Dino - daily driver...?

Hi

New to all this Dino stuff and just about to enter your world

Just wondered exactly how much it is practical to use - don't want to get one to stick in the garage and bring out every 4th Sunday, really would like to be able to use it.

I do have other cars I can use but wanted to know if I'm being unrealistic to think that providing I keep up the maintenance it will start and carry on going until I get home - or am I going to get to know the AA guys very well and spend my life on the hard shoulder?!?

I have read conflicting things and whilst most seem to say that "garage queens" are something to be avoided it will do my head in if it's totally unreliable

Also does anyone have any good tips for servicing in the north-west of the UK?

Thanks guys

Matt

 

Depends on your budget and your frame of mind, I think.

1. Parts and repairs. Unless you're a do-it-yourself-er it's gonna cost you a probably a GBP per every 5 miles you drive in parts and maintenance. I dunno, maybe a little less, but when you consider a distributor cap is $300, tune ups and the like can get pretty expensive. PLus it is a 35 year old car. Stuff is gonna break, and it's gonna be expensive to replace.
2. Insurance. Don't know about England, but if you are gonna take your $150,000 car and make it a daily driver, it's gonna be expensive.
3. Usefulness. Decent trunk, comfortable cockpit, but hot in the summer, if your local temp runs 80 degrees or more in the summer time, you're gonna sweat all over your expensive leather interior.
4. Fear factor. Parking, etc. Let's face it, you don't see many Dinos in the mall lots, do you? Good reason for that. Some of the easily detachable parts will cost you several hundred dollars to replace.
5. Devaluing the car. Lots of miles will significantly reduce the resale value of your car.

I drive mine about 2000 miles a year. I wish I did more, but, I can't take it to work, so it goes for weekend drives, and to car shows, etc, but I would not use it for a daily driver. Even when the market was a lot lower ($40K was what I paid for my car) I would not have used it everyday.

DM

 

Agree completely with Dave. Maybe I'm pessimistic, but I do not trust mine on drives of greater than 20-30 miles; I have my fun with it within this range of home. Also, rust is a big issue w/ these cars (H20 + italian car = iron oxide) so if you're in the UK, I would keep it garaged and only take it out when the roads are dry (this assumes you can find a relatively rust-free example there in the first place, which is probably a reach!).

 

I average about 8,000 miles a year on mine and regularly take it up to Monterey which makes it a 750 mile minimum round trip, usually end up near a 1,000 miles. I bet John is way over that each year.

I put more miles on my Dino than I do on my S2000.

 

Matt,

Sorry that you are in the UK but my mom married a Cockney, lived in London for a dozen years and survived. Bet a Dino can do the same or better if cared for nicely. Read some of my Dino Saga posts to get an idea of what things are like in California. You have fairly moderate temps but the rain is a killer. Garage the car, heat the garage. Replace the window seals as I did and explained in an early Saga. Drive the car weekly, if not daily. Heat keeps the juices flowing. I have 191,920 miles at the moment and plan on another 70,000 in the next 10 years. Use common sense in the wet and fix everything the moment it shows problems. Good luck and don't believe the Nay Sayers.

John

 

If cars are well maintained, they tend to work. Its the cars that sit and rot that tend to not work very well.

 

That is true but it does not really address the point of use in the real world. Parking at the destination is crucial and vintage Ferraris and everyday use in the real world simply don't mix. The hassle factor is too great. Sunday drives to nice restaurants for brunch with a few like-minded friends is the way to go. And when it rains on Sunday you need to really question if it is worth the hassle. Just take the 599...

 

I think it comes back to how you value your car.

Certainly they can work as a daily driver... but...

I don't really want to park my car in places where it's GOING TO GET DINGED, pawed, and potentially damaged.

If those things are not impediments to your enjoying the car, then certainly it can function as a daily driver. I don't have reliability issues with mine, I just don't WANT to put tons of miles on it.

If racking up miles doesn't bother you on a car where $150K is the cost of entry, then I don't see why it can't be a DD. I just don't know why you would want it to be one.

Creature comforts come into play too. Carbed cars smell like gas, run richer than injected cars, and despite what anyone here might say, it's a nicer ride in a new Acura than a used Dino. Radio works better, A/C works better, power seats, etc, etc. Hell, a ten year old Porsche is a better choice for an everyday car, and give 75-80% of the fun, and 200% better reliability and comfort. But that's just my $.02.

Dave M

 

Appreciate the replies

I understand about not wanting to park anywhere where it potentially can get damaged and I will certainly take heed of that - but for me I want the car to live a bit and if I rack up a few miles and spend a bit more on maintennce then so be it...I'd hate to have it a few years and only do 2000 miles in it

I like the philosophy John the UK is indeed a bit on the rainy side but so long as I'm careful with the wet weather motoring I'll try to follow your example... a few more miles on the clock...ah well, I'm not buying the car as an investment - it's cos I want one, and I want the fun of driving it. Enjoying going through your various sagas- your car is absolutely exquisite - great colour!!

Is routine maintenance difficult... I'm quite into doing a bit of tinkering and would at least like to be able to do the basics, is this within the bounds of an amateur mechanic or am I then seriously mad to think this, I'm thinking of valve clearances etc - it doesn't seem as though there are many classic Ferrari specialists anywhere near me

My previous question was to find out whether it will stop every 5 miles but it doesn't seem that it will from what you guys say

cheers

Matt

 

Matt,

Periodic maintenance is simple. Change oil and filter every 6 months or 4,000 miles whichever comes first. Do this even if the car has not been driven. Drive the car enough to get everything up to temp before the oil change. A 20 minute joy ride is good for the car and the soul of the driver.

At the six month interval:
Check transmission oil level
Grease front ball joints if you still have older joints
Oil throttle linkage at the engine
Oil clutch linkage at engine
Oil pedal linkage up front

Every 15,000 miles or five years:
Pull distributor, lube advance, set point gap
Change transmission oil
Loosen rack boot and make sure that there is still oil in the steering gear
Check plugs
Check valve clearance
Retime
Rebalance carbs

It will take you about a year to get all the bugs out but after that the maintenance is nil. NGK Iridium plugs, 20-50 Castrol, 91 Octane gas.

With a few tools, anyone can do the maintenance. Do the oil change on a lift and inspect everything while it is up in the air. Fix anything that is bad IMMEDIATELY.

Enjoy your car. It was made to drive. A little TLC is all you have to add.

John

 

If you use the car as your daily driver will it still be "special" to you?

Once a car goes from being the loved fun car to the run around ride it's not the same. Just my experience.

 

After 21 years my Dino is "Very Special" Every other car I drive is pathetic or too much of something. The Dino is "Just Right!" The Forza article captures things perfectly.

John

 

Thanks for that John - it all sounds so easy

I'm sure there will be a few horrors along the way but you have definitely convinced me that the Dino is made to drive.

I appreciate the comments from others and their fears about using the car so much but will endeavour to clock up a few miles whilst I have it - not sure I'll get to 191k though...

Interesting about the resale value though - would you reckon that the value of your Dino is substantially hit (were you to sell it) because of the miles or, as I would think, that a Dino is still such a lusted after car people will judge upon it's condition and maybe only look to pay slightly less than they would a comparable 60k mile car?

Anyhow thanks John

Matt

 

... But not every day.

I just got back from thrashing the 73 Carrera RS. What a blast! The primal howl is fantastic. I have never had the pleasure of driving a Dino but I'm going to change that. Being the same time equal of my car I can imagine that the reports are true. Also, I've seen some fantastic videos here.

Best advice I can give. Get one. I can say this even though I've never driven one because I read a hell of a lot. Usually about classic cars.

Moderns don't come close.

Then again, classics don't come close in AC, reliability and other creature comforts.

Go classic and use it (ALOT) like it was meant to be used, but pick your spots. Not a real daily driver probably.

Remember, you only do this once, and you won't forget it. GO FOR IT !!!







Imagine yourself on your deathbed saying " My life would have been so much better if I just hadn't bought that d*** Dino."






Yoy'll be lovin life more. Nuff said.

 

If they drove it, they probably would pay more!
John

 

I spent a lot of money to get the best Dino I could find a few months back. I thought I'd put maximum 1000 miles a year on it. Then I started to actually drive it. Maybe more like 2500-3000 a year I think now (December to May are snow months and no miles then.)

At first, the starting peciuliarities scared me, but it seems to have settled in to being 100% reliable for cold starts, and occasionally takes 2 or 3 tries to hot start, but has not left me stranded since the third time I drove it - I didn't get the starting tricks right. I have taken the car as much as 150 miles from home, driven in a little bit of rain, and now consider it as reliable as any car I own, and far more so than my '95 Jaguar XJS. Yesterday, I went out for a 20 minute joyride that turned into a two hour pure ecstasy cruise on a beautiful azure morning. The more the car runs, the happier it seems.

Everyone here seems to have the same read -- do the maintenance, and the car will run for you. Having bought a low mileage (12k) car that I have no intention of ever selling, I can say that there was little or no price difference between a 35k mile car or a 65k mile car among the ones I looked at. What mattered more was records of care, and condition of the car. So, particularly if you're going to do the work yourself, I'd say KEEP RECORDS of what you did and when, and the receipts for parts, etc. to demonstrate to a skeptic that the car was kept well.

I went to Sweden for about a week to play golf, and the thing I missed the most (other than my family?!?) was driving the Dino. It's an euphoric experience, and if you have an excuse to drive it every day, you're a lucky man. Just park well away from the crowd in the lots, and look out for speed bumps.

I have to take my son to pre-season soccer (football to you) practice every day for the next two weeks. 70 miles round trip at 9 AM and again at 3 PM. The Dino will be our transport in the mornings, so long as no rain is forecast. I'm looking forward to the drives - the parkways are nice and twisty -- and it turns a chore into a joy!

 

I'm surprised no one appears to have mentioned it, but you need to get a copy of the October 2007 issue of FORZA and read about John Corbani's 191,920+ mile Dino that he uses as a daily driver. It is available now at newstands in the U.S., and I assume also in the UK (if not now, then soon).

Mark

 

Wherabouts in the UK are you Matt.

I am in SE London/Kent and my '72 GTS does about 3K a year, It is not a daily driver, but is used regularly including in the rain. I budget for about £3k a year to maintain it and so far in the 4 years I have had it that has proved about right. I would be very wary of using it in the winter when the roads are salty though as this is not at all good for the bodyworks and chassis.

Hope you find the car you are looking for,

Cheers

Mal

 

There are threads in the UK section about NW servicing - mainly R & D and JMH get mentioned tho' I don't know how much carb car experience each has

 

I'm in Warrington in the north-west - doesn't seem to be too much Dino action up this way!!

Bought the Dino from Henley Way Motors in London - should get it next week - they're fixing a few niggles and doing a service and MOT etc (think DK or Verdi are actually doing it)

Not sure how much it'll get used - but would like to think I can use it when I want to, and when I do it will carry on going for the full journey

Chassis is 04348 if anyone has any prior knowledge that would be great - looks like it once may have been yellow but now red (according to the Register)
Will look into the servicing aspect but as I said earlier I'm hoping to be able to do the minor stuff myself - I'm lucky in having a ramp so at least I can make sure the underside doesn't have any unseen problems which develop

Cheers for input guys

Matt

 

That's a bit "rash"... Some will tell you BMWs of the era rust worse, Porsches as well, Triumphs pre-rusted at the factory, and I can personally vouch for hearing a Datsun 240Z oxidize as I sat in it.

It's a 60's/70's thing, there's no need to get all whitebread about it.

 

It was a 70s early 80s thing for sure. I apprenticed at the factory that built Jaguar bodies back then and i remember seeing several cars go into the paint shop with surface rust already on the panels after they had spent a few days outside straight into primer bird poop and all.Oh and the whole built in obselesence thing was true too we really did put extra holes in the panels to let the water in but no holes to let it out again. Good luck with the Dino I shipped mine from the UK last year to NewZealand and cars dont seem to to rust down here at all (unless you live by the sea) which does tend to prove that its the salt on the UK roads thats the main problem.

 

'way to go, Matt.
Anxious to see pics & hear all about it.
Cheers,
Coop

 

I hope you do drive it regularly! I used a fiat dino coupe as a daily for a year or two (put about 15,000 miles on it) and have driven vintage cars as my daily drivers (with newer cars sitting at home for wife and family) for about 8 years now. I currently drive a '69 fiat 124 spider as my daily. 20k miles in the last 18 months. I'd be a bit more hesitant about driving a 246/206 as a daily simply because it's not easily replaceable like a fiat (meaning, if i get hit on the road, i can find another within a week, whereas with a 246/206...i'd be really disappointed).