To drive or not to drive

[OUTLAW]

One topic that never fails to confuse me and there has been plenty of threads dedicated to this, is the question...

Does allowing your car to sit in the garage for long periods at a time create mechanical problems?

Some mechanics will tell you that this is a form of abuse in itself and that allowing a car to be idle for a length of time is not good.

On the other hand some say that this is not true and that if you are storing the car and if it is stored properly, no damage will occur.

We have plenty of members that probably have viable information regarding this subject and I was hoping that they will comment on this topic.

So please lets hear your comments. I would especially like to hear from the people that do store there cars and what preparations they perform to protect there cars while they are stored.

Thank you in advance for your thoughts and comments.

Nick

[92RAGTOP]

I personally don't believe in storing this type of car for the winter. However I will not drive it in the snow or ice and will not drive it when there is salt on the road. I always wait for a good rain to wash away the road salt before I take it out. I cannot see any reason not to drive it in cold weather mine has a heater. What could cold weather possibly damage? :confused:

[Glennm27]

I do not drive mine in the winter becasue it has no insurance from December 1 through February 28.
I have 2 other cars, I have no interest in driving my Corvette when the roads are cold and the tires are cold.
My thrill in driving my Corvette is driving it agressively. The cold roads and cold tires lend assistance to damaging the car. :p
I also save money by parking it for those 3 months and it's almost like getting a new car every March when we all head to E-Town to start another season of racing.
ALSO, I do not get any big thrill out of just driving my Corvette up and down Street road JUST TO DRIVE IT...
I have a feeling I am not as crazy about Corvettes as many of you seem to be.... It's a toy to me, NOT my means of transportation.
I park my sleds during the summer for very similar reasons.. :p
SO those are my reasons...

[GoVetteGo]

I enjoy driving my Vette any time I can - Summer - Winter! Doesn't matter. Like Glenn says, "It has a heater"! BUT, I doesn't handle for crap on wet of snow covered road AND, with all the work I put into the car, I don't want the salt! I don't like to drive it the rain - Handling - road grime on the undercarriage - but I have - Cavalcade 2006! A lot of us got a deluge that day;at ;at !

I tend not to drive too much during the winter because I usually have something torn apart (like NOW). But if it is a nice sunny day in February and the roads are dry - I'm driving! They are meant to be driven. Taking an hour cruise with no specific destination in mind is icing on my cake!

The only place the 76 is going today is to sleep!!;bl ;bl

[hcvone]

I didn't drive my Corvette's in the winter, and some times they sat weeks if not months without even starting (battery tender) and never had any problems.

[DSSA]

I typically try to start my '56 Jaguar and '47 Lincoln once a month over the winter, as they unfortunately are not in a climate-controlled garage. I just like to make sure that condensation is heated off of them, the fluid is circulated and brought up to running temperature, and will typically pull them forward or backwards a little bit to try to avoid flat-spots on the tires.

[Al Betz]

I don't have any experience with storing cars. I do however have a snow blower that gets put away every March and sits in the back of the garage until Christmas (or a little sooner if needed) . I store it covered after an oil change and a top cylinder lube, and run the gas out of the carb. I've had it for 10 years it starts every winter on the first pull and runs when I need it. Still looks good too.

Not sure it would be the same if I ran it one hour every day!

[Joel Fellman]

not having a slew of electronic gizmos I usually store the '76 over the winter & turn off the battery connection. If the weather is really nice & I feel like terrorizing the neighborhood, I just re-connect the battery shut-off & zoom away. The '95 needs to be started at least weekly & run on occassion or have the battery tender connected.
I don't think Vettes in general are harmed by letting them sit idle - so long as you can sit in them on occassion just to get that silly smile on your face!

[92RAGTOP]

Joel I was not able to drive my 92 for over a month it seems as if I was out of town on the nice days. When I did try to start it I found a dead battery, first time that's happened to me with that car, guess I should look into one of those battery tenders. I do have a trickle charger but I'm assuming the battery tenders is different.

[carboman]

Don,

The battery tender doesn't just make sure the battery is charged it keeps it active which extends it's life.

[novavette]

I agree with Glenn and others that have posted here.
The Corvette is a "toy" for me. I don't drive it daily, and it comes out for fun driving situations.
I will drive it in the rain, but not during the cold months.
Generally, it sits in the garage, under the car cover, with the Battery Tender hooked up December - March.
The break out month is April, with a trip up to and through Valley Forge Park as the first drive of the season.
That time is almost here, so I am definately getting itchy........

[DanS711]

I agree with Glenn and others that have posted here.
The Corvette is a "toy" for me. I don't drive it daily, and it comes out for fun driving situations.
I will drive it in the rain, but not during the cold months.
Generally, it sits in the garage, under the car cover, with the Battery Tender hooked up December - March.
The break out month is April, with a trip up to and through Valley Forge Park as the first drive of the season.
That time is almost here, so I am definately getting itchy........

If you can get it out a little early it looks like the CF cruise to Ridley State Park is on for this Sunday around 9:00 am. If interested see the post in upcoming events. I expect to be there.

DS