The car less driven

Today's project is to get my 2008 Silverado ready for summer vacation. This involves checking for codes (none) washing and a good vacuuming. While doing that I checked my mileage log and saw that I put 4500 miles on the truck since vacation last year. Most of those were miles that I made myself drive even though I would have rather driven something else.
I'll put 5-6k miles on this summer, but after that I'd like to not feel like I need to drive the truck except for when I'm doing truck stuff. How do I do that? Make sure I drive it once a week? Twice? One longer drive a month or four shorter ones? It lives outside, should I cover it or does that end up doing more harm than good?

Don't cover a car outside, it's actually worse for the paint than to leave it exposed.

Four shorter drives are better than one long one as long as you spend maybe 10 minutes at full operating temperature. Runs that don't make it to full operating temperature are bad for the engine, you build up more moisture and contaminants without giving them a chance to evaporate.

We don't drive ours all that much, but that's more because of $4/gallon+ gas. Wife and I both love driving it. I try to make sure it gets driven at least once a week. Right now it's sitting outside while I have the heads off my Dad's Tahoe taking it's spot in the garage.

I just put an AGM style battery in my truck that sits too much.

Ah... the constant problem of classic car ownership: the car never gets driven enough. I'm guilty of it myself. I really wanted to drive the GT6 or Mini to work today... but it just didn't happen... My Cummins suffered greatly from lack of use. This is one reason why my next truck/van will have functioning A/C and a working radio/CD. Otherwise I know I simply won't drive the thing during the summer unless I absolutely have to for some utilitarian reason. It's also why I want to figure out how to put A/C into the GT6 and Mini. Now that we're entering the "hot and sweaty season", the cars will just sit in the garage until Sept...

And I really don't care about those who drive around and never use the A/C. I'm not one of them. The car with A/C is the one I'm going to drive. Period.

I take mine to work one day a week. It's about 45 minutes each way and mostly highway so it's not getting beat up but is getting enough work to remain happy.

My truck has only got a little over 1000 miles on it over the past 6 months. I just use it when I need a truck.

I try and swap out the Saturn for the D once a week and drive it for a day so it doesn't sit for too long... it took enough work to get that running that I have no interest in letting it sit and rot...

93EXCivic wrote: My truck has only got a little over 1000 miles on it over the past 6 months. I just use it when I need a truck.

There are some places I could do that and it would be OK. Southeast Texas isn't one of them. It's like a jungle here for much of the year and things just decay. Cars that get driven live, those that sit die. I'm just trying to work out the techniques to stave off that slow death through disuse.

mazdeuce wrote:

93EXCivic wrote: My truck has only got a little over 1000 miles on it over the past 6 months. I just use it when I need a truck.

There are some places I could do that and it would be OK. Southeast Texas isn't one of them. It's like a jungle here for much of the year and things just decay. Cars that get driven live, those that sit die. I'm just trying to work out the techniques to stave off that slow death through disuse.

Is really that bad out there? I mean it is pretty damn humid here in Alabama.

I try to drive the MR2 on weekends when I can, even if it's just a joy ride. Thinking I might drive it to work once/week like someone else mentioned.

My truck and the Super Coupe sit for weeks and sometimes months at a time without moving an inch. I basically just drive them when I feel like it or need the truck.

That was the reason I sold my 57 Chevy. It was a really cool car that I never felt like driving. Probably because it handled like a Peterbuilt. At one point it sat for 6 months without moving. It's time to pass it on then.

In reply to 93EXCivic:

Maybe? I grew up in Michigan and am used to the idea of 100 year old barns and farm machinery from the horse drawn era sitting in fields. The rate at which nature consumes things down here is staggering. Wood, metal, even plastic and rubber decay. The only thing that seems to make it better is use. 20 year old cars that sit will never be revived while 50 year old trucks that get driven to work are still chugging along.
I'm not in love with my truck but it's useful enough that I'd like to keep it around and reliable. It's also the perfect thing to scratch the whole turbo LS itch someday.

I'm going to make the M3 back into more of a "street" car because of just this. It's an awesome car, but the seats and belts and noise and crazy harshness make it miserable except when using up Hoosier R6s on a track.

I drove it to VIR, got 2nd in TTC at a NASA even and drove it home last July. If I've driven it 50 miles since then I'd be surprised. Maybe I went to Summit once...

So the interior is going back in, roll bar/seats/harnesses out, vinyl coming off. I'll leave the brake ducts for the time being.

Is really that bad out there?

Yeah, but just in that region. 200 miles away where i live, the best way to preserve something is to let it sit (in the shade) which is most of what i do with my cars.

And I really don't care about those who drive around and never use the A/C. I'm not one of them. The car with A/C is the one I'm going to drive. Period.

You sound like a Texan! You would hate Texas summers! I do.. This one's been mild, though. Havent hit 100 degrees yet which is really strange because we usually start hitting it here and there like..2 months ago.. This time last year i think we had already started our ~90-day run of hitting 100 every day.

drove my truck top work today after realizing it hadn't been started in 2 months. It's not my DD, it only get used when I need a truck. Once a month exercise minimum is a good idea though.

Yes the curse of multiple car ownership. I am single and live alone with four vehicles. The problem is I generally prefer to drive the new one as it's......well..........new and it's comfortable, reliable, economical and has all the things that make commuting more enjoyable. So the others sit. When it comes time to drive one of them it always seems to be a hassle. Just taking the covers off is time consuming. I fix one thing on the RX7 to get it running and the next time I go to use it, two things are wrong. It's a never ending battle.

Gearheadotaku wrote: drove my truck top work today after realizing it hadn't been started in 2 months. It's not my DD, it only get used when I need a truck. Once a month exercise minimum is a good idea though.

try to drive my F150 at least once a month ... preferably once a wk or every other wk

going to be replacing the suspension on the Integra (taking it back towards/to OEM) so while it's down the truck will have to do ( 14 mpg )

When both my cars are in good working order (man, can't remember last time that happened) I take the 'rolla out once a week, either if I'm running late for work or on weekends. The car itself isn't too harsh but the roads sure are.

I don't have a garage so the car just has to sit in the sun...a sunshade and tint protect the interior but the paint takes a beating. That's the reason I'm considering plasti-dip.

When my cars sit outside they never get direct sun, ask Vigo about my epic shade. The flip side to this is the pine needles and leaves. I did pull the cowl off the truck this spring and thoroughly cleaned all of the organic junk out of it. I still think that's the most likely place for the truck to rust through time.
When I was riding mopeds back in the day the word on the street was to run premium in seldom driven vehicles because.....something about evaporation and the fuel retaining quality longer. Any potential truth to this?

Put staybil in any thing that sits. The fuel of today goes bad in 3 months. I have a car with staybil in it since 04 it still starts and drives.

ask Vigo about my epic shade

If the humidity came with it you couldnt pay me to take that shade, but it sure would be nice to have it otherwise...

Vigo wrote:

Is really that bad out there?

Yeah, but just in that region. 200 miles away where i live, the best way to preserve something is to let it sit (in the shade) which is most of what i do with my cars.

And I really don't care about those who drive around and never use the A/C. I'm not one of them. The car with A/C is the one I'm going to drive. Period.

You sound like a Texan! You would hate Texas summers! I do.. This one's been mild, though. Havent hit 100 degrees yet which is really strange because we usually start hitting it here and there like..2 months ago.. This time last year i think we had already started our ~90-day run of hitting 100 every day.

I would kill myself. Not even joking.

Feedyurhed wrote: Yes the curse of multiple car ownership. I am single and live alone with four vehicles. The problem is I generally prefer to drive the new one as it's......well..........new and it's comfortable, reliable, economical and has all the things that make commuting more enjoyable. So the others sit. When it comes time to drive one of them it always seems to be a hassle. Just taking the covers off is time consuming. I fix one thing on the RX7 to get it running and the next time I go to use it, two things are wrong. It's a never ending battle.

I am in the same boat....just with 6 vehicles, 4 of which run. I just fired up my IH last night to move it next to the freshly painted barn to hopefully protect it from hail(which we didn't get) It was on my back patio for close to a month without being moved, so the fuel system had to reprime itself. Impressively enough, as soon as it reprimed it fired right up. The fukus, '91 SHO, and e21 all get rotated throughout the week. 90* and muggy days will leave the e21 in the garage and I take one of the other two with a/c.

stan_d wrote: Put MARINE STABIL DOUBLE DOSED in any thing that sits. The fuel of today goes bad in 3 months. I have a car with staybil in it since 04 it still starts and drives.

FTFY if it sits over a year add 1 oz/gallon 2 stroke oil, 2oz if carbed and catless, the oil keeps any varnish that forms soft and easily dissolved by fresh fuel, also provide corrosion protection should the stabil become saturated.