Do people park their cars outside all year in Chicago or is a garage essential? (Lincoln: apartment complexes, rental)

[blacknwhiterose]

Do people park their cars outside all year in Chicago or is a garage essential?

I have an '06 C-class Mercedes-Benz that I drive frequently for commuting. Getting a little old, but hangin' in there as I've always taken good care of her. I have always been able to keep my car in my parents garage while living at home or under a car port when I was living out of state in a warmer climate. I'm apartment shopping now and notice that many of the apartments around Chicagoland do NOT have garages or even car ports. Do people really do this in Chicago? Will a frequently-driven car take any beating from the colder season?

[Lookout Kid]

Many if not most people in the city park their cars outside all year round. But the struggles resulting from this are epic, and not for the meek (damaged cars, parking spot "dibs" after big snow storms, parking tickets, seemingly random parking restrictions and street cleaning, etc). And it's just hard on your car. If you can afford to garage your car, it's a luxury that I've found to be well worth the money. Or embrace public transit and the pedestrian lifestyle, and ditch your car.

[blacknwhiterose]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

Many if not most people in the city park their cars outside all year round. But the struggles resulting from this are epic, and not for the meek (damaged cars, parking spot "dibs" after big snow storms, parking tickets, seemingly random parking restrictions and street cleaning, etc). And it's just hard on your car. If you can afford to garage your car, it's a luxury that I've found to be well worth the money. Or embrace public transit and the pedestrian lifestyle, and ditch your car.

I'm actually leaning more towards the inner ring suburbs in my search at this point, I will have Metra access but will still need my car. The apts I'm looking at do have nice, spacious parking lots, but no shelter. I'm just concerned about the potential physical beating from the elements.

[Drover]

Shelter is better than no shelter, though that has little to do with winter conditions but rather fading of paint and interior from constant sunlight exposure. Obviously it would take years for affects to be noticeable and may not be a concern if you're already starting to approach the the flat part of the depreciation curve. The bigger issue brought on by winter conditions is the salt they use on the roads, which greatly accelerates the onset of rust. Again, probably not a big concern as your car is likely to reach the end of its usable life before rust starts to become a significant issue.

Absent sheltered parking, any form of off-street parking is better than on-street parking where city plows will shove a foot-high wall of snow against your car in winter as it plows the street and where people often use the "braille method" to squeeze themselves into spots, inevitably resulting in "bumper rash." On-street parking is not advised for those who have an emotional attachment to their car or are OCD about the condition of its exterior.

[ChicagoMeO]

I'd garage it. For one thing, you dont have to shovel off snow in winter. also, some insurance companies give lower insurance prices if you garage it. then, even if you live in a wonderful area, your car outside is more likely to get messed with. then if you garage it, you always have a place to park it, no matter how busy the streets get with cars parking there taking up all the spaces. lastly, i'd NEVER live in an area famous for calling dibs on winter parking spaces on the street. too much b.s. with that !!!!

its worth the money you pay to garage it.

[ToriaT]

Many people park their car outside to no real ill effect. As long as it does not get hit or scraped, and you get car washes to wash the salt off it can be okay. Its certainly better to put it in a garage. Over time you will probably have a few dings here and there.

[pvande55]

I heard that about a third of vehicles are kept in separate garages. That is a national number. Chicago probably a tenth. Rust is less a problem nowadays but it is said cars kept in a garage more likely to rust. The problem in Chicago is no reserved parking spaces. Many these days prefer to skip owning and use rental or Zip cars.

[Atlanta_BD]

The only people I've ever known to have access to car garages in Chicago are homeowners. When you're an apartment dweller, there are no garages or car ports in Chicago. In the warmer states the apartment complexes are often built with car ports. Chicago doesn't have apartment complexes so there's mostly only street parking unless you live in a house or high-rise that has parking. Maybe you should consider a high-rise or mid-rise that may have parking?

Other than that and outside living in the suburbs, what about just buying a car cover to put on your car if you are that concerned? I guess that would be a bit of a pain to do every day taking that thing on and off, especially during winter. But I don't know what other options you have to be honest unless you are ready to move into a house.

[Irishtom29]

When I lived in a 3 flat apartment in Lincoln Square I rented a space in the building's garage, out back on the alley.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by ChicagoMeO

I'd garage it. For one thing, you dont have to shovel off snow in winter. also, some insurance companies give lower insurance prices if you garage it. then, even if you live in a wonderful area, your car outside is more likely to get messed with. then if you garage it, you always have a place to park it, no matter how busy the streets get with cars parking there taking up all the spaces. lastly, i'd NEVER live in an area famous for calling dibs on winter parking spaces on the street. too much b.s. with that !!!!

its worth the money you pay to garage it.

For the record, just because you park in a garage doesn't mean you won't have to shovel to get out. If you park in a garage off the alley chances are you'll have snow that gets sloshed up up against your garage by passing cars and even by a plow if the city gets around to plowing the alleys that you'll have to shovel out. And of course if you're one of the rare folks who has a driveway, you'll have to shove it as well as the berm the snow plow will push up in front of your driveway entrance.

Originally Posted by ToriaT

Many people park their car outside to no real ill effect. As long as it does not get hit or scraped, and you get car washes to wash the salt off it can be okay. Its certainly better to put it in a garage. Over time you will probably have a few dings here and there.

Even with improved rustproofing and frequent car washes, rust is still an issue. It may not be for the OP because his/her car will be depreciated to near-zero worth before rust becomes a significant issue. But if you've ever looked at the underbody of, say, an 8-year-old car that has spent its life in the Snow Belt versus one that has spent its life in the Sun Belt. The difference is startling.

Originally Posted by Atlanta_BD

The only people I've ever known to have access to car garages in Chicago are homeowners. When you're an apartment dweller, there are no garages or car ports in Chicago. In the warmer states the apartment complexes are often built with car ports. Chicago doesn't have apartment complexes so there's mostly only street parking unless you live in a house or high-rise that has parking. Maybe you should consider a high-rise or mid-rise that may have parking?

Other than that and outside living in the suburbs, what about just buying a car cover to put on your car if you are that concerned? I guess that would be a bit of a pain to do every day taking that thing on and off, especially during winter. But I don't know what other options you have to be honest unless you are ready to move into a house.

On the contrary, most 2- and 3-flats have garages behind them. The issue is that those spaces are either rented separately or the landlord uses it as storage space. If they're rented separately, there is often an existing lease on that space and it won't be immediately available to an incoming new building resident.

What's more, many complexes have off-street parking, particularly those built within the last 30 or 40 years. Obviously, the pre-war large complexes have little to no off-street parking, but a lot of the infill complexes and the post-war complexes in the outer neighborhoods have plenty of off-street parking. But in terms of sheltered parking... yeah, that's pretty rare for larger apartment complexes unless they're highrises, and that's a whole different ballgame.

The bottom line is the OP will have plenty of opportunities to find off-street and even sheltered parking, but (s)he needs to be prepared to pay extra and will quite likely find that sheltered spot on a different property than the one (s)he lives in.