So my subi's not my DD and I think I've found a storage space for stupid cheap, but its on a unpaved lot and I have some serious concerns for long term storage. I mean I'm still going to drive it every weekend, but I don't like the idea of there being mud/grass under the car and it causing rust issues.

I've been given the green light to put up a car port to cover it, but I am trying to think of some options. I could build some sort of platform, but I'm not sure how to go about it/what to use. I can't do anything permanent like paving it either. Anyone have any ideas?

My ideal situation would be to build something large enough to have access to walk around the car completely so I can do minor things to it like oil changes.

 

a large metal/wood plate?

 

I would build a platform out of 2x4's and skin it with 5/8" plywood, you could make it out of 4 sheets of ply and It should be more then enough to walk around and do any kind of work on it. Might have to keep the 2x4 spacing a little tighter then the standard 16" on center.

 

one of those large tarps they sell at costco to put over it, its not like a tarp but more like a frame with tarping over it. we have one on the side of our house and we store our boat under there. it would also be large enough to walk around and do minor things. it is fully covered. for the ground you could just stake some tarps into the ground and call it good.. lol

 

I've never made a wooden weight bearing platform before, so I'm estimating the area I'd need to be 10x20. So I'd basically make a platform shape out of 2x4's and have them spaced about 10" inbetween to bear the weight and cover it with 5/8th's sheets of plywood?

 

I thought about that, but I'm afraid water would just pool and defeat the purpose because the tarp frame thing wouldn't be a water tight connection/

 

well as long as ur car is fully under there, they are pretty big then no water gets in. i mean u can do that and also get a car cover for ur car if ur that worried about absolutely no water getting in. for the most part our boat stays very dry.

 

Just get some cheap plywood boards and lay them under where your tires go and have the car tires sitting on that. It's not like the bottom of the car is touching the ground but you could just put a tarp under it and drive it onto the boards. If it's gravel I can't see any issue at all with that. It's cool that you have a carport for it.

 

The part where I have to park it has some crab grass which would probably touch the underside.

Something someone suggested to me would to leave a gap big enough to crawl under like an oil change pit, but I don't think I'd trust myself building something that complex without a professional.

 

Just lay down plywood then.

 

ding ding ding! haha

 

This is a joke thread, right? Are we really discussing ways of "keeping mud and grass from touching the underside" of a Subaru? Man, get this guy some lace panties!

Seriously though, the car will suffer less exposure to salt and other rust causing substances sitting in a dirt lot than it will on the road.

 

There's a distinct difference between running a subaru through mud and grass then washing it off later, as opposed to sitting in it for a long time. Not sure if you're aware but rust = Fe2O3. Fe = iron which is in steel and O is the primary constituent in air which is potentiated by water/moisture in the ground..... so I'd say that's pretty rust causing

 

Get a couple bags of crushed granite and some round up. Flatten the ground. Clean the brush out. Round up. Lay the granite. Bring card board when you want to work on it.

Where is the storage place?

Either that or just clear and flatten the ground, round up then plywood. But I wouldn't use anything but ramps out there.

 

In that case, just sell the car.