Using a car once a month - how to lay it up?

[007 VXR]

Claudia Skies said:

1. Estimate the car's annual depreciation- typically 15% to 20% of what you paid for it.
2. Add the tax/insurance/MOT/etc
3. Divide the total by 12, the number of times the car is used each year.
4. Be astounded by the cost of each trip.
5. Sell the car.
6. Enjoy the additional space you now have, both on the drive and in your life!

missing the point of owning a nice car ?

[007 VXR]

Claudia Skies said:

1. Estimate the car's annual depreciation- typically 15% to 20% of what you paid for it.
2. Add the tax/insurance/MOT/etc
3. Divide the total by 12, the number of times the car is used each year.
4. Be astounded by the cost of each trip.
5. Sell the car.
6. Enjoy the additional space you now have, both on the drive and in your life!

missing the point of owning a nice car?

Edited by 007 VXR on Sunday 1st March 11:46

[Sheepshanks]

sebhaque said:

It's a 2009 car that's well-maintained so it's not in any danger of dud batteries

I wouldn't assume anything about the battery - these days they tend to just fail out of the blue. I regard each time my Merc starts as something of a miracle!

sebhaque said:

Every month it does at least a 20 mile trip with a run or two to the redline when warm to keep it all working well.

I know you said at least 20 miles, but I reckon it takes 20 miles to get everything warmed through. My Merc can sometimes sit this long and I make a point of using it for a 40 mile round trip.

[Claudia Skies]

007 VXR said:

missing the point of owning a nice car?

TBH, for me there would be no point owning a nice car if it's not being used reasonably regularly. 12 trips a year wouldn't push my button.

Only once have I owned a "car too many" that I didn't really use and after a few months I sold it.

[LdnShtr]

I probably only get to use my M3 once a month or so because it lives at my parents' house. I live in London and use public transport to get everywhere so it means on the odd occasion I do get to use it it feels like a real treat. I'd like to use it more but where I am there is really no point. It would take at least an hour to make it outside the M25 and anything resembling a road worth driving it on. On the plus side it's keeping the miles down on it.

[007 VXR]

LdnShtr said:

I probably only get to use my M3 once a month or so because it lives at my parents' house. I live in London and use public transport to get everywhere so it means on the odd occasion I do get to use it it feels like a real treat. I'd like to use it more but where I am there is really no point. It would take at least an hour to make it outside the M25 and anything resembling a road worth driving it on. On the plus side it's keeping the miles down on it.

i live at work so only get to use my Monaro 2/3 times a month, but still puts a on my face everytime i get to use it and that's after 8 years owning it.
would be a lot cheaper to pay for taxis all year than keep the car, but were is the PH fun in that ?

[sebhaque]

Sheepshanks said:

sebhaque said:

It's a 2009 car that's well-maintained so it's not in any danger of dud batteries

I wouldn't assume anything about the battery - these days they tend to just fail out of the blue. I regard each time my Merc starts as something of a miracle!

sebhaque said:

Every month it does at least a 20 mile trip with a run or two to the redline when warm to keep it all working well.

I know you said at least 20 miles, but I reckon it takes 20 miles to get everything warmed through. My Merc can sometimes sit this long and I make a point of using it for a 40 mile round trip.

I take your point regarding instant battery failure, I've had the full Christmas tree display in my old cars when the batteries are on their way out. The car was serviced in December and the battery health check said it was at 86% - I don't see a dying battery as a particularly massive inconvenience though, they're consumables after all. It does take a while to get everything nice and warm, if I'm in traffic it can take half an hour for the oil to reach its working temperature! I always make sure it's nice and toasty before giving it a bootful.

The car's a 370Z if anybody was wondering. Nothing overly special but I love it

007 VXR said:

LdnShtr said:

I probably only get to use my M3 once a month or so because it lives at my parents' house. I live in London and use public transport to get everywhere so it means on the odd occasion I do get to use it it feels like a real treat. I'd like to use it more but where I am there is really no point. It would take at least an hour to make it outside the M25 and anything resembling a road worth driving it on. On the plus side it's keeping the miles down on it.

i live at work so only get to use my Monaro 2/3 times a month, but still puts a on my face everytime i get to use it and that's after 8 years owning it.
would be a lot cheaper to pay for taxis all year than keep the car, but were is the PH fun in that ?

I agree with both of you, even just starting the car up puts a smile on my face - the way it barks into life and rattles the garage door is childishly satisfying. It's definitely a treat when I get to drive mine and I also appreciate the ownershp a lot more - I used to daily a 997 and sitting in traffic and trying to get "safe" car parking spaces every day grew tiresome very often, to the stage where I didn't actually enjoy driving the car at all any more. While financially it probably isn't the best idea to have a car sleeping for 29 days a month, the smiles-per-gallon vastly outweigh the financial burden.

[parabolica]

rallycross said:

Do nothing except take it for a drive once a month - as long as the immobiliser is not making the battery go flat then you don't need to do anything

This; my dad still has my (deceased) mum's 2007 Clio which is used as a spare/emergency car and it sits in the garage for months and months at a time. Handbrake off but that's it; it has always started and not had anything go wrong with it, which is unusual for a 8 year old Clio which hardly gets used.

[bqf]

Once a month? Do Nothing?

two of my cars spend 5 months a year holed up in the garage. No issue with the handbrake really either. I disconnect the battery but thats it

[swisstoni]

Claudia Skies said:

007 VXR said:

missing the point of owning a nice car?

TBH, for me there would be no point owning a nice car if it's not being used reasonably regularly. 12 trips a year wouldn't push my button.

Only once have I owned a "car too many" that I didn't really use and after a few months I sold it.

Quite the romantic.
If you boil it down that much, being alive doesn't stack up at all

[Claudia Skies]

Silly boy. What's the point of an unattainable dream (albeit perfect for internet nerds, clicking away in their bedrooms) when you can be out in the real world and having a good time every day!

[sebhaque]

Claudia Skies said:

Silly boy. What's the point of an unattainable dream (albeit perfect for internet nerds, clicking away in their bedrooms) when you can be out in the real world and having a good time every day!

Was that meant for me? While the 370Z isn't my dream car, it's perfectly attainable, I would rather spend my time driving something else to keep the halo image/make the Z that much more special. The real world with its commuting and grocery shopping etc isn't condusive to driving around in a proper pride-and-joy type car.

FWIW seeing as you're also from Bristol (Bradley Stoke here) you probably appreciate how stty the lefty government have made the roads, hence why the odd occasion I decide to dodge the myriad of speed bumps, speed cameras, ridiculous speed limits, anti-speed road furniture and other similarly st ideas, I enjoy taking my favourite car for a drive.

[NiceCupOfTea]

I would agree with the general concensus - I run too many cars and several spend a lot of time going nowhere. I leave the handbrake off but in gear, and leave them on a trickle charger. Obviously it's not ideal for seals and rubber etc. but on a nearly new car it won't be a problem. I run a cable under the garage door to an IP-something or other box sealed against the elements with a ctek charger in. It sits under the car and I have never had a problem with it.

What I would say if you must start it every week take it for a drive to warm the fluids even if only 20 minutes rather than just letting it idle.