Well, Sharona's up in Chacago getting a little bit of the ol' nip and tuck. But in the mean time I need to figure out what to do with her when she gets home. I don't have a garage or enough money to build one, so I've been thinking about a car cover just to get through the winter. Then I saw this thread about these Portable Garages. I had never heard of such a thing, but they look to be a step up from a regular car cover, albeit a bit more expensive.

So my questions are these: What are the adavantages and disadvantages of car covers / portable garages? Are there other inexpensive options to choose from? Are there brands I should look for or stay away from?

Background info...er...back yard info: I have available driveway space (asphalt). I have lots of oak trees. North Carolina only has two months of real winter, but they can get pretty hairy (ie: Last year we had ice storms that brought down trees and limbs everywhere. If you've never seen an ice storm, it's where freezing rain coats every inch of everything in ice. Last years storm left us under 1/2" of the stuff.) I don't like to buy throw-away stuff, so what ever I get will be re-usable.

OK, that's it. Thanks in advance for you help.

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Dowdian
Beat up, broken down, bashed in 88 GT that I love dearly.

Interesting idea. I've been considering one as well. We don't have the ice problem, but in the springtime, sustained 50-60 mph winds are not uncommon. I can just see the thing taking flight one april morning and being in Dallas by nightfall. It would be nice to have extra covered storage for the Fiero though.

I'm anxious to see what those who own them have to say.

When I lived in upstate NY (land of 5 months of winter) I store my Fieros under a fleece lined car cover and a tarp tied over them. The car covers alone seemed to get blown off during those wonderful winter breezes even when bungie cord tied down. The down side was if they got wet they froze in place. With the tarp and bag setup, it was a PITA to try to re-enter the car for a periodic start up and clean (chip) off ice build up. The upside was cost.

The portable garage, I like except for the cost, how does it anchor to the ground(?) to keep from blowing away during those windy days? It may not hold up too well to falling branches nor to ice build up weight.

I purchased a portable garage (12'x20') from Sams Club almost 2 years ago. I anchored it with (12) 6' rebar driven into the ground like a tent (which it is) stakes. The only problem was with the stiching to the velcro atachments that wrap around the 2" tubler powder coated steel pipe. after 1 year the high wind (45-50 mph) broke the stiching so I restiched it with 30lb test fishing line this has held so far. I get up through the night to knock off any ice/snow build up from the peaked roof. The garage cost was $199.00 plus the tie down material $100.00 . This has been the cheepest and best answer for me. It held up to 22" of snow 2 winters ago and all the wind so far. This year I might drill the 2" steel pipe and screw in screws just to hold the pieces together. I store my 86 GT and 1/3 of my business material in this. Next year I may get another for more storage this will be a round top type becayse of the snow here.

Earl

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1986 FieroGT 2.8

[This message has been edited by aqua-man (edited 11-18-2004).]

You will need to check to see if your city allows the portables.. They are against city code here. A few people have had to take theirs down..

[This message has been edited by RossT (edited 11-19-2004).]

The $200 + portable garages are better than a cover since they actually dont lay and flap around on the paint. Another plus is you can use it to work in when its warm enough without getting wet. You can use a portable kerosene heater blowing into in to. I would also check to make sure you are allowed to use it where you are. ANCHOR it well before putting your car inside. Im not permitted to use them here. I do occasionally use a form fit car cover but my cars actually get dirtier under the cover after there wet. If you go with a cover, get a breathable material, its not waterproof but will protect from birds, sap, and whatever. I would advise not to put a waterproof plastic cover or tarp over that because that can cause paint damage by trapping moisture underneath. Lastly, like mentioned above, if you use a cover and it gets wet during freezing weather your out of luck getting into your car.

for snowy areas i'd recommend the arched portable garage instead of the peaked roof - it'll handle the snow and wind much better

[This message has been edited by Kohburn (edited 11-19-2004).]

Excellent feedback! Thank you.

I never would have thought to ask whether or not the garages were permitted in my area. It sounds like the garage is the better choice so far, provided it's legal. Other than the indoor rain storm mentioned in the other thread and possible need for a thimble and fishing line for upkeep, are there other drawbacks to these things? Any "neighbor complaint" stories?

Thanks again.

The nice thing about the garage is that they are great to take to the car shows too.

Car covers are great to keep dirt off your car when sitting in a garage, but not good to have on the car when it is raining or snowing. Portable garage is the best way to go if you can afford it. Two of those nifty clamp on lamps with a 100 watt bulb in will help keep snow and ice from laying on the top of it.

Theres no rhyme nor reason as to laws. I cant put up any kind of portable building period here. You cant store any non running cars on private property, except if zoned business. The local police tried to ticket a $130,000 Mercedes I had here because it had no lites or bumpers (paint job) for being an abandoned vehicle If you have non running or junk cars at home its ok IF YOU PUT A COVER or TARP over it . They dont care as long as its covered and dont care what the cover looks like

BTW, if you have a choice, get a dark colored cover (red,blue,black) instead of white. Ice and snow will be less likely to stay on it because it will absorb heat in the daylite.

[This message has been edited by rogergarrison (edited 11-20-2004).]

Roger, dude...that's just nuts. Thankfully, nobody asked me if Sharona ran. For three years she's been pretty much stationary.

87_GT, That's a cool idea! Probably looks pretty cool at night too.

The portable garage / tent thing is cool, but watch out for the cheap ones... I too have 5' poles in the ground for wind, which work great. My problem was I got the $200 one, and it shows... I can't knock the snow off in the night, as I live about 50 miles away from the car, and can't leave power on there overnight. So naturally my car was almost flattened under 14" of snow when the tent collapsed. The cheap tents are made of 2-piece pole segments (like a 6' and 4' slipped together to make 10') and only have 3 uprights on each side. The point in the middle of the 10' sections where the pipes join are the weak spots, and that's where mine crushed and bent like a pretzel. Unbent it once, and it did it again with a heavy rain where the roof top sagged and held like 200 gallons of water... Unbent it again, the last 2" of snow did it in again. The steel is very thin and cheap on the cheap versions (that's why they're so cheap!!) I bought some 1.5" galvanized steel EMT tubing at Home Depot ($20 a 10' pole!!) and replaced / covered all the old poles. It's quite strong now, but the tarp connection points are cheap as mentioned earlier. The velcro things rip off, but the tarp material itself seems to hold up well. There is a slightly more expensive model (around $280 at BJ's) which has 1-piece poles, 4 uprights (therefore less than 10' sections, so stronger), and a one-piece side and top tarp, that goes from the ground on one side, over the top, and back down to the ground. Has a front and back too, mine only has a back, the front is another tarp I added. All that said, the tent is definitely a better way to go if you're allowed to use it, and don't mind spending the $$.. I work in it all year round - rain, shine, or dark, hot and cold (with a heater). Stores quite a bit of junk you don't want in the house too! Just try and get the best one you can afford, with the most uprights / supports. I came within inches of broken glass several times, because I wanted the cheap way out. Did get quite a bit of scratched paint though.

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Bob Williams
Multi-colored '86 Mutt, a work in progress! (3800SC installation almost done... I drove it!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHH!!! This sucker is FUUUUUUUUUUUN!!! :) )

I too have had a car canopy fall on my car , but it destroyed my windshield . I had the canopy that had 3 uprights on each side it was 100 bucks at kmart . and i learned why . my friend went and got one from the internet for 300 and it held up through all the deep snow and rain with no prob. i now have one just like my buds 4 uprights on each side has sides front and back also. the poles are thicker guage on this one to hold up alot better .

since its in a new location i took the roof tarp from my old canopy that colapsed and am now useing it for a floor in my new canopy. and i went out to pepboys and got a good breathable car canopy . now i should be preotected from all angles. if anyone decides to get a canopy believe me its either pay now OR REALLY PAY LATER. just save up and get a good one

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86 and 87 fiero database www.geocities.com/cwandall/fiero.html

Rent a storgage building for a few winter months! The one I have holds two cars nicely! $300 month

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98 3800SC, Getrag 5sp. only one in Austin Texas and surrounding areas

I love my portable garage! I got a big enough one to do my V8 swap in.

WOW Rev. Texas property is expensive, lol. Ive got a 2 1/2 car garage to store my dolly and 2 cars in. Its $140, but it has no electric so you cant do much work in there unless you take along a gas generator.