Just an observation.....my car had 37,000 miles on her when I bought her about 4 months ago. From the condition of the car, and the miles you could tell it was well taken care of and "babied" for her entire life. Since I got her I have put 3,500 miles on it in only 4 months. Of course I do and plan to continue taken very good care of her.

What I am noticing is that as I drive it a lot, and yes sometimes drive it "hard"...and yes I did take her to the drag strip once......seems like things are just happening to it. Noises from the motor, clutch, exhaust, etc. (see my ??'s in the tech section) :)

Just seems as if a car that was not driven much and babied all the time gets used to it and doesn't want to be driven a lot or driven hard! Maybe it is just me! hahaha. Guess I'm just going through the "break in" period that the car never had!

Sure am enjoying it though! So...everyone with low miles cars who baby them....get out there and drive them...drive them hard. Things will go wrong...fix them...and drive it some more!!!!

I'm done now!

-Rick

 

cicch95, I know what you're saying, My car only had 29,000 when I purchased it, it's an 86. The car was well taken care of its entire life. Now as I'm driving it more I'm noticing a lot more noises and so forth, I believe it's just the fact that you are becoming more atuned to the car and just learning its quirks!
But I love the feeling and enjoying every minute of it! :yesnod: :steering: :thumbs:

 

I bought i higher mileage car 80,XXX miles because it was in near mint shape and i could get a vert for the same price as a coupe with lower miles. I think with vettes it is all in how they are driven and taken care of. I think they need to be diven enough so things like seals and whatnot stay fresh. The 350 is a pretty reliable engine so i would not hesitate to buy a higher mileage one again. I have 103K on mine and she runs like new. Used cars are always a crap shoot, you never really know what you are getting. You know you have one of the nicest C4 verts around Rick all these little things will sort themselves out. She will get used to being beaten on eventually. Might just have to fix a few things along the way. Mine seems disappointed if it isn't driven hard. I think these cars are more reliable than most people think (although they are a major PITA to work on). Just drive it hard and treat it right. You can do both.

 

All this reminds me of a story from a few years back. I friend of mine had a late sixties XKE Jaguar that seemed was ALWAYS in the shop for this, that or the other thing. He had finally found a mechanic who he trusted but whose words of admonition were "It's running fine now but don't go beating on it, it's not a Corvette".... :)

 

Rick,
Wait till you have 155,000 plus on your Vette. :D I bought mine 4 years ago with 52,000 miles on it. The only additional rattles I have are from the suspension (which needs a total rebuild that I am getting ready to do) and a rattle in the right rear inside caused by the exhaust resonance (need to lower the exhaust pipe a touch to get rid of this). My last three cars I have racked up major miles on them. My 90 Camaro had 80,000 hard miles on it when I got rid of it. Ran well, but major problems were on the horizon, ditched it just in time! The motor blew a couple of months after the second owner had it (he bought the car from a dealer, not me, so I didn't feel guilty). Second car was a 92 Mustang GT with 132,000 miles on it when I got rid of it. It looked and drove like it had maybe 32,000 miles on it. I pampered that car, and still miss it from time to time. My Vette, which I don't plan on getting rid of ever, has 155,000 miles and I pamper it as well. It looks like it has 50,000 miles on it. Once I get the suspension done, it will feel even younger. For me, it is about enjoying the car, not letting it sit in a garage hoping that it will go up in value. As for low mileage cars, others can have them. If the car is well maintained, mileage doesn't mean much.
:cheers:

 

I think if you have low miles and you dont drive it much. When it does come out you pay more attention to evry little thing. I know i do at 61000. But sure something that sits doesnt get as loose and lubricated as a daily driver. But proper care is proper care and a good car is good regardless of miles.

 

Bought the 90 ZR1 in 2001 , it had 2800 mile's on it. The guy saved the car just for me :lol: :lol:
And lost his shirt on top of it !

 

Rick, I bought my '93 with 36,000 miles on it, what a piece of crap it turned out to be. I've just past 40,000 miles and I've replaced half the car(it seems like).

My '95 I got with 57,000 and now am about to turn 120,000 and the thing runs like a champ. Only repairs are ones that resulted form me beating the crap out of it day in and day out, after all nothing lasts forever.

The more these cars are driven, the better they behave.

 

Yes Mojo...I have seen you video!! :jester

Don't worry, I plan on drving mine as much as I can. I also plan on giving it a whoopin from time to time!! :lol:

I'm sure I'll make ito down to one of the challenges next year! If I get my tranny/clutch taken care of!

-Rick

 

I bought mine in January of 01, about 13,000 miles on it.
Now it has 25,000.

Squeaks in the cold, rattles my teeth all other times. Thats the way it is.

 

I believe that many of the sounds we think are new have been there for some time. You get more in tune with your car get to know everything about it. Things that have gone unnoticed become new to us.

Speaking of break in, there is a Vette dealer with an 87? or 88? Convertable with 2.6miles on it.

 

Atrophy is a bitch.

mine has nearly 120k... it ain't perfect, but it runs strong!

 

Some things on vettes go with miles, some with age.

My vert has 37K on it, a 94. I bought it with 23K a year ago. I've replaced the water pump and the cd player.

They seem to be parts that go with age. Miles or no miles the water pump seems to go with time but it didn't take the Opti with it!

 

I bought the '89 Coupe about a year ago so I could have one to drive anytime, including winters. The ZR-1 has low miles and still looks new and I plan on keeping it that way, not for resale later but for me. I put about 2K miles per year on the ZR-1 and I do run it through the gears. Love to hear that LT5 roar. And yes it's seen triple digits a few times. :yesnod:

 

Actually the car is breaking YOU in....good luck :lol:

 

Mustang, ya say? Good cars? I drove a 85 Mustang that I bought with 122,000 miles to 176,000 with no more than a set of front pads.

 

I bought my 1995 new. It now has 95,000 miles. *ALmost* as tight as new.
My 1986 Z28 has 252,000 virtually OEM, Minimal repairs. DRIVE "EM!

 

These cars need to be driven in my opinion. If you are gonna drive a car hard you need to drive it regularly. I don't have a science behind it but it has always worked for me. I beat the crap out of most cars i have owned. The one i babied gave me problems. The others were basically maintenance free. I haven't had to do a "necessary reapir" in well over a year and i beat my car almost everytime i drive it and put over 12000 a year on here here in the NE and i dont drive in rain or snow. So, thats a lot of driving for up here. Taking care of a car mean regular fluid and belt changes, washing, waxing and vacumning. And addressing small issues when they first come up. WTH is the point in owning a car just to have it sit in your garage. My fiancees uncle has a 91 testarossa and an 84 countach. What does he drive everyday an freaking Astro!! The ferrari comes out about 4 times a year for maybe 600 miles or so and the lamborghini has 1400 miles on it and it's 20 years old. STUPID!!!!! You can't take it with you. Personally i don't think i would by a car thats more than 5-7 years old with low mileage. I think they are more trouble than a well maintained high mileage one.

 

:lol:

 

low miles can be a problem if you don't fire it up at least once a week and bang it up for a good hour or two. really low mileage cars scare me away, but so do high mileage ones. on either spectrum, you'll more likely be paying for extra parts replacement than somewhere in the middle curve.


[Modified by bradvette, 2:51 PM 10/30/2003]