Ultra low mile C5's
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 7,795
Likes: 2
From: Noblesville Indiana
CI 7-8 Veteran
St. Jude Donor '03-'04-'05
I've put about 5K miles on in just under 3 years. I also have a DD Jeep and a take home squad car so the vette only comes out on nice days. Besides, I just got done spending 5.5 hours washing/waxing it - what a PITA!!!
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 6,799
Likes: 11
From: dudley MA
i guess i fit into this catagory
mnes a 2000 with 5500 miles on it. i rarley drive it to work cause i car pool. and it has to compete with the motorcycles i got for use. but im gonna try to use it more this year- i swear
mnes a 2000 with 5500 miles on it. i rarley drive it to work cause i car pool. and it has to compete with the motorcycles i got for use. but im gonna try to use it more this year- i swear
Racer
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 391
Likes: 0
From: Boston MA
At 1500 miles a year I too fit in the category of low mileage. Aside from living in the NE and not driving during the winter I like keeping it new and especially "keeping it new to me". When I do take it out its like the first drive home from the dealer all over again. I plan on having this car for a very long time. I love having it and driving it.
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 4,108
Likes: 0
From: San Jose CA
Bought my 02 Z06 last month with 12,4xx on it. It was sold Nov 01. That's about 3k a year. I'll drive it about 5-7k max. I work, live, shop, etc. within 5 miles. So i don't drive my cars very much anyways. I'll drive the vette as long as the weather is good. That means no rain. If it rains i'll drive the Honda. But, once my project car is done i'll drive that on weekends. It's a 67 RS/SS 350 Camaro i've been restoring for almost 4 years now. But buying vettes, and other cars has distracted me from finishing it. A little more time and money and it'll be done. Until then, the vettes my show boat. 
Team Owner
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 48,767
Likes: 50
St. Jude Donor '03, '17
Senior Member
Cruise-In V Veteran
I am selling my 04 with 2k on it bought almost a year ago. 400-500 miles of the 2k were from driving it back from the dealership. I never had time to drive it. I also have a 91 ZR-1 bought in October 1990 with 30k on it. I plan on aking more time to drive it..you don't let those set up.
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 4,573
Likes: 34
From: So. California
Bought my 04/vert last Aug. new, a dealer trade, so it had 500 miles on it when I got it. I got it from a dealer in San Jose and drove it back to So. Cal. which is around 500 miles back to my place. I only have 2,235 miles on my Vette, #1 reason is my wife started having back pain. No partner besides my son to drive with. Was going to sell the Vette and I had a buyer for the car, I just couldnt do it. 
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 200
Likes: 0
Originally Posted by JCR_Indy
It's kinda like marrying a beautiful woman. You don't have to drive her every day in order to appreciate her. Sometimes, just sitting down and looking is good enough. About the only way I can explain it..
JCR_Indy
JCR_Indy
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 200
Likes: 0
Originally Posted by NYSEGuy
I'm taking delivery soon on an 03 with 1500 miles 
Wonder what that guy was thinkin???
Wonder what that guy was thinkin???
Car was a 1999 Nassau blue/black all option automatic coupe with 10,500 miles!!! what?????
Puzzling fact #1: Someone traded this car into Carmax, wth???
Puzzling fact #2: Carmax actually priced it at $24,500, not too low and not too high, I would have thought Carmax would lower the price.
Puzzling fact #3: One owner with a steady low mileage total each year, so it didn't sit at anytime
So who in the hell babies a corvette like this and then "dumps" it at Carmax?
My best story/solution was the owner died and his estate unloaded it.
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Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,183
Likes: 6
From: Arlington TN
I had a 1996 corvette for 5 years before my wife made it her daily driver when I bought it had 17,700 miles when she started driving it had 21,000 miles on it. The new CE 04 I bought about a year ago has 875 miles on it now.
Reason they don't get more. work for one
plus I drive a Tahoe to and from the office so the Corvette is a weekend toy and goes to car shows. Plus it don't come out unless there is not a cloud in the sky. 
Reason they don't get more. work for one
plus I drive a Tahoe to and from the office so the Corvette is a weekend toy and goes to car shows. Plus it don't come out unless there is not a cloud in the sky.
Lepus-temperamentalus
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 5,827
Likes: 5
From: Roswell Ga
I've had mine for 13 months. I bought it with 25k on it, it's got 31K on it now. I drive it on the weekends and generally to work on Fridays if the weather is nice.
Yes, we do ALL buy these cars to enjoy which is exactly why I don't drive mine every day. How much fun is rush hour traffic regardless of what you're driving? Sitting in traffic is sitting in traffic.
I'd much rather put the wear and tear on my car driving it on a beautiful day with clear roads or on a nice road trip like to the Corvette Forum CruiseIn.
Yes, we do ALL buy these cars to enjoy which is exactly why I don't drive mine every day. How much fun is rush hour traffic regardless of what you're driving? Sitting in traffic is sitting in traffic.
I'd much rather put the wear and tear on my car driving it on a beautiful day with clear roads or on a nice road trip like to the Corvette Forum CruiseIn.
Drifting
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 1,589
Likes: 1
From: St. Louis MO
St. Jude Donor '06-'07
Don't let the cat out of the bag on how much fun theses cars can be on a daily basis. If people wake up to this I will have a hard time finding low miliage cars. Bought my current zo6 with 9,000 miles on her paid less than half of new car. I drive every day rain or shine.
Safety Car
Joined: May 1999
Posts: 4,693
Likes: 10
From: Carefree, Arizona
2017 C7 of Year Finalist
Originally Posted by boarddirector
Been reading the many posts on early C5's with virtually no miles (less than 7500). Really curious what the owners thoughts are by not driving their cars. Agree with trying to keep these cars nice and clean but why buy a depreciating asset and then not get the enjoyment of driving it?
No offense to these owners, and to each his own, just wondering what the logic is.
No offense to these owners, and to each his own, just wondering what the logic is.
Race Director
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 16,472
Likes: 2,368
From: Out Where the Buses Don't Run, Eglin AFB/ Niceville FL
2025 C8 Z06/7/E-Ray of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2022 Corvette of the Year Finalist -- Modified
2021 C6 of the Year Winner - Modified
2020 C7 of the Year Finalist -- Modified
2020 C6 of the Year Finalist - Modified
I bought my 98 in May 2001 with 12K miles on it. It just rolled over to 32K miles. It's not my only car so I can afford to let it sit on the crappy weather days. My commute to work is 12 miles round trip so it doesn't add up too fast. I do use it on weekend cruises and it's been to the Corvette home world (BG, KY) twice.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 836
Likes: 0
From: Colorado Springs, Colo., USA
Originally Posted by JCR_Indy
It's kinda like marrying a beautiful woman. You don't have to drive her every day in order to appreciate her. Sometimes, just sitting down and looking is good enough. About the only way I can explain it..
JCR_Indy
JCR_Indy
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 7,788
Likes: 6
From: Winchester TN
Cruise-In III Veteran
Cruise-In IV Veteran
Cruise-In V Veteran
St. Jude Donor '03-'04-'05-'06-'07-'11
Hi boarddirector -
My standard answer to this oft-asked question is......
I love for people to keep the miles down on my next vette....
best regards -
mqqn
My standard answer to this oft-asked question is......
I love for people to keep the miles down on my next vette....
best regards -
mqqn
Le Mans Master
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 6,984
Likes: 0
From: Central Coast CA
Originally Posted by boarddirector
Agree with trying to keep these cars nice and clean but why buy a depreciating asset and then not get the enjoyment of driving it?
First off, I don't think of my car as a depreciating asset. I didn't buy it as an investment. I keep my car clean and new looking, for me, not anyone else. It takes a lot of time to keep it this way and don't want to mess it up. Plus there is nothing worse than seeing a dirty Corvette on the road. I get plenty of enjoyment out of my car without having it as a daily driver. It's taken me a long time to be able to afford a car like this and I'm not in any hurry to see it get banged, chipped and nicked up soon. Granted it's not a $300,000 sports car but in a way it is to me. If I had the money, I'd buy another Corvette to drive every day and keep one as my trophy. But since I'm just a working guy barely making ends meet, I'll settle with the trophy.
