Nobody sets out to store a car. It happens because something changed: a third driver in the house, a deployment, a project that stalled, a garage that filled up with everything except vehicles. Then the car ends up on the street or in the side yard, and a Bakersfield summer starts doing slow, expensive damage to it.
Below: the car storage options in Bakersfield, what Valley conditions do to a parked car, and how to tell which kind of storage your situation calls for.
They're different problems, and they need different answers.
People underestimate this part, because none of it happens overnight. Over a summer or two, parking outside in the southern Valley leads to:
A car cover helps a little, but it traps dust and moisture against the paint if it goes on a dirty car. A carport blocks overhead sun and nothing from the sides. Neither comes close to four walls and a roof.
There are five realistic places to keep a car you aren't driving. From least to most protection:
Which one is right depends on why you're storing the car and for how long:
| If this is you | What you actually need |
| Parking a work truck or an older beater off the street for a while | An outdoor space solves the parking problem for the least money, and that's a legitimate choice |
| Storing a daily driver for a few weeks | Covered is fine for a short stretch; enclosed is better if it spans a Valley summer |
| A project, a classic, a show car or anything with paint you care about | Enclosed, and insulated if you can get it. This isn't a close call |
| Gone for months with nobody checking on it | Enclosed and secured: gated access, cameras, lighting, and a door only you open |
| Several vehicles at once | One larger enclosed unit, which is usually cheaper and simpler than several separate spaces |
Anything over a couple of months is worth a short routine. Add fuel stabilizer to what's in the tank, change the oil before it sits rather than after, inflate the tires to the top of the recommended range to slow flat-spotting, clean out the interior so nothing organic is left inside, and wash and dry the exterior so dust doesn't get ground in. If it'll sit for months, leave the parking brake off and chock the wheels instead.
For the battery, Elite's units have 120-volt outlets, so a battery maintainer is an option while the car sits. Mention it when you reserve so the office can confirm. If you'd rather not leave anything plugged in, disconnect the negative terminal before you lock up.
Elite RV & Storage rents enclosed, insulated, drive-up units at 8700 Scobee Street, by the Walmart on Gosford between White Lane and Panama Lane. That's roughly five to ten minutes from southwest Bakersfield and a straight run down Gosford from Rosedale and the northwest.
To be upfront: these are large units. Even the smallest is about the footprint of a two-car garage. That makes them a strong fit for several vehicles, a project car with room to walk around it, or a car plus everything that goes with it. It's more space than someone storing a single compact for a month needs. Storage facilities in Bakersfield compared lays out which type suits which situation.
If it's a collection rather than a car, luxury garage storage covers that directly. For anything trailered or oversized, see oversized vehicle storage.
There are three practical options: an outdoor or covered space at a vehicle storage lot, a standard self-storage unit if the car is small enough and the door is tall enough, or an enclosed drive-up unit built for vehicles. For anything whose condition you care about, enclosed is worth paying for in this climate.
Yes, and it's common. What makes it safe is the specifics: an enclosed unit with its own door, gated access, recording cameras and lighting, plus basic prep before the car sits (fuel stabilizer, correct tire pressure, a clean interior and a plan for the battery).
That depends on the vehicle and whether you want to walk around it or open the doors inside. What size storage unit fits a car works through the measurements, and the size calculator gives a recommendation in about a minute.
Active climate control usually isn't what a car needs. Direct sun, sustained heat and blowing dust do the damage here, and an enclosed, insulated space handles all three far better than an open lot or an uninsulated metal shell. Elite's units are insulated, not climate controlled.
Yes, and it's often the cheaper way to do it. Every unit at Elite is 20 feet wide, so two cars fit side by side in the smallest size and the longer units hold more. Tell us how many cars and how long they are, and we'll help you pick a unit.
As long as you need. Terms are month to month, which works for six weeks or two years without committing you to either.
No. Elite allows no work on vehicles in the units, and that includes oil, antifreeze and other fluids. Minor non-vehicle work inside a unit is fine. Can you work on your car in a storage unit explains why and covers where to do the work instead.
Yes. Units have 120-volt outlets and fluorescent lighting.
If a car has spent a Bakersfield summer on the street or in the side yard, moving it indoors is the cheapest preservation work you'll ever do on it. Check current promotions, reserve online, or contact us and we'll help you pick a unit, or tell you honestly if a smaller facility closer to your house is the better fit.
