going away for a year - "store" it or not?

[roadhog]

Interested in the opinion of some of you experts out there.

I've got an 04 XC70 with ~48k miles.

I'll soon be away from home for a year (again....I'm in the military).

My wife drives a minivan to haul the kids around. While I'm gone she really doesn't need the volvo, but we're also not getting rid of it or anything.

So I'm debating:
1. Dropping most insurance on it and "storing" it in our driveway (sadly, gov't housing does not offer me a garage) and not operating it for a year.
2. Just encouraging my wife to find an excuse to drive it once a week or so while I'm gone.

What do you think? I'm leaning towards #2 thinking that would be in the best interest of the car - but I did #1 on a previous deployment with a Jeep Cherokee and it was still a great car with no problems for long afterwards.

thanks!

[My3buicks]

Having three antique and classic cars and having had collector cars for 30 years now, and having stored such vechicles - I have an opinion on this.

If you had a garage and could properly put the car in long term storage, I would say go that route. But being that it will be outside, that will not be proper long term storage. Not sure of what area of the country you are in, but sitting outside unmoved for long periods can be really hard on a car, as leaves, pollutants, snow, ice can get into the wrong places and block drains and cause finish problems.

If your wife could drive the car once a week, keep it washed maybe monthly, then you wouldn't even know that it sat that long.

If you do go the storage route, I would recommend a high quality stormguard car cover. That will keep the elements off the car, but still allow breathability which is key.

[tgwillard]

I would vote to have your wife take the Volvo out on the road once a month for a trip of an hour or longer. In between trips, keep the car covered with a good quality car cover.

[gary]

I don't have an opinion on whether or not to store or have your wife drive it, but I do want to wish you "Happy Holidays" and thank you for your service to the Nation. I'm a DOD civilian employee and support our troops overseas everyday. You guys rock! [thumbup]

[BillAileo]

Ditto on the thanks for your service! I concur in tgwillard's recommendation.

[Jake529]

Thank you for your service to our country and cudios to your strong wife and kids for being there for you.... If you can find a self storage place where you live and it is big enough to stick the car in there, winterize it, fill it full of gas and stabilzer, put a cover on it and lock the door. I do that with one of my livery cars that right now isn't being used. 10X20 enclosed. If you find one make a deal with the manager tell him were your going. I can bet he will give you a great deal. That way the car is safe and out of the elements.

Jake

[roadhog]

Thanks for the advice and thoughts all. Sort of what I expected to hear. I think I'll either look into a self-storage unit or just have the wife drive it occasionally.

cheers.

[BillAileo]

One suggestion if you go with the wife driving it occasionally option: those occasional drives should not be short ones. The car needs to reach full operating temperature and be run for a decent interval to preclude a build up of condensation in the crankcase.

[TiredGeek]

Don't let the wife near it !!!
You'll come back after a year and she'll have grown to love it and you'll never get the keys back :D

Good luck serving. Been there, done that, got the Tshirt..........

[roadhog]

This will be my 3rd t-shirt. I'd much prefer to simply raise my kids.