In the 1950s the family car held an esteemed place in the driveways and in the garages of the typical American family. Soldiers returning home from World War II brought passion and energy back with them and they used that passion to create a whole new generation of children who would affectionately come to be known as the Baby Boomers. The average American family took pride in their country, in their neighborhoods and in their homes. New homes and subdivisions sprung up seemingly overnight as families grew quickly. Automobile production was ramped up as it took the place of the weapons manufacturing that had been necessary for the war. Factories and assembly lines churned tirelessly as new automobiles made their way into the lives of those who still held the vision of the American Dream. Owning a car suddenly became affordable enough for most American families. The family car was a measure of success, and America was going places.

Piling up in the family car just to take a drive was exciting back then. Road trips, family vacations and long drives in the country became well loved family bonding times. Children gazed with serene anticipation out the back window on their way to the local soda shop, while Mom and Dad smoked cigarettes, one after the other, with all of the windows rolled up. The kids sat in the backseat just taking in the passing view, tuning out as Dad drove along and talked about work and Mom listened quietly. There were no seat belt laws back then, no child safety seats and only a couple of clear stations to choose from on the AM radio. It was rare for a family to own more than one car, for there did not seem to be much of a need for it at the time. Women settled nicely into the role of wife and mother and their focus was on taking care of the home and family, while Dad, the provider, went to work each day.

Flash forward fifty years and you will find that the standard American family is rapidly becoming nonexistent. Our country and our world have gotten smaller as the population has grown and the Internet has brought information from every part of the globe right up to our fingertips. There is no typical, anymore. Society is different. Everything has evolved, and that includes our vehicles and the ways in which we use them.

Most individuals over the age of 17 years old own a car here in America, and if they do not, they strive to make that a reality. Cars have changed with the times, and all of the bells and whistles that come with modern automobiles are a high tech testament to how far removed from the 1950s we have traveled. With built in video game systems and mp3 players, ports to plug your laptop into, automated driving direction gadgets, pop out seats, adjustable everything and airbags on every side of us, our cars today are overloaded. The only thing missing from cars nowadays is the ash tray. They no longer come standard because of the now well known dangers of cigarette smoking. Yes, times have changed that much!

Driving down any highway in any city in the Unites States you rarely see a car with more than one person in it. Huge SUVs cruise the roads burning fuel that could be carrying eight people to their destination, yet are occupied by only one solitary person on her way to work. Our roadways and our planet have been taken over by cars. Families typically have 2-3 cars or more, depending on the number of teenagers living in the household at the time.

The assumption now, as opposed to the family centered attitude of days gone by, is that everyone in the household has their own agenda. To be able to get everyone in the household to all of the places that they need to go, enough cars need to be available to make that happen. If you are old enough to drive and have a license, chances are you have your own vehicle. We seem to live in a solitary society now. The emphasis is often more on the individual, not on the collective group. Yes, there are still plenty of families that spend plenty of family time together. But now they just have to decide whether they are going to take Moms car or Dads car to get there.

Of course there are other reasons why people might own more than one vehicle besides the necessity of each parent having their own car to get them to work or to school. Car enthusiasts are buying up the testosterone laden muscle cars that they remember from their youth and restoring them to their previous luster. Collectors go in search of that perfect fixer upper and then spend a great deal of time and money restoring it. It is not uncommon to see these hot and beefy cars, souped up and charging down the road, with a fifty five year old Grandfather at the wheel who still feels eighteen every time he hears that engine rev up and come to life.

A spare car is now commonplace in our society. With gas prices as high as they are and apparently no relief in sight, many people are choosing to purchase hybrids or more economical vehicles and as a result their gas guzzling trucks and SUVs do not get as much use unless they need to haul or move something large that can not fit into their economy car. It seems that there is often a need for a car storage unit that serves as an extra garage for all of these spare vehicles. This is a growing trend in the industry and is beginning to catch on.

There are many reasons why people choose to rent or use a car storage unit . For instance, if a household has more cars than will fit in their garage, or if they do not have a garage at all, a nearby car storage unit can be used to hold one or more of their vehicles. A car storage unit can also serve as an excellent holding area for tractors and trailers when they are not in use.

In large metropolitan areas, parking on the street or in public parking garages can be just as expensive as the rent that they pay for an apartment or brownstone in the city. In large cities, parking is a huge expense. Renting a car storage unit is a much more economical way of storing your vehicle, especially when you only use your car to drive outside of the city. As long as you are in the city it is worth the effort to take advantage of public transportation simply because it is so much easier and more cost effective than dealing with traffic and outrageous parking fees.

Another reason that people might rent a car storage unit is that it serves as a place to store their snow plows, riding lawn mowers, dune buggies and RVs during off season or cold months. This is such a sensible alternative, especially if you live in a neighborhood that has ordinances against parking and storing RVs, boats, and other large vehicles on your property or in your yard. Many cities have adopted these ordinances to maintain a clean, uniform appearance throughout the neighborhood as well as to keep old, broken down cars off of the streets and out of the yards.

It is also true that sometimes people just can not resist a good deal when they find one. Impulse buys make up for a pretty big chunk of purchases in our country. Every once in a while an opportunity just falls in your lap that you simply can not say no to. Once you have bought a car just because it was too good of a deal to pass up, for instance if you know your teen daughter will soon be driving and the perfect opportunity comes along for you to get her a good, inexpensive vehicle, you are going to have to put it somewhere until the time comes that it will be used. A car storage unit will serve clients well in this capacity.

In addition, a car storage unit is perfect for business men and women who will be traveling for extended periods of time and want to maintain the safety and security of their vehicles while they are away. It does not make sense to have your car parked out on the street for months at a time if no one is going to be there to drive it. Potential predators will notice that the car has not been moved for some time and the security of your vehicle will be at risk of theft or vandalism. It is best to keep the vehicle out of harms way. There is less worry for you in the long run, and the cost of a car storage unit is worth the peace of mind that you will feel.

Military personnel who have been called overseas to serve our country are another sector of the population who can benefit from the use of a car storage unit to keep their cars and trucks safe and secure until they are home again, safe and sound. Still another reason that a car storage unit may be rented temporarily is in the event that a person is selling one of their vehicles. The space can be used as a showplace where potential buyers can come and meet the seller, see the car and perhaps find one of those too good to be true deals for themselves.

Baby Boomers may be old enough to have grandkids of their own now, but that does not stop them from buying and restoring the muscle cars and sports cars that they dreamt about as young men and women. A car storage unit serves as a spare garage for their personal collections. This keeps their showpiece cars clean and safe from the elements as well as from animals, children on bikes, vandals and thieves.

Leaving a car outdoors in the open air for extended periods of time can be damaging in many ways, especially if the vehicle is not being driven on a regular basis. When a car is inactive, the parts and mechanisms will begin to deteriorate after a while. If left out in the rain, the upholstery can become musty and moldy if there is too much moisture in the air. Weather can also cause the rusting of metal and salt that is used for ice control in the frozen winter months can ruin the finish on your car even if the car is parked off of the street. The heat of the sun in the summer causes paint to crack and blister, and hail from crazy and unexpected thunder storms will dent anything that it touches. That does not even come close to what a tornado will do to your car if you happen to be unlucky enough to experience that! It is important, as a collector of fine cars, that you keep your vehicles safely stored indoors and out of harms way. A car storage unit can prevent your car from being damaged by Mother Nature and her occasional temper tantrums.

The benefits of using a car storage unit fully outweigh the price that one would pay for the rental of the space, and it is easy to see why classic and antique car collectors will go the extra mile to keep their investments safe. A car storage unit is secure and affordable, especially when you consider the cost of the vehicle itself and the money and time that you have lovingly spent on your hobby.

There are some companies that offer rental of a car storage unit in addition to maintenance plans for the vehicle that is stored there. Do a quick Internet search on the term car storage unit and you will find directories of all kinds that offer information on local and regional car storage unit rentals and facilities. You will find a number of companies that specialize in maintaining your classic or antique car or your very expensive automobiles, and they provide a regular round of services when you rent their car storage unit. These services vary according to the company, but they can include starting the car every week or two and letting it run for a minute to circulate the fluids through the engine and make certain that the battery does not go dead, as well as periodically rotating the tires on your car to insure proper balance and keep the tires from going flat. In addition, some of these companies offer a climate controlled car storage unit that is dehumidified so virtually no moisture will be present and able to enter your vehicle while it is being held there.

Though some companies that offer car storage unit rental do have general liability insurance that covers your vehicle in the event of damage while at their facility, it is recommended that while you store your car, you keep your insurance coverage active. Many insurance companies offer a reduced rate of insurance if they are aware that the vehicle is not being driven. Contact your auto insurance provider and check out what they can do to adjust your insurance rates if you choose to store one or more vehicles for extended periods of time in a car storage unit .

Before you check out a car storage unit rental for your extra and unused vehicles, you may want to make a note of the requirements that most companies that offer car storage unit services will ask for before holding your vehicles. The documents that you are required to present to them ahead of time are a drivers license, or some other kind if legal photo ID, proof of ownership of the vehicle, such as a copy of the title and registration and possibly the name, address and phone number of the nearest relative that does not live with you, or some other contact, in case of emergency. Of course, you will also provide a spare set of car keys to the company when you leave your vehicle there. Companies that offer car storage unit rentals have many different rates and plans available. Some have long term contracts to sign while others will let you pay on a monthly basis for more short term usage. Call or go online to find out more information about companies in your area that can assist you.

Our cars are like big, colorful works of art. They are like extensions of us. With relative ease, they carry us safely to our destinations, provide personal shelter and give us the freedom to roam and go anywhere we see fit to go. Our cars even seem to be extensions of our personalities. Whether we drive a huge pick up truck, a small hybrid compact or a sleek and fast speedster, what we drive says a lot about who we are, what we do and what our priorities are. It is well worth the time and effort that is required to take care of the cars that take care of us and that do so much more for us than simply get us from point A to point B.