Do You Have A Last Drive Ritual Before Winter Hits?

I drive my Boxster year round, though less often during winter in the Northeast. I usually put the winter tires on in late Oct or early Nov depending on how soon the temps drop. Top down with the heat on (and heated seats if necessary) makes for a great fall drive. As long as there isn’t a lot of snow and salt, I’ll usually drive it at least once or twice a week through the winter. I’ve got a Touareg for the bad weather, but the Boxster really is a car for all seasons.

My toy goes into interim climate-controlled storage after one last drive and fill-up of ethanol-free fuel, an inspection of anything that will need to be fixed, replaced, or adjusted during the “winter break”, and a wash. The battery goes on a tender and the car, barring times ot will be worked on, is kept ready so that if there is a nice warm-ish day and the roads are snow and ice free and haven’t been salted recently, I can go for a winter drive.

My ritual is the last drive to a get a full tank of ethanol-free gas at a station 25 miles from home. I also take the time to formulate the off-season repair and maintenance list. I also try to get to the last winter drive event and shop tour at Ragtops and Roadsters in Perkasie, Pa.
I like putting the car away for the winter; especially with small sports cars, using them as daily-drivers starts to tip the balance away from the joy of driving and more towards impatience with the compromises. Every car I have ever regretted selling was a specialty car I used every day, the maintenance, tight quarters, or impracticality became tiresome and I sold them for some transportation appliance that served the need but not the soul.
Now I look forward to spring and the anticipation of liberating my fun car from its slumber. It’s like getting a new car and meeting an old friend all in one.
The cold months also enable my other guilty pleasure; searching for the winter beater 4X4 and kitting it out for snow duty. A few times a year my area becomes a snow covered off-road park, big fun!

A mid-week ride down to the Finger Lakes region with my co-pilot of the past 37 years (She prefers “First Officer”), lunch in Hammondsport or Watkins Glen followed by a slow drive home. Then I follow “jimmyjet’s” procedure. Corvettes don’t care much for salty roads either.