I'm thinking of changing my daily driver from the high-mileage Nissan 240SX I have now to something a little larger and more comfortable - maybe an '05 or so CTS or STS.
The problem is that it's going to have to sit outside, as my garage already has two other cars (one of them my '90 Fleetwood Coupe) occupying it.

What bothers me is the idea of having to keep a Caddy outside, even though I would keep it washed, waxed, and car-covered as often as possible. The climate here in Northern California is not particularly severe, though winters are wet, and summers can be brutal at intervals.

All of this got me to wondering how many of you have to keep your Cadillacs outside, and have you noticed any particular areas of deterioration that you think might have been accellerated by this exposure, and what extra stuff you've had to do to keep your rides looking sharp.

Well, it's certainly reassuring to know that everyone on planet earth who owns a Cadillac parks it in a garage.

The flat black finish on the CTS door frames may look worse. That seems to be a weak area to keep looking good.

Also, the rear wheel hubs tend to flake and rust. Sitting outside in a damp climate would only seem to make that worse.

If you get a late 04 or later, you should avoid the smoked license plate surround that always seemed to collect water and fog up.

Don't park under a big tree. Get a car canopy.

What is this doing in here. Moving to detailing section.

Over the past ten years we have had numerous business cars, which in deference to our pesonal cars have been parked outside. We have kept them cleaned and polished with Zimol products. The finish of these cars has remained in good shape and come back to a very presentable apppearance with once every six month cleaning and waxing. The clearcoat has stood up very well. The cars are not parked under trees, but are in partial shade during protions of the day. However, for the truly anal nothing but cosseting in a shearling muff in the garage may be the only satisfactory method of storage.

All you need is a good cleaning and detailing program and you should be fine.

First do a COMPLETE exterior detail to get the paint as clean as it is going to get, and then just maintain it with washes every 2 weeks, and wax it every 3 months.