RudyP

I see you are in Norcal - I had the Autostacker when I lived in San Diego and it was 3-4 years ago so I don't remember who did the install anyway.

Here in NorCal I have a four post challenger lift because my garage is too small for an autostacker. The guy who installed my lift up here is Jim Erwin at JCP Lifts. I don't know if he does Bendpak/Autostacker but he was very prompt to schedule and had the lift I needed in stock so he had me set up in just a couple of days instead of waiting 4-6 weeks for one delivered from the factory.

LRsCarreraS

Your’s Truly….💪

genebarlow

Love my auto stacker! I highly recommend the wider version....

azzurri

Hi guys...any new input on the Autostacker? Anyone else with any orders of this? Trying to compare this one for years to the 4 posts. Curious if anyone has other input of why this or the 4 post are better at this point?
Outside of cost of Autostacker, is there any other concern? Anyone have just the 110V one? I like the lack of volume (posts) when not up so has cleaner profile.

RudyP

I have had both - Autostacker in our house in San Diego (see pics above) and 4 post at our house here in NorCal.

Here are my quick summaries:
Autostacker advantages:

• Much easier to drive on/off since you don't need to mess with ramps. This reduces the time and effort and you use the lift more frequently meaning the upper car doesn't languish for weeks because of laziness of swapping cars
• Easy controls for up/down and locks are automatic
• Rock solid stability (but you do have to bolt it to the floor - and it is HEAVY)
• The whole deck has a bit of a slope to it which can help a bit with door/ceiling clearance as the car is at a slight angle
• No need to be very precise on car placement as it is a full drive on platform
• Control console can be placed wherever you want
• If you are not using the lift for a while (e.g., one of the cars is in the shop for a while), you leave the lift down and just use the spot as a regular parking spot with no tradeoffs. With a 4 post, you are better off leaving the lift up (with no car on it) and parking the remaining car underneath and you still have to deal with ducking your head when getting in and out.

4 post lift advantages:

• Cheaper
• You can find smaller footprint 4 posts making it easier to fit in a tight garage
• No scissor mechanism in the way of the lower car's door opening which makes getting in and out easier
• Most can work on 110V (or 220V)
• Can be used as a light duty working lift for things that don't require wheel removal (eg oil changes) and you can get a jack on there if needed. But for a real working lift you want a 2 post anyway

Both of my garages had physical size limitations (ceiling height & footprint) that drove the choices I made. If I had no constraints, I'd pick Autostacker over 4 post for the overall convenience benefit of just being able to drive on and off without using ramps.

azzurri

Thanks so much Rudy. Supports my considerations already. Would love to hear anyone else's opinions if able.
I really appreciate your response!

Chris M.

Thanks for the comparison. Which 4 post do you have?

Wudee

Anyone have experience with installing outdoor underground car lift and what that roughly costs?

bbs993tt

I would imagine the costs are going to vary greatly depending on things like soil conditions, excavation costs, water table depth and what you have to do to keep water out.

midcont

Not recommending one or the other but on my bendpak four post, I have enough garage length that the ramps are always in the down (ready to drive on) position. I have these C clamps that bendpak sells, but which i had remade slightly thicker, that hold the ramp flat so that at 6'2" I can walk upright under them. I don't have to touch the ramps for driving on or off.
That said I could see the advantage of not having columns to work around on the garage door side of the lifts.

Wudee

We made an offer on a different home where currently there is a swimming pool in the basement extending approx 7mtrs under the driveway. As I don't really see much use for a pool an idea is to change that into an underground parking for two cars and make into a nice man cave. I own a 991 GT3T and 718 Boxster GTS.

The beauty of having the pool is that the building work would be limited (in my non-builder mind) to opening up de roof of the basement.
No need to dig deeper for the lift, actually there would be less sand required to fill up the pool (lift needs 82cm deep hole to be installed)
Need drainage created where the liftopening would be.
Pool has separate fuse box etc so less work to upgrade electrics.

I made a quick call to a company that sells and installs lifts and was pretty shocked about the price for lift (75k USD). The guy suggested two lifts instead of one wider as that is more reliable and easier in operating. It would be a telescopic set up goor for 6tons. The price indicated would kill the idea for me as I find it disproportionate compared to other work we also need to do to the house.

I am keen to hear if anyone has experience with such a set-up and get a feel for options and pricing.


Thanks!

RudyP

It is a Challenger CL4P7 - basically the smallest footprint 4 post I could find. I have very limited space in my garages.

Very good point. I do not have enough room for that (see above) but for those who do, that is a significant convenience advantage.

SToronto

Do you track the Caymen, what track purpose mods did you do?

Curious as I'm at crossroads for a track car. I've tracked 981, 718 GT4 and 991.2 GT3. Sold my 718 GT4 this year. Thinking to build a Cayman track car (not race car) or get a 991.2 GT3RS should prices come off their inflated level.

Range 44

I love my autostacker. I got the wider model. It has worked great for me through many cars over the years. With the GT3 FAL is needed to not scrub or you can use some boards. I had to use these with my GT4. Definitely leave some room in the back for the overhang of the rear bumper and wing.

Chris M.

What’s your ceiling height?