Long-Term Storage or Drive It? (1 Viewer)

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Tachycardic

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Nov 2, 2019
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Location
Oxfordshire
The time has come for me to move again--this time to England. My 80 has been a desert truck for about a decade. It's in good shape with only minimal surface rust on the chassis and I have not experienced any leaks from the brief, but sometimes torrential, downpours in the Las Vegas area. I can either put the truck into government storage for 3-4 years--they come with a flatbed and place it in an undisclosed location (no guarantee that it'll be in the desert) and I won't have access to it--or I can bring it to the UK (East Midlands) and brave the elements. What would you do?
 
If I had to choose, then I would bring it to the uk and get something efficient for the winter/commute. That way how can explore Europe (for example Romania has great trails or Baza in Spain) and make memories that are worth far more than that little bit of rust you gain. During the winter is a great time to explore Marocco so you get even more use out of it.
 
Or if you have some money saved up could buy an hdj100 locally which are reasonably priced
A good 80 series in Europe is hard to come by...
 
The 80 will be my commuter for the time being. I'm looking at driving roughly 100miles weekly. I'll need a second car for my wife and she's looking for something with 3 rows. I'll look into an hdj100. Thanks!
 
Drive it! It’d be an adventure bringing your cruiser along. Nothing says you still can’t find another euro spec cruiser while you’re there. I never took the option to store my vehicles for long term when I was traveling for 22 years. I never trusted them to either start my vehicle routinely as stated in the contract or not dick with it while in their care.
 
Drive it! It’d be an adventure bringing your cruiser along. Nothing says you still can’t find another euro spec cruiser while you’re there. I never took the option to store my vehicles for long term when I was traveling for 22 years. I never trusted them to either start my vehicle routinely as stated in the contract or not dick with it while in their care.
I don't start my 80 for about 3 or 4 months as the roads are covered in salt. I filled up the gas tank, went on a nice long drive before putting it away. Should I be worried about starting it just once during that time? I've read that the worst thing you can do is start a cold engine and not drive it long/letting it warm to operating temperature and thus damaging your engine.
 
I don't start my 80 for about 3 or 4 months as the roads are covered in salt. I filled up the gas tank, went on a nice long drive before putting it away. Should I be worried about starting it just once during that time? I've read that the worst thing you can do is start a cold engine and not drive it long/letting it warm to operating temperature and thus damaging your engine.

3 months is as long as I would let my rig go without any use. Ideally if I was storing a vehicle I would want it started and driven a little at least once a month.

@Tachycardic I say you take it with you and goodluck with your new assignment.
 
Driving a LHD vehicle in a RHD country royally sucks and is exceedingly dangerous on 2 lane highways when you get stuck behind a slow truck.
Pretty much impossible to pass it safely unless you’ve got a passenger who can be your eyeballs on the danger side of the road.

But regardless of that - I wouldn’t take the rainy climate of the UK into consideration at all. That’s silly.
 
It's more paranoia than silliness. Having a desert 80 in good condition and then bringing it to a rainy climate envokes fear of leaky sun roofs, rust around the windows, and damp floor boards. While she's no means a shelf queen, I don't have many 30 year old items, save for a few hand tools and cast iron pans, that I use on a daily basis.

But besides the LHD vehicle in a RHD country, I'm also concerned about parking. 80s are about the same size as a current-gen 4Runner, but I can't help but think that I should get a VW Polo or something similar.
 
Parking should not be too big of an issue. Of course it depends if you are in a city or the county side. We do not have huge pick up trucks here in Europe but MANY people drive cars the size of an 80 series. Think Range Rovers or Big Mercedes SUVs. Don't expect to find a parking spot in the absolute city centre but it is manageable.

About the whole steering wheel on the wrong side of the car thing: merging/overtaking (on highways) sucks because its harder to see what's in the faster lane but then again it is a cruiser not a speedster...
I strongly considered a RHD 80 in great condition but decided against it, because I wouldn't be the only one driving it. But if only you are driving, then it is fine.
 
You're also talking about a 25 year old truck. Before you take it to another country that may not have much, getting simple repair parts may be an issue.
You may need to buy a number of parts and ship them with the truck.

Otherwise, properly prepare the truck for storage, but if it MUST be operable to be stored, then that's a problem. Before long term storage like that, I'd want to pull plugs, put oil in the cylinders, fill the tank with non-ethanol and Sta-Bil fuel stabilizer, and fresh oil in everything before you park it. Also disconnect the battery.

If they have to drive it, then you cannot protect the cylinders, rings, and valves from long term rust.

Storage is hard on vehicles. You also have to consider rodents, chewed wires, and interior. Make sure to move the vent position to recirculate to close the opening to the outside.
 

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