[zaimer]

I wouldn't do it unless I knew I could return it to the parking spot as clean as it is now. As for the salt/winter wear on the car... I agree that it really doesn't come into play unless you are planning on keeping the car for years to come. HOWEVER, the cosmetic issues is what I would be concerned with. Think of it not in terms of the rusting, but the paint chips from rocks and/or salt, potential dents/scrapes from winter road debris, etc., etc.

Regardless of the excuses or how a person wants to twist it... for those of us up in the north, there is an undeniable difference between a vehicle that was driven all year and one that was stored in the winter. I personally feel that there are some buyers that look for (particularly cars like ours) vehicles that have not been out in the winter.

[JT58]

Yes- salt is the enemy for sure. Will rust the undercarriage very fast unless you flush it very often. Been there, done that for many, many years in Massachusetts. The nice cars sits in the garage 6 or so months or taken out only on dry road days during the winter.

[Invertalon]

Originally Posted by zaimer

for those of us up in the north, there is an undeniable difference between a vehicle that was driven all year and one that was stored in the winter. I personally feel that there are some buyers that look for (particularly cars like ours) vehicles that have not been out in the winter.

I don't particularly agree with this. It really just comes down to the care and maintenance given on the vehicle by the owner. Regardless if it was winter driven, or not.

Just an example cosmetically, the paint on my 11 year old, black car I had previously with 150,000 miles looked far better than most new cars with less than a year on them in terms of swirls/dents/dings/etc... Compare to some Camaro's I went and took a look at when shopping around used at first... Some with less than 10,000 miles, a few years old, looked like the paint went through one too many car washes with quite a bit of wear/tear, etc... I was surprised at the condition of some of these low mileage (likely garaged) vehicles.

And honestly, most people trade the car into the dealership, not privately, in which they hardly care. They worry about mileage and demand for said vehicle, you won't really get that much more out of a trade-in because you didn't drive it in winter. You will for lower mileage and avoiding any significant wear/tear, of course (which applies to any season you drive in).

On a side note, I still get baffled on the mentality of having a vehicle and hardly driving it and avoiding winter JUST so it holds residual value better in their mind (versus say, keeping it nice for the long-haul with no intention to trade in or the value in "X" years). Did you not buy the car to enjoy? You already lost a shit ton of money off the lot, it's only going to get worse regardless if you get a little rust and pick up some dings/scrapes along the way.

[JSH]

Originally Posted by Invertalon

Unless you plan to keep your car 15 years, salt really isn't some huge issue anymore like it used to be. Material coatings for example have come a long way.

My last car had 150,000 miles and had been through 11 years of Cleveland winters. The undercarriage still looked great and it wasn't loaded with rust. It surprisingly looked very good. It could have easily gone another 100,000 miles and 10 years without issue... (Until it got smashed and totaled). Granted, it was a Toyota product, but I doubt GM would be that much worse at this point in time with materials/coatings. At least I'd hope.

I personally have mine in the garage for now, but as soon as the snow is gone and roads are dry again I will certainly be driving! I didn't buy it to stare at it in the garage for months on end, that's stupid. I want to enjoy the car year-round, I personally just plan to avoid driving in any snow/slush and moisture during the winter months as I have another car to beater around in. And I say that this year (since the car is months old), but by next winter I may not care anymore

Exactly what I've been saying here - we bought these cars to drive as often as possible including in wintertime

[Zr8000]

Originally Posted by Petrol Head

They use some kind of brine I think, I'm not sure how much salt they use anymore. When I was a kid they used salt everywhere since it's easy and cheap from the salt mine under Lake Erie. But I don't think they use as much anymore. Back then cars around here would be a complete, rotted out mess by the time they were 6-7 years old, and today there's 15 year old cars still running around without much if any rust on them.



Yeah the snow factor is always in play up here in greater Cleveland from about Halloween through Easter lol..... about 13 years ago we had a Valentines Day storm that crippled the city for 3 days - I had a 10 foot drift against my garage door! It was up to the gutter over the garage!!!

That brine is worse on a vehicle than salt. Keep the camaro inside. My truck is 2 years old and the under carriage has a lot of rust on it. My truck never sits either.Even with winter tires they are not fun to drive in any kind of snow. I see v6 ones stuck on flat ground out here when it snows

[dpevans]

the majority of the undercarriage on the Camaro are alum. not steel. Driven in the snow (not the kind you push with bumper) for 4 years and do an undercarriage wash in the spring and I show no signs of rust.

[Malbjey]

Just do it. My Camaro is my *only* car and I drove it last winter, and will drive it many more winters to come. You'll be fine with snow tires. I have Blizzacks on mine. It's not a collectable car. People daily drive FAR MORE expensive cars than this in the winter.

As others have mentioned, just find a car wash that does under-body sprays. That will keep the salt from accumulating and causing accelerated wear.

Enjoy the car.

[JSH]

Plus, the car is much faster in wintertime. The DA will vary here from 10,000 ft in hottest July to 6000 ft in January. In areas like Chicago and Indy the DA probably varies 3000-4000 ft too. That's a lot of hp gain.

[versionx]

It's your car, go to the parking lot, and have fun doing donuts!

[LT4Greg]

I think I would give it a rest for the winter!

[bobfic]

Heard you got hit with some snow...Hello from Youngstown

[Petrol Head]

Originally Posted by bobfic

Heard you got hit with some snow...Hello from Youngstown

Lol from North Olmsted!

This is the view out my front door right now:

[bobfic]

Originally Posted by Petrol Head

Lol from North Olmsted!

This is the view out my front door right now:

Attachment 1051899

Sorry...but sometimes the first snow looks good....Nice pic.
Have to admit..we had nice summer.

[NYJets12]

Like somebody said in one of the posts you buy it to drive not look at it, it’s not a Ferrari. I got snow tires goes great in the snow. The first winter I had it the street I live on it’s a slight hill but only some of it I drove past 3 stuck SUVs I guess some people can’t drive in the winter. Remember before the all wheel drive came along all there was were rear wheel drive cars with snow tires for the winter. You’re not supposed to drive on the interstate at 85 mph in a snowstorm either.
I got two 35 pound containers of cat litter in my trunk to one over each wheel, I didn’t use them last year but if there’s a big storm I’ll put them in , they come in handy if you really do get stuck.