a GPS tracker fitted (in fact you can buy decoy ones as well, if you want to have a bit of extra security but can’t afford or find a GPS tracker).

Find the most secure parking spot possible, every time you park

If your house/property has a driveway, then that is most likely to be the best spot. However, many people living in apartments, town-houses or other multi-dwelling complexes don’t have a driveway either. Instead, you might have to park in a larger, shared parking lot or even on the street. If this is the case, then you want to try and find the most secure spot possible, and also the spot where you are least likely to have accidental damage to your car from parking dings/scrapes.

如果你有一个车道的公园你的car, look at getting a gate fitted if you don’t have one, or possibly even pop-up bollards. These have become popular in parts of the United Kingdom where theft of performance cars like Audi’s RS range have become a big issue. You can take the bollards down during the day and then install them at night, providing a robust physical barrier to theft.

If you have another car (e.g. a daily driver) then consider parking your classic up the driveway first, and then your other car in front of it – so it is closest to the road. That way a would-be thief will need to find a way to move your daily driver before they can get to your classic.

If you are on the market for a valuable classic, it may even be worth considering paying for a third-party storage facility in which you can park your car. These storage facilities often have robust security systems such as cameras, alarms and fences to help keep your property safe, and may also have some insurance bundled with the price to help keep you protected.

Don’t park under trees if possible

If you haven’t got a garage, then try to find an off-street (or on-street) park that isn’t under trees. Many people choose to park under trees because they want to try and keep their car in the shade. However, there are numerous downsides to parking under trees, such as:

树枝或树枝掉落并损坏油漆的风险，尤其是在恶劣天气下。最坏的情况是？一棵树实际上落在你的车上。

Leaves coming off and then covering your paintwork, which can be a pain to clean and cause damage.

Birds nesting in the trees and then relieving themselves all over your car can cause damage to the paintwork.

You can mitigate much of the lack of shade from not parking under trees by keeping your paintwork properly waxed (protecting against UV/sunlight) and using a reflective windshield screen to keep heat and sunlight out.

Check your insurance cover and adjust your coverage level if required

This is a biggie. Even with the “best laid plans of mice and men”, there is a risk that someone might manage to steal your classic car, or crash into it while trying to park, or something else bad might happen.

These things happen, and this is when insurance is meant to step in. However, we have heard horror stories of classic car owners being caught out by issues such as their insurance policy not covering a car that is parked on the street, or a lack of “agreed value” (meaning that the insurer can pay out a lower figure than what the car owes you – although with rapidly rising classic car prices you might need to adjust your agreed value on a regular basis).

Revisit your classic car insurance policy to make sure you are as well covered as you possibly can be, and that if you are going to be keeping your classic without a garage that you aren’t going to risk any coverage issues.

Conclusion – Is Owning A Classic Car Without A Garage Possible?

是的，您可以拥有没有车库的经典汽车。

然而,您将需要在接受the fact that you won’t necessarily be “doing the best” by your car. Therefore, the question is really more one of whether youshouldpurchase a classic car without having a garage in which to store it.

For protection from the elements and theft/vandalism, the best place to store your classic car is in a garage.

But lacking a garage doesn’t mean you can’t experience the joy of classic car ownership.

It does mean – however – that you’ll need to be prepared to take some additional steps and measures to try and mitigate as much of the risk as possible (or at the very least simply not care about whether or not your classic experiences a higher risk of damage and premature deterioration).

Feel free to leave a comment with your views on this topic below – we would love to hear from you.