Talk to me about battery options for summer-use car

My 2002 needs a battery - the six year old Interstate (Group 42) seems to have a dead cell. The car gets used from spring to fall, and lives in the garage for about 4-5 months per year. Cold starts aren't really an issue. I've not been terribly diligent about keeping a trickle charger on it, which may explain the dead battery. Anyway, I know there are options beyond the old lead-acid, but I know nothing about them. What sort of battery do I want for this type of use? Cost is a factor, but with a decent lead-acid replacement going for almost $200, I'm not getting away cheap no matter what.

If it matters, I've got the battery in the trunk, so there's a fairly long cable run to the starter. It's never been an issue before, but I figured I'd mention it in case it's a factor.

Vintage, limited use cars are my business. It is all we do 5 days a week, 52 weeks a year. 

I purchase Napa "Legend" batteries for 99% of the builds here because their warranty is excellent, they are simple black cases that do not look out of place in a vintage setting and they last a very long time. I get about 8 years out of them.

75% of all battery problems I see here are related to Optima batteries. I do not recommend them period. 

A battery tender is a good thing over the winter. 

My Cayman has a battery issue, it dies every winter due to my inaction. Every spring I get a new battery on warrantee. It may not be right but I am not going to argue. This year will be my 2nd replacement since I bought one 3 springs ago.

I have the same problem with my Miata. Dead battery every time I try to fire it up for the first time in the spring. I do have a tender but the motorcycle sits on it for the same reason. I suppose I could switch it around every month or so...

thatsnowinnebago said:

I have the same problem with my Miata. Dead battery every time I try to fire it up for the first time in the spring. I do have a tender but the motorcycle sits on it for the same reason. I suppose I could switch it around every month or so...

Or....buy a second one? It's not like they're expensive.

Honestly I think anything worth buying for a normal use car is going to be in the $150-200 range. It's just a question of whether you want another traditional lead acid or a slightly smaller AGM or a tiny lipo.

Old cars need old battery technology.  I would top it off in the fall and disconnect it while it's in storage.  I've also had bad luck with AGM batteries.  I have a 40 year old battery charger/tender that I inherited and it is one of my favorite things in the garage.  

In reply to dps214 :

Lol fair. The bigger problem is that the outlets on that side of the garage don't work, but that's not the battery's fault. 

Thanks, folks. You've pretty much put me off the AGM route. I'll see if Napa has what I need - they seem to list the Group 90, which is the 42 with the terminals reversed, but not the 42. I can make that work if need be, but it's not ideal.