Options To Keep A Car Hardly Driving But Always Ready

Dear Car Talk:

My 1995 Toyota Celica has 150,000 miles on it and still runs well. I don't drive it very much anymore -- less than 1,000 miles a year.

The battery died twice in a 7-month period. What should I do to keep it charged? Run the car every week for some minimum amount of time? Attach a charger every few weeks? Disconnect it when it's not in use?

The car is otherwise in good shape and seems like it could go another 50,000 miles or more.

Thanks. -- Mark

If it goes another 50,000 miles, that'll be 50 more years for you, Mark. I hope you're on the Mediterranean diet.

The battery typically gets recharged by the car's alternator when you drive the car. But you're hardly driving. And even though the current draw is small when the car is parked, over enough weeks, the battery will run down.

So, what are your options? The cheapest option is to disconnect the battery after you drive it. You don't have to remove it from the car. Just take a wrench, loosen up the cable on the negative terminal and pull it off. That'll eliminate any power drain between trips. When you want to drive, you just reconnect and tighten the cable.

If that's too messy, or you're wrench-averse, you can get yourself a trickle charger (sometimes called a battery tender). You plug one end of the trickle charger into a wall socket and attach two small clamps to your battery terminals when you park the car. It monitors the battery level and charges it up as needed so it's always ready.

If even that is too inconvenient, Mark, then get yourself a compact jump starter. The lithium-ion ones are about the size of a small paperback book now. Look for something like the Weego 44s.

You charge it like you would your phone. And then, when you need it, you hook up the two clamps to your battery, and it jump starts your car. Some even have smart clamps, so it won't work if you hook it up wrong. Then you toss it in your glove box until you need it again.

Write back in 49 years when you want my opinion on the 2073 Celica.

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