Two weeks into winter storage and I am losing my mind!!

SHHHHHH.....it IS appreciating....look around the market and see how many you find! That is Step 1....they get rare in the marketplace.....

I say the salt WILL damage it, but I take mine surfing to the beach all the time.....

Hop a plane, come on down for the Holidays, we'll drink a bunch of Booker's and you can keep the batteries charged in my two....they are sitting out at the Ranch with the tractors......

 

David, you should do what us Noo Yorkers do - drive the car all year around. Unless there are snow drifts and we see cars sliding off the road, our cars are out on the road.

I'm getting a Gallardo soon, and I can assure you it ain't going to be sitting in my garage from Jan - April.

Don't rob yourself of the pleasure of driving these exotics. Wash 'em. Take care of 'em. But enjoy 'em. You only live once.

Take your cue from these guys:

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=40519

Best.

 

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=84023

read this thread. Its the first time ive seen a gallardo in the snow.

 

Sure, dry salt won't harm your car but add a little water and you will be off to the races. No need to wash your car or get it wet to achieve this - a small amount of condensation will create the conditions. Ferrari has never been known for its rust proofing programme - and your car was built before they even thought of the programme!
I do a fair amount of sea fishing here in the UK and you soon learn to rinse everything as soon as possible in fresh water.

I sympathise with your plight but unless you have a bone dry, de-humidified garage to store the car between trips I would hang on until at least the next big downpour.

 

I can assure you, it won't be the last. -

I read that - very interesting story. Waiting for the last part.

 

I feel your pain but pre '84 308's rust pretty easy. My cars have been sitting in the garage for about 3 weeks and I feel your pain.

Dave

 

Yes, salt destroys cars from the inside/underside. In fact if I had a Ferrari sharing the garage with a salt-encrusted daily driver, I might get one of those "carcoon" things to isolate it from the salt water you're probably depositing in the garage from your other car. Salt residue will accelerate corrosion the next time the car sees any moisture.

I posted on this in another thread - used to live in Cleveland and Chicago, where my cars' door bottoms were perforated with rust and the front and lower sides got sand-blasted by gritty water from the road - pinpricks of rust all over. The floorpans actually rusted out of my MGB. I bought lots of cheap cars - used Civics and Sentras - to sacrifice to the winter, and kept my nicer car for the other seasons. It somehow made it bearable to pull into the garage and see my 'baby' clean and shiny in the next bay.

And BigTex is right - I don't think your car is depreciating, especially if you keep it well.

Or move to California...

 

I will let you know in a year or two - my 400i is driven in all weather (just put 4 snows on it) - my philosophy is that unlike my Boxer, a 400 (or your 308) is pretty replaceable - if it disolves from the salt, just make it a parts car for the next one!

First two pics are with the snow tires - covered and sand and salt last weekend - third pic is with the TRXs during the first snow of the season - boy the suck in bad weather!

Alex

Dino #10704
365bb #18265
400i #049773
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Great photo of the 400i outside.

I have a different opinion, though. Philosophically, I view the Boxer and 308 as special cars that we ought to try to preserve. Apart from the Boxer being more expensive, I don't see much difference between letting either car rust away as a winter driver - especially when you can have more fun in a Jeep.

OTOH, I guess we can always use more rusty 400i hulks for parts.

 

Well I *DO* agree that the Boxer and 308 are both more special than the 400 - so I guess we are both cool with my use of the big brown fiat

When I put the boxer above the 308 vis-a-vis replacablility I was only speaking of rarity - not value OR "specialness" - I just meant that there were only 387 365BBs built, versus thousands of 308s - so while i figure i can replace my 400 if/when it rusts out, finding another 365BB would not be as easy - not a value thing, just availability. Hope you did not take offense.

Finally - I am having GREAT fun with the 400i on blizzaks - more than a jeep, IMHO, and certainly more than my wife's very capable audi allroad or my old 04 audi a8l - this is the most fun i have ever had with a daily driver - and really, to me, the driving is what these cars are about. If it rusts, I can repair it or throw it away, depending how bad it gets - will the world mourn the loss of one poop brown 400i? I don't think so. Anyway, for once and for all we will learn how long these cars really last if used AS CARS - and that is good in the interest of science.

Alex