Garage Queen Question...

[Deke736]

So as I sit here and watch the Mecum Auto Auction, I started thinking about garage queens. I had to ask myself, and hence you all, what makes someone want a garage queen? I would have such a hard time buying a car as awesome as my 2011 Camaro SS and then let it sit in the garage not being driven. I can't wait to drive mine again. I was in Mexico last week, sitting on a beach doing a whole lot of nothin', and I couldn't wait to get back home so I could drive my Camaro again! As I read, or see some of these beautiful cars sitting there with only a few thousand miles after years of ownership I just have to :face palm:!

At the same time, I am somewhat of a hypocrite, since I have my other toy, a 2000 Corvette Convertible sitting unused while I cruise around in my Camaro. Don't get me wrong, I do drive my Vette (it has 80K miles on it). Now, I've never though of my Vette as a GQ, and I do drive it, it's jest been neglected since the Camaro came home.

I just want to hear some opinions on why you don't drive your car (or if you do drive it)? Are you hoping it's going to be a collector someday? :respect: for what ever your reasons, I'm just curious.

[DuhKoDuh]

Mines a 2011 purchase august 2010 and it has 23k on it

[mikeSS]

well i drive mine like 1-2 times a week. once you start to do heavy mods, you want to keep it in good condition. but i kind of regret doing heavy mods at times. when my car was stock i beat on it so dam hard. kind of miss thoughs days. lol

[Alaskan SS]

Not every low mileage car is a "garage queen" (I'm hearing that term more and more, and I'm not sure if I like it). But I completely understand what you're asking. I love driving mine, too. Unfortunately, I just can't.

This was the subject of another thread I was reading a few weeks back.

I took delivery in April 2010. Right now, I'm at roughly 5600 miles.

In AK, it's just not a practical year round car. I mean, I COULD do it. But if I can just drive my '04 Yukon or my '07 Sierra (neither of which are beaters), instead of putting snow tires on the Camaro and exposing it to sand, salt, unplowed roads, and potholes for 6 months of the year, why wouldn't I?

Another reason the miles are low... I work 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off. So I really only get about 3 months of actual driving time per calendar year.

So there are some circumstances where low mileage cars are being driven as much as possible, it's just not a lot, relatively speaking...

[edog]

I have 45k on mine. I picked it up May of 2009. Mine is not necessarily a garage queen, but I do drive it more on vacations, and much less to the office. I am trying to keep it under 20k a year so the warranty is still on effect. Not really but it sounds good. Mine has gone west to new mexico, north to maine, and south to a florida a few times. I love driving it.

[alini]

Its all about resale, having the car for years and keeping it low mileage and reducing wear and tear. For a new car its waste in my opinion unless you plan on never using it for 25 years. A neighbor of mine has his 2001 PT Cruiser 'Limited Edition' parked in his garage. Think I saw him drive it 10 times in the past 4 years.
For some reason he thinks his 'limited edition' is actually limited and it will have some resale value in the future.
Now a 50s Vette kept in a garage, sure that has value and I would be worried about driving it because of the cost of replacement parts.

[speedster]

It's a car. Tires and wheels that rotate. Rotate 'em fast and you get a good smokey burnout. That's a lot more fun than hoping for resale in 20+ years. Now if you bought 2 at the same time and drove the heck out of one and stored the other - maybe... Opinion only.

[Apex Motorsports]

If it is a car with real collector value I think a lot of people view it as protecting an investment. In some cases I think people just love their ride and want to take care of it but at a certain point it crosses a line and becomes a symptom of OCD. My appreciation for cars is on several different levels. I clearly get a lot of pleasure out of driving and modifying/improving cars but it goes beyond that. I also love them for their artistic value as a piece of sculpture and as a physical demonstration of the marriage between art and engineering. I think a lot of automotive enthusiasts are the same way but sometimes forget about the driving part. It is kind of along the same lines as overly protective parents.

[derklug]

Cars are never a good investment. If you bought a car in 68 to be an investment, you would have spent more on storage and upkeep than what you would have made if you just put the money in a savings account. Buy it, drive it, and then get a new one.

[bannonm]

I won't be putting a lot of miles of mine since it won't be driven in the winter. Illinois roads with salt and crap can really mess up a car. I have my Z71 for those days.

This is my first "toy" car. It wasn't bought to be a daily driver so I want to keep it nice. I'm at an age where kids are grown and I can afford to have that piece of art as Apex Chase says, sitting in the garage.

[shockandawe]

My 2010 SS has 7000 miles. I also have a 2006 Vette, I alternate each week driving the 2 of them. The Vette is just to good to ignore.

[gml1998]

I am fortunate enough to have a garage queen.We drive it on nice days and do shows and cruises with the club.
It has only seen rain once.We like to keep the car spotless ,it takes too much time to clean after it has been driven in the rain.

[SSOOCH]

You do what you want to do with your car and I'll do what I want with mine...

Isn't it a beautiful world?

[Weezerj]

I ordered a black car, so while I will drive it when I can, I'm not going to be driving in the rain just to keep from having to detail it afterwards......

My daily beater is a chevy tracker.....it may be a bit hard to get in the tracker knowing I could be in my camaro....we will see.