Greetings! I hope everyone here is doing well.
I'm going to be moving to the northern midwest asap. My first year or so is going to be a little tough for me, so I'm trying to save money where I can. I've already planned on renting an enclosed storage unit for my two classics, mostly for winter storage. Regardless of season I fully intend to visit them weekly to start/idle, until I can get time to finish their restoration.
Would alternatively renting an outside RV storage spot be fairly rust safe as well? My assumption is, (and please correct me where I may be wrong) while significantly safer than outright DRIVING it during the winter, and safer than being parked on public streets/apartment complex parking spot, the winds will carry some of the salt from the nearby roads and still contact the vehicle a little bit.
Additionally, my daily is an extremely long stretch limo, and I assume leaving it parked in an apartment complex parking lot during the winter and just not driving it isn't particularly safe from rust since that would be directly next to salted roads, and cars carrying salt driving nearby it, bonus points for wind carrying it to the car very easily.
I'm completely new to living to anywhere where salt is used druing the winter, so I'm looking forward to your guy's advice!
I think as long as you're not driving on a salted road you don't need to worry about exposure. Also, salt washes off.
@imperator I appreciate your input MountainManJoe! Sounds like I may be safe just storing the two classics in outside RV storage spots, which helps a lot. (difference of $85 a month, vs $225)
Would alternatively renting an outside RV storage spot be fairly rust safe as well? My assumption is, (and please correct me where I may be wrong) while significantly safer than outright DRIVING it during the winter, and safer than being parked on public streets/apartment complex parking spot, the winds will carry some of the salt from the nearby roads and still contact the vehicle a little bit.
Salt doesn't work like that. It's not like the flu or something. Once salt goes down, it melts snow and sacrifices itself in the process. Salt lowers the freezing point of water so that it's still liquid at temperatures what would normally be below freezing. Cars driving by will eventually dry the meltwater out and get residual salt on the vehicle in the process. If it snows again, especially after it's rained, road crews need to retreat the roads. As long as you don't drive when it's snowing or there is residual salt on the roads, you're fine. I live in southern Ohio, and I'll occasionally drive my '79 Pontiac Catalina in the winter if the roads are salt-free.
