low miles why?
 

old_skul's thread concerning mileage seems to indicate two broad categories of cars: low miles garage queens that get taken out and driven occasionally, and road warriors that log serious miles.

For those with GQs, why that choice? I get itchy when I don't drive my car for a day, much less an entire week. Is it like chocolate (a treat every so often keeps it a treat), or insurance/fear of damage, or ?

Just curious. Then again it might just relate to personality. I don't really "collect" anything, so maybe it's more along those lines?

You got me. There will always be two types of enthusiasts. I am in the drive it every day camp.

Have a business associate with an 86 930, 10k original miles. Don't get it.

To each his own.

Scott

Good question -

Was gonna insist on calling it a garage queen, was gonna keep in stored in winter and all that foo foo stuff -

Wound up driving 10K since 7/21/02 to present - all through the NW rainy season. . Try to avoid driving in rain, but it really depends on how hard - up I feel at the moment. You get more scuffs and scratches in the winter -
Don't understand where it all comes from - seems like all I do with is go to work and back (55-60 hrs. / wk 50 mile commute round trip, 5 days a week) have two working cars and I don't have a social life, but the mileage just seems to rack up. This is the only car I actually enjoy driving.

rjp

I drive my car for pleasure. It is a third car in a two driver family. I rarely drive the 911 to work because it is 12 miles with a lot of stop and go traffic. Plus, I get some comments that I can do without when people at work see me in my 911. I don't drive it to grocery stores and rarely to a mall. I do however, drive it when my wife and I go out for the evening. I average about 4k miles per year and it is pure pleasure.

In addition, I live in Arizona. A black on black 911 in 115 degrees isn't real comfortable. So the P-car only comes out at night from about June to September.

I didn't get mine to put up on a shelf and look at. I got it to drive...and to occasionally taste the oil.

Mark, did you also get the custom color change kit? I like the last yellow iteration...

Mine had about 110K when I bought it about 2.5yr ago. I've avged about 15K per year. I actually sometimes wish I could drive it more. When I bought it it had a couple of door dings and plenty of rock chips, now it has more door dings and rock chips, but washed it still looks good, and I don't freak about parking it out.

I don't know how those other guys do it. Shoot, last time I checked I was getting about 18 mpg on a 25 mile work commute in moderate traffic with plenty of downshifting and passing, I don't baby her, she runs great and basically only needs gas and oil.

My 73"S" is a garage queen, but not by my choice. When I first got the car, I spent most of my time, workwise, traveling around the world and the car just sat. When I got remarried, I had three Porsches and the 73"S" was rarely driven. Then the prices of the original early "S" cars started going up and this car just ended up sitting. In going through my records, this car has never covered more than 1000 miles in any given year and it was not registered for at least 10. To add insult to injury, the car did less than 500 miles over the last three years (in each year) and it is no longer registered, having been put into dry storage last September. Not sure when it will go back on the road again. I have no need to drive as a person that lives in Manhattan. Everything is mass transit and potholes with their own zipcodes.

I suspect I will put her back on the road when we move out of the city and have a real need for a car. Until then, it will remain garaged and safe from the potholes and my lead foot.

All The Best,

Marc

Well, I haven't put many miles on my '75 because it doesn't have an engine installed. Does that count? :D

But I have managed to average 12-13K per year on my '88 Targa, even though it's a weekend driver. I guess that puts me in the "road warriors" camp.

It feels soooo good to drive the 911 on a Saturday morning after having endured five days of carpooling in a '91 Jeep Cherokee....

my sc was a GQ before i owned it and i have just played along. i drive 80 miles round trip each day to work on freeways that cause a great deal of paint and windshield damage. then if i do get it to the office its the door dings from the students at a continuing education facility. so to this point i have 400 miles a week, dings and dents front and side, and a boring freeway drive.

i dont/wont even drive my truck to work unless it rains really hard or the cargo area is required. its the civic comuter, at about 25+miles to the gallon ($2.10 per these days), never washed since the day i bought it used, spit, blow snot, litter, dog carrier, just basically a ride/trash receptor.

the fact that the 911 only comes out on the weekends makes for when it is out its very special. not special like a kid in a helmet on a short bus, but a ride with the only destination being fun. a couple of my friends have mountian road worthy cars, a 964, an audi quattro, a m3 bmw and the fact that they drive them every day makes it common place. they are why do i want to go drive this weekend, ive been driving all week? but its been in traffic, the store, the childerns to school and such. its like sleeping with the same woman every night, it becomes common place nothing special. but that bang you have when you've been away from her for a while is waaaay better, for me any way.

It's not a GC in the sense that when I drive it, I drive it - but it is a 3rd car for my pleasure use. And I don't commute. I use it to pick up my son from school once in a while ("Cool, you brought the Porsche"), run errands where there is a big parking lot, take things to Fedex (great on/off ramps to the local office), and sometimes rip over Newport Coast Road and down PCH to Laguna when I need to clear out the cobwebs. I AX it about 4x per year, would like to do that more.

In addition to driving it, I enjoy working on it - not that it's really needed much. But the annual oil change, odds and ends are great garage therapy. While I'd rather not wreck it, it is a car, and if it get's banged up, it will get fixed or I'll get another one. Material objects are quite replaceable.

LOL!!!

I don't understand GQs, I have several friends with both F-cars and P-cars. It's a shame that our fellow owners don't or won't enjoy their cars, heck they're cars not museum or shrine pieces. My friends and I drive our cars like they like to be driven then we'll have a detailing party afterwards. We commute to work in our cars but I hate to be in too much stop and go on the floating bridges here, the left calf gets way too much excercise. There's nothing like the sound of the exhaust flowing through the SSI's, gurgles of the oil flowing through the oil coolers and the faint scent of burnt oil and leather. It's time to go for a drive now....

My car had low mileage when I bought it. It only had 64,000 on it about 3 years ago. I work in construction so I have to have a pickup for work. I drive my car evenings and weekends and I am not concerned with the mileage.

I think most people that have the lower mileage cars are like me.
They have it as a second or third car and it is strictly for fun.
When I set out to buy it I looked for a low mileage car and I think a lot of others here did the same.

It seems the higher mileage cars are owned by people who have had them long time or they just were able to get a p-car at a cheaper price.

Nostatic, I think you bought one that had less miles than most so you seem to fit in the first catagory.

Just an observation.:D

Amen brother Chinn!!

PS It's not getting old or common place for me at all. Shoot, I'm just really getting to know her, finding her various sweet spots, so to speak.

I don't think many readers of this board would fit into the true GQ category, if you care about the cars enough to hang out here you probably drive them a lot too (unless like Marc you are in an unfavorable locale).

After the very long New England winter, I couldn't wait to get the new 930 out on the roads. But they are still sandy and wet, so I decided to take the 86 Targa for a jaunt (it's mechanically strong but the body is rough, so what the hey?). After a couple hours out on the roads, I started thinking "Why sell it? Prices are so soft, you might as well keep this for a daily driver and save the 930 for weekends!"

Don't tell my wife, but I think that's what I'm gonna do.

Buy low, sell high :)

Shockanawe.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploads/Gulf blue1.JPG

Here in Michigan in the winter the good guys at the road
commission put tons and tons of road salt and sand on the
roads. Not too many people I know like to run their car through
the "Road Sand Blaster" not to mention the rust cancer that eats cars.
I try to make up for it in the summer but I still only put 5-6000 miles
a year on my car!!!

I put 15K+ on my car every year. I have to - it's my only car.

I disagree with k911sc. I drive my car daily, and although I've gotten "used" to it, it's still a car I drive just for the sake of driving.

Mark, Thankyou for posting that picture of the blue car. I just repainted my 74 that color, added flares, ducktail and chinspoiler and am awaiting assembly. I haven't seen the finished product until now. I have to say it looks pretty f*&in awesome! Did you do that with Photoshop? if so could you add some carrera stripes in orange or silver/gray? or any other colors that you think might look cool. I haven't decided on carrera stripes yet and would love to see what a few colors look like.

JMZ

Why I'm somewhat of a GQ...

A) too lazy somtimes
B) don't want it to get door dings / hit in the college parking lot
C) i have a 5 mile round trip on weekdays from home to school to home to work and then back home.
D) If we go out to parties on certain weekend nights, it's nice to fit 5 people in the Isuzu and not worry about getting the tires slashed, paint keyed, windows smashed from jealous drunk pricks.
E) I'm at 99,580 and don't wanna turn over to 100K yet (yeah yeah, call me a pussy all you want =D)

Why I'm not exactly a GQ...

A) I drive the car in rain without hesitation.
B) Parking on the street overnight doesn't bother me.
C) Donuts are fun, so is street racing.
D) Wash it maybe once every three weeks, I even once went 2 months without washing it.

My Targa is the 3rd car in a 2-driver household. During the week I have a 2 mile commute to the local BART station (rapid transit for you non-SF Bay Area types) and it doesn't make sense to me to have my Targa sit out all day getting baked in the sun, not to mention that the engine would never get to operating temperature.

I do try and drive it as much as possible on weekends and it IS the vehicle of choice (both mine and theirs) for getting the kids to their respective basketball/soccer/swimming 'events. It also has seen the parking lots of the local Home Depot and Costco, but honestly, it doesn't have the hauling space as my Volvo 855, so it sometimes just sits because.

BTW, it has a 130,849 miles on it - but I can only lay claim to the last 4,000 since I bought it two years ago this Wednesday

:D

I wouldn't leave any car I valued at the BART lots! It's ding and vandalville there. I used to park at Rockridge when I lived in the Bay Area.

I'm probably going against both the garage queen crowd, and the mileage warriers here, but I'll jump in to the fray.

I looked specifically FOR a low miles car when I bought my first 911 last year. Not because I wanted to preserve the low mileage (though I have nothing against those who do), but because I wanted to drive and enjoy it and get as close to a new experience with a older 911 I could. I found an '89 Carrera with just over 17k original, and yes it drives like new. I spent more for it then I should have, but I wanted a car that was perfect to start with, and got it. I'm not into concourse events or too terribly serious about cleanliness, but love Porsches, and wish I could have bought a showroom car years ago. Instead I did the next best thing.

Mileage is not a major consideration for me. I put 125 miles on my car this typical weekend, and drive it whenever I want/need to, though the mileage is not increasing at an alarming rate. I drive either the 911 or the 356 to work in the summer months, though I confess I prefer not to drive the cars in either rain or snow, but hey, don't tell me I'm the only one out there who does that!

Some will hate me for racking up the miles on a near perfect car, and others will hate me for having a low miles car - can't win.


Keith

I don't hate you for either. I ended up doing the exact same thing, although mine didn't start quite as low as yours. You pay a premium for getting the "early" miles out of the car, but for some it is worth the extra up front cost.

btw, how is commuting in the 356? I've been trying to talk a friend's dad out of a 356B coupe for awhile, but he wants too much money for it. I have a huge soft spot for outlaws...

I just bought an 87 Carrera w/ 72K miles 3 weeks ago and already put almost 2000 miles on it since I drive 150 miles a day. Looking forward to driving my new porsche everyday. Even my 2 1/2 years old daughter loves to ride in the back seat. She prefers it over Acura MDX :)

Re: low miles why?
 

Perhaps it's part "been there, done that"...from '67 to '75 or so, I was very active in PCA, showed up for every driving event, tour, party, whatever. Don't get me wrong, I still love the car and the enthusiasm about the car. But, I must admit, it's not my total driving force these days. I've been told that if you don't have at least two of something, you're not a collector, just an owner. I only have one Porsche. But I also have other things I like to do. Sometimes, as strange as it seems, going to a small tavern, ordering coffee, then playing a few games of 8 ball with my wife of nearly 30 years can be every bit as pleasurable as taking the old 911S for a run over deserted 2 lane roads. This is hard to explain to a young guy, but there it is...no ONE thing is my life. And to my way of thinking, nor should it be.

The CS is my third P-car. Used to have a '97 Carrera but didn't drive it too mcuh because I didn't want to get it dinged up. After a year or so of that I sold it because I wanted I car I could drive and not worry about.

After I sold the '97 I found I missed driving it so much I bought a '89 Targa with under 50K miles on it. The Targa was actually more fun for me because it had more "road feel". Drove that Targa every weekend and missed it when I didn't. Also had it in a few concours. When the CS became available I jumped at the chance to buy it. I drive it on weekends and any days off from work I can get and also drive in autox occasionally and have added the appropriate handling mods that are reversible to stock if I choose.

So I guess the CS is a quasi-GQ because I don't use it for everyday driving since the Bay area is a heavy commute area. The M3 in Sequential mode is great in stop and go commuter traffic for me since I don't arrive at work with a pulled muscle in my left leg from all the clutch work.

Like you Nostatic, when I looked at replacing my dinged 1990 C2 Targa (72,000 miles) I looked for a low mileage example.

My 1987 Cab is a beaut - and with 45,000 (I put 3 thousand in 4 months) she looks new.

She will never be a daily driver for me. I have a SUV company car that I have racked up 71,000 miles in two years. The cab is a great change from the SUV.

I look for excuses to drive her, and will take her to the grocery car and home depot - just will park far away from anybody else and walk! The Cab is great for picking up PVC pipe!

My car was purchased with low miles (83K). I put on around 4000 last year. In my case I knew the car would get little use, but decided to buy it anyway. My 911 is the third car in a two driver household. It's a toy that I use when I can, but don't truly go out of the way to put on miles. I do thoroughly enjoy driving the car when I can. Since I don't use it as often it's a real treat every time I pull it out of the garage.

Factors that keep the miles low:

I'm a full time stay at home dad so there's a high probability I'll have my (almost) three year old along when I drive.

3-4 months of >100 degree days here in Phoenix (not great for Porsche a/c and an air cooled engine).

The stroller and diaper bag fit better in the Trooper.

The Phoenix road system is built on a giant grid. Think about four miles of straight as an arrow driving, taking a 90 degree left, driving for 6 miles then taking a 90 degree right, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc....arrrgghh!

Everything is so close here that my car would never get warmed up if I used it for every day errands. Do we really need six grocery stores in a six mile radius?

I fit into the "extra car" scenario.

I have a daily driver that I use, so the 911s only get a run on occasional weeknights and weekends. Plus, I work Saturdays, so I only get to play with a P-car on Sundays. I'm not keen on parking where I can't see the car (door dings/vandalism) and I'm not at all happy about parking in the street overnight.

If it's raining, I tend to take the commuter car out instead. No point in tempting fate. My '76 has been hit twice in traffic by idiots in beaters (one was a Lexus ;) ) who weren't paying attention in the rain. I'm literally terrified each time I stop at the lights in heavy traffic. I'll probably deck the next moron who smashes into me! :mad:

No joke, it's just not worth the aggravation and brain damage with the insurance companies... :rolleyes:

Adam? You may be entering an area I'm in. That is, whenever driving, you constantly look at other cars. You're wondering: "Okay, which of you a-holes is going to decide to prang me?" The sad part is, sooner or later, one of them might do just that.

I've had my car for 4 years and have put 10,000 miles on it. I think this is low but for some, it just turns out that way. First you can just about wipe out about 5-6 months of driving in the Northeast unless you like a high torque, rear wheel car in poor weather. And the roads are covered with a patina of salt that last until heavy spring rains remove them. I have two other cars for everyday use and I commute less then 10 minutes or about 4 miles from home. I really can't see the fun in driving 5 minutes without even getting my engine warm to have the car sit in a parking lot all day full of SUV's and minivans. I also have 3 kids, so taking them around, (the car has a roll bar) isn't the greatest commuter around. So it just leaves weekends when I can just get in my car and drive. Us married guys know what this is like,(few and far between!). You get into stupid reasons just to get out on the road. (Usually non raining day which adds to the rarity of the event.) I think it comes down to if your car is a daily commuter or not. I think it is not the number of miles you put on it but the quality of miles. Sitting in traffic with such a fine machine as a 911 isn't much better then admiring it in your garage.;)

I guess I'll chime in as well.

My 911 is purely a toy. Due to our (sometimes) long winters, my car often sits for long periods of time, but I have a heated garage, so that's when I "tinker" with it.

If I hit the traffic lights just right, I can be to work in less than three minutes; definitely not enough time to properly warm up the engine. So, my car is relegated to "pleasure drives" only, about 2000 miles/year.

i have 1 garage queen: an '89 speedster w/ 3,500 original miles
i have 1 driver: a '73 911 with 71,000 original miles.

i bought the speedster because it is rare, i wanted to show it, and occasionally drive it. i also love the body lines.

i bought the '73 because i liked the speedster so much but didn't want to drive it, that i needed a porsche with "extra personality" that i could drive.

turns out, i love working on my '73, racing it occasionally, and keeping it as a classic. i like it better than my '89 because it seems like an untamed beast, while the '89 is a more civilized powerful modern car.

i don't commute with my '73 because i wanted to keep it as weekend car, and preserve it the best i can. i do daily miles on other vehicles (a scooter and a bicycle).

I've had my 930 for 11 months. It is my third car, but I've still managed to put nearly 6,000 miles on it. It has been tracked once (I go again in two weeks), and it took me on a wonderful 800-mile Death Valley trip in October.

The previous owner drove it every day... as a result, the car now has 126,000 miles on it (original engine). I like the high miles, I don't have a complex about driving it!

Don't know whether mine counts as a GQ but mine is a third car in a two driver house.

Reasons it is a GQ

I don't drive it everyday to work - low mileage commute and poor parking facilities
I don't drive it on longer work related journeys - poor parking facilities at a University where students don't care how much the car means to you
I avoid driving it when there is salt / Grit combination on the roads where possible
I keep it clean, cover it, and often just go into the garage to look at it (she thinks I'm doing some 'house' thing)

On the other hand

I take it on most long journeys where there are only two of us
I'll leave it parked overnight outside as long as the place is reasonably secure
I don't get suicidal about stone chips etc (although I do treat them quickly)
I drive it quickly enough so that the GF has started looking out of side windows so she doesn't have to watch what is going on (she used to just put sunglasses on but that was just not to show fear to other drivers!)
I do about 6000 miles a year as a third car

Each to their own but I love the 'special' feel I get when I get into the P-Car and worry that it might be diluted if I used it every day

My 87 coupe has 75,500 miles on it and could be considered a GQ to some. I drive a company car for work and since I drive a lot in my sales job, I end up driving the p-car every other day after work.