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

[RetiredTHPLT]

Originally Posted by asptroopa1

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...

And, as all ways, stay safe and go home at the end of shift!

[purpleRac3r]

I'm with everyone here. I ordered my Stingray with every intention of driving it. In fact, I sold a perfectly good 2007 Jeep Wrangler to get this car - and the Jeep was my daily driver. By default, the Stingray is now my driver. And I wouldn't have it any other way! I'm not the kind of person to shell out $62K on a paper weight or garage decoration. I bought a CAR, and one of the best all around in the world. Yes, it will incur a little wear over the years; I just take care to avoid gravel and road debris, park away from the majority in parking lots, and detail it frequently. The team at Chevrolet designed one helluva car for the road, so why waste it?

I had an aquaintance a number of years ago who had a really pristine Chevelle. Barely drove the car, kept it spotless. Was always afraid to drive it much fearing parking lot dings and rock chips. He ended up having to sell it for various reasons. The person who bought it totalled it less than a year later! My aquaintance regrets to this day he didn't drive it more.

Lesson: buy the car for YOU to enjoy! If you decide to sell it some day, fine. Just don't worry in the meantime about resale. You never know what will happen to the car (or you yourself!) after you sell, so have as much fun with it as you can while you have it. I am!

[Jamie Mac]

I just tried to post about how much I love this thread. Am I banned already?

[Silversled]

Drive the piss out of your car and in return maintain the heck out of it. The C7 is neither collectible, irreplaceable, or overly valuable. It is a great and capable car; don't waste the opportunity to have fun with it.

[REVVIC]

Pete, it's meant to be driven and not drive you to keep it mint. As mentioned, do the clear bra and order Dr. Colorchip for what flies your way.

[jashobbsie]

just drive it…nicks, scratches….whatever…its a car, only a car…. you can't take it too your grave so enjoy it while you still can is the way i look at it… they are just character marks…lol I take care of my cars but I'm not worried about dings and scratches…thats what insurance is for…. haha

[Steven Bell]

Pete, congrats on your first Corvette-this is my first as well. I bought mine when I was 56 (I turned 57 last month).


Sir, this is not a car to sit in the garage. Drive it in the best of health and enjoyment. I LOVE cleaning mine-I get a lot of joy, pleasure and satisfaction taking care of it. Hopefully you'll do the same.

[Pete r welch]

I can't help washing it frequently and compulsively

[chazysoccer11]

Originally Posted by jashobbsie

just drive it…nicks, scratches….whatever…its a car, only a car…. you can't take it too your grave so enjoy it while you still can is the way i look at it… they are just character marks…lol I take care of my cars but I'm not worried about dings and scratches…thats what insurance is for…. haha

Well, you can take it to your grave, if you want haha. There have been people who have buried themselves with their cars.

[Richardlord]

I ordered my Vert with the removable front end cover - I don't really like front end covers as to me they look kinda crass like a plastic cover on a sofa - I may change my mind if it looks really good, but I doubt it - So why did I order one? - For the month long trip my girl (wife) http://www.bandmix.com/drzphd/ and I are taking (when I actually get my car) from southern Maryland across county out to SF down to LA to Las Vegas to NO and then back again to Maryland when she retires from US GAO later this year (I retired from US ICE in January) - We are visiting 2 dozen National Parks on our trip such as the Badlands, Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Crater Lake, Yosemite, Zion, Bryce, Grand Canyon, etc, and we call this the Thelma and Louise Tribute Tour - Probably shall use the front end cover sparingly - Got the cover to protect my C7 mostly for any rough roads in the National Parks, and out west following good buddies in Jimmys hauling hogs

[Pete r welch]

Sounds like a great trip!

[CyberOfficer]

Amen, YOLO

[CyberOfficer]

Originally Posted by asptroopa1

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?

Amen, YOLO

[MileMAN402]

My motto is Gtechniq, XPEL, drive it like I stole it.