Garages

[Hanslow]

Right, the Scoob is up for sale and now I have two/three options (depending on redundancy )

Bit of background : I live with my very understanding bird (as in woman) in a semi with no garage and no place to build one without swallowing up the whole of the back garden.

Firstly, I could get myself a sensible diesel for an everyday car and when we eventually move, and get somewhere with a garage, could get the Westie and job done.

Or, I could get a Westie now and leave it outside under a car cover / car port (have an issue with the landing window and how it would get cleaned though ) and then get a naff car to drive in to work if and when needed. Or I could still cycle to work and get the bus when raining

How many of you have a garage? For those that don't, how do you protect your car from the wonderful weather? Do you do much tweaking and tinkering with your car outside?

I blame DodgeT. Took me out in his Westie round Dono at the kit car show and needless to say I enjoyed every #### minute of it Took me a couple of days to remove the grin

I can wait if I have to, I would just like to get in one now. Sensible head says wait until we've moved and got a garage. Kid head says buy it now whilst you can

Once again, your thoughts and (sensible) comments are appreciated

Cheers

Steve

[JamesD]

Steve,

My mate built his in the back garden once he constructed a semi-permanent tent affair (actually an old scout camp tent!!. My only concern would be the safety of the kit etc.. when leaving it outside.

A) You need something windproof/waterproof, with a groundsheet. (especially if you are building over the winter)

B) You need somewhere secure to lock up all the bits overnight, pretty sure build insurance will not cover a build done outside!!

If you really want it you will make it happen!! I had to rebuild the garage, and build a car-port on the side to allow me to start the build on the Westy.

Simple stuff..but food for thought!! Good Luck  

Regards JD  

[Blatman]

In his haste to buy a Westfield, some-one is forgetting about the fact that winter is on the way............  

It'll be a good time to buy, but not so good for storage. I reckon, buy now, and rent a lock up nearby, until you move house.

[Hanslow]

Blatman, bang on with what I was thinking....yes winter is coming up, but I want one, but will it be OK outside? Given that I will probably be cycling to work through winter, I don't think the weather and me are an issue, I just want to make sure the car is OK

The plan is to buy a prebuilt one so the bits aren't an issue. I spose the sensible thing is to wait until we move then, unless somebody changes my mind

I might have to see if my folks would mind 'looking after it' over winter in their garage. Should be quite secure, specially if I am not leaving the keys there

[Vlad the Impaler]

I had my first Westfield when I still lived in a terrace house with a concrete standing in the front garden, big enough for one car. To keep the Westfield cosy I brought a collapsible framed cover that erected in seconds, didn’t look too bad in it’s green canvas and was reasonably  vandal/thief  proof as I bolted the rear of the frame to the concrete and used a lock on the front of the frame at night. I used this for 2 years with no problems at all. I think it cost about £300 if I remember.

My current house has an integral garage in the front and a double garage in the garden which I brought specifically to house and rebuilt the Westfield much to Mrs Impaler's  chagrin

[Blatman]

It should be OK outside (but anything not stainless steel or aluminium could corrode. I'm thinking of suspension bolts, steering parts, , but if you're about to blow several grand on a nice Westfield, why chance it?

[gregh]

have you looked into renting a garage? May be more sensible option!

Good luck selling the Scoob, I've just done the same thing and now have a Westie and a turbo diesel

Greg

[brianm]

A Westfield housed outside come sunshine shower and snow will deteriorate at an alarming rate. In monitary terms it will start to lose value in line with a tintop of similar initial starting value, which it should'nt, it should retain its value. All that exposed ally, chrome and powder coat will suffer badly. If you can't wait then go ahead, but this is the price. Waiting for everything else to fall into place can take years, and the rugrats and baggage seem to screw everything for a while, so I would'nt advise this. Find a lock up/rented garage, lean on family and friends, but find someway to cosset the beast over winter because come summer it will be worth it. PS. Whats up with taking up the whole of the back garden?       Brian.

[Hanslow]

Vlad, you got any more info on this portable garage thing? Where from, etc.

Brian, know what you mean about planning things. Sort of why I want to get one now while I can! What's up with taking up the whole of the back garden? Do you wanna talk to my missus?      

Think it just might be an issue when we find somewhere to move to and show people into the back gard...err...garage

Better sweet talk my old man then and get him to clear his garage out

Greg, glad you got your Scoob sold in the end Looked a minter

[Vlad the Impaler]

Vlad, you got any more info on this portable garage thing? Where from, etc.

Here's a picture click me of what I'm talking about although this wasn't the company that supplies mine. If you're interested I'll rake out the original invoice and let you know where I got the thing from.

[Hanslow]

Thanks    I'll have a ferret around on the net see what else I can find. If it's no trouble rooting out what you had, would appreciate it

Cheers

Steve

[scott beeland]

You need some cover. Having had a number of westfields. Some garaged; some outside.... they rot pretty quick when exposed and standing. My current car has never spent a night outside uncovered but still has wishbone/ rack corrosion. (chips  and moisture). Not serious but annoying.

Waiting a little while for what u want (ie the westfield) is painful.... but to get it in favourable/ ideal circumstance IS worth the wait.(And believe me I should know!!

[Robertio]

Hanslow, if you can't keep it under cover then don't get one.  Mine has lived outside during the summer, under a car cover, but there is no way I'll be keeping it like that during the winter.

If you can get away with it (grovel to other half   ) you could get one of those instant garages (sheet metal bolted together, just like a large metal shed) which you could have in the garden during the winter, then pull it down (don't know where you could store it though) during the warm and dry months.  I remember seeing one in the Argos catalogue for < £650.

[AndyC_772]

My car (bought a few months ago, when it was warm) lives outside under a cover. I figured that life was too short to wait until I could afford both a house with a garage AND a Westfield before taking the plunge.

Should I look at selling it now before the weather turns nasty, or would the reduction in value caused by selling at the wrong time be worse than the deterioration over the winter? I had understood that Westfields don't rot too badly, having a powder coated chassis and a fibreglass body. What exactly is likely to corrode, and what (if anything) can I do about it?

Andy.

[Mickie C]

I've had my car now for well over a year and it hasn't yet spent a night in a garage.  I've got the chrome suspension, wishbones and roll bar and they haven't caused me any problems.  The car is kept under a cover that I bought over the web (can't remember the URL) but it's fully waterproof, breathable and has a soft lining to protect the finish on the car, from what I can remember it was around £150 or so.

No problems with corrosion, damp etc and living in Glasgow we do get our fair share of rain however even during the winter I made sure I went out every 2 or 3 weeks and gave the car the once over.  Nothing serious, just air it every so often, polish up the chrome to make sure I wouldn't have any problems come the spring.

I've recently built a car port which should offer a little bit more protection.  Go to B&Q and pick up a "how to build a car port" 3 days later and you have a car port.  Total cost was well under £300.  The added benefit is you can work on the car when it's raining.

Go for it, lifes for living.......

MIke