Extra garaging for car collections

[s class]

I think we are all more fond of buying Mercedes than selling them.  This quickly means that one is in danger of graduating from an enthusiast to a collector.  Where does one put these cars?  They need to be garaged for protection (and in South Africa, theft).  One can only have so many garages at home and then what?  My wife assures me  have reached that cutoff - I have 5 lockups at home. 

Offsite storage becomes an option, but where? and at what cost?

Help!

[gregdeklerk]

i have a small garage off site, but it is too small for the 116. I barely get the 123 in it and it costs ZAR200 per month. at some of these sites like Storage Land, you can pay up to R800 per month!!

Ryan, surely you want a 6.9 more than you want to keep all 5 others?

[s class]

Yes I want a 6.9 pretty bad, but I'm not willing to part with the others.  Basically I wont sell a car in anticipation of perhaps one day getting a 6.9.  The 6.9 must be standing in my yard before I'll consider moving anything else out. 

But the point really is Greg, looking further into the future, I know I want a W109, and a W111 coupe for starters.  There may be others, but I need to find a better solution than just building more garages at home, as I fear that I'm on a life course of multiple MB ownership. 

They say there is no cure for that illness..... but in any case I don't think I want it cured. 

[Martin 280s]

I keep my - to be restored - W108 at home. I live in an apartment and the covered garages we have are too small for the W116 so it stays at a friend's house for the grand sum of one sack of dog food per month! . Unfortunately it's 6 miles from where I live, but near where I work.  My CB400 stays beside the stair well of the building where I live and my - again to be restored - 1938 BMW R51 is wrapped up in a neighbour's garage.

[oscar]

Ryan, after rereading your first post I think your only option is emigrating to Australia.  If offsite garage hire is not an option and if small acreages with a big shed are not viable, well I think you should bite the bullet and move.  Let's start a poll I know you'd have no trouble getting a well paid job here.  Greg, you should come too.

In regional towns away from the coast, the 3000-5000 square meter blocks with 30+square home and big shed is all the rage and a friend of mine bought recently a 4yr old house on such a block for $415,000AUD with 14x8 metre shed.  It was a steal really considering some same sized houses on 800sq metre blocks in my town cost the same if not more and are just as close to the CBD.

Is the semi rural lifestyle popular or affordable in SA?  

Martin, CB400 is a motorbike, yes?  I'm not good with bikes.

[Martin 280s]

Oscar, It's a 1981 Honda CB400, the first series. Quite slated in their early days for being 'underpowered' (I disagree, it has enough power for me..I don't want to leave skidmarks on my undies!), thirsty and heavy. However, like everything, things change and are now seen as an affordable and very usable everyday classic. And at about the price of a new 125cc runabout it's a much better proposition....if you find a good one.

[s class]

Oscar,

Semi rural lifestyle is not nearly as popular here as it used to be due to a prevalence of house breakings, plot invasions and so-called farm-murders.  Basically if you are on a plot, you're not in your private mini-prison, with the result that you are a sitting duck for crime. 

Wow Oscar, properties are EXPENSIVE there.  Here in Johannesburg where I live, a decent house in a modest suburb with swimming pool and double garage is under ZAR 1 million - divide that my 5.5 or so to get Aus$.  And prices have shot up.  6 years ago houses like that were ZAR250 000 to ZAR 300 000 - such as when I bought.  Many people had cars costing more than their houses. 

Prices in Cape Town where Greg lives are much higher - up to double the Johannesburg prices for the equivalent property. 

[robgee]

AS an adendum to Oscars post Ryan I agree you guys should come to Oz in victoria (the garden state)its apretty bloody dry garden right now.Afriend of mine's son and his girlfriend have just purchased a 14 acre property about 1 and half hours drive from Melbourne with a new three bedroom timber home and a 60'X20' steel machinery shed for $140,000 AUS the house needs some fininishing touches about $10,000 WORTH AND IT HAS ITS OWN SPRING AND CREEK RUNNING THROUGH THE PROPERTY.
Here's a link to give you and Greg an idea of what your money buys in Oz
I know your biggest concern is getting the money out of SA though right?

http://www.realestate.com.au/cgi-bin/rsearch?a=o&id=103875423&f=10&p=10&t=res&ty=&fmt=&header=&c=75438110&s=vic&snf=rbs&tm=1175323366

[oscar]

robgee, I thought Victoria was now "on the move".  Where you guys going?

I have to say those prices I quoted are for new upmarket places and generally there has been a wave of marked increases radiating from the cities over the last 10yrs or so.  But as robgee has shown, there's still the much more affordable established properties around.  But I believe that property Robgee posted is a steal IMO.  Location and vicinity like anywhere plays a big part, but that property there is great value.

As far as cost of immigrating, not so long ago talking to some south africans and poms that my wife work with, you're looking at $2000 roughly per person for permanent residency.  Then add air fares, shipping personal belongings.  What will you do with your other cars? There's other charges as well, I can't remember what's involved.  If it's all for a 6.9 well of course your better off importing.

I admire anyone that can pickup and call another country home.  I really don't think I could do it.

So yeah, where were we?  That's right I remember; wear the pants, make space, relegate the 140 to the front lawn, import an Aussie 6.9.

[robgee]

yes your right Oscar I was just giving them the other end of the spectrum last year I sold my own property on the Peninsula only 5 acres for just over $800,000Aus so I suppose like everything it depends what their looking for.They certainly won't get anything like they probably have now inSA for anything like the money but then we don't have to live in fotified compounds either.But I agree there's still plenty of value in rural areas and within commuting distance to metro centres in Oz I mean were pretty luck aren't we mate.BEST BEACHES IN THE WORLD BEST LOOKING WOMEN BEST CRICKET TEAM, BEST RUGBY TEAM (WITH OUR KIWI MATES)GREAT COST OF LIVING (RELATIVE TO EUROPE ETC)AND ALL THIS SUNSHINE NOT TO MENTION FRIENDLY ACCOMODATING AUSSIES(SO WHERE THE BLOODY HELL ARE YA)

[oscar]

(SO WHERE THE BLOODY HELL ARE YA)

just in case people missed out on the TV campaign

Aussie Tourism Campaign  contains coarse language, but f&%# it's funny.

[Tomi]

This conversatin diverses a little. that film oscar mentioned was funny, but i like the aussy atitude to life and the easiness and the friendliness you can find there. that is a real asset. Next time I will try to contact some of you (I've been there three time so far on business).

But I like Ryan's initiative on space and more directly: on the move from enthusiat to collector.

Personally I feel that a collector in collecting is some sort of insanity (and i have some of that). I dont think we want to produce museums in our house. certainly not our wifes want this.

I feel like a preacher here, but perhaps we need to think on what are the goals and what we want to do in this short life, as for example do we want to :

to drive different cars
to work and restore different cars
to just own the cars an look at them

When you come to think of it, its better just to have a daily driver (or two) and a hobby car (which here is the 116; but not allways in aussiland). I actually mean that, it is not allways wise to own everything you like, but rather you can own something and the rest can be owned by your freinds and in that way you can enjoy them as well.
just some life philosophy.
regards, Tomi