Bob D.

After a long wait, I recently had installed a lift in my garage.

Although of course the lift can be used for working on the car, in my case the primary reason to buy one was to gain parking space. We have four cars and a two car garage, and live in an area with strict zoning restrictions, so to gain shelter for my babies the lift was the only option. After living with it for almost two weeks now, I must say I am happy. Decent lifts are not cheap, but compared to the cost of construction or many Porsche mods, not bad either.

I am getting spoiled quickly. Yesterday I waxed my car and just pushed a button to keep whatever section of the car I was working on at perfect height. Downside is you see how really dirty your "clean" car is down low and underneath.

Anyway, a parking lift is an option to consider for you fellow space-starved car nuts. All you need for ceiling height is the height of the two cars, plus about 8 inches. Some people install cut-outs in their ceilings to gain needed clearance, but luckily I didn't have to mess with that.

Here is the 993 resting comfortably above its elderly air-cooled relative, a great vehicle but missing about 210 HP versus the 993.

FlyYellow

how much was the lift?

DJF1

great stuff Bob. Please do tell more!

Bob D.

OK, will post more photos when I get the chance.

John, it is indeed a single-post lift. Some people are a bit freaked out by it at first, because it looks like the car is suspended in the air! VERY sturdy, though. I am in the habit of backing the 993 into my garage, so the post does not interfere, but if you wanted to pull in, the ramps are long enough that you could pull enough forward or back of the post to get out.

Boris, you can get a decent 4-post lift for $2,000. I seriously considered one for that price. They plug into standard 110 outlets, and some are even on wheels so you can roll them out into the driveway on a sunny day to work on your car. I have an acquaintance who does just that.

In the end I went overkill, though, and got the single-post model (wanted maximum room and maneuverability in the garage, and feared wife would crash into the posts!) and extra-high 7,000 lb. capacity in case I bought an SUV somewhere down the road. I also got a custom, higher height rather than standard. All these features raised the price to about $5,000 including shipping, professional installation, tax, etc. A "basic" single-post would have cost about $4,000 for everything. But again, a 4-post is a lot cheaper and you give up little.

Whatever style, I really like lifts as a solution for car storage and tinkering.

mlincoln

How much headroom should one allow for this sort of arrangement when building? I suppose required headroom depends in great measure upon the height of the Porsche plus that of the car beneath (i.e., less required when the lower car is a Corvette than if it is a VW bus).

Given the variability of others' car heights, do you have any general advice (e.g., car 1 + car 2 + 10 inches for the equipment, plus 4 inches for middle and top end clearance)? Also, do these lifts have "stops" so you don't accidentally jack your 993 into the rafters (crunch!@)?

FWIW I have a VW bus too, but it is a somewhat newer 87 Synchro (4WD) Camper (85 inches high). I've always wanted a type I or type II bus like yours.

Mike

seege

This is a great way to use unused existing space. I would do this also as these lifts have come down in price but since my roof is slanted I only have enough clearance on one side of the garage so the lift would'nt clear my garage door.....back to the drawing board.

MarkPcar

Bob, what company did you buy from?

Bob D.

Mike, you don't even need as much height as you are thinking, these units are pretty efficient in terms of space consumption. My ceiling is 13' 8" or so, and even with an extra-high lift I have space left over. Any of the lift web sites, including the one referenced below, will have information on how to calculate ceiling height requirements. If you are building new, I would optimize not only height, but floor strength/structure as well. You can stop the lift at any point while raising or lowering, and there are also "hard stops" you can activate every few inches on the way down. If your lift height would allow the car to hit the ceiling (mine doesn't) you would just use an index mark on the riser. (Oh, and as you may know, the Synchro Westy is the 993 Turbo S of the VW bus world --very desirable and commanding quite a premium over other models. So even though Type IIs are lovable beasts and quite addicting, I can't feel too sorry for you! )

Seege, if your wallet is thick enough, I have the perfect--albeit somewhat weird-- solution: the "phantom" or crypt type vault. Very spooky, it stores the car in a crypt-type space underground : http://www.aclifts.com/Parking/PSS-7.asp

Mark, I used American Custom Lifts. I contacted eight or ten lift vendors, and got the best impression from American Custom. Brad Davis there was very responsive, friendly and knowledgeable. Beware, this seemed the exception rather than the rule among lift vendors I contacted—many seemed fly-by-night or indifferent to customer service. As always, YMMV, but I was happy with my experience.

seege

Bob
That crypt thing is a pretty good idea-and would also make a decent wine cellar or dungeon. But for the money I could get a good start on a new garage I think.