if you had the choice, would you drive your car through winter, or store it?

i have a few options here, and can't decide

 

dont drive it in the winter!! its not worth it, thirdgens are a pain to drive in the snow and it will rust if the salt gets to it. go on ebay or something and get a cheap car to drive, i just got a van that runs and drives awsome fro $105.

 

Rust is what worries me (and other people hitting it) the car is really tidy at the moment, and i dont want to ruin that.

I have been offerd a 1980 Pontiac Catalina V6 for 350 pounds.

 

go for the catalina, fixing rust will cost much more

 

Definitely go for a winter beater!! I drove mine in the snow a few times- never again!! It is terrible (like a Chinese wok) and you can almost see the damage from salt overnight.

I frequently have a cheap yank

 

Well, I only have one car... So the Camaro will do me over winter, it doesn't snow down here in the south coast so it'll be alright.

I plan to drive it only once a week to I can wash it straight afters and hopefully rust will not be a problem.

 

ummmmmmm, i'm sure you do.............

 

I am to experience my first winter in Nottingham with the Camaro, so who knows what might happen. It snowed around February time and my old Carlton had trouble getting up a moderate hill. In fact, all traction gave way about half way up and I ended up parallel parking where I was, with the handbrake on!

I guess I'll have to wait and see. I live at the top of a hill, so I may have some days off ahead of me.

 

ZZ42Fast, heh... I did consider a beat up 1980s Monte Carlo or perhaps even a boring Malibu as a second car.

But nah, if I find winter too tough on the Camaro I'm sorry to say that I will buy a cheap fiesta with a long MOT and then chuck it out in summer... Then do the same all over again

 

the current winter beater options are,

1992 K reg Cavalier - 250 quid
1980 v reg Catalina - 350 quid

the Cavalier has MOT and tax, but its a cavalier

the Catalina has no MOT or tax (but shouldn't have any probs getting them) but its gonna drink petrol

ho hum, head says cavalier, heart says Catalina.

the poll is so close, that its not much help as well.

 

heh, go for the Cavalier... Cheaper, newer, better on fuel, tax and mot paid. Plus the Catalina is nothing special anyway, just too much potential trouble for a banger.

 

Go for the Cavalier. relatively cheap motoring- also it is still from the General!!

I drive a Honda on a day to day basis- VTEC power

 

I will drive in the winter on a dry sunny day just to give it a good run , (this is once I have finally fixed the friggin oil leak & sorted my exhaust after fitting the headman headers). Its on limited milage so my everyday car is a G reg fiesta! I used to drive my old 2nd gen most weekends & in the snow a few times..twas fun but as felix said the salt ate the car overnite! hence the weekend use in winter so I could wash it off after..even worse I still dont have a garage just the trusty car cover

Cheers Damian

 

well, the Catalina is sold, so that option is out, i still have the option of the K reg cavalier, and there is a dodge shadow (yum) for sale, with a blown head gasket for 100 quid, that i didn't buy last winter.

 

Underseal and drive

 

I'm keeping the GTA in storage for the winter. It's way too nice (13.000 km on it) and I still need to get it licenced and pay those damn luxury taxes on it as it is currently still on it's Canadian title. Got an appointment for the licencetest/luxurytax halfway November. But then it's straight back into storage!
Got a companycar (dealer's demonstrator Renault Megane 5dr with that reaallly ugly hatch). Before that I always had some sort of pick up for a daily driver. Several Chevy S10's 4 and 6 cyl. and had a nice '95 GMC sierra C1500 V8 but sold that one because the tranny felt bad. Then got a really great Ranger V6 4.0 but had to sell it because I got the company car.

 

I'll be driving it through the winter. However I'll only do that on the dry days, if there are any! A good run in it occasionally should help keep it healthy. Plenty of wax and underseal should hopefully help keep it in safe, though edinburgh salt is very rough on cars. I'll let my little escort take the brunt of the salty roads this winter. I don't fancy the idea of driving an iroc through snow, or on ice, as even with an lsd its a handful on dry roads!

I'd love to store the beast in a garage but I can't seem to find a garage in the Edinburgh city centre area for anything less than 1 limb a month.

 

My car has been off the road for the last 3 years anyways ( undergoing work when time allows ) , but I'd be very wary of using it in the winter. Too many nutcases out there who drive at speed regardless of the weather conditions around them ...... not to mention all the grit / salt on the roads - and better not forget the ice and possibility of heavy snow ...... so as usual it'll be my clapped out J-reg Astra or totally boring Pug 106 ( yawn !! ) - hopefully the T/A will be out and about next spring .....

 

I drive my yanks through the winter no matter what. A great believer that they are built to be used in all conditions. Sure, if you have a concourse & minted all original 3rd gen, then off-road for the winter is a sensible option. Otherwise get out & use them. Winter is too long a time to do without.

Now a cheap yank might be the answer....on second thoughts, maybe not !

 

I drive my yanks through the winter no matter what. A great believer that they are built to be used in all conditions. Sure, if you have a concourse & minted all original 3rd gen, then off-road for the winter is a sensible option. Otherwise get out & use them. Winter is too long a time to do without.

Now a cheap yank might be the answer....on second thoughts, maybe not !