I will be going to egypt for 2-3 yrs. I have an 06 suzuki forenza that i still owe on. I am not taking it and was thinking of seeing if my in-laws could keep it and start it every so often, or would it be better to store in a storage place? also, what would I need to do to store for that long? Thanks
Sell it and take the loss.
Agree, a 2006 car in 3 years will be the equivalent of a 2003 car with little residual value. You will lose a lot on depreciation and storge costs.
Having your relatives just start it up and run it is a bad thing to do. It would need to be driven long and fast enough to thoroughly warm it up (20 miles or so) every 2-3 weeks, and the oil and filter changed at least once a year. It needs to be washed in winter if it accumulates salt. You would still have to pay for insurance as well.
Add all this up and you will find that disposing of it is the most economical.
We spent 4 1/2 years overseas and had my son drive both cars alternately for 3 weeks, since he did not have a car at that time. We visited home for 2 weeks at Christmas and my wife was home for 6 weeks each summer , so we needed to keep the cars.
You can mothball the car, and we can give you detailed instructions. You would still need to carry some insurance of course.
Or if you really love it do a fuel stabilizer,oil change, fogging oil in the cylanders, throw away the battery leave it in indoor storage with the wheels on wooden boards and see how things look when you get back.
Sell it. Yes, you will take a loss now, but you will take a much bigger loss by keeping it…Cars don’t get better with age…
Agreed; you’re better off selling this car and hopefully it will bring what you still owe, or in the ballpark anyway.
No need for wooden boards for the tyres. Maybe for grandpa’s car, but not todays. I agree with the rest. I would add making sure I canceled the collision insurance if possible (your lender may not allow it. Keep the comprehensive insurance.
[b] But I also vote to sell it. That makes the most economics choice.
Sell it is best option.
Next best is to store it an not drive it or even start it. No need for insurance.
If you store it, inside a storage unit is best, but outside with a cover might work depending on where in the country you live.
Lot’s of other good info so I’ll second fuel stabilizer etc. In addition I’d store it with only about 1/8 tank of gas. In 2-3 years even stablized gas can go rancid. If the tank is near empty you can put in 5 gallons of fresh gas before to try starting it up again.
After 2-3 years you might have an alternator “frozen” in place that will need replacing and some issues with fuel injectors or other fuel system components. You’ll also need a new battery.
It isn’t worth the trouble, so best to sell it and pay off the note or put the money in an account. That can give you a nest egg to get another car when you are back in the states. When you come home for visits you can rent a car from Enterprise, or Rent A Wreck to get around.
As others have already mentioned, your best option is to sell it now.
Even if you have to put some money out of pocket now in order to pay off the note, in the long run it will be a lot less than keeping the car.