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   should i worrie about anything parking the 95 legacy for the summer? i finally got the bmw running right bad o-rings on the injectors was its issue so the subaru is going to sit for the summer now and most likely wont come out much until the snow is back at the end of the year.

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also set the vehicle up on jackstands, all 4 tires floating in the air, this will relax your suspension and tension and avoid flat spots on your tires, usually they fix after a couple of days of running it but sometimes they don't.

 

my 1993 impreza has been sitting since July 2014 since i have older subarus i like to drive more, but i make sure i atleast start the car for 10min every sunday, if i have time, that same sunday i drive it around for about 10miles and park it again for another week, if im in a hurry, i just start it up, 2min later i turn it back off but make sure next week i do it correctly.

Edited by Subasaurus
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If you don't have a car cover, I'd suggest that you get one if you are parking the car out in the sun.  At least cover the front and back windows with something on the outside, not the inside.  Also make cardboard cut outs to cover the tires, or use old sheets.

 

If you put the car up on jackstands, it is best if the jackstands are placed under the control arms in the front and either control arms (independent suspension) or axle tubes (solid axle) in the rear.  Hanging the suspension from the struts could lead to damage.  Or you could use jackstands under the frame but remove and store the tires in a shed or garage so there isn't as much weight hanging from the fully extended struts.

 

If you have devices that you want to or need to have retain their memory, hook up a float charger to the battery.  Do not use a trickle charger for long periods of time as they can damage a battery, but a .75 to 1.75 amp float charger will keep the battery up without damaging it.  Otherwise remove the battery from the car, but still hook it up to a float charger or the plates can get sulfate coating on them.

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With a German car as your main transportation you might not be storing the Subaru as long as you'd hoped.  lol

 

tires degrade from sitting - i'd pay particular attention to those so they retain good winter performance if that's what you're saving it for - read up on degrading and storage.

change the oil otherwise contaminants sit on bearing surfaces.

charge the battery a few times.

a few months probably isn't a big deal, many of us routinely let our subarus set for long periods of time (intended or no!)

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the plan is for it to sit until the snow comes back at the end of the year. if the bmw happens to break down durring the summer i would drive it its mainly a winter/backup car so i dont have to drive the bmw in the salt im trying to preserve it as long as possible. i have a dirt/gravel driveway i cannot leave it on jack stands because they will sink into the driveway over time. my plan was to unhook the battery do an oil change and put some stabil in the gas. i was considering filling it up now while the gas is cheap still.

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the plan is for it to sit until the snow comes back at the end of the year. if the bmw happens to break down durring the summer i would drive it its mainly a winter/backup car so i dont have to drive the bmw in the salt im trying to preserve it as long as possible. i have a dirt/gravel driveway i cannot leave it on jack stands because they will sink into the driveway over time. my plan was to unhook the battery do an oil change and put some stabil in the gas. i was considering filling it up now while the gas is cheap still.

 

 

If you are worried about the tires sitting all summer you can cover them, like some said, or you can put the car up on cinder blocks and take the tires off.

 

By putting it on cinderblocks you  get a more even weight distribution (less likelyhood of sinking).  Plus they are cheap. ;) 

 

And if you really want to protect that beamer move out west where we don't salt the roads. :P

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If you are worried about the tires sitting all summer you can cover them, like some said, or you can put the car up on cinder blocks and take the tires off.

 

By putting it on cinderblocks you  get a more even weight distribution (less likelyhood of sinking).  Plus they are cheap. ;)

 

And if you really want to protect that beamer move out west where we don't salt the roads. :P

 

 

 the bmw has already gone too far with the rust for repair in my eyes however the rust is all for the most part hidden and the car drives very well so i want to keep it for as long as it will go before the rust gets too bad to keep driving it. the subaru has rust too but i think it is saveable if i get into it before next winter. the bmw was in very good shape when i bought it but it was my only car for a long time about 10 years of all season driving with it and the salt already took its toll on the car im just hoping that by not driving it through the winters it will last a few more summers.

Edited by sirtokesalot
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  • 2 weeks later...

I'm thinking about parking my Baja in my garage and dropping the liability/collision but keep comp on it and not drive it again until November.

 

I'm having to pay almost $2000 a year to insure a 2003 Subaru Baja, 2014 Nissan Cube (wife's car), 1998 Chevy van and a 2006 Ford Explorer. That's just way too much money to pay out to the insurance company if you ask me. If these cars were all driven on a daily basis, then I'd say OK. I can't drive more than one of them at a time! I'm thinking about just paying my premiums on the Baja, van and Explorer every three months on an "as driven basis".

 

My wife wanted my parent's conversion van for trips so it's only driven three months out of the year. We don't need it! I told her the Explorer was good enough and if we needed to haul our luggage I could build a box to go on my 4X8 wagon.

 

I might as well park the Baja and Explorer and drive the van this summer to work and for family outings since I know it's not going to snow between the months of May and November. Well at least I hope it doesn't!

 

Besides I have several "classic cars" I like to drive during the summer over my Baja. Luckily I have Hagerty's insurance on them so they are only $350 a year for three cars.

 

They tell me because East Tennessee is in an earthquake zone because it's at the base of the Appalachian mountain range, I have to get a special policy in case of an earthquake or my home owner's won't cover it. But in case of a tornado or fire it would. I suppose if I lived in the midwest, I'd have to get special tornado insurance? Or fire insurance if I lived in Southern California? 

 

As far as doing anything special some of the methods I've heard of seem like overkill to me. I guess if you were talking about storing the car for 5 years, I might suggest pulling the plugs and pooring oil into the cylinders, and other methods mentioned but for less than a year, I'd just park it and hook a trickle charger to the battery and if outside throw a car cover over it and make sure the tires don't go flat.

 

I never saw the logic behind putting a car up on jackstands for long term storage. When I mean long term storage, I mean for less than a year. I own several older cars that maybe driven 1000 to 2000 miles a year. I've never put up them on jackstands over the winter. I do make sure the tires don't go flat. If they go flat, that will destroy a tire. We get snow but not like up north so I do get them out occasionly during the winter months.

 

They may also get an oil change every three years. The big oil companies recommend you change your oil every 6 months just like the tire companies recommend replacing your tires every 6 years. All that is overkill if you ask me. I mean a tire will go bad if the car is parked outside but not in a garage. I replaced the tires on my Baja about eight years ago. They only have 25,000 miles on them so I'm not going to replace them just on account of that.

 

These cars are kept in my garage so they don't suffer from UV damage. Except for the van and Explorer.

 

I have a 68 Ford Fairlane with 54,000 original miles. It may get driven 10 days out of the year. It was my Grandmother's car and just can't seem to part with it for sentimental reasons.

 

One thing I DO recommend is investing in a trickle charger to keep the battery from going flat. Batteries these days are junk anyway and once they go flat about three times, they won't hold a charge.

 

I've used Sta-Bil but I'm not really sure if this stuff actually works. I do know E-10 is one of the worst fuel blends every invented. I run E-10 in my fuel injected cars but would never run this garbage in anything with a gravity feed fuel system like a lawnmower or tractor. I've had to tear into numorous carbs from where this stuff absorbs water and sinks to the bottom and clogs the float valves up.

 

If you can get non ethanol where you live, I would fill the tank up with it instead of E-10.

 

I know it may sound like I don't keep up mainteince on my vehicles but I can't see changing the oil every 6 months even if the oil only has less than 1000 miles on it, not placing them on jackstands, etc has every really caused me any problems.

 

I do need to change the antifreeze in my Subaru this summer. It's been 8 years since it was changed!

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oil companies... like they don't have enough money already, they can care less about waste and pollution, i don't understand how my 1979GL can get me 32ish mpg, my 1989GL gets 35ishmpg, when my gf's 2014 honda civic gets 28-33mpg. conspiracies..... ooooo

Edited by Subasaurus
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ive decided to just drive it once every few weeks to keep things moving. im only paying 63 bucks a month insurance for both cars. its strange going form one car tot he other. the subaru has a tight feal but poor ride quality while the bmw is loose feeling but has a nice ride. its a 27 year old car the bmw ive owned it for 11 years.

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