I've never head anyone say - "We have too much garage space". Garage space is relatively inexpensive compared to sq/ft costs of a home. You don't have to heat it or carpet it or furnish it. The extra cost will be for the extended slab, walls, roof and door. Be careful you don't shrink your garage too much. A Miata is what you have now, but what if you want to buy something else down the road? Remember, too, to allow space to get in, out and walk around your vehicles. It's amazing how big a car becomes once it is in an enclosed space. Especially trucks or SUVs with oversized mirrors. A too small garage can become a daily source of irritation - not to mention the possibility of damaging your cars if you can't open the doors without hitting the wall or another car. If you plan to have a yard, you'll need someplace to store tools and mowers and such as well. Be sure and engineer the trusses/joists above the garage to support the extra weight of your bonus room floor and the storage space.

When you speak of Camaros, the 69 is usually the one folks really go for. One reason is there were more 69's made than any other year. They were in production for a year and a half while GM tooled up for the 70 and the huge body style change from 69 to 70. The 1970 is technically the 70.5 but most no one ever refers to it as such any more. There is also the mild difference in taste mentioned in the above post. The 69 is a little longer, flatter looking, than the 67 and 68 was. Someone mentioned trying to find a car from the SW as well to keep the rust issue down. That is great advice also. My 67 came from Georgia and I have a pretty decent body on mine, the body was my biggest concern. If you are looking for a driver and not a numbers matching car, then you can always pick up a crate engine and drop in. All F Bodies (Camaros and Firebirds) have some common rust areas that are more susceptiable to rust. Look carefully at the area around the back glass, lower front quarter pannels and lower portion of the rear quarter pannels. You will most likely find some metal repair, bondo or rust in those places. As for handling and stopping, many are converting Corvette disc brake systems now to put on their 1st generation F Body cars. There are also a ton of suspension upgrades you can do to make the car drive and handle much more like a modern car. On my 67 Camaro, I'm most likely going to do a brake upgrade in the future, but I personally like the raw, performance feel of the original type of suspension and handling. I can go on for hours on this subject, they others are giving good advice on this as well. Bottom line, do your home work, and make sure to fatten up your bank account because this isn't a cheap hobby by any means. It does help to find a club as well. You can get lots of advice, some education on repairs and the cars as well. Plus having a couple of buddys help with the heavy work involved is something invaluable! I'm President of a NC/SC car club that is GM only. Feel free to contact me if you have any other questions. I'm always glad to help a fellow car enthusist who is looking to learn!

Sorry about your fire. What a terrible situation but I'm glad the damage wasn't more extensive. Something you need to consider when you think about enclosing a carport is building codes. Adding a door makes it an enclosed space and you may need to add 5/4" drywall that is taped and mudded, along with a self closing fire rated door if it leads into the house. Your city's code enforcement office will be able to give you details as to what exactly needs to be done.

Not enough info. to make a decision. How many times a week/month do you use it? can you park a car for free? if you only need to use every once in a while just rent....