hmmmmm

[99 RS Camaro]

so yea, my dad has a '72 stingray, he's had it since around x-mas. it lives in my parents garage, he's driven it MAYBE 4 times, its sad, he's wanted an old stingray for as long as i can remember, he finally gets one, and it sleeps in the garage, everytime i look at it i cant help to think that, of course, its a badass car, but maybe one day, just one day, it might be MINE, ALL MINE!!!!!lol anyways, moral to this story is he never drives it and any suggestions on to how i can convince him to drive it, i asked if me and him could go cruisin around w/the tops off in it yesterday, but him and my parents were about to go eat w/some friends, im itching to drive it, hell, just be in the damn thing while its in motion lol, ive driven it once(2 miles total up the highway, which wasnt enough for me lol), and been in it like one other time while he was driving it, seems like he's always got an excuse, specially lately, "says its too hot", which i agree, to which i reply, once we get out on the highway the air will cool us down, but i just want to drive/be in it/go cruising, i just think its too nice a car to be sitting around all day.

[Fireball27]

Re: hmmmmm

I know you feel strongly on the subject.. but please, for the love of god, use periods! Seriously! You have 30 commas in that paragraph, but only TWO periods. I pretty sure you've now redefined the run-on sentence.

Anyway, i know what you mean. I've never understood why people buy these dream cars.. and never drive them! Its such a shame. I mean its a car, its supposed to be driven. Not everyday nessesarily, but often enough that you don't have to brush dust off the thing... especially if its one you've always wanted.

[vanbibber]

Re: hmmmmm

I know you feel strongly on the subject.. but please, for the love of god, use periods! Seriously! You have 30 commas in that paragraph, but only TWO periods. I pretty sure you've now redefined the run-on sentence.

haha that cracked me up for some reason.

buy it from him..

[loser]

Re: hmmmmm

I know you feel strongly on the subject.. but please, for the love of god, use periods! Seriously! You have 30 commas in that paragraph, but only TWO periods. I pretty sure you've now redefined the run-on sentence.

i counted 29 comma's. i cant belive i just did that. just keep bugging him to take it out. its not good to not be driven either, so in a way your helping the car.

[RadRacer]

Re: hmmmmm

i counted 29 comma's. i cant belive i just did that. just keep bugging him to take it out. its not good to not be driven either, so in a way your helping the car.

I counted 30 commas, 2 periods, and 5 exclamation points!

Anyways, like they said, tell him it's not good for it to let it keep sitting. It needs to be driven once, or atleast pull it out and crank it up every other week.

[DanT]

Re: hmmmmm

Tell him GM put paint on it for a reason. So people could see it. If it's not out being seen, what's the point? He's not enjoying driving it, and people aren't enjoying seeing it. It needs to be let out from time to time. I know low-mileage cars have better resale value, but if he bought it for that reason, he bought it for the wrong reason. However, it's his car and bought with his money. You should just respect his wishes and move on.

No matter how wrong he is.

[Den69RS96]

Re: hmmmmm

I can relate to your father. In my case, my 69 camaro is my dream car. There are a few reasons I don't drive mine as often as I do. Sometimes after working all day and the hour commute home, I just feel like relaxing. Moving the wifes car, taking the cover off, and connecting the battery can seem like a hassle if your only going to make a quick trip somewhere. I'd like to take it out more on the weekends, but usually I have to make trips to the store, dump, etc and then when I get home I have things to do around the house. As much fun as it is, I'm constantly worring about idiots on the road. Can't tell you how many times, people have almost hit my camaro as they gawk at it as there driving by. I've got over $24000 in my camaro including the cost of the car and it would be like loosing a loved one if someone hit it.

[95fbirdkid]

Re: hmmmmm

I cant get over the fact that you guys actually went through counting periods and commas and ****.

I know low-mileage cars have better resale value, but if he bought it for that reason, he bought it for the wrong reason.

Who are you, or anyone else, to tell someone that their reason for buying a car is wrong? If I had a classic with low miles, I'd hardly drive it either. But i'd still take it out for a cruise now and then, on sundays, when it was sunny, and between 60-80*f. Yes, it is something to be enjoyed, but however you would be stupid not to recognize it as an investment. classic cars arnt cheap to buy or maintain, and with low miles if you hold it for years and keep it in good shape, it can turn a nice price when you sell it too. but if you drive the hell out of it, and let it get scratched up, or someone hits it, or you run the miles up on it, then it turns into a high milage 30 year old car, instead of a low milage classic collectable

[DanT]

Re: hmmmmm

Ummm.... you might have missed the tongue-in-cheek attitude of the post. That's why I ended it with a wink. I also said "However, it's his car and bought with his money. You should just respect his wishes and move on."

I guess you forgot that part or didn't get that far before getting riled up. If it sounded like I was condoning driving the piss out of a classic, I guess I should apologize to that one person who took it that way. But, more damage can be done to the car by letting it sit, than stretching it's legs now and then. It would benice to read a story about how his father and him took it for a nice cruise and shared a cool moment together. That's a worthy investment too.

[SpeedingFirebird]

Re: hmmmmm

A friend of mine has a 68 (I think that's right) GTO. He fully restored it, and it's now in mint condition. He takes it out once a year. After all the time and money he put into it, I don't blame him for keeping it mint. Every time it hits the road, you risk some soccer Mom plowing into it.

[Fireball27]

Re: hmmmmm

I can understand how your father wouldn't want to risk a car he loves so much. However i would think that in this case the rewards far outweigh the risks, and at some point he must have felt the same way. Otherwise he wouldn't have bought the car in the first place, as i'm sure it wasn't just to fill a hole in the garage ;).

As for the guy with the GTO: there was a famous philosopher who once said: "Why work like a dog all your life just so you can pant a few times before you die?" How can you spend all that time, effort, and money and NOT want to reap the benefits? Its like people who work their *** off all their life, and save up millions of dollars, only to retire and die two years later. If you're not going to enjoy life now, you dont' get a second chance. In otherwords: Sure the car might randomly be hit by some idiot in a Toyota, but that could happen at any time, could even happen while that car isn't even moving. There is no point fearing what may or may not happen, as ultimately you have no control over it. I say enjoy the car while you can :)

[99 RS Camaro]

Re: hmmmmm

It would benice to read a story about how his father and him took it for a nice cruise and shared a cool moment together. That's a worthy investment too.

thats the moral of this post, just to cruise in a badass car w/my pops :)

[Fawkes6]

Re: hmmmmm

I can see both sides of this one...I'm almost 50 years old myself and getting a Firebird will be my dream car. I had a 79 WS6 "Bandit" Trans Am that I loved dearly. I only got to keep it about three months because I got laid off from my job and could no longer afford the payment. It felt like ripping out an internal organ when I sold that car and I have yearned for another one ever since. If I was able to buy a restored 79 T/A I would probably be afraind to drive it very much for all the reasons cited here before. Plus gas isnt going to be getting any cheaper. The old 79 was great in many ways but getting a 4th gen make much more sense to me. I love the body style every bit as much and the 3.8 will just as much performance as my GP does and that will be fine with me. I can live with 30mpg and therefore will be much more willing to drive it more often. I'm very much looking forward to weekend trips to the beach with the top down and saturday nite cruises to the show-n-shine spots.
I have friend that owns a radical 73 340 Cuda, a high 12 second car on slicks but still streetable. It looks very stock except for the wheels until he starts it up, then good lord what a beast!...Its the first car he ever bought brand new and it leaves his garage maybe twice a year. One of those to go get it inspected. Probably much like RS's dad, I think he just loves having the car there in the garage, even if he hardly ever drives it...does seem kind of a shame sometimes but it is his car.

[Den69RS96]

Re: hmmmmm

I can see both sides as well, but this is why I chose the one I do. I mean no disrespect to anyone, I just want to add my 2 cents here. I try to make the most out of everything and enjoy all the extra's my life has afforded me, however, I don't view my 69 camaro the same way. I didn't buy it so show others although I do put it in a car show every now and then. I bought it for myself because its been my dream car for since I was 10. Even wrenching on it or just looking at it in my garage brings a smile to my face every time.

To me, owning a classic is much different than a newer car. If grandma smacks into my fender, its going to take a while to fix. Most body shops who specialize in insurance repairs don't want to touch an old car because there is no money in them. So finding a quality body shop is going to be expensive and parts always have to be ordered since the cars are so old. I also won't settle for a quicky fix and most insurance co's want the cheapest repair. I'm picky about my car, so no cheap crap and if the paint job stinks, its getting redone.

At least for 1st gen camaros, the value of these cars is going through the roof. A bare shell no engine, trans, or interior which needs a complete resto are going for $5000-8000. I know there are a ton of aftermarket parts suppliers, but the parts are not cheap and it adds up quick. If you can find original GM NOS quarters or fenders, expect to pay anywhere between $1000-2000 dollars. Even aftermarket parts are getting expensive. I've watched a set of aluminum cylinder heads from Trickflow increase $100 in a couple of years, I also don't have as much free time as I did even a few years ago. Pretty soon, I will be starting a family so I know I will have next to zero in terms of time and money to devote to my hobbie. My 69 is my dream car. I know if it gets wrecked I will not be able to get another or fix it the way it should be done until I'm pretty much retired. I've waited 20 years to get my current 69, I don't want to wait another 30 to get another one. That's why my baby only sees the road once in a while. Sorry for the long post

[DanT]

Re: hmmmmm

It really comes down to being one of those scenarios where you can see both sides because there is strong validity in each. As long as the owner is happy, then the right choice has already been made.

Every time I sit behind the wheel of my Corvette, I worry for a few seconds about adding miles to it. But, I reflect on why I took the chance to own one and quickly hit the ignition.