What to do with car whilst doing long term overseas travel?

[Kiwi Mustache]

I've decided I'm going to go and do my UK & Europe OE next year. I'm 27 years old and live in group accommodation (renting an individual room).

However, I'm not sure what I should do with my car whilst I'm overseas.

It has plenty of life left in it and I could probably sell it for $2k. If I sold it and came back in 18-24 month time, I'd have to buy another car and look to spend $4-5k on one that would last a long time. Anything less than $4k I feel would have problems and I know little about car mechanics.

I could perhaps lend the car to a family member or friend to use so it isn't sitting there for two years as I've heard that is quite bad for vehicles. Otherwise, I'd leave it at my parents house outdoors for the entire time.

[Megma]

When I moved abroad I sold mine. I ended up moving to metro area and being car free for five years when I got back. My point is, are you sure you will need it when you get back? Your whole life situation could change.

[Lordy]

Sell it.

Having it stand around for this long will not be good for the car or your wallet.

[Argyle]

Well, I left mine sitting for a year once, with someone to start it up every couple of months, and it didn't seem to hurt it any.  So I vote for that.  Put the insurance on "storage," rather than taking off the insurance altogether — if you do that, you get rated in the system as "without insurance" which means you pay much higher rates when you come back.  "Storage" costs $20 a year or something like that.

[JoJo]

I'd probably sell it.  Who knows, you might decide to stay or move somewhere else after that time.

I left my car sitting for 3 months.  Followed the instructions to disconnect the battery.  I still had problems when I came back that involved a tow.   Even if having a friend or family drive it a little, you really should keep some insurance coverage.   You'll also have a little maintenance - oil change & the like.

[StockBeard]

Sell it.
If you want to "keep it", sell it to a good friend or family, you can them discuss getting it back when you get back.

The truth, when you go abroad, is that you cannot be 100% sure how long you'll be there. 11 years ago I went to Japan for a 1 year exchange. I ended up living in Japan for 10 years instead of 1. All the things I've "kept" at my parent's home, and did not sell, have been rotting and deprecating for 10 years.

[NorCal]

I would let someone use it for the time you're gone, as long as it's family, or someone you truly trust. 

I let my dad drive my car while I was overseas for a year, and it was a good choice.  He took it out and drove it a few times a month, but otherwise parked it in his garage.

Sell it if you don't have someone you can truly trust with it.

[tj]

I left mine with my my family. They drove it once a week while I was gone. My sister even took it to the Honda dealer because the maintenance minder popped up. :)

[ShaneD]

Storing with trusted friend or family member is what I would do as well, if possible, and talking to insurance company about lowered rate. Buying a car is a huge pain in the ass (at least, mine was), and the cost for selling vs. keeping sounds like a wash (or close to it). If in a year or so you find you're not going to be back home soon, you could always sell it then.

[OttoVonBisquick]

Hey everyone! First time posting, 2 week lurking and decided to get involved with the community to max out my dollars worth! Anyways:

I'm likely going overseas for 5+ months next year;

Why would we not lease our cars? I drive a 2002 Hyundai Accent GL, manual 4 cylinder (accidentally "mustachian" purchase!) for $1500 (+ ~$1000 in tires, repairs, etc.)

Assuming someone could drive it, why not sign a lease and earn money with it?

[StockBeard]

Sure, as long as handling the lease and potential issues is not going to be too much of a burden for you, from overseas?

[Dee]

I'm with the "sell" crowd. Like others have stated, your stay elsewhere could be extended and when you come back, you might not need your own car. If you do come back and want to get your own car, you may find an appropriate car much more easily than you expect. Yes, replacing the car could turn out to be a bigger hassle than expected... but it could also prove to be really easy. Maybe someone will be going abroad when you come back and you can babysit their car for a year or two ; )

[iluvzbeach]

My mother is traveling abroad for an entire year and she decided to sell her car. It helped to reduce her overall expenses and gave her one less thing to worry about while gone. My recommendation is to sell.