Hi all,

It pains me to say this but I really think I need to stop using my Rallye as a daily. I have ploughed loads of money into it and it is performing better than when I bought it over 3 years ago, but the upkeep costs are growing and that is mostly down to the +20K miles I do a year.

The car is presently in a very very good mechanical state and the body is now free of rot. It needs a little bit of TLC to bring it back to mint, the front bumper needs replacing/repainting and there is a ding in the rear. I have been meaning to get these done for ages but the upkeep of the mechanicals and upgrading of various parts does dig into my available budget.

So my thoughts are to get a cheap runaround for everyday use and try to get the Rallye back up to spec.

So.... I have off road parking behind my flat. I can keep the car there and covered up no problem. But what else should I do? Keep wheels off the ground or just roll backwards and forwards every few weeks. Stick a crap set of wheels /tyres on and just let the car be. Start it every week or let it be?

I have never had more than one car before and never left one standing. I absolutely love this car and can't imagine being without it but if I keep on driving it every day I know I will kill it, either through winter rot or just wearing it out.

With the money I think I will save by getting a second car I know I can get this car to look as good as it goes.

This was going to be a quick short post asking for advice and turned a little lengthy purely because of how I feel about my 306. I won't apologise though as I am sure you can all relate to that.

To summarise: how do I store a car outside during winter?

Barry

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China D Turbo HDi daily charger
Black Rallye occassional toy

I would just park it up leave it alone over winter and do nothing with it because by the time spring comes around you will be playing with it again and I wouldn't bother with a car cover they don't do any favours

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http://www.306gti6.com/forum/showthread.php?id=163869

Mine was parked up from Oct last year to Sep this year - I removed the battery and put the tyres on carpet and foam pads, and pumped them up to 42psi in an attempt to stop them getting flat-spotted on the concrete. It's got some steering wheel shimmy now so don't know if that is flat spots of wheel balance needed.

I left it in gear with the handbrake off.

As it was parked in a garage I left the windows open half an inch to stop the inside getting damp and mouldy, but if parked outsode the temp changes will cause condensation so some sort of dessicant like rice etc would be important.

Before starting I charged the battery with a trickle charger, and based on advice from here I removed the fuel pump relay and spark plugs, put 5ml of oil in the bores and turned it over for 30 secs before reconnecting everything. If it is only for a few months you probably don't need to go to those lengths. If you do decide to start it regularly, the engine needs to get up to operating temp or it will be counter-productive due to the condensation produced by a cold engine.

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Cherry Rallye SOLD

Thanks for bringing this thread back to life. I do agree with what you are saying in general and you are nearly spot on with some points.

My costings are pretty much based around the £5K I have spent in the last 12 months getting the car to where it is now, and driving it a bit slower would not have altered that cost at all. The car is 18 years old and has done 197K.

Since this thread started the car has had a head gasket and another full cambelt and water pump change. It still needs stuff done to make me happy.

My problem is that the mileage I do means the upkeep costs dig too deep into my available funds to get the car to where I want it to be.

The way i see it then yes it will cost me more per year to keep two cars than just the one if only it wasn't for the 'unexpected' costs of an old car going wrong. But I can save money by then doing the work myself rather than putting it into my (excellent) mech just to get a courtesy car.

I have worked out some costs. By using the Rallye as an occassional car I can actually insure it for an agreed value and all mods declared with an annual mileage of 4K and then insure a Fiesta Zetec S for £40 more a year.

Other than not driving my Rallye every day it seems a bit of a no brainer to me?

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China D Turbo HDi daily charger
Black Rallye occassional toy

And mine just sits on the drive getting wet and cold like a peasant...

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98 Blaze 6 - Current