Sport wrote:
In my area the only storage space available is on a pad.

Tell me about it!

Leaving a plane out in the Michigan (Detroit)
weather does not seem like the best idea.

Tell me about it!

Is there alternative storage I've not considered?

Nope.

Well, one - rent a spot in a gang hangar. Very expensive for what you
get. More below.

Can the airframe, engine and avionics survive in the elements, or am I
shortening the usable life of the aircraft?

Well, think about this. In the plane's optimum state (during flight),
it's exposed to the elements at an extreme level. It's built to take
some abuse.

The plane's not going to crumble to dust and blow away if you keep it
outside for a year, or two, or five, or ten. Many pilots never park
anywhere but a tie-down pad.

There are some excellent airplane covers that will protect it from ice
and hail, too.

The biggest advantage to having it stored in a hangar is that you don't
have to clean the snow and ice off it when you fly it in the winter,
and you've got a place to plug in the engine pre-heater (if equipped).
Is that going to be a big consideration for you?

I went through this recently, in the same area. I decided to park
outside at first, and get on the waiting list for a hangar by my house
(5-8 years at Oakland Troy (VLL)). I also got on the other nearby
waiting lists.

(I think so, anyways. Detroit City seemed completely confused about my
request for a hangar. I don't think they realized that the airport was
still open. They said they'd put me on the list, but I think whoever
was on the phone was just trying to get rid of me and get back to his
nap or TV show. I didn't pursue it.)

I also had a couple of gang hangar options that I considered. One was
way overpriced. The other was almost reasonable, except that the line
crew was never there. I mean, NEVER there. I never saw anyone who
worked there, ever! I figured that if availability was an issue, that
wouldn't work well for me. I do most of my flying off-hours anyways,
and they had a call-out fee.

What side of town are you from, anyways?