What's the nicest car you'd own without a garage?

Like the title says. I don't have a garage or car port, so when it rains, my car gets wet.

At some point, that's probably not okay. I'm checking my bias here by asking: where would you draw the line, because a car is too good for living outside?

I don't really know the answer. I've easily got like $8K tied up in my Miata and that sits outside year round, even during New York winters (Doesn't get driven then and I keep the worst of the snow swept off). And the top leaks a little in the rain. But it also doesn't have great paint or bodywork, so it doesn't worry me too much.

Honestly, I don't think I'd want to own a car that I didn't feel comfortable parking outside. If I don't want to leave it out in the rain, that means I'm not going to want to use it like a car or flog on it, and then what's the point of owning it.

Dunno. I've got one spot in the garage, so it gets the current project. So far in terms of "nice" (not sure to what extent any of these qualify, but I'm new to owning newer cars...), I've parked a WRX, a Leaf, and a Mini in the driveway. I didn't really feel bad about any of them.

I think I'm more likely to feel bad about a completed project; an older car in nice shape. OTOH, my reasonably nice E30 didn't really bother me. We'll see how the pangs are when the Ranchero gets through the paint phase...

There is a house in Taunton Mass that has no garage, and there is a Lambo Gallardo, a M3 convertible and an Escalade parked on the grass and in the driveway. Nice, but nothing special house worth I'd guess $275 to 325 thou. I have more TR8s than I do garage spaces even with the lift for double stacking. Does that count for something?

I'm not sure you are considering this correctly. I still need the garage even if I didn't own any cars.

The question is - at what point does a car warrant moving whatever I'm working on to make it fit in the garage.

My 996

Any car that earns its living at transportation at my place stays outside. So FRS and Versa live in driveway year-round. MGB and MOLVO are toy/project cars, so they get warm garage.

Even when I had a garage everything that wasn't project status lived outside. Now street parking is a different story.

For me it wouldnt depend on the car, but the cars condition. My driver quality c5 sits outside until I finish the renovation at the new house, and it doesnt bother me one bit.

Now if it was a pristine example, it'd need a garage space.

The nicest car I have owned without a garage was my Miata, when it was new. I did have an apartment carport parking space, though. The lack of additional garage spots does act as a pretty big disincentive for me to grow my fleet beyond its current size (truck and minivan park outside, Miata, FD, and Audi are in the garage), though.

IIRC, the photo in the original post is from the Dubai airport, where after the financial problems a few years ago, people were abandoning expensive cars (usually leased) at the airport while fleeing the country to avoid being put into debtor's prison.

I'd take a brand new Rolls Royce to Mid-Ohio and thrash it like it owed me money the weekend after the break in period was over, so I'm not really the guy to ask. Of course I don't (and likely never will) have the money for one of those.

Anything newer than 1990 of decent quality is too nice to sit outside, of course anything older than 1988 of decent quality should be protected and preserved. A 1989 Buick I would leave outside.

My 2015 Miata lives outside.

Taking a cab back to D.C. from the Alexandria metro (quicker) a local mansion had a Ford GT and a hopped up Mustang parked way out front but behind a security fence and this was last winter.

At what point do you move and get a proper garage? Otherwise, I'd say an old Jeep would be my hobby car.

Garage and work space is to limited already, unless it leaks or doesn't have a hood or something, it stays outside.

I could see maybe if I was invited to purchase a limited run, like the Ferrari the Ferrari or the fxx k or it was like Colin McRae s first Subaru or something I could see it being kept inside, but if I could afford that, I'd probably be too busy hooning an old Group B rally car to worry about it.

For the longest time my dad's garage contained his rusty Datsun and my rusty Firebird. The "nice" cars work for a living so they always sleep outside.

One of my friends lives in an apartment in New York. He has a garage big enough for one of his 2 cars. The rusty Talon stays inside while his 2013 BRZ stays outside "because the warranty covers rust".

Whenever I see a nice car left outside, I wonder what they could possibly have in the garage that has a higher priority. Usually, it appears to be a bunch of junk piled in the garage. But one of my neighbors parks a late model Corvette in the driveway. One day I went by when his garage was open, and saw two classic Corvettes inside. Now, I understand.

None of my cars lives in my (2-car + 1 car) garage, really. Garage is for working on cars and other projects, so the only time a car is in there is if it's being worked on. Otherwise, it can sit in the driveway. My cars get worn out by hard driving and mileage far before they would get worn out by the sun or the rain, so I don't really care. I would never buy a "show car" and never buy a car with the expectation that "it'll be worth something some day." Then again, my "nicest" cars in recent years were our (bought new) $30k 4Runner and (bought new) $28k WRX, which has literally parked in the garage a total of 1 day (during a big hail storm).

My priority is working on my cars in a warm/cool/dry/level space. So even if it's a $1k project car, it would still be in the garage even if I owned a Ferrari or something.

Also, with kids and all their bikes and stuff....a car in the garage is far more likely to get dented or dinged than one in the driveway :)

EDIT: The Triumph GT6 is parked in the garage/shed out behind the house, not to necessarily protect it from anything but because it does leak in heavy rain storms and I rarely drive it so don't want it taking up work/parking space in the front of the house.

My wagon spends the winter in my garage and its not really nice. For me it depends on were you live, ill let any of my cars get wet but winter i dont park anything outside except beaters. Sub 2k cars and trucks.

Every vehicle I own is parked under a carport except my $1000 DD Tracker. 99 Jeep Cherokee, 90 Chevy C1500, 04 Mazda3 and 02 Suburban. Most expensive vehicle I own is my 02 Suburban that I paid $4k for. A $600 metal 2-car carport is a no-brainer plus the attached 2-car carport. Got a buddy that has a $50,000 F-150 Limited that sits outside cause he says the $600 car ports are "ugly"

My garage houses my 70 Opel GT and a project car, 63 MG Midget. The others a parked in the driveway outside. SWMBO's 10 Hyundai Sonata, my 99 Miata and 16 Toyota Tacoma. Admittedly it is the excuse for not driving the Opel GT more, I have to shuffle cars around the driveway to get it in/out of the garage.

I bought a carport before I brought the 911 home. When I built the Grosh I designed the parking around the idea that it would always be inside. When we retire I'll make sure it has a garage whether I have to build or rent one.
I like to keep the rest of my cars either inside, space permitting, or at least under cover. Keeping the sun and leaves and sap off of them reduces the amount of cosmetic upkeep I have to do.

Our 2014 Econoline sits outside because it will not fit in the garage. I typically park the Mini, Miata and Volvo in the garage. I don't know where I'd draw the line, but I think it would depend on the circumstances more than the car. I only have so many garage spaces.

It's a car, it's supposed to get wet.

Of the 4 bays here, one holds the Abomination (no roof), one holds a totaled Mustang GT (no glass). Everything else is currently sitting outside. The Samurai does get to sit inside on occasion, but only because it's small.

So, the nicest thing I would let sit outside, is pretty much any car I own.