Looking for a place to store your prized classic car can feel like slogging through molasses on a winter’s day. Whether you’re searching for winter storage or a year-round storage solution, you need a storage facility that’s dependable, safe, and easy to access. Depending on your physical location, there may be a huge range of options that could, in theory, meet your storage needs. How to choose the best one? As with anything else in the auto world, cheapest isn’t always best. Sort your options through these benchmarks to make a choice that makes sense for you and your car.
1. Reputation
It can be tough to gauge the reputation of a classic car storage facility; they don’t typically make everyday conversation, and they’re not highly visible services. But local storage facilities do develop their own reputation over time, particularly among the classic car community. If you have any connections with classic car dealers or clubs in your area, ask around: what storage facilities, if any, do they know and love?
Then do a bit of online sleuthing. You can tell a lot about any service-based business based on its website. Does it appear to be professional? Are communications clear, straightforward, up-to-date, and error-free? Do their forms work smoothly? When you contact them or fill out an info request form, how quick are they to get back to you? Finally, consult online reviews; Google, Facebook, and Yelp are all sources of reviews that services themselves aren’t able to change or edit. By piecing together these data, you should be able to generate a reasonable impression of a storage facility’s trustworthiness.
2. Location
For many classic car owners, the closer in proximity to their home, the better. For others, it’s a tradeoff; locations further from the city may be less expensive, but distance comes with associated transfer fees. Weigh your options and select quotes from facilities both near and farther away.
As you do your research, you will (or should) find that the actual locations of the facilities aren’t specified. For security reasons, you should steer clear of storage facilities clearly marked on a map or identified by obvious signage. Instead, most classic car storage services are a little off-the-beaten-path, easily accessible but not on a frequently-travelled road or highway. These tend to be more secure and discreet than their more easy-to-spot counterparts.
3. Specific Services and Environment Needs
For some classic car owners, a dry indoor facility is the minimum requirement. For others, a climate- and humidity- controlled atmosphere is highly desirable. Some storage facilities only offer one tier of service for all vehicles; others offer varying services and climate conditions for different vehicles in their care. Talk to the service providers in your area to learn about their service options and rates, then go from there. Chances are you’ll find a wide range of offerings. And in this case, a wide variety of options are good; you’ll be more likely to find the ideal fit for your car’s needs when you consider all the possibilities.
4. Security Concerns
When it comes to the security of a location beyond its physical building, take note of the precautions taken on a walk-through. If you’re shown where the keys are kept, opt out and search for a different provider. A huge part of secure, trustworthy care is careful, secure customer service. It’s also key to ask about the security system guarding the facility, the facility’s insurer, and the advanced locking mechanisms securing your car’s particular bay.
When it comes down to it, you’ll need to find a storage facility you can trust that ticks all the boxes: environmental needs, effective security systems, and a location that works for you–all at a price that won’t break your budget. Remember when searching for a storage facility that your storage options can affect your classic car insurance rates; your rates could go down, in fact, if your car is secured at a storage facility for much of the year. For more information about insuring your classic car, whether it’s in storage or not, feel free to get in touch.
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