Mileage?
#3
Team Owner
Member Since: Aug 2005
Location: Riverside County Southern California
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Co-winner 2020 C4 of the Year - Modified
2018 Corvette of Year Finalist
2017 C4 of Year
2016 C7 of Year Finalist
St. Jude Donor '09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17-'18-'19-'20
ZERO miles
#4
Burning Brakes
#5
Given the age of these cars, I classify anything under 40K or 50K as low mileage. Cars deteriorate due to the passage of time nearly as much as due to mileage. If it has near zero mileage, if it has not been driven, any gas in the tank is bad, the tires will be unsafe, the fluids may be mush by now and the undriven engine will probably need a rebuild and new fluids before being driven.
#8
Race Director
#10
Instructor
That depends on whether your the buyer or the seller. I've seen dealers claim 95,000 was low mileage. My 96 had 19K on it when I bought it last March. I put 8k more on it this year. I suspect in 2 years it will no longer be low mileage. I agree with 96 polovette at 40K its slipping out of low mileage to "medium"
#11
Burning Brakes
Generally a Corvette is only driven for pleasure on weekends etc...(its a freaken toy) ...
and it is NOT at all unusual to find a 10 year old Corvette with less then 25,000 ..
I personally use 2,500 miles a year as the NORM so a 5 year old Corvette would have less then 12,500 a 10 year old Corvette less that 25,000 and as these cars age then become even more of a toy and the annual mileage actually tends to decrease...
However I TRY to avoid cars that are only driven 1000 miles a year or less.
Bob G.
64 72 and 98 Convertibles
76 79 and a 88 35th Aniv Coupes
My 98 now has 27,000 and I drive it a lot..
and it is NOT at all unusual to find a 10 year old Corvette with less then 25,000 ..
I personally use 2,500 miles a year as the NORM so a 5 year old Corvette would have less then 12,500 a 10 year old Corvette less that 25,000 and as these cars age then become even more of a toy and the annual mileage actually tends to decrease...
However I TRY to avoid cars that are only driven 1000 miles a year or less.
Bob G.
64 72 and 98 Convertibles
76 79 and a 88 35th Aniv Coupes
My 98 now has 27,000 and I drive it a lot..
#12
Drifting
As C4s are bought up by folks at very low prices and driven on a regular basis because they are not collector candidates the fleet average condition is deteriorating and mileage is going up every year. Low mileage this year, say 25k will be 50K in 5-10 years. That is of coarse if we get past 12-21-12.
#16
Race Director
There's some reasonable logic on what the minimum miles/year would be. Something along the lines of 1k/yr is where I'd consider low mileage starts. But, I'd give a buffer of 1k-2.5k/yr. For a 10yr-old car, you'd be looking in the 10k-25k range. For a 20yrs-old car 20k-50k range.
Much less than the mileage listed above...and you have to give serious consideration to long periods w/o being driven -- a condition that could easily lead to: fuel system problems, dried seals, and internal corrosion. This extends to heater cores, radiators, cooling passages, etc...
Whether you know it or not, fluids in your car need to circulate, lubricate, and coat surfaces to avoid deterioration. So, less than 1k/yr could, by some, be considered abused and neglected.
Last edited by GREGGPENN; 12-17-2012 at 08:59 PM.
#17
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Member Since: Nov 2012
Location: Westland MI
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My car is a early 87 with 103k miles that equals 3960miles per year. I consider that low miles.
my first new car was 86 buick riviera t type.
It never seen snow and only got rained on a few times in its life.
I sold it 21 years later with 30k miles. I promised myself, I would never not drive a car again.
I had figured out what it had cost me not to drive it over the years.
It just wasnt worth it. Drive it like you stole it.
ENJOY IT WHILE YOU HAVE IT!!!!!!
my first new car was 86 buick riviera t type.
It never seen snow and only got rained on a few times in its life.
I sold it 21 years later with 30k miles. I promised myself, I would never not drive a car again.
I had figured out what it had cost me not to drive it over the years.
It just wasnt worth it. Drive it like you stole it.
ENJOY IT WHILE YOU HAVE IT!!!!!!
#18
Race Director
At the risk of devaluing [much] older garage queens, they aren't always less costly to own. In the 5-15yr range, the age of the car hasn't started taking it's toll. Once they're getting on 15-20 and up, low mileage isn't always the greatest thing to seek out. As such, don't over-emphasize it's premium.
#19
Race Director
My 1996 has less than 10,000 miles and looks like new. I'm the second owner, I have owned it 3 1/2 years with no problems, no leaks, the dealer did install a new Delco battery when I purchased it. Shoots holes in the has to be driven theory.