The Next Real Estate Frontier: Car Condos?

With the housing market faltering, developers are eyeing an emerging and lucrative market: luxurious garages for expensive cars.

1 minute read

October 14, 2007, 1:00 PM PDT

By Michael Dudley


"Obviously, a public parking structure or a dusty warehouse is the wrong place to store that 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300SL coupe you picked up for $350,000 at the auction.

The solution could be a car condo.

Imagine a garage with a bathroom, a wet bar, no oil stains on the floor and security guards 24/7. With a concierge who will arrange your next service appointment. With a private rooftop club where you can share a bottle of wine and talk cars with fellow collectors.

All for the cost of a modest single-family home.

As the market for human housing falters, developers around the country are pushing ahead with plans to build homes for four-wheeled investments. The projects are being marketed as part-garage, part-home away from home, part-clubhouse for car nuts.

The standard unit at Luxury on Main will comfortably house four vehicles. Two to four more can be stacked vertically.

Those who want to go the extra mile -- and spend the extra dollars -- can customize their condos with decorating schemes offered by GarageMahal, an Arizona company that specializes in indulgent interior designs for garages.

Interior design packages at Luxury on Main start at $60 a square foot and go up from there. Options range from Art Deco classic to gas station modern to just about anything you can imagine."

Saturday, October 6, 2007 in The Los Angeles Times

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Use Code 25for25 at checkout for 25% off an annual plan!

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

May 7, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Person in yellow safety suit and white helmet kneels to examine water samples outdoors on a lake shore.

USGS Water Science Centers Targeted for Closure

If their work is suspended, states could lose a valuable resource for monitoring, understanding, and managing water resources.

May 1, 2025 - Inside Climate News

Wide suburban road with landscaped median and light pole banners advertising local amphitheater.

End Human Sacrifices to the Demanding Gods of Automobile Dependency and Sprawl

The U.S. has much higher traffic fatality rates than peer countries due to automobile dependency and sprawl. Better planning can reduce these human sacrifices.

April 29, 2025 - Todd Litman

Close-up of pug dog sitting on woman's lap on city bus.

Seattle Transit Asked to Clarify Pet Policy

A major dog park near a new light rail stop is prompting calls to update and clarify rules for bringing pets on Seattle-area transit systems.

May 9 - The Urbanist

Modular home being lifted with crane.

Oregon Bill Would End Bans on Manufactured Housing

The bill would prevent new developments from prohibiting mobile homes and modular housing.

May 9 - Oregon Capital Chronicle

Two people on Nashville BCycle bike share wearing helmets loking out over railing at downtown skyline.

Nashville Doesn’t Renew Bike Share Contract, Citing Lost Federal Funding

The city’s bike share system, operated by BCycle, could stop operating if the city doesn’t find a new source of funding.

May 9 - WKRN

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.