cars that are good at sitting?

So I've been riding the bike almost exclusively lately and I'm thinking of getting rid of the Tacoma since I never drive it. Seriously, I think I've moved it twice in the last month and more out of sheer convience than actual need. So its up for sale...

I'd have no problem going carless through the summer, but winter is another story. Its not the cold that bothers me, but I don't particularly care to ride on icy or snowy days and have to get to campus regardless. So what cars are good at sitting a long time between drives? Most of the time, it'll sit 2-4 weeks between drives. It would be nice if it had enough room for a couple friends and/or my dog (70 pound foxhound), so no more regular cab pickups (another reason the Tacoma is going). It would also be nice if it had 4wd/AWD as it would likely only be used in horrid weather coniditions. It would also be nice if it wouldn't be too weaksauce to tow the bike on a HF-type bike trailer, just in case. Gas mileage is not a concern, nor is body style or age particularly, so long as its reliable enough to sit for a few weeks between drives and can carry what I need it to. Ideas?

My tow vehicle sits for weeks at at time. During the "off" months it might not move for a month or two. It has a battery saver on it so even when the battery kicks out you just mash a button and fire it up. It's a Ford E150 so it will haul a party of people and even haul that next project car home. I think most of the EFI cars and trucks will sit for a while with no problem. Maybe add a can of injector cleaner once in a while to keep thing from gumming up.

I think virtually any car should be fine with sitting several weeks at a time.

Any "modern" car is gonna be fine.

Trust me from multiple deployments - no battery tender - nothing special in the gastank other than it being over 3/4 full - went right to the motorpool where we locked 'em all up before we left and only had to jump 2 out of maybe 30. Cars ranged from my '99 Tacoma to new 3 series to everything in between.

The only benefit of all this gov't funded travel is that my '99 just hit 110,000 miles and it's my daily driver and has been since new.

I have left all sorts of cars sit for months at a time. from my saab, to my bimmer to the first gen Hyundai Excel I owned.

only car that did not like sitting was the fiat. It needed some attention before it would fire up

Nothing German.

Jap car or a US car with simple electronics. They are OK at sitting around.

subaru legacy wagon

or you know... p71..

the subaru wagon I had never really had a problem (in the whole time with the car i needed to adjust a throttle cable and replace a wheel bearing) It was my grandparents and it did sit for periods and we never had a problem in regards to that.

Pretty much anything will sit well, it's getting them going again that can be tricky.

amg_rx7 wrote: Nothing German.

This is true. Every time I leave the BMW alone for more than a week it ends up needing to be jumped, my college roommate's E46 is the same way. Evidently, BMWs leak electrons. Oh well, it's better than oil.

Our 2002 Honda Civic Si sat for months (years?) and still started up immediately every time with no issue. I miss that car, despite the fact that Dave Hardy hated it :-)

My 91 jetta didnt like to sit around either, the battery would be dead after not too long. Maybe Bosch electronics "leak electrons"...

Wally wrote: Pretty much anything will sit well, it's getting them going again that can be tricky.

That one's going to the quotes section of the mag.

2-4 weeks isn't a long time to sit. I'd think just about any modern car should be able to do it without issue (but then again, I drive Civics)

My Aurora sits for weeks at a time in the summer months.. fires up just fine on rainy days

My Samurai is parked at the friends' house (where the trails are) and I don't make it up there but every few weeks. It starts up every time with a battery of unknown age/quality. And it's carbureted. It probably won't fit your needs though. I bet a tracker/sidekick would be able to tow a bike (though not as capably/confidently/comfortably as a proper truck).

You might be looking for a Jeep Cherokee with a trailer hitch, I think.

Clem

Per Schroeder wrote: Our 2002 Honda Civic Si sat for months (years?) and still started up immediately every time with no issue. I miss that car, despite the fact that Dave Hardy hated it :-)

I liked the seats. :)

Josh wrote:

amg_rx7 wrote: Nothing German.

This is true. Every time I leave the BMW alone for more than a week it ends up needing to be jumped, my college roommate's E46 is the same way. Evidently, BMWs leak electrons. Oh well, it's better than oil.

BMWs generally have a high battery draw for all the electronics even after the car is shut off. My 7 has a switch in the trunk to put everything unnecessary to sleep if it's going to sit for more than a few days to preserve the battery. I think a manual battery switch to disconnect the battery while the car sits would make anything sitting for more than a week much easier to restart, but other than that, any modern car should be able to sit for a month at a time without any issues.

amg_rx7 wrote: Nothing German.

True.

Also, nothing with Bosch CIS injection. Seems when you let them sit, everything tends to gum up.

My old '90 Ford E-150 5.0 EFI conversion van was astonishing in its tolerance for sitting... I would often not drive it or turn it over for months and then get in, turn the key and it would fire up like it started yesterday. Its last jab at me with this was when I finally sold it. It had developed a rattle in the engine bay [turned out to be the p/s pump] while I was runnign errands during Christmas 2005... Parked it... kept meaning to investigate... never got around to it... fast-forward to early 2007... I buy my truck and need the space... van has to go... put it on eBay... sells... Turn the key - nothing... battery is prolly dead... I tell the guy, "bring a battery... it might start..." So he did... put the new battery in... I turn the key... the engine cranks maybe 3 turns... then fires up and purrs like a kitten... Bear in mind - it had not been TOUCHED in well over a year (like ALL of 2006)...

I could swear I heard it laughing at me...

Ford EECIV FTW. Period.

I second the notion of Subaru Wagon either imprezza wagon or legacy wagon. AWD and competent engine, even in NA form its got enough torque to pull a small trailer and return good mileage.

Wally wrote: Pretty much anything will sit well, it's getting them going again that can be tricky.

ZING!

Ford 300/6 engines I have had the old truck sit for months and it will still fire up with no issues at all.

amg_rx7 wrote: Nothing German. Jap car or a US car with simple electronics. They are OK at sitting around.

I have to disagree with this based on my own personal experience. Both my 85 Porsche 911 and 87 Porsche 944 Turbo sit for months at a time and are only on battery tenders. My old 82 633CSI sat for over a year a couple of different times before being pulled out of storage.

I think the Nothing German and a stipulation would be more prudent. "Nothing German with a Trip Computer"

Hehe. How about "Nothing German, except Cotton's cars". :)

I was partially kidding when I said nothing German but I guess I wasn't the only one with a VW and BMW that didn't like to start after sitting for very long. Mine usually couldn't go beyond a week or two.

The big problem with any cars or truck sitting now days is gasoline with ethanol, espcially in vehicles with vented tanks.

I knew farmers who drove some vehicles only a few times a year. ie grain trucks at harvest.