fireparamed

So I was driving my 2005 the other day and stopped at Costco to get some stuff. It's a beautiful car in Daytona Orange that just shines in the sun. I bought it last year with only 16,300 miles on it. It had 2 owners who each averaged only 1200 miles a year driving it. Neither of them hardly took it out of their garages. So while i'm in the parking lot, a guy comes up to me and asks what year it is and wants to look at it....something that i'm finding happens quite often which I am really starting to get used to and like....its the only car I've ever had this happen with. Anyway, the guy asks all the usual questions about the car, year, miles, manual or auotomatic. I let him look at it and then he tells me he's had 3 corvettes in his life, but not since 2004. Each of them he says he sold after owning on average 10 years with less than 10,000 miles. He goes on to tell me that he is a State Farm Insurance agent and used to get asked all the time how much it was to insure a corvette to which he'd tell people that the rates were really reasonable because historically most of the corvettes he was insuring were never getting driven!! He said they just have almost no data to use that indicates that they are more expensive to insure than a regular car.

So I know some on here drive their cars a lot. I've seen some of you talk about 100,000 or more miles as you DD. I've seen many more very proud of the fact that your 10 year old car has 10,000 miles. If you go to the for sale forum most every seller thinks that their car is better car because it's rarely been driven and they are hoping for a premium in the sales price because they never drove their car. So my question is why do people buy these cars and then not want to drive them? I understand taking great care of them and keeping them clean etc,or moding them, but they really aren't investment cars and aren't going to gain value no matter how little you drive them. They may keep their value a little better, but not more than a couple of thousand dollars over 10 years. How can you stand to see the car in the garage and not be out on the road with it? I've put 3000 miles on mine so far and while I smile every time I see her in the garage, that's nothing compared to the smile I get when I'm driving her!!!!

I'm not trying to flame anyone, I just really want to understand why some people are not driving these beautiful cars that were built to cruise America! (I get the "to each their own" sentiments.....I'm just curious to hear what causes the feelings of NOT wanting to drive it)

EVRose

When I need to go somewhere I drive my car.

TRDNiteLife

Nope. Car scares me too much.

BWF07

No mine would be considered a garage queen. Now this is not my first rodeo with Corvette's and the others were daily drivers. I am now retired, so it can sit and not be an issue.

buckmeister2

Same here. But, I am finding that I only put about 10-15 miles a week. I recently bought a golf cart. I live on a golf course, play at that course, and work 2 days a week at that course. Now, I hardly ever drive my car.

The greatest benefit of the cart is that I never worry about someone smackin' my car while I am working or playing.

Frankie15

Pretty much this (within reason). My Z06 is my DD, but I will ride my bicycle if I am going somewhere like a brewery or somewhere really close. I absolutely do not want to leave my car in a parking lot where people have been drinking.

I currently drive about 10 miles each way to work, but I will be moving within walking distance of my job in June so I will be walking to work. I expect to put <5k miles annually once that happens. I got my Z06 in August '17 and have put on about 4k miles since then.

naturaldisaster3

I'm with you.. I drive my car just about any day the crappy Michigan weather will allow me to. It isn't going to melt in the rain and the cold weather isn't going to hurt her either..

TRDNiteLife

Frankie, do you have black/smoke Oracle side markers on your car? Saw a similar C6 a couple weeks ago on my way home from work (Pinellas Park/Largo area).

Welker1

Bought it to drive it, not sit a garage collecting dust. Bought new in 2006 and now have almost 100K fantastic miles full of great memories on it. Was bought as a 'toy' to have fun with; was only used as a DD for about a year at one point. Most of the miles have been put on taking road trips, short cruises on the weekends and evenings out. Still looks great; when people see it and find out how many miles on it, they are amazed ... have had to show some the odometer before they would believe it. Have been fully retired for about 5 years now, so these days my driving is split between the Corvette and my Camaro SS (my DD)

Frankie15

Yup! They are smoked. I am in the Largo area too.

I have not seen your car around. Absolutely stunning ZR1 you have there. I've only seen one silver ZR1 in this area. I actually pass it in the parking lot almost every time I drive home from work haha. Rarely do I see Z06s. I know of one black one around here that's modded, but that's about it. Mostly base models and some GS models.

TRDNiteLife

Funny. I had never seen Oracle side markers, then the day mine came in, I saw your car. Your car looks good!

Frankie15

Check my edit. Appreciate the kind words!

They aren't the Oracle ones. I always wanted them, but I didn't like how they didn't fit flush with the body. I couldn't bring myself to spend that much money on side markers that didn't fit like factory. I saw you (and someone else) modded them to make them fit flush which is great. I definitely plan to get them at some point now.

Mcrider

I have never understood this concept of dropping a large chunk of change for a vehicle and then not driving it. We bought our C6 3LT/GS with 14K miles on it. Almost brand new condition and we got it for half of what it was new.

We'll put thousands of miles on it it just this summer. In reality, they bought a brand new car, paying top dollar, just to say they had it, and then sold it to us at a huge loss.

I must say that their thinking and mine is far apart, but their loss is my gain.

J.Moore

05 owner here too. Bought Sept. 2016 with 73k on it. Looks and drives like a new one, everything works as it should. Drove it Saturday, has 77256 miles on it now so no, I don't drive mine alot. Corvette has never been my DD, always have had a Chevy Truck or wifes car for second and third drivers.

My 65 gets driven even less as I have to remind myself to DRIVE it more!

Bruze

I've had my '07 for four summers, averaging 2,500 miles per season. My truck gets about 5,000 miles on it per year (I work at home).

If I have to go somewhere and it's nice out I take the car. If it isn't, I take the truck.

If I was 18 again I'd probably be so excited about having a Corvette I would find reasons to take it out. But pushing 68, I'm a bit old to be thinking that way, lol.

As I've stated on here before, my life doesn't revolve around my Corvette -- or any other inanimate object. If I was 18, it probably would.

Vette_DD

Same here. When my mother was still alive, I drove the Vette 130 miles every weekend to see her. That's about 6,800 miles a year. I put another 2,500 to 3,000 miles a year on it just driving around town. Did that for 7 years on 3 different Vettes. Put fewer miles on them after that.

Landru

Because they can?

Upscale preowned sports cars of any marque available at any given time, mileage is usually low.
Why?
Owners are working. A lot.
Comes down to time, before they know it time to turn it over.
Get something new to neglect.

Good news?
Buyers.
Finding a low mile in-driven gem's a great opportunity to own a like-new rocketship at an affordable price. Ain't America great.

taguid

I have a 2011 GS A6 Supersonic Blue that I bought in November 2017 with 18K miles that is my daily driver.

Landru

NO!!!

morepwr

I don't drive mine as much as I should. I can't use it for work since I need a truck so it is an after hours weekend type car.