My Car: Sell It or Store it?

[chronus377]

So, I am moving out of the country for at least a year in order to start a new job opportunity in Holland. There is absolutely no way I will be taking my car with me (Amsterdam is the most expensive city in the world to park a car).

I love my speed3 and wouldn't want to get rid of it. I can pay it off pretty easily and have no more payments. So I am very tempted to just store it in a heated garage (seen them for $50-$100 monthly) for at least a year.

If my car is left sitting for that long what should I expect? I have a feeling because it's a modern car with a turbo engine that it may not keep as well. I'm worried that it is not worthwhile as there are so many parts which could degrade overtime. MS3's can be fickle if not maintained properly and I'm afraid of lots of little things losing their original performance. Anyone have any experience storing cars?

Alternatively I could sell it, keep the cash handy and buy another one whenever I return back to the states. Of course as an American car guy I love to keep it but it might not work well in a long run.

Anyone have advice?

 

[8.5MS3]

http://news.carjunky.com/automotive/winter-car-storage-cde951.shtml

http://www.techguys.ca/howto/winter.html

I prefer the 2nd one. Also be sure to depressurize the high pressure fuel rail.

I have also heard of people that quite literally top off all fluids (ie 5 gallons of oil) to the point that its pooled up in the valvecover. some say that this keeps oil around all lubricated parts, prevents rust, oxidation etc. and they simply drain it when they want to start the car up again. Im not sure i would do this but thats your choice. it does seem to make sense but i dont know if there will be any benefit or if it will seep past the piston rings over time. up to you.

 

[JCell]

can u afford to keep paying for it while in storage?

 

[kvndoom]

You don't know anyone you can trust (and I mean REALLY trust) who can periodically start it up for you and take care of minor maintenance?

I wouldn't fault you for selling it though. What money you don't spend on "window shopping" in Amsterdam (heh, heh...(naughty)) can just go towards a new ride when you get back, and we all love that new car smell.

 

[mazdaspeedster3]

Find an exotic car broker in the area. More than not they will have a large group of guys that they store cars for. You will have to allow them a low limited ammount of miles but they will take care of the car very nicely for cheap. They will run it every now and then, check fluids, change oil and such if you want and keep the battery fresh. Worth looking into... They would also be able to email you pics and status at will.

 

[eg6motion]

I suppose it's really about how much you love the MS3. Financially it's not worth it...it's not a rare car, collectors car, or exotic and will simply lose value like any other econobox. Not to mention, after a year without it, will you really be missing it that much?

 

[JCell]

is the car modded at all? reason I ask is because if the car is stock then might as well sell it, and buy another one if u still want that drive.

but if its modded and holds more than monetary value then store it

 

[chronus377]

Thanks for the feedback so far. I have a few mods (springs, short shifter, RX-8 wheels, MS CAI). Just put back on my stock wheels today so I can sell the RX-8's. Everything except for the suspension is easy to revert back. I don't have a garage anymore, so doing suspension work in a parking lot is probably going to be difficult.

Thinking it over more, I think it would probably best just to part it out and sell the car. Sucks now, but in a year I probably won't care anymore. I'll be into those sweet Dutch bicycles by then. Besides I can always get a white MS3 whenever I come back to the states.

How long does it typically take to sell a car privately? I'm sure it depends on a lot (location, price, market) but I got a little over three weeks. Hopefully that is enough time. I'll probably take it into Car Max just to get a cash offer so I have a backup in case I can't sell it in time. If I can't get enough selling it then I'll just store it.

 

[BillTheCat]

You're probably making the sound decision in parting with the car if there's nobody you can just leave it with who would take care of it for you.

But you may be making that decision too late. Best of luck finding a buyer & processing the sale within 3 weeks. I do hope that works out for you. Could be tough unless you're offering a helluva deal.

While I'm at it- enjoy Holland! I'm about 1/8 Dutch, but haven't yet had a chance to visit. It's on my short list, though.