Do any of you park your Ferrari Outside?

I don't have a garage but I have a really long driveway so the car's far enough away from the scumbags in the street. I spent about £150 on a really good weather-proof car cover so hopefully it's protected from the worst of the elements. Did your Ferrari mechanic gives reasons to why it was a very bad idea to leave a 308 outside?

 

Your car would just be out of the elements better inside a garage. If I didnt have a garage, I probably woudnt own one of these cars. Stored outside, I think Insurance would probably be rediculous. I don't know where you live, but there are always ways to get a car inside. Various storage units, underground parking garages, really no reason for a car of this calibre to sit outside. I cant even keep my dog outside.

 

I couldn't imagine leaving my Ferrari outside, but i guess the most important thing is to get it into storage during the winter months especially if your in a snow area. If i had to leave it outside during the summer months i would make sure that i had a quality weather resistant cover for it. If you park your car in a general parking area where other cars are parked i would make sure the cover had the reinforced sides to help prevent door dings otherwise i would reinforce the sides on my own.

 

temporarily , and for the driving months i have mine in a carport with sides .and w a cover over it. i am in the process building a new garage this fall. does that count as outside ?

 

With all the talk of not taking the cars our in the snow I thought I would post this pic of my old (sold to a friend) ex-Livanos 365gt (#13141) on what was supposed to be a "fall folliage tour". Ha! Car did fine in the snow, and it was the first time I did not feel to0 hot in the car. They do not melt, and the car was campaigned on several 1000 mile rallies after this without incident. In fact I won the New England 1000 overall with this car in 2000.

Alex
Dino #10704
365BB #18265
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Nice photo Alex!

...As for parking outside, any car is fine, but the elements will take their toll no matter what (even if you gob loads of wax to protect it), eventually, worse on the Ferrari as early 308's had no rust protection and it'll start to rust fast.

As an example, my Ferrari is garaged and daily beater is parked out on the street. It has been all of it's life (even with previous owners). Even though it's Japanese ('88 Mitsubishi) and I live in a year-round mild climate (Vancouver, Canada), it does have rust bubbles and the paint is very faded. If you parked the 308 outside, within a year, I could guarantee you, you'll have ****-loads of rust at the bottoms of the doors and possibly leaks into the interior if the car happens to be a GTS (the roof seals will eventually weaken due to temp changes).

In your case, it would be so worth your time to invest in storing the car in another location, best would be a private garage (join a local car club - any classic car club will suffice - and find out if there are members who offer storage space. In one of the clubs I belong to [The Vintage Car Club of Canada] there are members who do offer space for a reasonable monthly rate), or even a public storage place. Be careful with those as I've heard of one case here at F'Chat of a member who did have his car stolen from one, but did get it recovered by the local police... Still a choice though, chose one in a nice, busy, bright location.

 

FWIW: I had a Celica AllTrac that was left outside in the office parking lot days, but spent every night in a garage, for 15 years. After I bought the EVO, it spent two weeks sitting outside before the buyer came to pick it up. I gave it a little exercise before the buyer arrived, and I was amazed how much it had stiffened up -- surface rust on brakes, stiff seals on the coil-overs, etc.

If you park your Italian outside, then be sure to drive it every day -- it needs the exercise.

My Alfa sat outside for six months, but it was my daily driver at the time, and it was back when it was brand new.

 

I live in an old historic district where the majority of the Victorian homes lack a garage.
As far as my old 308 goes, It gets parked outside all the time.
I use a dual car cover system to protect the car, where the first cover is soft and breathable, and the second is a waterproof cover.

I sure wouldn't want to be in the old folks home some day as a Ferrari drives by, and say to the old guy next to me...
"Yep, I almost had a Ferrari, but I let some mechanic talk me out of it because I didn't have a garage to park it in."

As long as you take care of the car, it doesn't matter where you park it.

As a matter of fact, I'll bet 90% of the Ferrari owners who park their car in a garage, wish that their Ferrari had a chassis as nice as this outside car.
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I could not imagine leaving my car outside. A car will defiantly age quicker out in the elements then it will in a closed location (even with a car cover). I had the choice of parking my Porsche in my garage at my rental properties in New York, Long Island and I chose to rent out the garage and put the car under a very good car cover. I would have been better of selling the car. Thanks to the elements, it looks like crap. In my opinion, get the car in some kind of an enclosed area. It will simply last a whole lot longer. IMO I think it would be foolish to leave a car like that outside.
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you leave outside and this can happen, like it happened to me. rent a garage if you have to. seems to me i was owned for a night..........
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...even a rental space isn't secure....

Good to see your cars tip-top again, John.

d

 

I WOULD NEVER EVEN CONSIDER LEAVING MY CAR OUTSIDE. There is a possibility that my next residence will not have a garage...if that becomes the case, I will rent out a storage facility and park it there. The elements will eventually get the best of you in a Ferrari...They are not built to whether them...they trap water in bad places...They are designed for speed, not efficient water draining....The closest I would come would be under a carport with a cover...but even that situation I would not feel comfortable with over a long period of time...

 

Talk to me before you do...

 

I get a laugh out of these kinds of snow pictures. Dude thats not snow, it a little slushy out. Snow is when it piles up two feet deep and you plow it while you drive.

 

Up here, there is just no comparison between keeping a car inside and outside. In the garage, they stay clean, don't rust, no oxydation ... outside, trees drop their crap on it, dirt, rust, dings ... it just doesn't compare.
One vote for inside, especially considering it's an older car.

 

If you feel the neighborhood is secure, I vote for a Ferrari outside with a good car cover over no Ferrari outside and a Honda Accord (or similar) in the driveway. Maybe not a concours car, but a good driver is okay outside if driven often and kept washed. IMO better than in a garage for 15 years with 1000 miles on it. Buy and drive!

BT

 

I don't have a garage for my 308. She has sat outside with a Noah cover since 97. I finally had a "carport" built about 2 years ago so now it actually doesn't rain directly on it or my little 80 Scirocco.

 

Foolish?
I guess it depends on your mind set.

There are plenty of Ferrari owners that feel I'm foolish because I drive my Ferrari every day I can, putting thousands of miles on it.

I happen to think they are the foolish ones, saving their Ferrari for the next owner.

I have been poo-pooed many a time by the owner who sees my car and says... I'd never let my car get that dirty.
These are likely the same folks that that feel I'm foolish for taking my Range Rover off road to Land Rover club events, and using it for what it was meant for.

It's really sad that so many owners would rather polish their cars,
and put them back into their garage where they are nice and safe.
Instead of using them for what they were designed for... Driving!

Could I get a storage facility?
Sure, but what would I do then, drive there and park my other car
while I drive the Ferrari, then drive back, so forth so on...
Talk about jumping through hoops!
I Guess it would work out if my Ferrari was just a weekend play-thing for when the weather was nice.
But I didn't buy a Ferrari as a weekend toy, or a status symbol.
I bought this old bucket of bolts because I love the sound of slurping carbs behind my head.
And to me, foolish would be, not taking advantage of that sound every day I can.

Now back to the original question...
Should you buy a Ferrari if you don't have a garage?

Glenn, I guess you need to ask yourself a few questions like,
are you buying the Ferrari for yourself, or the next owner?
Are you wanting a Ferrari to polish and show off,
or do you want to get out and drive the thing?
Do you feel the area where you would park the car is secure,
or would it be an open invitation to theft and vandalism?
Would you get upset by Ferrari owners calling you foolish for not parking your car in a garage year round,
or could you give a rats ass what they think, because it just a car meant to be driven, not an idol to be worshiped?
And lastly, would it haunt you for the rest of your life if you knew you could have owned the car of your dreams,
but passed it up because someone you don't even know talked you out of it because you don't have a garage?

Like you said, it would be stored in the winter, so I don't see a problem.
But that's just my crazy view!
After all, I'm silly enough to live in a 150 year old house,
and park my 30 year old Ferrari outside,
when I could live in a nice new house and park my new Ferrari in the garage.

 

Well - wait for this winter, then - I just purchased a 400i as a daily driver to replace my 04 Audi A8L - have not posted more detail yet as i am hoping to resolve a problem with the seller first, but I am putting snow tires on it - and should have real snow pics in a few months!

Alex

 

A 400i with snow tires.

My kind of guy!

 

If you don't have a garage, you don't have a garage.
In my case I cannot even build one because of the property line/laws/etc on that side of my house. Anyway, That little problem wasn't going to keep me from getting my Ferrari way back then. You make do with what you have.

 

If you're near the ocean, rust is a big issue.

 

On the contrary. I drive my car every chance I get. Stereotyping Ferrari owners that garage their cars is nothing short of being narrow-minded. In my experience, a garaged car will last longer, look better and give you less grief period. If you don't want to garage your car, that’s your business. I am giving my opinion from my experiences. I have been a slave to cars that I have owned that were not in a garage (keeping them clean is a pain in the ass and very time consuming). I consider leaving my Porsche outside foolish. IMO a Ferrari is a very special automobile and I feel it deserves to be put in an enclosed location if at all possible. You will spend more time cleaning your car and taking care of it from the elements then you will driving to where you store it. I like keeping my toys clean. I am not about to stereotype all Ferrari owners that keep their cars outside as being untidy with their cars. I am sure they take great pride in Ferrari ownership as do I.

My car is no garage queen. It's my weekend toy. It gets driven and driven often. I purchased it to drive it.

 

Yes it is.
Kind of similar to calling a Ferrari owner that lacks a garage foolish.
Or assuming that because he parks his car outdoors it looks like crap.

Would I park my car inside if I had a garage?
Well duh!
Would I give up Ferrari ownership because I lacked a garage?
I think you know the answer to that.

By the way, before I purchased my car, it was a weekend toy always kept in a climate controlled garage.
The chassis and suspension were nasty and rusty.

Since taking ownership I have disassembled the car and bead blasted the chassis and all suspension components, primed, repainted, applied undercoating, and then rebuilt the car.

At any rate, my intentions were not to get into a debate on which is better garage or outside. That is obvious my friend.
It was to show a potential owner that he could live his dream of Ferrari ownership, even though he lacked a garage.

Good Luck!