GTA V: I hope this heads-up will save someone a lot of wasted (actual) time and (virtual) money [View all]

Possible SPOILERS below (unless you've already completed 21 percent of the game. If you've passed 21 percent, then they're not spoilers)...

I'll tell you the "what" (non-spoiler), then the "why" (spoilers) further down this page.

Here's how I wasted a whole bunch of time and money during the first 21 percent of my first play-through (I'm planning to start over from the beginning):

I upgraded two character's cars, spending each of their savings, thinking these vehicles would be safe in the character's safe-house garages. (After all, the game tells you to store your vehicles there, and it is a safe-house, so the player will naturally feel like the safe-house garage is a good place to store a vehicle they've invested a lot in.)

These vehicles are not safe in the safe-house garages. Do not upgrade your vehicles until you've purchased a separate garage for each character. These are separate from the garages attached to the safe-houses.

So buy a garage ($30,000), upgrade your vehicle, and then store it in the new garage.

Here's why (spoilers below)...

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SPOILERS:

I had spent almost all of the fortune Franklin had accumulated, tricked out a sports car in every way possible, parked it in his safe-house garage (in the run-down neighborhood where Franklin starts out), and went on a mission. The mission ended with a gift of free rent at a luxury property Michael had just purchased. Franklin got a phone call telling him about his new residence, and stating that a crew had already moved all of Franklin's belongings to the new house. But they hadn't moved everything. The garage at the new place was empty, and the garage at the old place would no longer open.

Something similar happened to Michael. Right after spending most of his money on a vehicle upgrade, he got a message from his son saying he borrowed the car, and would return it someday.

So I'm starting over, but not only because I accidentally wiped out two of the three characters' savings. I also want to see if Franklin can avoid the green motorcycle. I've tried blowing that thing up, riding it into the ocean, and leaving it in bad neighborhoods, but it always ends up back in my driveway. My million dollar cars are not safe in the safe-house garages, but this damn bike keeps following me around like a homeless dog!