[huja]

I may be in a situation where I will have to sell or store the '07 Fozzy. Any experience with storing a car? What's the maximum length of time where it'd make sense? What sort of special maintenance would be required after say 2 years of storage? Need to automatically change battery, belt, hoses and fluids? Anything else? Feedback would be greatly appreciated. BTW, good chance storage would be on someone else' dime.

 

[jgrote]

6 months or so and I would put the battery on a trickle charge. 2 years and I would just disconnect it and bring a good battery with you when you pick up the car. As for fluids, oils and coolant should be okay. Is the car going to be stored in a wet or dry environment? If wet, fill tank with gas, add stabil, and hope for the best. If dry, add stabil, run car until almost out of gas, and bring fresh gas to pick up car. As for rubber things, get the car off of the ground so tires don't go out of round. Belts and hoses could get some kind of treatment, but I don't know what.

Now for other side of coin. Is car paid off? If so, sell it, put money into interest bearing account, and replace car when you get back. You will have money to spare. The same car will be cheaper to buy in 2 years than you can get for it now.

Now you must ask yourself, do I love this car? If so, keep it. It's a fozzy, so I would keep it.

 

[pleiad7]

Two years is an awful long time to store a car without having someone run it once in a while. Also - this already came up in another thread today - it's not the best idea because seals and gaskets tend to dry and shrink if fluids aren't circulated regularly, so you may wind up with a bunch of oil leaks afterwards.

 

[flstffxe]

I would rather loan it to a friend to drive once a week, then let it sit for 2 years straight.

 

[bellatech]

You gotta, gotta have someone start the thing and roll around in it for a bit, at least once every few weeks. That's the best.

Even disconnecting the battery, jacking up the car, and throwing in stabil could lead to dried out hoses and such. And stabil is really only good for a year, according to the bottle. The last thing you want is gummed up fuel lines.

 

[jgrote]

I would rather loan it to a friend to drive once a week, then let it sit for 2 years straight.

Best option here. But then you have to keep it insured, tagged, ect. I've been keeping my mother in law's honda for 3 years now. I take it out every once in a while to get the rust off the rotors. Been doing okay so far.

 

[Arthrogrian19]

If you have no financial or emotional attachment to the car I'd sell it and put the cash into a CD or savings account, where it can earn some interest. Otherwise, it'll just sit in storage and depreciate in value, and you might have to shell out cash when you return to replace a bunch of stuff.

 

[huja]

If you have no financial or emotional attachment to the car I'd sell it . . . Otherwise, it'll just sit in storage and depreciate in value, and you might have to shell out cash when you return to replace a bunch of stuff.

Yeah, this makes the most sense. My fault for jinxing myself with my [email protected]$$ comment in the My Car List thread . . :icon_frown:
http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/f100/my-car-list-71773/index3.html#post796907

 

[YVR Fozzie]

I recently parked my '99 Jeep Cherokee for 6 months through the winter in the elements (in Winnipeg so lots of snow and -40 weather) and when I went to fire her up again, belts and tensioners and bolt-ons were seized. Not worth fixing so she went to the scrap yard.

 

[Smooth]

I have to say I'd sell it if I knew it was going to be 2 years. You could always buy another one later. :biggrin:

 

[Trainman]

Go ahead, store it! What's the worst that could happen?

:biggrin:

Story here: JLA FORUMS - PICS - Some pictures of the rusted 1957 Belvedere from Tulsa

 

[FLdrummer]

I'd say sell, if for no other reason than to have one less thing to worry about.

My $.02.

 

[RocketEyes]

Actually getting it moving again is harder than storing it. You'd have change the oil, drain and change the gasoline, prep the spark plugs, check tire pressure and possibly replace tires, and the whole nine with checking belts etc. It might be better just to sell it unless its a one of a kind.
My dad used to collect antique cars and they were a PITA to get going again.