If you live up North, Fall means color changes and postcard perfect scenes. Good news: It’s football weather. Bad news: Lots of chores to prepare for winter. Today’s car story is about car storage. Today’
For classic car owners, car storage is an annual ritual for their dearly beloveds. If you’re lucky, you’ve got a smug look on your face knowing you have an oversize garage, a pole barn, or a spouse willing to let their ride sit outside year-round. The next best thing is to have a friend with extra storage. Unfortunately, people with extra space usually fill it up with junk. They’re either unaware they’ve become hoarders or just will never admit it. I’ve seen quite a few barns that qualify for the Hoarders reality TV show!
What can I say? I have a basement and every year it just seems to accumulate more stuff until I can’t find anything I stashed away there. Then I tear through it, label boxes, donate, and throw out the rest. It takes about six months until it becomes difficult to walk through again. Who am I to judge?
If you’re like me, you’ll want to protect your cars before winter’s ugly side strikes. That means locking down a storage location six months in advance because they all fill up by November with boats, RV’s, motorcycles, and cars. The first decision is whether you want an unheated or a climate-controlled environment. A controlled environment is best but will triple the cost of storage.
If you own a $300,000 supercar, a frame off restored classic vehicle, or live in a home with an ocean view, you should protect your investment by keeping it in a museum or climate-controlled storage facility.
Luxury Auto Vault is an example of a high-end storage location near me. It looks awesome but I don’t own any cars that are worth more than my house. Otherwise, a non-climate-controlled site is works fine. 2bukchuk says don’t pay more for car storage than your car is worth!
It’s harder to find a dry, clean, concrete floor location for a reasonable price than it is to find that elusive 1963 barn find Corvette. You can look online at Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, and NextDoor. Websites like Neighbor.com or Spacer.com list car storage spaces for rent in private homes, churches, etc. I’ve had better results talking to people at local car shows, car clubs, checking with realtors, and letting friends know what I’m looking for.
My neighbor once let me store a car in her garage for a year. I paid her a fair price and it was a win-win situation for both of us. I also rented space in a renovated red barn and once from a person on neighbor.com. None of those lasted more than a year (neighbor moved, barn owner retired, etc.), so I’m always on the lookout for storage places. This year, I have 4 cars stored at two different sites, one is year-round and the other is for winter only.
If you haven’t done this before, here’s a bullet list of basic steps you can take when planning for car storage:
– Make sure your car insurance covers the off-site storage
– Change oil and filter, top off anti-freeze, & overinflate tires
– Fill gas tank with Premium and add fuel stabilizer (HappyFuel)
– Close all vents, cover the air cleaner and exhaust pipes (aluminum foil)
– Put a Baking Soda box and Dehumidifier Bags in interior/trunk
– Remove all loose paper, Kleenex, etc. from interior (attracts mice)
– Put Cab Fresh under hood to repel mice (dryer sheets work, too)
– Place the car’s tires on 2-inch-thick Styrofoam insulation (Home Depot)
– Disconnect battery (or hook up a trickle charger)
– Leave your name & phone number on dashboard
– Cover car with Car Cover or Car Bag
Today’s car story covers the basic tactics for protecting your car. If you have suggestions or better methods, go ahead and share them with the rest of us.