I’m moving abroad. What should I do with my car?

Are you finally fed up with your government’s incompetence? Are you ready to replace them with other bureaucrats that will make crucial decisions about your life? Are you sick of being able to vote? If you answered yes to all of the above, you are ready to move abroad. 

Thankfully, you don’t need to go to North Korea to abandon your democratic rights, nor to Mother Russia. Anywhere else in the world where you don’t have citizenship, you will have no right to vote. So the choice is huge. 

While you probably won’t flinch a tear for the clowns at Westminster Abbey, and you will reminisce about Downing street only in your nightmares, there is one thing you will miss back in the jolly ol’ UK. No, not your parents or your friends. We are talking about your car, of course. 

Why not take your car with you?

Well, first and foremost, there is a slight bump along the way in the form of a 34km stretch with salty liquid that most physicists call seawater. And while James Bond has taught us that a good British car can do anything, including glide on top of the waves, we would suggest restraining yourself from driving off the Cliffs of Dover. Moreover, abroad they insist on driving on the wrong side of the road, which coincidentally is on the right. Weird, right? This makes most British cars impractical on mainland Europe or across the Atlantic. If you are going to Malta, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, or some other place we haughtily called “overseas territories” some time ago, you will be fine. Though, transporting your car there would actually cost you more than just buying a new one. 

So taking your car abroad is not the best option at the moment. Especially if you are not sure you will stay there for eternity. Moreover, keeping some wheels here in the UK is a good idea since second-hand cars are currently going through the roof. With inflation, high energy costs and colossal waitlists for new vehicles, this trend will probably stay for a while. But if the prices of second-hand cars are so good, why not sell your car and buy a new one wherever you are going?

What about selling your car?

That sounds reasonable in almost any scenario. However, one thing you should know about the world today is that there is massive inflation almost everywhere in the world. A key characteristic of inflation is that it works against your savings in money while it does wonders for your assets. For example, your car’s value will usually be halved the moment you drive it off the store. However, with the high inflation, despite having a vehicle that’s 5-10 years old or even older, its value will rise, depending on the car and model, of course. That’s why keeping your money in the bank is the worst thing you can do in periods of high inflation. The inflation will just bite a huge chunk off of them, and you will have significantly less than you did a year ago. With assets, the worst that could happen is they will retain their value, although, sold at the right moment, they might have some huge impact. 

With this in mind, selling your car when we just hit 40-year-high inflation is not just impractical. It’s bluntly stupid if you don’t have an idea of how to invest your earnings. If you do, however, have an idea to replace the vehicle with a new one where you are moving, go right ahead. Find a buyer and sell it. Make sure, however, you’ve already struck a deal, so you won’t have to keep your money locked in a bank, where bankers will look at it with lustful eyes while the inflation snatches its share from your money. 

However, if you have no plans to change cars and want to keep the current one, you will have to find a good way to store it.

So why don’t I keep it on the street?

That’s actually a valid point. Although, if you like your car even a little, after it spends a year (or even six months) outside without being touched, you better throw it away afterwards. If you have friends and family that will look after it when you are gone, go ahead and leave it to them. But if no one touches it, the car will start decaying, slowly but surely. Depending on where you parked it, public officials may even tow it at best, or it might get vandalised or even stolen. 

Moreover, the sun, especially scourging heat, is just as good for the car paint and interior as it is for your skin. And while you do get some fabulous bronze ten while getting skin cancer, your car’s colour will simply start fading, its glance will disappear, and some spots may become visible. Not the best solution for your vehicle. 

Leave it indoors in storage.

Now we are talking. Leaving your car in a self-storage unit is probably the best option, especially if it’s one of these fancy climate-control self-storage units. That way, you will thoroughly protect your car from the ravages of time. Well, mostly. Time doesn’t stop in storage units, no matter what the advertisers say.

Still, a good storage unit will give you the security that neither the weather nor pests or thieves will get the chance to touch your car. All the best storage service providers in the UK will offer a clean, dry, secure and spacious place where you can put your vehicle. 

However, before leaving it there for as long as it needs to stay, ensure you’ve used a protective spray on each of the car’s components. Then plug all engine openings with a clean rag and remove the battery. Finally, lubricate all grease points of the vehicle, so it will remain nice and lubed. 

What should you remember?

Going abroad is always accompanied by tough decisions about the things you will leave behind. One of the most expensive things you won’t be able to get to your new home is your car. You need to have a thorough plan for what to do with it, and while selling it is an option, the high inflation makes it difficult and risky. So storing it for better times and for when you get back to visit friends and family is a grand idea. However, just throwing it out on the street won’t do the trick, so be sure to find a good storage space where your car will wait for you just as you left it. Who knows, maybe someday, you will come back to the UK. Or you may wait until this horrendous inflation is over and sell it for a good profit. The choice is yours, but the car needs to look good either way.