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How does the garage system in GTA V work? It feels kinda inconsistent at the moment

  • Will the car I leave at my home garage be saved or will it always be replaced with the "Standard-Car" from the character?
  • How do the additional garages work?
  • If I have car and tune it (--> spending much money into) and then I use and lose it on the way (for example if I have to chase someone on foot) will it be lost forever??

edit:

  • Whats the point of the depot where you can get some cars back? On what does it depend that a car will be stored there?
l I
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Toby
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  • I am thinking the car you put in your garage will be the same car you get when you go back. At least this was my experience playing last night... until I got killed and lost my car to impound :( – Ryan Sep 18 '13 at 12:35
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    Well I read in an article (from a german pc-magazin), that it will always bring back the "standard-car" to the garage of the person you play (For francis that would be that thing which looks a bit i like a Mustang) - If theres any interest I can translate that few lines where they stated this – Toby Sep 18 '13 at 12:45
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    Don't park your standard car in the garage! If you do that, the standard car will hog up space which could've been used for storing another car. Should you ever lose your standard car, you will always find it close to your garage, unless it's already parked inside. I don't know what'll happen if the standard car is customized, however... – Nolonar Sep 18 '13 at 17:36
  • One thing I have noticed is sometimes the game doesn't save the car in the garage. I tried this twice (quite an expensive task) - I had the Bugatti looking car fully upgraded that I purchased over the net, - I stored it in Michael's garage, - Saved the game When I went back to the garage however, the car was gone - It didn't save the car even though I saved the game straight away after putting it in the Garage. I think it may be some sort of a glitch. Just be wary. –  Sep 19 '13 at 03:59
  • This would also support the statement, that only the "special" garages (not the ones at the safe houses) can store and save the cars... as I said I'm gonna try that later, but right now I am at work – Toby Sep 19 '13 at 09:50
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    I found the way around the glitch. Every car you save in your garage or customize can only be impounded once. After retrieving your car for that one time, you need to save in your garage and take it out again, otherwise it will be lost forever. Keep it mind that the impound place can hold up to two cars, so don't let them stay there forever. –  Sep 19 '13 at 07:57
  • My experience is that cars I saved with Trevor and Franklin disappeared, but a car I saved at Micheal's safe house garage didn't disappear. (Could be a glitch, but that seems unreal when they invested over $200,000,000 in the game.) I think there is a difference between stealing and buying a car 'cause if there wasn't, why should you buy a car instead of stealing it? What I'm planning to do is to save my game into a second slot and just try some things out. –  Sep 19 '13 at 19:21
  • What I do is this: I steal a car that I want, go to ls customs, then park it in a garage that's not a safehouse (the one that you press right to enter). I then take it back out of the garage and do whatever with it. Then if I need to get a car, it goes to the impound, and I get it out for 250. I put it back into the garage and take it back out to make sure it's saved. I've had this car since the start of the game and have never lost it. It's my fully-tuned new version of cavelcade that looks like an Escalade in metallic blue. It looks awesome. –  Sep 19 '13 at 14:43
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    In reference to your comments about the cars disappearing from michaels house, your family tends to steal them. I had a fully modded mini cooper and put it in the garage and came back and it was gone. I had the same concern until one time it was sitting in the driveway (same one) and i watched michaels daughter get in the car and drive around in it. I followed her and eventually she brought it home. –  Sep 19 '13 at 20:26
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    *Good news, everyone!* If you customize your standard car and somehow "lose" it, it will be back near your garage (not inside it) with all customization intact! So don't hesitate to invest in your one car and don't hesitate to use it like a cannonball ;) – Nolonar Sep 21 '13 at 11:37
  • I just had my standard car replaced by a police car that I stored in the garage, sudenly having 2 police cars (Franklin). Garrages in GTA were always weird, but GTA5 takes it up one level. – Tomáš Zato Jul 11 '19 at 12:45

2 Answers2

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If you park a car in the garage, it will be saved there. Your standard car will always be available nearby if it is not in the garage. Parking in the garage will save that car and you can access there unless you left it somewhere else.

Taken from the manual:

Player characters can own any vehicle in [GTA V] as long they have appropriate storage for it. To purchase a new car they must first own a garage ... If a vehicle is destroyed it will reappear at any residential property that the character owns with a garage (note that this does not include safe houses). If an owned vehicle is lost, stolen or abandoned, it will be impounded. To retrieve impounded vehicles the character must pay a find of $250 and collect the vehicle

Son of a Sailor
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    So this means the standard car will always be available while all other cars are handled like in the old GTA, which means I can park and save them in my garage, but when I trash them somewhere in the open they're lost together with their upgrades? – Toby Sep 18 '13 at 19:34
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    And whats the point of this depot where sometimes a car of yours is stored? – Toby Sep 18 '13 at 19:59
  • @Toby I got a "special car" in that depot (only accessible when pressing Right on the D-Pad). Not sure why, possibly a DLC or a "reward for signing up on Rockstar Social Club". – Nolonar Sep 18 '13 at 21:05
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    @Toby I edited my answer. If you own the car, (Have parked it in the garage) then you should be able to retrieve it. I haven't had a chance to play with this in game yet. – Son of a Sailor Sep 18 '13 at 21:24
  • @sommerjj Ok dat edit brings up some light - but those that mean I have to buy a car to own it? Or can i steal a car and bring it in one of those garages and then it will also be saved? And how do I buy cars? ^_^ – Toby Sep 18 '13 at 21:24
  • @Toby Can't help you there as I haven't played enough yet. I stole a GT and garaged at as Michael. It would pop up next to his signature car but I later lost it stealing a van. When I play again I'll check and see if I can get it back from the impound. I have no clue how you buy a car, yet. – Son of a Sailor Sep 18 '13 at 21:28
  • @sommerjj Yeah but that fits to the part where it says "You need a garage (Not safehouse garage!)" to save the car. Maybe I can try that out tomorrow, but I don't know how I can get the 30k to unlock the grove street garage ^^ – Toby Sep 18 '13 at 21:31
  • Wow, if this is true, then it would be much easier to just steal a car instead of buying it. Basically a car you own will always end up in impound. Which makes it a hassle to get back. Would not be worth it imo. Allthough I'm thinking now that always blowing up your car when u leave it (ie. for a mission) would make it respawn at your garage. Weird how they implemented this, I would just expect a bought car would spawn at owned garages and safehouses and always respawn when lost or abandoned. If it doesn't, then I don't see the point of spending big bucks for buying or upgrading it. – Maurice Sep 24 '13 at 17:52
  • If you lose it in any way, either abandoning it or destroying it, it gets impounded – Son of a Sailor Sep 24 '13 at 20:31
  • I think my "auntie" (or mom?) will sometimes take my car because early on in the game while playing as Franklin, the car (a white Charger or something?) was gone after I left on foot and then came back to the house. And the auntie was also gone. – TylerH Nov 26 '21 at 21:23
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All cars can be stored in garages. The standard car will always reappear near the safehouse.

I had times where my stored car disappeared and got replaced by my standard car (both Michael and Franklin). Of course, there is a possibility this was because a mission replaced said car early in the game, or I genuinely forgot the car somewhere else (hopefully the latter of the two).

The garages not tied to the safehouses work the same way, but you are able to access a special car (I have Special Edition, but this is likely for every version of the game).

Air fields should work the same way, unless they work like helipads (can be tested with another plane). Helipads MIGHT be able to store more than one helicopter. I am not sure of this.

After the IAA abduction mission, I flew back to Trevor's airfield/helipad storage area with the Frogger helicopter from said mission. I landed nearby, since the spot was already taken by another Frogger, however, before this mission, the helipad was empty: this was my first time flying a helicopter.

Going near the helipad, the game gave me the option to "switch helicopters" with the right DPad, however, the only choice available was the Frogger. This got rid of my other Frogger, right before my eyes.

I flew around with the spawned Frogger and came back, to see a completely different Frogger spawn. So I think that option was to set which one spawned. No other garage so far has given me that option, and I do not know how to add more helicopters to the spawning option.

Andrew
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