Commuting with 300k+ 1993 cruiser or letting it sit? (1 Viewer)

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I agree. As much as I miss having space and I hate trying to fit the cruiser into tight parallel parking spots all over the city and I hate encountering traffic at every time of day...yeah in spite of all that I love West LA. Santa Monica to South Bay is the exact right spot to be. You might like Bellevue more than me though. Went out to Factoria all the time as a kid and I think there are many places in the LA area I'd rather be than Bellevue...

And I do think LA is better for wheeling. Death Valley and J Tree are ideal for off-roading 8 months of the year and there are some great trails in the Sierras when it's too hot for the desert. Back in Seattle you get that perfect two month window when there's no snow in the mountains and before the rain starts coming every day but it can be tough to get out there when it rains 100 days in a row

I was very specific with my LA locations dude. :). Factoria sucks but Cougar Mountain, Lake Sammamish and dt Bellevue is far better living in my books than being stuck in Studio City or Glendale. Add Leschi, MI, it goes on and on.

I don’t like sand and desert. I love PNW scenery rain or shine. I also have zero interest in “wheeling” so whatever floats the boat man. Good thing is our 80s are on the West Coast the best coast.
 
I also have zero interest in “wheeling” so whatever floats the boat man. Good thing is our 80s are on the West Coast the best coast.
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The classic mall crawler in the concrete Jungle :rofl:
 
This seem to happen a lot, OP ask if the commute is better or letting the reg set is better. Then someone starts to bag on where he lives, whats up with that ?
There are plus and minuses to anywhere you Live. As for Calif. it has it's problems just like anywhere else. But it's a big ass state and when you get out of the city it hard to beat unless you Like rain / snow / sweltering heat and or hi humidity. Just saying
Born and raised Californian. The view from my porch where the average temperature is 65 degree year around. Chrees
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This seem to happen a lot, OP ask if the commute is better or letting the reg set is better. Then someone starts to bag on where he lives, whats up with that ?
There are plus and minuses to anywhere you Live. As for Calif. it has it's problems just like anywhere else. But it's a big ass state and when you get out of the city it hard to beat unless you Like rain / snow / sweltering heat and or hi humidity. Just saying
Born and raised Californian. The view from my porch where the average temperature is 65 degree year around. Chrees View attachment 2464815
Its trendy to give CA hell right now, and while I do agree with a lot of it. I think there is a lot to what you are saying. No where is perfect and everywhere has their drawbacks. It's a game of compromises and what you are willing to put up with. CA wouldn't be the state I'd choose to live in, but I understand why many do choose it as their home.
 
This seem to happen a lot, OP ask if the commute is better or letting the reg set is better. Then someone starts to bag on where he lives, whats up with that ?
There are plus and minuses to anywhere you Live. As for Calif. it has it's problems just like anywhere else. But it's a big ass state and when you get out of the city it hard to beat unless you Like rain / snow / sweltering heat and or hi humidity. Just saying
Born and raised Californian. The view from my porch where the average temperature is 65 degree year around. Chrees View attachment 2464815

It’s called commiserating! :)

I think it was only the Californians dropping the negatives. That said, I don’t know how many people have said, it’s only 10 miles away to find out 10 miles in Orange County turns out to be essentially an overland trip.

I think San Francisco is worse, where you can actually get there on foot faster than someone who is driving.
 
... rodent damage.
...
Place a few heavily scented laundry drier sheets under the hood when you park it. And perhaps spray some Peppermint Oil.
 
Wanted to get some opinions about what I should do in my current situation. I have a 1993 cruiser with 312k miles on it. I'm moving this weekend to an apartment building where I can only have 1 car. For the past 8 months or so I've had the cruiser and a 2004 Honda Civic which I use to commute to work every day. At my new place I'll still have to commute (36 miles a day) but I can't keep both cars at the apartment.

My question is this. For the longevity of the cruiser, would it be better to commute with it (racking up 180-200 miles a week of mostly highway, but with a fair amount of traffic) or would it be better to keep it at a family member's house where it would get fewer miles but would sit without being used more often? My family who said I can leave it there is an hour and a half away so I wouldn't be able to get up there every week. Might have to sit for periods of two or 3 weeks without being driven (she's definitely not going to drive it).

What's better for the car? I know land cruisers are tanks but I want this thing to last and I'm worried my commute might accelerate its decline but is that really worse than letting a 27 year old car sit for weeks at a time?

Thanks
I got a 97 corolla just as my daily, and I use my cruiser on my weekends. It's my weekend ride now..I was dailying it but didn't wanna spend on the gas and maintenance upkeep would probably be more if you daily drive it. Just my opinion.
 
Crap, SoCal. That changes everything. A 35 mile commute can equal 1.5 to 2 hours in hot stop and go traffic. Not good for an 80. You’d better LOVE dents and door dings if you are street parking in places like Anaheim. Street parking space is measured in inches there.

What city are you moving to, and what city are you moving too?

Tell me about it, somehow I managed to parallel park with a trailer still.

(At my buddies in Anaheim)

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Sitting up to 3 or 4 months isn't an issue and I wouldn't do anything other than make sure sure the tank is full or close to it. For 6+ months you might consider disconnecting the negative battery terminal (usually the easiest side but either will do) and adding a can of Seafoam (I prefer Seafoam to Stabil). My 80 has sat for over a year on more than one occasion with nothing more than above without issue.
 
It’s called commiserating! :)

I think it was only the Californians dropping the negatives. That said, I don’t know how many people have said, it’s only 10 miles away to find out 10 miles in Orange County turns out to be essentially an overland trip.

I think San Francisco is worse, where you can actually get there on foot faster than someone who is driving.
I think your right it was someone from Clovis dropped the first negative.:rofl:
 
Have come to the conclusion that about 1 month (average) sitting - with a full drive cycle/warm up etc (and charge)(still will idle 20-30 min if not able to drive) the average older car can be ok for years. Operate most items like wipers- windows- locks etc most trips- and do yourself a favor and make sure there are NO slow leaks in the tires so it's turn-key and go. I don't leave the gas full so that I can add 5 or so gallons fresh occasionally and use non ethanol if available - stabil if I think of it.
 
Have come to the conclusion that about 1 month (average) sitting - with a full drive cycle/warm up etc (and charge)(still will idle 20-30 min if not able to drive) the average older car can be ok for years. Operate most items like wipers- windows- locks etc most trips- and do yourself a favor and make sure there are NO slow leaks in the tires so it's turn-key and go. I don't leave the gas full so that I can add 5 or so gallons fresh occasionally and use non ethanol if available - stabil if I think of it.

I concur with this. Rodents are a serious issue as pointed out earlier. The more electronics on a vehicle, the bigger the threat.
 
I don’t like sand and desert. I love PNW scenery rain or shine. I also have zero interest in “wheeling” so whatever floats the boat man. Good thing is our 80s are on the West Coast the best coast.
Don't like sand and desert? No interest in wheeling?? Scratching my head over that one... My friend if you ever get a chance check out sandstone canyon and diablo drop-off in Anza Borrego, only 2.5 hours from LA, easy weekend trip. It just might change your mind.

I agree that west coast is the best coast but the main reason I think that is because there are so many overland, off-road, and beautiful hiking trails out here. Not sure what I'd think if I stayed in the city with my 80. I guess the sun and mild temps are hard to beat though
 
For anyone interested, I decided I'll leave it with a relative. I can make it up there every two or at most three weeks to drive it and now that things are cooling down in the desert it is weekend trip season down here! I'll also probably swap it for the Civic every few weeks so I can keep it in regular use but not commute with it all the time. If I plan to leave it sitting for say 3 weeks, is fuel stabilizer still a good idea or will that cause me problems when I drive it again so soon?
 
What's better for the car? I know land cruisers are tanks but I want this thing to last and I'm worried my commute might accelerate its decline but is that really worse than letting a 27 year old car sit for weeks at a time?

Thanks

I have an '07 Tacoma that I've let sit for weeks at a time and it has not been an issue so far, but I am sure to take it out for a long (50ish mile) drive each time I do drive it to make sure it gets fully up to temp and up to speed which is also a good time to check if there's anything wonky going on mechanically.

My perspective on storing a vehicle is that I wanted to make sure I was able to:
a) prevent deterioration of the paint
b) prevent component deterioration
c) prevent environmental contamination (mold, rodents, etc.)

For a) I wash, wipe down the interior, and vacuum the car every time I drive it while also keeping it under a cover when not driven.
For b) I make sure to top off the tire pressure regularly, check the fluids and introduce some new gas to the tank when I drive it to get fresh gas to cycle through (this is also why it's important to do a nice, long drive to make sure you get everything lubricated).
For c) I think the only way to really prevent this is making sure you're covering the car or keeping it out of the elements and moving it with some regularity and make sure to check the engine bay and under the car as well to see if there's anything nesting.

My 2 cents.
 
For anyone interested, I decided I'll leave it with a relative. I can make it up there every two or at most three weeks to drive it and now that things are cooling down in the desert it is weekend trip season down here! I'll also probably swap it for the Civic every few weeks so I can keep it in regular use but not commute with it all the time. If I plan to leave it sitting for say 3 weeks, is fuel stabilizer still a good idea or will that cause me problems when I drive it again so soon?

Fuel stabilizer won't cause any problems. Not a bad idea to leave some in the tank on any infrequently used vehicle or small engine.
 
If I plan to leave it sitting for say 3 weeks, is fuel stabilizer still a good idea or will that cause me problems when I drive it again so soon?

Fuel stabilizer won't hurt anything but you don't need it for 3 weeks......or for 3 months for that matter. I live out of the country and leave 4 vehicles for 6+ months at a time. Fill the tank, add a can of seafoam, park them and remove the negative terminal. Haven't had an issue in years. When I know I will be back in less than 6 months I typically don't do anything.
 
You only live once, I daily drive my diesel and cruiser every day whenever I can. Who knows when I may be removed from this world. I'm going to drive what I love, period. Just repair things as they break and change fluids and filters regularly. Simple as that.
 

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