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As Tally Ho said, the other thing a beater helps with is reducing the possibility of collision damage on the Vette from idiots not just on bad days but all other days if I use it more for work.
But looking at Craigslist around a $2-3K budget, any beater will be less reliable and be less safe, plus I have to pay for more insurance .
Dif, good point on warm-up and oil temp. With my driving, I see that all the warm-up bars are gone and coolant is up to temp by the time I'm there, but yes the oil temp isn't always there. But I do change oil regularly.
KenHorse, I drive pretty spiritedly in good weather and visit VIR, so I need all the traction possible especially with the less wider Z51 tires.
Oh man, I know the area you live in well. It's not a problem of daily driving I would have, it's the absolute morons that can't drive that would bother me. And, there's so many of them. Grab you a beater, and then you don't have to worry about those morons.
Seriously, we need be able to flag these morons on Waze or something.
If we are on beaters, any suggestions? What is the minimum budget? Something reliable and is safe. I feel Japanese is a safe bet?
Seriously, we need be able to flag these morons on Waze or something.
If we are on beaters, any suggestions? What is the minimum budget? Something reliable and is safe. I feel Japanese is a safe bet?
My other car is 2006 Mercedes-Benz E320 turbodiesel sedan. 74K, miles. Both the C7 & Mercedes are garaged at my home.
A #4,000 very safe economy car.
Everyday is an issue with idiots on the road - if that was my criteria, I'd only drive my Z06 on back roads (even then there's people distracted but much less than in the city).
I bought forged wheels as my "summer" wheels and used the stock to mount Michelin A/S 3+ tires for the cooler wet season so I can DD my Vette. After being stationed in NC (Camp LeJeune), the weather in western Washington is similar.
I do have an '05 Tahoe that I drive when things turn south - the occasional snow or when they're spraying ice melt on the roads - or when I need to haul more than my car allows.
It's a personal choice but I enjoy commuting in my Vette a lot more than the Tahoe; I especially enjoy getting off work and seeing my car waiting to be driven home!
Unless you're tracking the car, why change your PS3+ A/S in April?
Yes. I run them all year long in Arizona. They handle just as well as the original tires for me. I have the run flat version and glad I did. Have had 5 flat tires and only 2 were repairable. Not good news for a carry around patch kit. I tested the non run flats and no noise difference. I am on my 3rd set as I have 83,500 miles on the car. I get 30,000 on them and drive the **** out of them to boot.
Did you buy it to drive or save it for the next guy?
I know. I'm truly the former. I've be daily driving my Vette for a year and it's been great. The stock Michelins that came with the car are done. I haven't been nice to them.
Also, sometimes my wife can drop me off in her SUV and other times I can just take a Lyft/Uber, if the day is bad.
Originally Posted by AaronZ51
I especially enjoy getting off work and seeing my car waiting to be driven home!
That is one of best feelings after any day at work. Next is going to work with the top down and in Track mode. Best start of the day.
I drive her everyday come hell and sometimes high water. OK, not in high water. I built her, paid for her, and will drive the hell out of her. There is no way that I'm saving her for the next guy.
I am on my third Corvette daily driver. With the except of snow they are always on the road. My C5 was driven 160k miles. My C6 I sold at 80k miles. I have had my C7 now for 2 months with 6k miles so far.
I buy these cars to enjoy. Not to keep perfect. After a bad day at work even a few miles in the Vette makes me happy. They get dings and scratches. They get rained on. They get dirty. And I don’t care. I keep it as clean as I can but don’t stress the small stuff.
These cars are well built durable cars. Drive them !!
Just put AS3+ run flats on mine. Live an hour west of Chicago. Plan on driving as much as possible.
If snow is forecasted or hail storms, my winter car/truck is a 2010 Camaro and I will drive it..
Just finished cleaning (using Griots Waterless Carwash of course) my GS after driving in 3 days of 40 degree temps and rain. Car didn't melt or nuthin'!
(sunny and clear weather ahead for the next week so had to clean it for that!)
You might as well drive it as you have been for the past year. No point in adding a car payment or getting a beater if you have had no major issues using your Vette as a dd.
How much do you like driving your car? Do you want a fun driving experience tooling around in a sports car? Are you more pragmatic and prefer safety but a blander experience?
In my case, I have a small family, and two cars: the wife's SUV/kid carrier, and my Grand Sport. I live in Florida, my round trip to work is just shy of 20 miles, five days a week, so it makes for a great daily driver.
I'd argue for the pleasure of commuting in a 'Vette.
Drive the snot out of it! I bought my 2019 during the hurricane that was going on in early Oct, drove it home, then to Road Atlanta and parked it in the mud for the Petit race... Rained for a straight week after that and I don't think I saw it clean for the first week and a half. Cleaned up just fine though
I'm on my 5th daily driver Vette (94, 00, 08, 14 and now 17). I buy cars to enjoy it EVERY DAY. You only live once and it isn't an investment. Quite the opposite actually. The wife drives the practical car/SUV.
I see many have other cars than their vette and others daily drive theirs.
Here is my situation:
- North Carolina. Triangle area
- Work is 10 miles round trip
- Yesterday was my vette's 1 yr anniversary and I hit 10500 miles
- It's getting squirrelly with the Michelin Super Sport tires at 45 or lower
I can just put the A/S Sport 3 tires for ~$1500 and then put back the Super Sports in March/April. Get another set of rims for at least a grand too.
But looking at some of the lease deals out there, a Subaru Impreza AWD or Honda something can be had for ~$200/month +insurance or get a very cheap and old beater. Also, I would put much less miles on the vette, but does it save much in resale later?
What do ya'll think? What's your experience?
I think no one's really in a position to advise "you" how much to drive "your" C7 as it depends on your individual preferences and circumstances. Some like to drive theirs every time / everywhere they go, others practically never drive them, perfectly happy just to have their C7 in the garage and polish it, others only drive their C7s when they feel like driving a fine high performance sportscar. There's no correct answer, even though some here think how and how much they drive their C7 is the only way that makes any sense at all.
I guess I’m the opposite of most folks....I ride my Harley on good days and the vette on bad days....til I get my truck back from my youngun....I love driving my car but it’s a lot cheaper to ride the bike
12-01-2018, 12:58 PM
