Which comes first, the car or the garage?

I've been reading the forum for a while, learning lots about Elfs and Hornets, while I save up for a purchase. I'm in a bit of a dilemma. Right now, I don't have a garage to store a car or to work on one . At some point, I plan on building one, but I'm just curious what everyone has for their workspace? Garage? Shed? Driveway? Basement? I currently have a small workshop in my basement, but not really suitable for working on a car. I'm thinking about buying the car first (a 'rolling restoration'), which I would drive through the good weather and store in the winter months, and eventually, I would build a garage. Any thoughts?

-Will

Hi Will,

I say the car comes first because without the car i wouldn't need a garage and could do with just a shed...

Many will probably agree that you will always fill what space you have too. If you have a shed you will want a garage, got a garage you would want a double, got a double you will want a unit..

I guess it depends on the condition of the car and the frequency it will be used. Obviously a garage will help preserve a rested car more than it sat on the road. A car that is used everyday, all weather will not notice much difference just being put in a garage at night.

I have rebuilt a car in a normal single garage that was pretty much empty but ongoing restos could get tricky on a drive/roadside especially if it involves taking lots of bits/panels off.

It has been a while since you posted this thread so let us know what you decided and how your getting on?
Adie

Maybe things are different where I live, but I couldn't even imagine not having a garage. Build one, fill it up with tools and stuff. Then you have no reason not to get a car to put in it.

Car first - you can always make do.

Although I had a double garage at home, I was never able to get into it to work on a car. It tends to make you work faster and smarter.
Once I moved out and had a place of my own, I built a massive shed where the patio used to be (made it into Mini Mag back in about 2005) and rebuilt a few cars and engines in there.
When we moved to a large place in a village, I had a singel garage and a decent shed for storage. I've outgrown the garage and the shed, and also have an industrial unit with a massive yard...
Nature abhors a vacuum, so even that is nearly full !

When I moved into my house there was a dilapidated asbestos garage, which had to go! I built a decent-ish garage but outgrew it, plus with it being close to the house the neighbours weren't too happy about me using the angle grinder so much. This was the garage I restored my Elf in.

So having the luxury of a huge garden, I built a new garage 30 metres from the house - I can get 2.5 Minis in it! Three if I use rollers to slide one in sideways...



So yes, while you can have the car first it's a bit inconvenient trying to repair things, and a garage is tremendously useful. In fact I would need a big shed to keep all my tools in if I didn't have the garage!

myminimonster wrote:Hi Will,

I say the car comes first because without the car i wouldn't need a garage and could do with just a shed...

Many will probably agree that you will always fill what space you have too. If you have a shed you will want a garage, got a garage you would want a double, got a double you will want a unit..

I guess it depends on the condition of the car and the frequency it will be used. Obviously a garage will help preserve a rested car more than it sat on the road. A car that is used everyday, all weather will not notice much difference just being put in a garage at night.

I have rebuilt a car in a normal single garage that was pretty much empty but ongoing restos could get tricky on a drive/roadside especially if it involves taking lots of bits/panels off.

It has been a while since you posted this thread so let us know what you decided and how your getting on?
Adie

Thanks everyone for your input. I haven't bought an Elf yet, although I've been tempted by a few. I'm going to keep looking for the 'right' car. I'll save up a little more and purchase one which is 'road ready' that I can tinker with on weekends, but also use daily should I wish. I have a small shed for storage and a small basement work area right now. I also don't have a whole lot of time to work on a car right now anyway. Eventually I'll have a car as well as a garage.

I recently moved house, partly to achieve the garage of my dreams. I now have a large garage which is essentially inside the ground floor of my house which means heated and dry The green concrete floor might not have been my first choice though.
I even have the car to fill it!

[img]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dxUNpsDvCrw/T6_kbuirqII/AAAAAAAAATY/UVMyL9DWc9M/s1600/IMG_2995.JPG
[img]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eRPH-ae_40U/T6_kfesBIEI/AAAAAAAAATg/7C2PwI-DAus/s1600/IMG_2996.JPG

KevCT wrote:I recently moved house, partly to achieve the garage of my dreams. I now have a large garage which is essentially inside the ground floor of my house which means heated and dry The green concrete floor might not have been my first choice though.
I even have the car to fill it!

[img]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dxUNpsDvCrw/T6_kbuirqII/AAAAAAAAATY/UVMyL9DWc9M/s1600/IMG_2995.JPG
[img]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eRPH-ae_40U/T6_kfesBIEI/AAAAAAAAATg/7C2PwI-DAus/s1600/IMG_2996.JPG

Nice garage. Like you, I'll probably have to move to get a garage. I don't have much space to build one.