How do you balance driving vs. keeping car "mint?"
 

At age 72 bought my first Corvette. . Thought when I bought it, it would be my driving car, not to be saved for it's future appearance. It is just so nice though, I find it hard to balance putting miles on it with the inevitable nicks and wear. My wife says I never tailgate with this car which is I guess, a good thing. Trying to keep the rock chips away. But the car is just such a pleasure and thrill to drive, I think I will drive it alot for the enjoyment, and wear be damned. Does anyone else ever feel conflicted about this?

Pete...I'll be 58 this summer.....I keep mine immaculate, but I'm not going to try to keep it mint, so when I sell it or die, some other guy gets a great car because I didn't drive it. I feel like I'm doing what makes me happy........isn't that why we bought em?

Sh.. Happens, put a good film on the front end if you're in a clime that has a lot of crap on the roads and learn to use touch up paint the right way. Wash and seal the car on a regular basis and drive the crap out of it....try not to follow/orbit trucks....

My C7 is my 4th Corvette. I drove my C4 a lot. Then I saved my C5 for the next owner. I learned my lesson and drove my C6 GS a lot, including a HPDE day and a trip to the NCM. I ordered my C7 in October on my 60th birthday, picked it up on January 24...then it snowed...and snowed...and snowed. In a week I've put 300 miles on it and I'm having the time of my life. It is THE best of the four by far. I absolutely enjoy every minute of driving it. I'm with astroopa1, I drive mine but wash and detail it to keep it immaculate. The bonus is that I find washing and detailing to be relaxing.

I have 17,000 miles on my c7, delivered at the end of Oct. 2013
I have a 2013 vert Camaro ZL1 with 27,000 miles on it.
Drive them!!
That's why you we love these cars, don't leave them as garage queens, enjoy them while you can.
So they get a few chips on them, that's the mark of being driven and truly enjoyed by the owner.
Leave your kids with a legacy of knowing you drove your car for enjoyment everyday and not as a trophy piece.

The Corvette is a great trip car! I've had 6 so far, and each one has taken me on great adventures. Once it gets dirty you might as well keep driving it. I don't take it to Target, Costco, Walmart, etc. because of tight parking spaces. And, in bad weather, if it's clean, I don't normally drive it. But, on a trip, the dirtier it gets, the better - a layer of dead bugs and dirt protects it from stone chips.

I believe you drive it and if something happens fix it, or replace it. I know that is overly simplifying it, but you either buy it to be a garage queen or drive it like... well you get it. My wife and I are expecting (haha) in late April/early May and have it going on our first Vettcation in August to Glacier National Park and with the grace of good fortune many more trips after. I hope I can hit 200k in 10 years and I will be keeping it looking as close to new as I can.
Good travels.

PS to All who posted...kudos, great stories. I started a thread 'Vacations with the C7' for all to post pictures and stories.

Drive the heck out of it and keep it clean.

Why save it for the next guy? :iono:

I agree...why save it for the next guy- I did that to my Camaro....and the guy that bought it was thrilled, but I thought back to all the times I wish I had drove it then....I mean what is the difference on trade or re-sell of a Garage Queen or an immaculate daily driver- Maybe maybe maybe a thousand or two......and think of all the times you sweated the rain, or got a little peck in it......You bought it to drive it-

When I was a kid, my mom had a nice couch in our living room with a damn plastic cover on it that was uncomfortable as hell to sit on. Kept it nice and clean for 10 years-it looked brand new as my dad set it out on the curb- Moral of the story: drive it and enjoy it.

When I was a kid, my mom had a nice couch in our living room with a damn plastic cover on it that was uncomfortable as hell to sit on. Kept it nice and clean for 10 years-it looked brand new as my dad set it out on the curb- Moral of the story: drive it and enjoy it.


That was the same stuff my Grandmother had after my grandfather passed away.....hot, sticky, terrible to sit on....then she gave it away to a neighbor that tore that stuff off and had a great couch.....I'm with Sierramadre

Good point there....immaculate vs. mint. I guess it is a personal opinion about how many degrees of separation between the two.

I agree with the OP. I promised myself (and my wife) that I would not obsess over miles or cosmetic blemishes. So my challenge is to find the sweet spot between immaculate and mint while enjoying the car to its fullest.

Asptroopa1..you told me when you took delivery but I've forgotten. How many miles have you put on so far? I have more miles on this car in 5 months than I did in 12 months on my C6.

I'm at 3,000 but we've had a lot of ice and snow and I'm not driving in that crap....I think i'll be banging the miles real soon....may take a trip in a few weeks to Houston and back.....see my mom and sis and Hennessey Motors...