Want to do my first Lager ever. couple questions

So I've gone through and read the entire Wiki on this site regarding lagering and it still left me with a few questions.

What temp do most of you pitch at?? The Wiki talks about the benefits of both warm and cold pitching but what is the general consensus on this??

Also, I have an old fridge that I can use for Lagering but no temperature regulator. Can I successfully lager without a temperature control on the fridge. Will a thermometer in a glass of water work for me to monitor temps or does it need to be much more precise?? The brewing budget is just busted at this point.

My other option is using the cold garage but then I have very little control over the temperature. At least I can adjust the fridge and use a thermometer on the inside.

Any other tips for doing a lager for the first time?? I've done at least 50 All Grain batches so I'm not a rookie, but they've all been ales. Thanks!!

Most lager yeast have a temperature range of 48-55 degrees or so. That's almost impossible in a regular fridge- they get too cold. You could try your fridge at the highest setting, with the probe in a glass of water and see what you get. My fridge is only about 42 degrees on the warmest setting. So, I ferment my lagers in the basement, with my "Yooper Lagerator" (pictures in my gallery). It's an Igloo wheeled cooler with a styrofoam lid I made. I use a water bath, a frozen water bottle or two, and a floating thermometer. I can keep the fermenting beer at 50 degrees easily that way. Then, I can lager in my fridge at 34 degrees.

I pitch cold. Several reasons why- less development of esters, less diacetyl, etc. Just like I don't pitch my ales at 85, and then drop the temp to 65, I don't pitch lagers 20 degrees too high either. Remember, you'll need a BIG starter to pitch cold, and a way to get the wort to 48 degrees before pitching. I like to make the starter about a week in advance, then chill it. I decant the spent wort, and pitch it at about a degree or two cooler than the wort. So, if the wort is at 48, I have the yeast at 46ish.

Other than temperature control, the procedure is very much the same. If you pitch cold, and use a yeast strain that doesn't produce much diacetyl, you may not even need a diacetyl rest. It won't hurt to do one, but it may not be necessary.

my first ever lager was done on the landing halfway down to the basement in my old house (built in 1904)

i did it in february after the coldest weather passed. It held between 45-50 degrees, and tasted good. like a lager, not an ale or steam beer (i used some fermentis lager yeast...)

if you can keep it chilly but not frozen in the garage, I say go for it. it'll be a good learning experience/experiment