Good or bad idea?
 

I live in Massachusetts and winter is basically here, so I need to take my car off the road. I am planning on storing it outside, next to my house with a full-length car cover over it. Is this a good or bad idea? Am I better off paying to have it stored in a garage somewhere?

If you have the money, by all means get it inside. My mom had a mint '96 GT convertible and she drives it 90 miles to our other house to store it. Mine sits outside year round.:(

Car cover will work, IF there is no slack in it, so it can't whip around. A tarp is a big no-no. It will wear the paint right off.
I don't cover mine personaly, I cover the windows so the sun doesn't damage the interior, and I let it sit, don't touch it, don't do snow removal, nothing. Just me though, I done this for about 10 years, and I've noticed less damage than when I covered it.

But if I could put it inside, I would.

If you put it inside a garage put cardboard on the floor the full length of the vehicle,the cold floor combined with temp changes during each day seem to make the floor sweat.I even notice this more in the summer months due to humidity.It to me seems like cheap rust protection.1 refrigerator box does the trick and you won't have a ton of pieces taped together.Just an idea?

I bought a 10X20 car canopy with metal posts and a tarp top for $75 at Walmart and a full side kit with a big zip door from Kmart.com for $105, total investment $180 for a garage :D
Compare that to the price of a halfway decent car cover.

A good wax job will do far better than any car cover. The wind will help that cover sand the paint right off your car! Maybe it won't be that bad for one season, but it's the last thing I'd do.