keeping a collector car outside

[SatinSilver]

Originally Posted By: turtlevette
I even show up at the car shows with a dirty car. It'll beat the analretentiveness right out of you.


All you need is a plush microfiber drying towel from Walmart and some Mothers/Meguiars Wash anywhere solution and it will look nice. As in clean and shiny. Works like a charm. In 20 minutes tops at the car show you can have the car nice and clean.

 

[eljefino]

I've kept my 300D outside since I got it. For winter I put it up on blocks so air can circulate underneath better. Have it parked as far back from the road so it doesn't get salt spray.

When I got the car it had a pretty bad chip in the windscreen and this March/ April it turned into a crack.

I'm not sure if it was its destiny or if a tree branch fell on it as the snow melted.

The weight is on the suspension (good) and the car can be driven off the blocks in an emergency, also good.

Last winter I didn't do any battery tender or ANYTHING aside from a little "Hoppes" in the diesel fuel. It started right up but needed/ took a substantial charge. Not great for the battery so I'll give it more attention next year.

The brakes cleaned themselves off just fine.

The paint is faded and chalky from starting life down South, but what I care about is rust and it hasn't grown any. If I kept it in a 2-car garage next to my daily driver it would get all the humid salty "floor water", no thanks.

 

[andyd]

This is hearsay, so tell me if I'm wrong. Classic car insurance policies require that the car be garaged.

 

[brave sir robin]

Originally Posted By: eljefino


I've kept my 300D outside since I got it. For winter I put it up on blocks so air can circulate underneath better. Have it parked as far back from the road so it doesn't get salt spray.

When I got the car it had a pretty bad chip in the windscreen and this March/ April it turned into a crack.

I'm not sure if it was its destiny or if a tree branch fell on it as the snow melted.

The weight is on the suspension (good) and the car can be driven off the blocks in an emergency, also good.

Last winter I didn't do any battery tender or ANYTHING aside from a little "Hoppes" in the diesel fuel. It started right up but needed/ took a substantial charge. Not great for the battery so I'll give it more attention next year.

The brakes cleaned themselves off just fine.

The paint is faded and chalky from starting life down South, but what I care about is rust and it hasn't grown any. If I kept it in a 2-car garage next to my daily driver it would get all the humid salty "floor water", no thanks.

regarding the battery I just bought this 7.5w solar charger

I would say its more than enough to maintain a car battery. Its been on my pathfinder since this past weekend and the battery reads 12.74v despite not having been driven in more than a week and having a slight parasitic loss from the power antenna.

 

[brave sir robin]

I unfortunately need to keep my Electra outside in an apartment complex. Its under a tree so the paint gets all kinds of gunk on it that regularly needs to be washed off. If you plan on restoring the car and keeping it as a toy (rubbing it with a diaper being a dash stroker etc) I would say its a bad idea. My car is fairly clean but is very obviously driven frequently and is not just a toy. I have had people run into my car in the parking lot and the pathfinders windshield broken from a falling branch as well as being broken into multiple times.

The bike gets the spot under the carport because Italian electrics and stormy weather do not mix.
I wish I had a garage tbh

 

[exranger06]

Originally Posted By: andyd
This is hearsay, so tell me if I'm wrong. Classic car insurance policies require that the car be garaged.

Many/most policies do, yes. But you might be able to get a policy that allows you to keep it outside. Only way to find out is call up the insurance companies and ask. Also, just because you have a classic car, doesn't mean you have to have classic insurance. You can put "regular" insurance on it. It'll be more expensive though.