Let car I am inheriting sit for 1.5 years... or drive intermittently?

I am going to get my elderly mom's car* in a couple of weeks. The intent is that my daughter will get it when she's driving age (she's 14 now... so in about a year and a half). I'm kind of torn what to do, whether to drive it once a week to work or to leave it in my garage.

Any suggestions on one or the other?

*it's a 2015 honda civic with between 4 and 5,000 miles on it. It's blue book value is pretty sweet, but I can't justify selling it and pocketing the money until my daughter is of age and getting her a car then... for other weird family reasons. So I'm going to keep it for my daughter.

 

Drive it.

 

It’s not good for cars to sit for long periods of time, drive it here and there To keep it running well

 

Unless the car is properly prepped and stored, it will degrade.

Suggest to drive it more than 1X/week. Need to get it up to operating temperature long enough to drive off any moisture.

Frankly, with the way fuel prices are climbing, I'd consider parking the Tacoma and running the Civic as a daily driver. Break out the Tacoma when truck duties are needed.

 

This is the best advice OP.

 

yeah... that is solid.

 

I have multiple vehicles. I always take them all out at least once a week for reasons stated above. During the winter my c10 hotrod does have to sit, so I use fuel stabilizer and a battery tender on it in the winter. I still start it and let it run for 30 min each week in the winter. When it isn't winter time though I drive it to work at least once a week so it gets driven enough.

 

With you in the passenger seat, have your daughter start driving Grandma's Civic for occasional short trips. Practice parking etc. That would kill two birds with one stone.

My kids drove early. When my son went to drivers training, the first day the teacher asked who had already driven on roads with their parents. Almost everyone raised their hand.

I am taking my daughter to get her driver's license tomorrow. Incidentally, just bought her a 2006 Civic. It gives me some level of comfort knowing that she has been driving with me for several years.

 

Great advice, I let my son drive my truck(s) where we hunt with me in the passenger seat, he's 9 and does great. I let our daughter drive as well sitting on my lap, she's 6.

 

Nice score on the low mileage car. Just drive it once a week or so, it'll be fine

 

Just from my own experience, I have a '14 Outback I bought new. It was our "good" car and mostly sat in the garage except for longer trips. Replaced it with a new 4Runner last month, so my wife started DD'ing the Subie with 48,000 miles and over 7 years old (got a new 4Runner as the good car). It's still looks and drives like new, and we only drove it about once or twice per month, but the trips we took it on were usually over 300 miles each time we took it out. Still has the original battery too, never put a tender on it.

If you're keeping it in a garage, then I think driving it more than once or twice a month is a little overkill as long as you're taking decently lengthy trips when you do take it out. If keeping it outside, then yeah, once a week is probably appropriate.

 

Yeah the thing could probably sit for a couple months at a time and be just fine. They do on dealer lots for the most part (pre shortage lol)

Cruise it around every now and then. No worries.

 

driving does it good

in a year U might put a few thousand more on it.....................no harm no foul

no less in that period o time spent with Ur daugter on back lots/acres of a huge mall

she will appreciate time .....car......& attention

 

As mentioned above, with gas prices at their current rate I would turn it into my daily for a year and a half. Keep the miles off the Yota.

 

I think this is the most important tidbit if you plan on only occasionally driving it. Don't just take it for a 10 min drive around the block, hop on the freeway and cruise for a bit to let it get to temp, but also stay at temp for a bit. This is especially important during the winter months. My Tacoma isn't my DD but I take it to work every other week (30 min drive each way) for this very purpose.

 

Isn't there new cars and trucks in storage now for months waiting on chips? Maybe they prep them somehow but I doubt it.

Anyway, I'd drive it some. And I'd probably get something less expensive for a new driver. My daughter did pretty good but took out one mailbox and had some scratches, etc.

 

thanks everyone for the advice. I'm not sure I'll daily drive it (but get the concept of keeping miles off my 2017 tacoma... which is approaching 100k), but a few times a week likely, especially if my office ever opens back up. It's a good 40 minute drive to and from the office, so no worries about not getting it up to operating temp.

 

great advice

burns ALL tthe acumulated moisture out of the oil

slow speeds or garage idle makes it worse

 

Correct -- truth is they are NEW and owned by no one except the manufacturer, and they don't give a crap -- the end user will reap the results! -bad or good!

 

hundreds if not thousands o vehicles sit on distribution yards for weeks.............sometimes months

then go to dealer lots & sit weeks

sometimes months

slow moving models draw dust

save for extreme locations this is normal