I grow in my unheated shed, inside a grow tent. In the summer it's too hot, and in the winter it's too cold. In the early spring and fall it's near perfect . I run my lights during the coldest hours and have lights off during the warmest. I also have good air exchange.
In the winter I've found that the HID lights will keep the tent warm enough, but I run a small space heater in the tent during lights out to keep it from getting too cold. This has worked for me and I will continue to do so in the cold months.
In the summer, however, I've found that it's just way too hot in there to grow. I have no AC and I don't plan on buying one any time soon. In my opinion, it's easier to just grow a few plants in my back yard in the summer.
So, as far as I'm concerned, garage growing is perfectly fine, as long as you have the right temperature and air exchange. It works for me. I'd definitely prefer to do it in a room inside my house, but my wife won't allow that. The initial setup costs some money, but if you consider the fact that you'll never have to buy weed again, it makes perfect sense. Even my non-weed-smoking wife agrees with that.