[Junkman2008]

I'm curious. Why is it that you don't want to drive your cars? I'm not talking about guys who live where it snows 9 months out of the year so you're confined to 3 months of driving, I'm talking about guys who purposely do not drive your cars. I'm strictly interested in Corvettes, from the C3 to the C6.

Let me into your mindset and give me your opinions.

 

[Billsvette]

I only drive mine on sunny days during summer mostly.and it has to be when im off work also.Where i work you cant drive anything that you care about,really dirty.So you see i dont get alot of days to drive it.Also ,i know why other guys dont drive it everyday rain or shine,its because,(like me) when you do a total restore on the car ,you really dont want to mess it up by driving in rain or snow or dirty roads.I personally dont want to restore a car more then once,its really hard work and alot of money:surprised thats the main reason ,i think.If i lived in Florida i probably would drive it alot more.In my mind,there is no salt or mud going to hit my car.too much money invested.:cheers:

 

[Junkman2008]

I can understand a total restore. I wouldn't want to drive that much either with the cost that a total restore can run. I've seen prices over 100K. :surprised

 

[Billsvette]

Its a never ending money pit,never stops,but thats ok ,i love it

 

[Junkman2008]

Yea, you go in knowing that you'll never recoup the money you spent but if it makes you grin like a fat cat on a sardine diet, then that's all that matters. :thumbsup:

 

[martinsw]

My C3 speedometer only has 9,855 miles on it! But then again, that is because it is a VDO gauge replaced about 2 years ago after I did an 'on the driveway' engine/tranny swap, C5 seats....

Oh yeah, my C5 has ~ 143,000 miles on it, and still going strong.

My commute to work is ~ 45 miles each way, some nice twisty roads, so I figured why not enjoy the commute by driving corvettes.:cheers:

 

[ToddLG]

I have 79k+ on mine and I drive it every chance I get when the weather is dry. It is never taken out wet and is always parked in the garage covered.. I use it for tooling around the Valley but I also take it on 400 mile round trips 2-3 times a year. I do not think I could ever own ANY car that would just sit in the garage and be looked at. artyon:
c-ya
ToddG

 

[Randypalooza]

I often wonder the same thing... I drive the crap out of my C5, it is my DD! I've put about 50K miles on it in the past year, and have driven it threw anything mother nature can throw at me. And for my C3,i put at least a hundred miles on it a month, year round. Don't get me wrong it is expensive to drive the C3, but to me it costs me more to let it sit. I mean they are only cars, they are meant to be driven!

 

[ZZ71s]

The 71s speedo hads 46000ish miles on it I dont think that is exactly true though,everythng drive trainish is new rad to rear end.
When its not in pieces being modded and its dry out it is being driven and driven hard .

 

[terry82]

i have 98,000 on my 82 .i drive 3-5000 miles per year .i would drive more if we had better weather.when i worked at the factory[dana]there was lots of guys who would brag that they had a low mile perfect corvette at home .they also had low mileage harleys that were perfect .they had them but could not drive them or it would hurt there resale .

 

[Junkman2008]

i have 98,000 on my 82 .i drive 3-5000 miles per year .i would drive more if we had better weather.when i worked at the factory[dana]there was lots of guys who would brag that they had a low mile perfect corvette at home .they also had low mileage harleys that were perfect .they had them but could not drive them or it would hurt there resale .

That's one thing that confuses me also. Why buy a car like this if you plan to resale it anyway? You're not going to remotely get what you paid for it unless you don't drive it for 30 years. At that point, everything is going to need to be replaced anyway.

That kind of thinking has always baffled me. That's not to you Terry, I'm just thinking out loud.

 

[SOMFormula]

I wish I could drive a sports car everyday!

I need a truck with a service body for what I do everyday. So I can't even drive my personal vehicles at all during the week.

On the weekends, I won't drive one of my own cars unless I am able to "Drive" them. I don't like starting up any of my own vehicles unless I can drive them for a minimum of 20 min. I hate cold starting my cars just to move them out into the driveway, if you know what I mean. I use Amsoil products along with Seafoam and Fogging oil when I shut them down.

However, living in California, I DO get to drive them year round, which is really nice. So, when I DO get to drive them, I don't have to drive them in the rain. My Jeep is my winter vehicle for all the rain we get. And for camping in the summer. I just don't get a whole lot of opportunity to drive them, is all.

 

[Slow & Leaky]

I have a good friend that fits your profile perfectly, and I wonder why he even has a nice car. It's simply one more reason for him to be a nervous wreck. He carfaxed one that he'd owned for years and really liked, and was super nice......came back as sold to a rental car agency when new. From that day forward, he considered it junk. Sold within a few months. To him "nice" is more about if it's got documentation of being stored properly & cleaned often than the car's actual condition or reliability.

Honestly, I also wonder how many low mile cars are low miles. Modern electric speedometers make people forget how fragile a speedometer cable can be, I've driven cars for years that never had a functioning speedometer. If it's fixed when the current owner gets in the seat, how would they ever know???? There's only so many clues as to a car's actual mileage.

I don't put a ton of miles on my C3 either, but that's because it has several garage-mates that are also summer cars. This is probably true for many vettes.

 

[Junkman2008]

I'd have to agree with you 100% Leaky. The odometer on my El Camino hasn't worked in 5 years! Yep, I would love to hear your friend chime in. Cars take a long time to go up in value so they make lousy investments, especially if you don't live long enough to cash in. Hell, that why I drive the hell out of mine during the summer!

 

[Wing]

:buhbye:

 

[TX73VETTE]

Thats Kind of Sad that people dont drive them.... I have Over 200, 000 miles and its still looks good and drives Great just the Compliments I get is enough for me to drive it... Plus Texas has almost Year Round Weather.. I feel Like im Driving History..


Dan

 

[Junkman2008]

I can understand the guys who won't drive it to work. Especially if you work for Ford. :surprised

 

[Wing]

:thumbsup:

 

[Pete 79]

I drive my Vette every chance I get even in snow before the recent paint, body, and interior work. I put 31k miles on my car since I put it on the road 3 years ago and now I have 83k. Now I wont drive it in the snow and try to avoid rain. I put alot of money and time in my car so I will enjoy it every chance I get. The weather has not been very good so it has been in the garage for almost 4 weeks but I use the time to finish some small tasks and get ready for spring. Im also driving to Florida in May to visit my brother.

 

[markk]

My Dad's philosophy is "I bought it to drive it, not to look at it" or "drive the **** out of it". He doesn't drive his 08 in the winter anymore though because he found some black ice on Christmas Eve last year and hit a guard rail.

He gets a little carried away sometimes. He helped me with a project last summer and had his chop saw and some 2x4's in the back.