How much is a garage worth?

Since most cars still sit in the sun all day I'm not sure it makes a huge difference but I would just base my decision on how the car looks with regards to UV damage.

 

F8L is right. Unless the driver is retired, or works graveyard shift, most cars are parked in the sun at solar noon anyway.

Headlights would be the first thing to show UV damage (yellowing and chalking on the top portion with direct hit at solar noon).

Black plastics would be the second, like the trim piece below the windshiled and the hood.

 

Up here it can make a big difference. Cold starts below freezing can have a big impact on an engines longevity. In damp climates, a garage can make a big difference in rust proliferation.

In Nebraska, probably not a lot of difference...

 

May be $500 more if the plastics and paints are in visibly better shape than the other.

 

I think so. I think driving away in a hot car is tough on the battery, with the initial mostly EV drive when engine is warming up, and AC current pull.

 

how would someone prove that it had actually been garaged?

 

Being garaged, and not sitting in an exposed lot day after day, ie: a car that spends most of it's off time in a garage: that would be a plus.

 

We have snow around here. And they mix car killer (salt) into it. If a garage reduced that, or allowed it to melt off, that would be worth quite a bit. Probably a couple of years worth of car life.

 

If a car is driven in the salt, it is best to leave the salty crud frozen on the car rather than pulled into a warm garage for that frozen salt crud to melt and run into hidden places. Better yet is to drive separate summer and winter vehicles so your summer car stays like new Expect the winter vehicle to get sand blasted and corrosion on every nut and bolt underneath.

Would I pay a bit more for a garage kept never seen salt car? Yes definately.

Mike

Mobile on my SGH-I717

 

I lived near Boston for 2 years. I paid $600 for a "winter car", sold it for $300 when I moved away.

Saved tons of salt damage on my regular car for very little money. The insurance on the extra car wasn't that much.

 

My problem with a clunker for the winter is safety. Jumping into something with no ABS TRAC VSC and a worn suspension in the winter is asking for it. Luckily I don't have to worry about that in my state.

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Honda had a statement in it's manuals (maybe still?), saying something along the lines of:

If you're using a car daily in snowy conditions with salted roads, then an unheated garage is ok, but a heated garage should be avoided: it will accelerate rusting. However, is the car is used only infrequently in snowy salty conditions, then a heated garage has the advantage.

 

I drive a 2004 Saturn Vue AWD in the winter. It cost me $7000 out the door with 65k miles on it. ABS, AWD, traction control and airbags is good security in the winter. It also has a real frame rail chassis like a truck has. Still, a used 2nd Gen Prii would be fine for a winter car or even a used 2010 Prii. Prius drives excellent on ice and snow covered roads. Camry drives excellent on those same winter roads. A separate winter car costs some bucks but it is so nice to have a spotless corrosion free summer car to drive come spring. I have had separate cars since the late '80's. Back then it was a 1975 AMC Matador for the winter car. That thing was a beast, but one heck of a fun time driving on frozen Minnesota lakes in January

If it was my choice I would live down south where there is zero road salt. Then I could drive my Prius year round That ain't gonna happen until my wife says we can move She has separate summer and winter cars too. Another benefit of having two vehicles is you dont have to drive your Prii in the rain or other cruddy summer days Helps keep it looking new for many years.

Mike

Mobile on my SGH-i717

 

No it doesn't. If the car is good enough to drive in the winter, it is good enough to drive in the summer. Having only the one car would have made far more financial sense (if that was the only criteria).