Outdoor car cover

[ripped camel]

I'm looking for a outdoor car cover for my 1997 Lincoln Mark VIII. It will be outside 100% of the time. I live in Florida so it needs to be able to withstand constant sun abuse & heavy bursts of rain at times. No freezing temps because we're spoiled like that down here!

One main option I want is for it to be securely lockable.

As for price I'm looking to spend not a dollar more than $200. What do you guys recommend?

 

[danny_holtermann]

put it in a garage, i spent 150 on a cover, it lasted 1 summer before it got all crappy and cracked

 

[ripped camel]

Not an option to garage it. It's been in a garage since I bought it, but I bought a really nice townhouse....downside is there is no garage, nor is there a garage nearby. This is my daily driver so I need it at the house.

Where do you live that the weather was so harsh on it?

Anybody else have any other experiences (good or bad) with outdoor car covers?

 

[YR1 MK8]

Covercraft, Budge, Noah all sell quality covers that can lock with a cable. do a google. Bing is a good place to start too. EBAY has a lot of covers under the $200 mark too. check your local craigslist.

 

[ripped camel]

Thanks....I did google what car covers I can get. Why didn't I think of using a search engine <--- note the sarcasm... HAHA!

What I'm more looking for is first-hand experience with these. I don't want to buy a cover based on a companies claims as they are obviously biased. I figured asking fellow mark owners that have used car covers can tell me which ones worked good for them.

 

[danny_holtermann]

i live in wisconsin, the sun beat on it when it was nice out, caused it to crack, then the water seeped in it and froze it to the car

 

[timkustom]

I had an Evolution 4 Covercraft cover for my '68 Impala and it held up very well. Although it was a nice cover, as others have said, it's no substitute for a garage.

Dust could get under it, then when it rained it left "cover marks" all over the car. It all washed off though, but it was a hassle.

Another thing to consider is when it was wet, it was like a sponge. It would dry fairly fast, but it was a pain to deal with if wet.

I'd say it held up great (in Alabama) for about 4 years. I had the cable lock for it also.

Came out one morning to find some scumbag had stolen it. They had to cut it to get the lock off. Hope they are enjoying it.

HTH