Living Car Free - How to mantain your undriven car?

I only drive my car now once every two weeks. Is that enough to keep it mantained, i.e battery charged and everything? I probably average 100 miles a month... I just started this this summer and hope to continue it all year round.

I only drive my car now once every two weeks. Is that enough to keep it mantained, i.e battery charged and everything? I probably average 100 miles a month... I just started this this summer and hope to continue it all year round.

Is it worth keeping around? Is it costing more to keep around then to rent a car on the occasions when you need one?

You can probably keep it running with that much use, but I tend to agree with crazybikerchick. Look into other options. Even with $4.00 gas, the bulk of the costs of car ownership involve, well, actually owning the car: car payments (though I suspect you have none), insurance, licensing, etc. If you live in an area with Zipcar or some other service, that might actually be a better deal. You might also see if you can get by without a car at all; in many areas of the country, cars are actually totally unnecessary. Personally, I need a car maybe two or three times a year, so I just borrow or rent one when I need to. (e.g., to move heavy sets of tools, transport visiting relatives around town, etc.)

100 miles a month should be no problem, in my opinion.

I used to drive a car less frequently than that, the only problem was that I'd use the emergency brake and the pads would stick to the drums. I'd have to rock the car a bit to free them. But, I was stupid. I should have dumped the car.

Everything will be fine, keep the gas tank (ironically) full to avoid getting moisture in there, and if possible store is somewhere where it'll be covered, like a garage (if you're lucky). I live 1 mile from work and keep mine in the parking garage.

If the battery is in good condition, it should last no problem, even more than a few months without running. You could disconnect the battery to make sure its not being drained so when you do actually need the car, it'll start up.

Critters will take up residence.:)

You can probably keep it running with that much use, but I tend to agree with crazybikerchick. Look into other options. Even with $4.00 gas, the bulk of the costs of car ownership involve, well, actually owning the car: car payments (though I suspect you have none), insurance, licensing, etc. If you live in an area with Zipcar or some other service, that might actually be a better deal. You might also see if you can get by without a car at all; in many areas of the country, cars are actually totally unnecessary. Personally, I need a car maybe two or three times a year, so I just borrow or rent one when I need to. (e.g., to move heavy sets of tools, transport visiting relatives around town, etc.)

Insurance on my car is just $38/ month. Unfortunately zipcar is not available. I think Ill keep the car for now, but if I find myself using it less and less, I may sell it..

I only drive my car now once every two weeks. Is that enough to keep it mantained, i.e battery charged and everything? I probably average 100 miles a month... I just started this this summer and hope to continue it all year round.

Proper long term storage of a car can get expensive so consider dumping the car.

Why do I say this? The reason is that proper storage is required to avoid really expensive repair
bills from disuse of the vehicle. Seal,gaskets, belts dry out and harden to start leaking oils & fluids
while old gas in the tank & fuel system ages to varnish that is very costly to repair. Old oil left
in the engine will cause corrosion/rust inside the engine due to combustion acid by products.

The list goes on and on. But basicly, it cost more to leave a car sit once said car is put into service
then parked for extended periods of time.

This being the CF forum, lots of people will tell you to get rid of it. But I wouldn't unless you really, really need the money. A used, paid off car you rarely drive but have at your disposal is a relatively minor financial strain, compared to the benefits it may provide.

I have a car I barely use here (I've only driven it once since the month started) because I bike everywhere, but it would be silly to sell it just because I don't use it often, as I don't need the money that badly, and I'll likely develop a need for the car at certain times of the semester/year.

Don't make a rush judgment out of a pressure to adopt a particular lifestyle; do what's best for you. With regard to maintenance, as long as you drive it around once a month, it should be fine. Don't let people scare you into selling it because they want you to live the way they do.

I've kept many cars for years while putting very few miles put on them. And most of these cars were over 20 or 30 years old. Today's vehicles will keep even better.

It's best to run them for a moderately long ride at least once every month or so, but I've had them sit for two or three. Sitting too long is bad, and short trips aren't good enough. If it sits too long you might want to put the battery on charge. I like to leave my fuel tank low so I can get some fresh fuel whenever I take it out. I've never had a fuel problem doing this. Varmints moving in will be a problem if the car sits outside, or the garage is not tight.

Mark's Garage, est. 1983

This being the CF forum, lots of people will tell you to get rid of it. But I wouldn't unless you really, really need the money. A used, paid off car you rarely drive but have at your disposal is a relatively minor financial strain, compared to the benefits it may provide.

I have a car I barely use here (I've only driven it once since the month started) because I bike everywhere, but it would be silly to sell it just because I don't use it often, as I don't need the money that badly, and I'll likely develop a need for the car at certain times of the semester/year.

Don't make a rush judgment out of a pressure to adopt a particular lifestyle; do what's best for you. With regard to maintenance, as long as you drive it around once a month, it should be fine. Don't let people scare you into selling it because they want you to live the way they do.

An awful lot of us are rather fond of fine machinery and hate to see it ruined or wasted... And unfortunately, Tightwad is right. If a car isn't driven regularly and is not put up on blocks properly, it will be ruined. Cars on a low use schedule need to be driven around 20 miles per month at a bare minimum. A very new car may get away with less, and many older cars would need more. If you're not driving the car enough to keep it in good working order, it is a good idea to get rid of it.

After running into problems of this sort with two different cars, I'm staying car free. I don't love city driving enough to use one often, and it's wasteful to keep a car just so I can tinker with it (doubly wasteful since I live in an apartment and it's against building rules to tinker with cars).

I used to drive a car less frequently than that, the only problem was that I'd use the emergency brake and the pads would stick to the drums. I'd have to rock the car a bit to free them. But, I was stupid. I should have dumped the car.

This has happened to me a couple of times. You leave the car parked in the driveway and somehow the sun seems to warp the brake rotors. Even if they don't, there will be definitely be a build-up of rust or mud on them and when you do start up, you hear the brakes grind every time you stop.

Or the battery runs down and it won't start. Or the tires go flat.

If you do plan on hanging on to the car, it's a good idea to move it every week or so.

I'll chime in for keeping the car, and they're really not all that hard to care for assuming you are going to run it on the monthly basis. And until you've absolutely convinced yourself (from lack of use) that you don't need it anymore, you're being foolish to give it up just to fall under somebody else's definition of environmental correctness.

The single biggest worry you'll have is the gasoline going bad, as it's shelf life isn't all that great - plus old gasoline just laying around in a carburetor or fuel injection system can gum up the passages. There's a real simple solution: It's a product called Sta-Bil (commercial name) that can be found very cheaply at any auto supply store. Dump it into a fresh tank of gas, then drive the car 5-10 miles to make sure the treated gas has gone through your fuel system. A tank of gas should last you six months to a year treated in this manner. All my lawn mower/generator/chain saw gas is treated this way.

Your car's battery shouldn't be allowed to go flat. If the car is going to sit longer than a month, a small, low output battery charger (usually called a Battery Tender) is a nice idea. If you don't want to bother with that route, one day a month with a regular battery charger certainly doesn't hurt.

Keep the car covered or preferably garaged, if available. You're not driving it, you're also not caring for it. Even with your mileage down to a minimum, plan on a once a year oil change. The oil does take out the acids that can build up in an engine block. When you do use the car, make sure it's driven long enough for the engine to actually warm up, not just a quick five mile trip.

All this talk of Zip cars (check today's Wall Street Journal for a nice article on them), etc., are great ideas, but they have one disadvantage over owning one's own car, even if it does sit: You have to preplan all you travel around setting up a rental. And be it a real serious emergency, or just a serious need to go somewhere beyond cycling distance RIGHT NOW, for whatever reason, nothing beats having your own motorized transportation immediately available.

By the way, this advice is a slight variation that we give at the motorcycle/scooter shop where I work, for those people who put their bikes away October 1st, and don't bring them back out until April 1st - and don't want to be seeing an $89.00 per carburetor charge for tear down and cleaning in the spring. An all too common occurrence.

A couple of other things. Don't go out and start it up and let it idle. If you start it up run it long enough to get the engine up to temp. This will keep corrosion down in the engine and keep acid from building up in the oil. Change the engine oil once a year if you are not driving enough. This will also keep the corrosion out of the engine. There is information available about how to properly store vehicles. Usually it is concerned with aircraft and military vehicles. If you have access to an army navy store with a well stocked bookshelf you might get some more hints out of a technical order for one of the army's rigs.

I only drive my car now once every two weeks. Is that enough to keep it mantained, i.e battery charged and everything? I probably average 100 miles a month... I just started this this summer and hope to continue it all year round.


As long as you're driving it a reasonable distance every time you use it, you're fine. You need to run it long enough that it gets to operating temperature, which takes 20 minutes or so in a modern vehicle. Failure to do that means you won't get water out of the places where it will collect, like in oil and the exhaust system. If you've got air conditioning, you should use it when you drive. Change the oil every six months, and I'd have a mechanic do it (and not a jiffy lube like place) so they look at other things.

This assumes you've got a reasonably modern vehicle (say, from the early 90's or later) and it's in good shape to start with. I'd consider two other things: Joining an autoclub, so in the unlikely event you've got a problem, you don't have to pay for a jump or a tow to the shop; and having a good mechanic give the car a going over. Tell him or her that you don't drive it much.

I still have my tacoma pu and use it twice a week to get my row/sail boat down to
the harbour twice a week, each round trip about 15 miles. At times though I didn't
drive it for 2 to 3 months due to injury or bad weather. I also have a kayak which
is carried on the racks.

Almost all of my other trips are made by bike. Still I plan on driving about a 1000 miles
this fall on a seasonal camping trip to the sierra nevada.
I know of a few car collectors whose cars are driven once a year to a car show with
apparently little effect. Once the peak oil thing kicks in though, I may have to setup
a trailer for my kayak as the watersports thing is non negotiable, plus it will be so
wonderful without all the stinkpots on the water.

The only real problems I've run into are gas stabilization, brake weirdness, light bulbs not coming on from light corrosion, and tires going square. And that's with a 2 year walk-away!

The gas stabilization is crucial. Gotta leave the parking brake off. Grease areas where corrosion might be a problem (I keep finding new areas on my 1984 BMW).

If you can drive once a month hard enough to warm the tires up that will help a great deal.

I used to drive a car less frequently than that, the only problem was that I'd use the emergency brake and the pads would stick to the drums. I'd have to rock the car a bit to free them. But, I was stupid. I should have dumped the car.
The problem is that the spring that retracts the brakes is not meant to be stretched for so long. If you are storing your car for more than a few days, the best way is to put blocks (ideally big square pieces of wood, but I guess a brick would work too) behind the tires so that the weight of the car rests on them instead of on the e-brake or the transmission.

Other than that, you can stuff a sock up the exhaust and disconnect the battery. But if you drive the car at least once every two weeks you shouldn't have to do that. You don't have to drive it far, just long enough for the engine to warm up and the wheels get a good workout, 10 minutes of driving should do it.

I have a car I barely use here (I've only driven it once since the month started) because I bike everywhere, but it would be silly to sell it just because I don't use it often, as I don't need the money that badly, and I'll likely develop a need for the car at certain times of the semester/year.
Good point. If your car is paid off and you live in a low-insurance area, there is really no reason to sell it (assuming of course you don't need the money).

Other than that, you can stuff a sock up the exhaust and disconnect the battery. But if you drive the car at least once every two weeks you shouldn't have to do that. You don't have to drive it far, just long enough for the engine to warm up and the wheels get a good workout, 10 minutes of driving should do it.

Whoa!! Dangerous advice!:eek::eek::notamused:

Please do not follow........

No disrepect intended but still dangerous.