Modern Classic - left out side...

[pfnsht]

Hi all,

I've got a modern classic (imo of course!): Corrado VR6. I don't have a garage and sadly with family life, schools etc. it's unlikely I'm going to be able to afford a house in proximity to London for work and decent schools with a garage anytime soon - circa 4 years away probably. So I'm looking for reassurance and experiences of keeping a 20-30 year old car outside. I've wanted one of these for around 20 years but responsible life got in the way.

I do have a 4 seasons cover from "everycarcovered" which I thought might suffice without a garage but since using it I have found I don't use the car as much. The car needs cleaning everytime I use it before the cover goes on which is putting a barrier to getting it out on the road. My cats are also using cover as scratch pad so I'm thinking to not bother with it unless I plan to store the car for a couple of weeks.

The car has just had a full dinitrol underseal of cavity treatment. Body work is good having had rusty bits sorted this year but it will want a full respray in years to come (it had a blow over a few years ago, prior to my ownership and I am no longer happy with the paint around the seals).

I polish and pop a couple of coats of wax on it twice a year and use an aqua wax after every clean. It gets cleaned at least twice a month.

What are you guys doing with you modern classics. I appreciate it's it's not a 40 year old MG and a relatively modern manufactured car. Any products and tips to keep it sweet is much appreciated. I've noticed a couple of plastic bits around the windscreen trim have hairline cracks (but no cabin leaks) - what kind of product could I use to plug these cracks? Trim will be replaced when it gets resprayed.

Pic for fun



Underseal and new suspension

Edited by pfnsht on Friday 21st December 22:28

[rufusgti]

Use the car as much as you can. That underseal looks great, i doubt you will get any issues.

[healeyneil]

Another one for "use it" My '81 BMW Baur has been under a carport since September. The starter is getting sticky, as is the accelerator pedal. Wouldn't happen if I was using it.
The older cars are tucked away in the dry and will be fine

[AJB88]

my MK2 Golf sits out side all year round. It is a daily mind you. Once the paint work is sorted after some body work it will be coated in ceramic just like my 2015 Cayman.

[mercedeslimos]

Looks like a lovely example. I have a cover over my Volkswagen Eos (summer only) and E36 Convertible (with hard top) they are summer cars. Lots of wax to protect, a good gloopy underseal (I used POR15 and then Dinitrol on my 205GTI Ph1 that lives outside sometimes and it's mint underneath), if you don't mind the paint a cover is fine. Start the car often and run to temp. Dehumidifier inside often too. Plus cars don't like not being driven. I find the first few weeks of a summer often exposes a few faults that weren't there last summer!

[NiceCupOfTea]

Use it. my Saab c900 has been far less reliable since it doesn't get used so much. Having said that I would keep it under a cover to protect it. my e36 cab hasn't been used much over the last couple of months and even without a cover it is very damp in there and there are some mould spots on the headlining

[pfnsht]

Thanks guys. Just the votes and experiences of confidence I needed. The cover is coming off unless being stored for a couple of weeks. I had noticed the interior was damper since using the cover too.

I should look more into ceramic coating when the paint is fully sorted or even practice on it as is. The paint looks nice on the panels but around the window rubbers you can see where is was masked

[neutral 3]

Regular inspection of the underside for corrosion plus try not to use it when the roads in Blighty are plastered in salt 🙈

[52classic]

Well done OP. That's a high standard and great commitment to keeping it like that.

I'm aiming for something similar with my P38 and each year my detailing level improves but in the meantime, for winters, I Waxoyl critical areas like inside the fuel flap, wheel arch edges, tailgate, door bottoms and anywhere with plated screws and fixings. A paraffin wash in the spring gets it all ready for a season's posing.

[warch]

I think that as long as the car is clean (water channels not clogged) and in regular use it should be ok outside. Musty damp old garages are not much better in my experience.


My Land Rover seems to suffer much worse from road salt corrosion than anything else, but as that Corrado has been (excellently) undersealed it should be ok. Cars are for using.

[4rephill]

neutral 3 said:

Regular inspection of the underside for corrosion plus try not to use it when the roads in Blighty are plastered in salt ??

If the OP's local authority is anything like ours, that'll be @ 4 months that the car can't be used then: December through to March - every time the temperature approaches 5°C or below.

(I kid you not - our local authority have gritters out when there's no risk of ice on the road at all, including when it's absolutely belting down with rain, "just in case!" )

[warch]

It's especially crucial to salt the roads when it's freezing and wet because that's when black ice can form.

[pfnsht]

Thanks for the compliments and votes of confidence that I’m doing something right. I’ve been driving more modern cars over the last decade and am overly precious with the Corrado.

I took it out today and it was superb. It loves being used and came back running very nicely. It’s no low mileage queen and has covered 151k so no need to keep miles down.

I shall start a readers ride thread.

I’m also eyeing up a merc w124 in a few years time... a spot of refinement. Why run 1 newish modern car when you can have a couple of classics covering different bases .