I live in Atlanta, GA and am about to spend the summer in Maryland, about 700 miles away. I have the option of driving my own vehicle up there or having a rental provided for me for the summer.
Which would be better for the truck? Driving it up there and commuting in it every day, or storing it down here for 2.5 months?
The truck in question is a 2001 Toyota Tacoma 2WD with a manual transmission and about 130K miles. I would be leaving it in a covered parking deck in hot, humid Atlanta weather. I could have someone start it periodically, but none of my friends can drive a manual transmission to take it on the road.
It would be a little more expensive for me personally to drive my own truck up there, but if it is substantially better for the vehicle I’d be happy to do it.
Thanks!
This is considered more as long term parking, not storage.
All I would do is fill the tank with a gas stabilzer and disconnect/remove the battery. And leave it alone for 2.5 months.
Tester
Leave it in Atlanta. There’s no advantage in avoiding hot, humid Georgia weather to switch to hot, humid Maryland weather. At home, at least your truck will be out of the sun, rain, and hail.
I agree that 2 1/2 months is little more than long-term parking. When I was in the Navy, I used to routinely park my car on the base for months at a time while the ship was at sea. If it was only a month or two, it usually started up without being jumped. Cars often sit longer than that on the dealer’s lot before they are sold. I would just park it and see if it doesn’t start when I get back.
I would leave it home, but I would take care of the battery by at least disconnecting it. You might want to take that one step further by removing the battery thereby making it harder to steal.
You also should call your insurance company. You may be able to suspend your collusion insurance on your car during that time. Don’t forget to tell them you will be driving a rental.