V8 Vantage - OK to leave outside?
Discussion
I'm getting fairly close to being able to buy a V8 Vantage. It will be my main car, but now I'm permanently working from home, this means it will be driven perhaps once a week and under 2,000 miles a year, so not really an issue.
However, the car will have to be kept on the drive, as my single garage is home to my Westfield (which definitely couldn't be kept outside...).
I previously owned a Fiat Coupe, which was relegated onto the drive when I got the Westfield and I was surprised to see how shabby the underside had got inside three years, simply by being parked open to the elements (even though it was under a car cover)
Am I asking for problems by parking a V8V outside? I have no problem buying a top-end car cover and it will be connected to a CTek charger, but ultimately, the car will be in the damp outside air. It's a short driveway, directly in front of the garage door, so a carcoon or similar is not an option.
Any thoughts, other than buy a house with a double garage?
However, the car will have to be kept on the drive, as my single garage is home to my Westfield (which definitely couldn't be kept outside...).
I previously owned a Fiat Coupe, which was relegated onto the drive when I got the Westfield and I was surprised to see how shabby the underside had got inside three years, simply by being parked open to the elements (even though it was under a car cover)
Am I asking for problems by parking a V8V outside? I have no problem buying a top-end car cover and it will be connected to a CTek charger, but ultimately, the car will be in the damp outside air. It's a short driveway, directly in front of the garage door, so a carcoon or similar is not an option.
Any thoughts, other than buy a house with a double garage?
Ive had 2 Vantages since 2007 kept outside just fine. They were built to Ford durability standards and other than some owners of older cars having rusty sub frames painted they hold up very well to normal car use.
I do have a breathable outdoor multi layer cover from https://www.specialisedcovers.com/car-covers
Ive had 3 of these covers over the years for my Elise then coupe and Roadster. They are fully tailored and lined, along with straps so they dont flap about.
Its not practical to use a cover daily as the car needs to be cleaned beforehand. I only use it for longer periods, usually over holidays or winter. I will clean and dry the car then put the cover on for a few weeks at a time. Its not really necessary, but it is nice to be able to keep the car clean for when you want to use it.
I do have a breathable outdoor multi layer cover from https://www.specialisedcovers.com/car-covers
Ive had 3 of these covers over the years for my Elise then coupe and Roadster. They are fully tailored and lined, along with straps so they dont flap about.
Its not practical to use a cover daily as the car needs to be cleaned beforehand. I only use it for longer periods, usually over holidays or winter. I will clean and dry the car then put the cover on for a few weeks at a time. Its not really necessary, but it is nice to be able to keep the car clean for when you want to use it.
Nigel_O said:
Any thoughts, other than buy a house with a double garage?
Like any car really, constantly getting wet wont be kind to it, and rust will form on parts. Some bits rust faster than others, rear subframe seems to be the worst/most serious area.What about getting one of those garage stackers and either raising the roof, or digging a pit below.... Something I always have in mind when looking at properties with insufficient garage space and limited options to expand sideways....
All cars suffer more when they are left outside longer term. Leaks, paint fade, rust, darned pigeons, bits falling off trees. etc.
My MR2 got relegated when the Aston came along. I need to move to a house with a double garage but my wife wants triple so her Focus can stay dry too.....
My MR2 got relegated when the Aston came along. I need to move to a house with a double garage but my wife wants triple so her Focus can stay dry too.....
Thanks for the feedback chaps
I accept that it's "only a car" and that it will have been built to cope with some weather. However, I've read various threads on bits going rusty, ranging from simple grille fastenings to entire subframes going a bit flaky.
If other people are leaving cars outside, that's fine with me and it removes one more barrier to ownership.
As for the car lift / stacking idea - perfectly viable from an engineering point of view - raise the roof of the garage by three or four feet, fit a relatively lightweight car lift and raise the Westfield until it's high enough to get the Aston underneath. However, I estimate the cost at £10k + and if I had that kind of money, I'd be buying a 4.7 instead of an entry-level 4.3.
I guess the answer is to sell the Westfield, but it's far too much fun at the moment. However, I'm 60 next month and it won't be many more years before getting in and out of it is too much hassle, at which point the Aston would reclaim the garage. I imagine there will be a width issue though - garage is only 8 feet wide and Vantage doors look pretty big....
I accept that it's "only a car" and that it will have been built to cope with some weather. However, I've read various threads on bits going rusty, ranging from simple grille fastenings to entire subframes going a bit flaky.
If other people are leaving cars outside, that's fine with me and it removes one more barrier to ownership.
As for the car lift / stacking idea - perfectly viable from an engineering point of view - raise the roof of the garage by three or four feet, fit a relatively lightweight car lift and raise the Westfield until it's high enough to get the Aston underneath. However, I estimate the cost at £10k + and if I had that kind of money, I'd be buying a 4.7 instead of an entry-level 4.3.
I guess the answer is to sell the Westfield, but it's far too much fun at the moment. However, I'm 60 next month and it won't be many more years before getting in and out of it is too much hassle, at which point the Aston would reclaim the garage. I imagine there will be a width issue though - garage is only 8 feet wide and Vantage doors look pretty big....
davek_964 said:
Mine lived outside for 4 years - no issues.
I always find it slightly odd that people think it's a risk to leave something outside, when it was - literally - designed to be used outside........
Rust forms on iron in the presence of oxygen and water. Add more water, it rusts quicker than if just with in the moisture present in the air.I always find it slightly odd that people think it's a risk to leave something outside, when it was - literally - designed to be used outside........
I think we covered that in a practical lesson o-level chemistry lesson, with 4 nails in 4 test tubes, one just water, one just air, one air and a little water, and one a vacuum. Unsurprisingly the one in air and water rusted miles faster than the others.
AdamV12V said:
davek_964 said:
Mine lived outside for 4 years - no issues.
I always find it slightly odd that people think it's a risk to leave something outside, when it was - literally - designed to be used outside........
Rust forms on iron in the presence of oxygen and water. Add more water, it rusts quicker than if just with in the moisture present in the air.I always find it slightly odd that people think it's a risk to leave something outside, when it was - literally - designed to be used outside........
I think we covered that in a practical lesson o-level chemistry lesson, with 4 nails in 4 test tubes, one just water, one just air, one air and a little water, and one a vacuum. Unsurprisingly the one in air and water rusted miles faster than the others.
AdamV12V said:
davek_964 said:
Mine lived outside for 4 years - no issues.
I always find it slightly odd that people think it's a risk to leave something outside, when it was - literally - designed to be used outside........
Rust forms on iron in the presence of oxygen and water. Add more water, it rusts quicker than if just with in the moisture present in the air.I always find it slightly odd that people think it's a risk to leave something outside, when it was - literally - designed to be used outside........
I think we covered that in a practical lesson o-level chemistry lesson, with 4 nails in 4 test tubes, one just water, one just air, one air and a little water, and one a vacuum. Unsurprisingly the one in air and water rusted miles faster than the others.
I'll continue to leave my cars outside - none of them have ever had any visible / noticeable problems as a result.
Mine lived outside for 2.5 years, I covered 17k miles in all weathers the only parts wthat looked a bit shabby we’re the centre of the disks, the hand brake calipers and on some cars the mirror arms can bubble a little.
The hubs can easily be cleaned off easily and repainted, I painted my hand brake calipers black and the mirror arms are also relatively easy to fix from my understanding.
The rubber around the lower of the rear screen also seemed hold dirt/moisture, I used to use 303 spray on the external rubber parts.
Everything else had no issues, once a year I took the wheels off to clean and seal everything which worked well.
In winter the windows can be a bit of a paint but clearing the seal where the window goes into the door with a plastic card or scraper prior to opening solves that.
Overall I found it perfectly fine, you just need to spend a bit more time on cleaning and general maintenance.
The hubs can easily be cleaned off easily and repainted, I painted my hand brake calipers black and the mirror arms are also relatively easy to fix from my understanding.
The rubber around the lower of the rear screen also seemed hold dirt/moisture, I used to use 303 spray on the external rubber parts.
Everything else had no issues, once a year I took the wheels off to clean and seal everything which worked well.
In winter the windows can be a bit of a paint but clearing the seal where the window goes into the door with a plastic card or scraper prior to opening solves that.
Overall I found it perfectly fine, you just need to spend a bit more time on cleaning and general maintenance.
davek_964 said:
Mine lived outside for 4 years - no issues.
I always find it slightly odd that people think it's a risk to leave something outside, when it was - literally - designed to be used outside........
It's not that odd - clearly a car that's kept in a heated garage and only used on dry days is not going to suffer anything like the corrosion of a car that's used all year round and kept outside.I always find it slightly odd that people think it's a risk to leave something outside, when it was - literally - designed to be used outside........
Don't get me wrong - I wasn't expecting it to crumble away to nothing in a few years, or fail to start on damp mornings. However, my Fiat was also designed to operate in inclement weather (and I used it as a daily driver for many years). However, when it got relegated to the driveway, it was fairly decent underneath. Just three years and 2,000 miles later, there was some surface rust on the floorpan and the suspension arms were quite rusty.
I don't doubt that a Vantage can cope with some moisture, but I didn't want to line myself up with huge bills in the future if some of the structure is susceptible to corrosion.
However - I'm reassured by the feedback and having to keep it outside is now crossed off my (short) list of reasons why I can't have one - the search continues...
Nigel_O said:
It's not that odd - clearly a car that's kept in a heated garage and only used on dry days is not going to suffer anything like the corrosion of a car that's used all year round and kept outside.
Don't get me wrong - I wasn't expecting it to crumble away to nothing in a few years, or fail to start on damp mornings. However, my Fiat was also designed to operate in inclement weather (and I used it as a daily driver for many years). However, when it got relegated to the driveway, it was fairly decent underneath. Just three years and 2,000 miles later, there was some surface rust on the floorpan and the suspension arms were quite rusty.
I don't doubt that a Vantage can cope with some moisture, but I didn't want to line myself up with huge bills in the future if some of the structure is susceptible to corrosion.
However - I'm reassured by the feedback and having to keep it outside is now crossed off my (short) list of reasons why I can't have one - the search continues...
Do a bit of googling on rear subframe rust. That's your main concern for sure with Vantages, and if your car is already a few years old could be worth checking. That said its not too expensive to sort out if you do get it. £2-£3k for a complete strip down, blast and treatment. IF at the end of the day you dont have a garage you dont - all you can do is monitor it really and nip it in the bud if it starts to appear.Don't get me wrong - I wasn't expecting it to crumble away to nothing in a few years, or fail to start on damp mornings. However, my Fiat was also designed to operate in inclement weather (and I used it as a daily driver for many years). However, when it got relegated to the driveway, it was fairly decent underneath. Just three years and 2,000 miles later, there was some surface rust on the floorpan and the suspension arms were quite rusty.
I don't doubt that a Vantage can cope with some moisture, but I didn't want to line myself up with huge bills in the future if some of the structure is susceptible to corrosion.
However - I'm reassured by the feedback and having to keep it outside is now crossed off my (short) list of reasons why I can't have one - the search continues...
AdamV12V said:
Nigel_O said:
It's not that odd - clearly a car that's kept in a heated garage and only used on dry days is not going to suffer anything like the corrosion of a car that's used all year round and kept outside.
Don't get me wrong - I wasn't expecting it to crumble away to nothing in a few years, or fail to start on damp mornings. However, my Fiat was also designed to operate in inclement weather (and I used it as a daily driver for many years). However, when it got relegated to the driveway, it was fairly decent underneath. Just three years and 2,000 miles later, there was some surface rust on the floorpan and the suspension arms were quite rusty.
I don't doubt that a Vantage can cope with some moisture, but I didn't want to line myself up with huge bills in the future if some of the structure is susceptible to corrosion.
However - I'm reassured by the feedback and having to keep it outside is now crossed off my (short) list of reasons why I can't have one - the search continues...
Do a bit of googling on rear subframe rust. That's your main concern for sure with Vantages, and if your car is already a few years old could be worth checking. That said its not too expensive to sort out if you do get it. £2-£3k for a complete strip down, blast and treatment. IF at the end of the day you dont have a garage you dont - all you can do is monitor it really and nip it in the bud if it starts to appear.Don't get me wrong - I wasn't expecting it to crumble away to nothing in a few years, or fail to start on damp mornings. However, my Fiat was also designed to operate in inclement weather (and I used it as a daily driver for many years). However, when it got relegated to the driveway, it was fairly decent underneath. Just three years and 2,000 miles later, there was some surface rust on the floorpan and the suspension arms were quite rusty.
I don't doubt that a Vantage can cope with some moisture, but I didn't want to line myself up with huge bills in the future if some of the structure is susceptible to corrosion.
However - I'm reassured by the feedback and having to keep it outside is now crossed off my (short) list of reasons why I can't have one - the search continues...
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