Bad back and all, I HAD to was my new baby today. Now I'm a bit more stiff and sore but she's all cleaned up. Sadly, no wax today though. But it got me to thinking..........

How do you guys manage to keep your cars in such states of perfection??? I look at pictures on here, and most of the cars that I see are just flawless. And always seem to be spotless. Granted, I realize that the better part of the cars here are NOT daily drivers, but the few on here I see that are drivers, are still dang near flawless.

And then I look at my car. It's got 54K on the clock, is a 99, and isn't perfect. There's a lot of light surface scratches on the nose, bug impacts, some scratches on the side, ect. And it drives me nuts.

So please, enlighten me. Is it just overbearing set the wife and kids aside diligence and devotion to your car, or is it merely luck. Perhaps they aren't all as flawless as it seems and I'm just lacking in the prep/wax dept (ordering my first batch of Zaino tomorrow though ).

I love the car to death and want to maintain it in the best possible condition, but I have to also realize that it's a driver and that the rockers will continue to get chips in them, bug impacts will have to stay on the paint for a day or two, ect. How did you guys manage to get past that? I could go insane over every possible worst case scenario, and don't EVEN get me started on NJ drivers (had 3, yes THREE, too close for comfort calls today).

That is all, thanks for letting me vent.

 

actually you make an interesting point. you're absolutely correct that there are some incredibly beautiful cars here----they take my breath away! however, my c5 is not one of the show cars; i keep it clean & shiny but i drive the car. we just took it to the beach this past weekend in some morning rain & we loved every single smile/mile. mine is a driver, not a dd but we do drive it. it's a car----a very special car mind you---------but a car that we feel priviliged to own and take every opportunity to drive. years from now, i do not want to think "wow, i wish i had driven our corvettes (we've had several) more". drive on friend & enjoy it. keep it reasonably & respectfully clean but drive it. bub

 

Not many of us take pics of our cars when they are dirty. And those little flaws don't usually show in the pictures.

 

I hear you, brother. I'm the same way, and my car is the same way -- from 30 feet it looks great, but when you're right up against it you see little scratches in the paint, swirls, chips, areas where the weatherstripping is a bit grey and cracked, etc, etc... the little stuff drives you nuts after a while. (my car is a semi-daily driver with 42K miles on it, it lives outdoors, and as we speak it's covered with pollen). But the real thrill is driving it, and it puts a smile on my face every time. I'll probably put 10K miles on it every yeat until it falls apart or until I find (and can afford) an newer vette that lights me up as much as this car. But until then it's my thrill ride, my Saturday AM wash/wax/therapy session, my escape pod, my CORVETTE!

 

The Las Vegas climate helps in my case. Just dust the sand off gently with a California Duster. Wash once a week and wax every other week and it looks like new.

 

I have over 90K on my daily driver. I have a front end that has seen its share of road rash. I do keep it waxed and to me it looks like a 100 grand for all the enjoyment this car has given me. My 2000 Dakota R/T still looks showroom at 40K but I still prefer the Vette.

 

Thanks everyone. Glad to see I'm not the only one.

 

Having O.C.D. is sometimes a plus.

 

Some of us only take pics when our rides are as close to perfection as we can get 'em! Right now my black DD has not been washed in 2 weeks and shows it. She is at her best in the pic below, I wouldn't take a pic of how she look right now.

 

ebubman - You have it 100%! That is what is so wonderful about FINALLY owning one of these AMAZING cars!

The pure joy of getting behind the wheel after a couple of hours of detaling (including all those nicks, scratches, blemishes, etc) is beyond explaining.

The hours of NXT are SO worth it, even if it will never be 100% councourse. I bought this car to drive it! And now that the thrate of snow is gone, it will driven ALL the time!

GOD, I am in love! BTW - the wife drove her today to work (I am out of town) and called to tell me (again) how so GLAD she is that we bought this car last year!

 

My car is the same way and some of the pics on here get me to wondering HOW the hell people keep their cars SOO CLEAN!!

 

I don't know about anyone else, but I clean my car everyday, weather it's a quick wipe down or a full clean, the surface dirt is removed. Like others have said I drive my car almost everyday, I also have a C4 which I drive about 3 times a week, unless it's raining then I drive it all the time. I figure it like this , if I don't let it get to dirty then it's less to clean, plus I've been doing this with all my cars since I was 16 years old, I'm now 44, It's a habbit I guess.

 

My car has never been washed. I use a California Duster on it each time after I drive it. For every hour that I drive it, I probably spend an equal amount of time cleaning it. It only has 19,000 miles on it and has never been driven in the rain.

 

Back in 93 I had an 89. I was single and in the Army. I washed it 3-4 times a week and waxed it at least once a week. It was typically spotless. I recently bought a 97. I am married with 2 boys now. I sometimes have to let mine go a day or so when it is "dirty". I have a car cover that I keep on it (no garage) when I am not driving it. I generally keep it very clean. Do the best you can with the time you have and enjoy the car.

 

Back in 93 I had an 89. I was single and in the Army. I washed it 3-4 times a week and waxed it at least once a week. It was typically spotless. I recently bought a 97. I am married with 2 boys now. I sometimes have to let mine go a day or so when it is "dirty". I have a car cover that I keep on it (no garage) when I am not driving it. I generally keep it very clean. Do the best you can with the time you have and enjoy the car.

I also have a work car that I drive when it is raining, etc.

 

Oops double post monster got me!

 

once i drive it, it gets all crapped up on the rear bumper from the exhaust, bug splats and who knows what else. i only take pictures when its clean

 

 

 

She gets washed once per week whether she needs it or not. I drive her whenever I want to. I polish her with the PC twice a year and I take it to the scratches as they appear. There are still things on her that I don't even want to know what they are. Pictures look good though.