Garage vs Street Parking

Garages help extend the life of the car body and components because the exposure to eroding air and weather elements are eliminated while garaged. Garages help to reduce extremes of temperatures in which the car must rest and enables a faster warm-up. You can wash it less. You can maintain it in your garage. You can save time walking to the street. It won't get hit by other cars while garaged. Insurance companies like garaged cars better than street parked cars. It helps keep value higher. As for gas saving, no difference.

 

Garage stored may improve mpg, for a couple of reasons:

1. Depending on your clime, anytime car's parked outside are getting frosted up, garage stored will really help: avoids the need for extended warm-up to clear windshield.

2. Block heater use is a lot more convenient in a garage. If you're right outside the garage in a driveway, not so bad. If you're on the street then it becomes more difficult. We use block heater year 'round, winter and summer. Raises coolant temp about 20C above ambient, with 2 hours use.

Garage stored cars lead a sheltered life, which is good. Street parked cars are more likely to have finishes going off, tires cracking sooner, same for wiper blades, headlights hazing, and so on.

 

i don't think it matters much, unless you're forced to park in the hot sun all summer. but that's usually a workplace problem, more than at home. and even then, we're talking southern climes, more than d.c.
a garage is a great convenience though. i never understood people who filled their garages with junk, and parked in the driveway. i love not having to clean off snow and ice, and being cooler in the summer, and coming into the house without getting wet when it's pouring out.

 

I love having a garage! I've lived with a tiny, detached garage for decades, finally got a home with a proper attached garage and electric opener. It's fantastic! My car stays very clean, it's never cold when I get inside, and I can do repair work really easily!

Saving the engine from starting up when freezing probably does prolong car life. And a garage will keep your car looking new longer.