Car storage

Bizarrely my wife has suggested we store one of our cars instead of selling it.

I’d prefer to choose a place that someone is happy to recommend rather than just picking one from Google so is anyone willing to recommend a storage firm within easy reach of either South East London or Newcastle?

It’s a McLaren 650s, so not crazy expensive but still something that needs to be safe.

A local lock-up would be fine, but being in the stickbroker belt may well cost more than a proper facility outside of London.

Yep I previously did that. I need storage too as I have just put a deposit on (yet!) another - house near the M25 but no new build flats where I am unfortunately.

Make sure it's dry wherever you decide to store it. Damp in the air is a killer on an unused car.

You are not being paranoid. I rented a secure lock up last autumn and it has been money well spent. It’s a little bit on the expensive side but it’s very secure, new modern units with electricity included in the price and it’s worry free.

Which part of the council did you speak to to get that?

I’ve found that people who live in gated communities in London often have quite nice cars themselves and are respectful towards other people’s vehicles. It also helps having CCTV and a concierge on site where I park.

We rented a council garage years ago and getting it required nothing more than filling in an application form and depositing it at the town hall. I'd imagine such things are done on the internet these days, so would suggest looking for 'garages' on the local authority's website.

You'll face several issues with the council route, however:

1) If memory serves, one has to reside in the same local authority area as the garage itself.

2) Competition for lockups is fierce and there is a waiting list for them in many places. We had to wait at least a year to get ours.

3) Expect any council garage to be on the primitive side. Most were built in the sixties and few have been improved since then.

4) You probably won't have any choice as to where said lockup is, in the sense of the actual road.

5) Lockups are becoming fewer and further between, especially in London and the South East. Developers like buying garage blocks as brownfield sites and cash-strapped councils love to sell them for the same reason.

Having said all that, there are still decent council garages about the place and hiring ours was a pain-free experience.

That’s the sort of thing I’m looking for but it’s too far away. Ideally I’d like something no more than twenty minutes away from SE London or Newcastle.

I assume you mean Newcastle-Upon-Tyne rather than Under-Lyme but if but does happen to be the latter I can possibly assist.