Bulletin E-Edition:
more photosBill Zilk, left, and Steve McGhehey, partners in the Classic Garage Condominium Association Inc. in Sisters, stand behind Zilk’s 1963 Porsche 356B, a vintage car that he has owned since 1963, he said. The car, which has about 160,000 miles on it, is valued at about $40,000, Zilk said.
Melissa Jansson / The Bulletin
Classic-car condos
New garage and auto club caters to out-of-town enthusiasts
By Jeff McDonald / The Bulletin
Published: October 10. 2008 4:00AM PSTVintage car lovers — who are often picky about where to store their toys — have another storage option in Central Oregon.
Bill Zilk and Steve McGhehey, both car enthusiasts and vintage car owners, have developed the Classic Garage, a project in Sisters that allows owners of fancy cars to buy or lease their own garage.
The assortment of cars in the gated, locked and heavily monitored facility in the Sisters Industrial Park includes a vintage 1966 Mustang convertible, a 1972 Corvette and Zilk’s 1963 Porsche, said Zilk, a partner in the Classic Garage Condominium Association Inc.
“Many people have more cars than they have garage space for,” he said. “We’re trying to appeal to those people that need extra room for their cars.”
The garage will cater to wealthy owners of second homes who live outside the area but need a secure place to stash their wheels when they leave Central Oregon, Zilk said.
“The majority of people who have purchased or leased already are from outside the area — from Corvallis, Portland and Las Vegas,” he said. “They are people who have vacation homes here and like to have a car to drive without having to drive their vintage cars over the mountain passes.”
Since starting sales about six weeks ago, the partners have sold eight of 36 units in the Classic Garage for $29,500 each, Zilk said. Five of the units also have been leased, Zilk said.
Introductory leasing rates are $150 on a month-to-month lease and $120 per month for a one-year lease, he said.
Individual units are available in either 240- or 480-square-foot configurations, Zilk said.
“We are figuring that over time those garages are going to appreciate. Otherwise, you’re just throwing away your money” (by leasing), Zilk said.
“It’s a pretty good buy because you can’t build a garage of that quality when you consider the land costs and the building costs.”
The project cost about $800,000 to develop, Zilk said.
In Bend, there are at least two other places to store vintage or collector cars.
Members of Club Carrera can rent shared space in a warehouse setting, said Dan Horton, general manager of Carrera Motors.
There’s also a social membership — which does not include a spot in the warehouse but includes wine-tasting events, test drives at Portland International Raceway and other driving events — for locals who are enthusiasts of European cars, Horton said.
Horton would not disclose rental or membership costs due to the private nature of the club, he said.
“It’s a club whose members share common interests in any kind of specialty car,” Horton said. “The club is not just for storage, although that’s available.”
In north Bend, the GarajMahal is a four-building, 60-unit condominium storage facility for RVs, boats and fancy cars, said Michael Nyberg, a broker with Steve Larsen Properties.
The project, which has 12 reservations, is in final development and cannot sell individual units until permits have been issued, Nyberg said. Unit owners are able to customize their units — measuring 392 to 700 square feet — with such accessories as stainless steel cabinets, epoxy flooring or other gear options.
The units will be priced between $63,583 and $110,417, according to Nyberg.
“There’s absolutely demand for something like this,” Nyberg said. “But that being said, any time you’re in a market like we are in now, buyers are going to take a hard look at how they spend their money.”
Buyers of the 240- and 480-square-foot heated garage spaces in Sisters also pay $30 monthly association dues and have access to the facility’s club room and heated car wash, Zilk said.
In addition, McGhehey owns an adjacent business that restores cars, Redstone Restoration LLC, which also will provide detailing and maintenance services, Zilk said.
“We want to coordinate this so that the guy in Portland — coming over to stay in Central Oregon — can call ahead,” he said. “Redstone Restoration can open up the guy’s garage and service his car, and have it ready for him when he gets here.”
Jeff McDonald can be reached at 541-383-0323 or at jmcdonald@bendbulletin.com.
ARTICLE ACCESS: This article is among those available to all readers. Many more articles are available only to E-Edition members. Sign up today!
blog comments powered by Disqus
