Garage queens and car collections

You don't.

 

When I was still single, I'd put on about 2000 miles/year on my '79 308. Great fun when conditions were right (no rain/snow) and I had the time. Unfortunately, my 308's (& GTO...Pontiac--'67...for that matter) becoming a hanger queen with wife, family occupying my time now. I constantly wrestle with keeping/selling. Probably the reason I haven't sold is it's a hassle to do so.

To Ferrari's credit, it's storing quite well, with maybe only driving it every couple months (yes, I know...then why do I have it, what a shame, ....).

Anyone want to buy a nice 308?

 

i don't want to offend anyone, but 1,500 a year - even 3,000 a year - still seems very garage queen-ish... When i was in NY, i used to live 9/10ths of a mile from my job and i still managed a 1,000 miles a week on my car... and it was just a Saturn...! i would've driven even MORE if i was behind the wheel of a Ferrari...!

i can't understand why people have more than one car and leave one to basically rot except for a few thousand miles each year... Drive it...! That's what it's there for...! The more you drive it, the better off the car is and the happier you'll be... When i'm obscenely rich, i don't think i can see myself owning more than two Ferraris - three at the most...! Any more than that and one or more will be neglected... A black Enzo for most/daily use and the Breadvan as a utility vehicle; grocery shopping, Home Depot, stuff like that... The occasional 2am run through some suburban hills just to relive the '70s... Any more cars beyond those two and one would undoubtedly be neglected... i really want to fit a Stradale into that lineup, but i don't think i can... How do you folks justify cookie-cutter cars everyday while you leave your pride and joy in the dark loneliness of your garage...? Today could be your last. Enjoy it while you can.

 

Carbon,

You know I like to drive but I too have found that I have let the Ferrari sit for up to a month or two. Not because I want to keep miles off or the what not. It's because I wake up too late to warm up the car to get to work on time. I have other things to do after work, I have to get gas in the morning. I can rattle off more excuses to not drive it during the week then to drive it. Lately though, it has been my daily weekend drive for the past 3 weeks. It's going to sit for 2 weeks while we are getting ready to move then It's going to FoBH for temp storage, THANKS BYRANT!, and then to the new house. Kinda sad eh?

 

Yes, very. Your old one had soda cans and candy wrappers in the foot wells because you used it so much... Would it kill you to get up 15 minutes earlier in the morning so you could warm up the car...?

 

I don't own a car right now that doesn't have the prancing horse on the nose. I'm going to probably get a truck for hauling parts around and as a tow vehicle, but I have every intention of using all three cars as daily drivers when I return stateside.

The 308 only has ~23k miles on it. I want to see how quickly I can get it to 123k.

I'm not planning on selling any of the cars, when they get worn out, they'll get rebuilt.

 

ROTFLMFAO!!!!

And Yes, 15 minutes @ 4:30 in the morning sucks

I promise to put at least 10k on it next year. I only put 7.5k this year.

 

The major collectors usually have a full-time staff to keep the cars in top shape.

 

And minor collectors like me have a part time staff.

 

How about 2100 miles over the last 16 years?

I'm just about done bringing our car back to life now after 6 months of research and work. Nothing special, a 78 308, but a *beautiful* car for what it is. 14,500 relatively documented miles with the last 2k occuring since 1989.

Minor services done along the way but original belts still in place. Driving this car home after it came off the hauler was one of the more stressful days I've had in life so far...

I can definitively tell you that they rot with gleefull abandon when left in the garage... and that's just about the saddest thing possible when there's a little horse involved.

Drive the damned things!

 

The good thing is, the collectors in my area use their cars regularly in vintage events. Service to us means belt changes. To them, it's engine rebuilds, body repairs and restoration. Totally different league.

 

A car collection is an expensive hobby if done with an eye to what's best for the cars. As mentioned, the seriously rich like Leno have 'people' who's full time job is to maintain their vast collections.

Less seriously rich people need to pick and choose how many cars they can realistically collect if they don't want a bunch of statues of cars in 10 year's time. This is how those barn finds turn up though!

Ken

 

I dont know why some people get so upset, about someone who owns one of these beautys and doesnt drive it as much as some think they should. It is each owners choice!!! each of us who own one of these cars has his or hers own reasons, some enjoy driving the wheels off them and some enjoy them for the pure artistic beauty. I also get a kick out of the guys screaming the loudest about these cars not being driven, but when the time comes for them to buy one, they are sooooo concerned about mileage on the car. It's a fact!! if not, why wouldn't higher mileage cars be selling for more $$. Also, the guys making the most noise dont even own one (not all). Just my .02 cents.

 

True. This is why I differentiate between "cars" and "statues of cars". Subtle but profound difference.

Ken

 

I see it all of the time,someone brings us a car that has sat in some garage for too many years and now wants to drive it.we generally tell them that they better want to drive it really badly because the amount of money that they are going to have to spend to make it a true ,reliable driver is going to be astronomical.Almost every system on the car is going to need attention/replacement."How can it cost so much,just look at the car,it looks brand new!" THe Hydraulics turn to snot,Aluminum engine and heater components turn to white crumbly bits and powder,gas tank rots out from condensation,carbs are filled with varnish and/or dust where gas evaporated,all rubber like hoses and belts turn into a stone like substance,etc.etc.etc.Do yourself and your "almost new" Ferrari a big favor and drive it regularly and even drive it hard .Your car will love it. Tim

 

Some of us dream of having multiple cars.
Just having them can give you great satisfaction, not necessarily always driving them. If you had to drive them all the time to derive that satisfaction, anyone north of the Mason - Dixon line would not own a Ferrari / any other exotic, as there are many months that seem like they were cut straight from "the Shining".
My brother and I are committed to developing "the collection". Currently considering an old Pantera, 69 or so Stingray, older 911... the list goes on. I'd donate a kidney for a nice Dino or Boxer (the only other 2 Ferraris I truly desire to own). Would I sell the 308 or older SL after another aquisition, HECK NO!

 

Carbby, this made me spit coffee at the screen, it was almost through the nose funny,

 

Dependson your defination of a garage queen. Mine is a car that is driven less then 100miles a year. I also find it pleasing to just look at it in the garage. I drive it when I feel like it and not because others say to use it. I guess it goes back to the old joke "hooker says to the customer , who you gona please with that little thing " and the answer was "ME". Enjoy the ride

 

I don't think I'd ever want more than one or two 'toy' cars in addition to my disposable daily driver. (And yes, I look at Ferrari and even my Porsche as above the 'disposable' category.)

Part of it is because I'd end up not driving one or more cars enough to keep it in good condition, but the other is that every older car has its own character and feel. You can't really get to 'know' a car by driving it 200 miles a year to and from the shop.

Finally, cars are (zips on nomex here) not the best place to park your savings unless that amount of money isn't significant to you.

 

Yep, I know what you all mean...

I have a tiny collection of cars:

The beater/ snow car/ take to kids soccer games/ leave at the airport/ take the dog to the Vet car- A 91 Sentra SE-R

The daily driver car- An 02 M3

The "perfect" show winning car- a 88 328 GTB with 52,000 miles

The historical, pre- FIAT, only 12 will do car- 67 330 GT 2+2

No car ever sits for more than 3 weeks and each gets a minimum of 2,000 miles per year. All services up to date on all cars. 4 cars is definitely my limit as I can barely keep up with them. I definitely do not want any more cars now! Any more then neglect will set in,

Dan

 

Ever since I was old enough to know that cars were something special, I've wanted to own them all. I still look at all kinds of cars longingly wanting them. I have garages full of cars now and there's never a point at which I won't want more.

What it means in practical terms is that I've morphed into a semi credible collector, with some nice old cars and several wonderful modern cars that will transition into the collectible category over the next few decades or so. It also means that I simply do not have the time to drive them all enough.

I try to drive the modern cars on a rotating basis so that they all get out at least once a week, for basic transportation needs - to the store, the office, kids to school etc. The older ones are tougher. They need more attention. They must be warmed up, chokes on, belching fumes from their pre emission control engines and they have to be driven quite gingerly, especially the ones still on original period tires. But I try to give them all their turn. I recently had an issue with the E-type where the gas in the car, being different from the spec when the car was built in 1966 (all kinds of federally mandated crap and chemicals) ate away the rubber in the SU carb seal resulting in a gas leak directly from the carb itself. Pain the ass and all kinds of time and trouble to figure it out.

Such are the joys of old car ownership. But they are beautiful to look at. It's all worth it in the end.

 

Sounds like a nice collection - I guess you have to figure out when the "work" outweighs the joy. As soon as I feel like taking a car out is something on my chore list, I sell it.

 

Wow, Carbon, 1,000 miles per WEEK? Really? That's amazing.
I also like the idea of a guy rich enough to have an Enzo as a daily driver going to Home Depot

I agree of course about today possibly being our last and enjoying it. My lack of use of even my humble Mondial everyday comes down to purely practical reasons.
1) I would swelter on the Cross Bronx with its vintage A/C
2) "1" above would not be too much of an issue since it would be in the shop about 40% of the time, which leads to last but not least
3) I am simply too poor to keep fixing it!