Do you think its weird when people don't daily drive their expensive/sports cars?

"LJ909" (lj909) 01/21/2016 at 19:52 • Filed to: None

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My dad visited today. He has not one, but two Porsche’s. 3 if you include his wife’s Panamera. He has a matte black Boxster, and a 911 4S like the one above he just got this past summer. He doesn’t even drive them. Only on weekends on special occasions. Took me out in the 911 for my birthday (like I’m a kid. I’m 27 mind you). His daily driver? An in “ok” condition 18 year old S10 that’s missing a mirror on the drivers side door. Here’s a few other people that I know that don’t daily drive their nice cars

My neighbor across the street has an Orange Cayenne GTS. Daily drives a Eldorado with a torn vinyl roof

Another neighbor a few hundred feet down the street has an S600. Drives a 12 year old Camry with fading black paint.

My favorite high school teacher who I still talk to had one of those Saleen Mustangs. Daily drove a Geo Prism. A Prism.

My mom has a current gen 640i. She rarely drives it to work. She either drives her super old 98 Taurus that we got when I was in middle school, or she takes the train.

My grandmothers cousin has a C6 Corvette she got not too long ago. Daily drives her 92 Chrysler Imperial. What bothers me more is that a 70 year old woman has a Corvette that she doesn’t drive.

This is just a few people. I know more. And before any of you think it, no none of these cars a leases so its not a mileage thing, though my mom does mention mileage. I just think its strange than if you spending north of 70-over 100k on a car, you better believe that you should drive it daily. Do any of you think this is weird, do you do the same thing, or is it foolish to you especially considering what a lot of these people pay a month, including my family members.

Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras > LJ909 01/21/2016 at 19:55

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My uncle makes about $300-400k a year, lives in a ‘historic’ Pittsburgh house, and daily drives a 2014 Subaru Outback...he use to daily a 1999 Honda CRV. The nicest car he currently owns is a 2012 Highlander hybriad and his wife drives that.

I asked him one day if he ever wanted a really nice car and he said “maybe an Audi, but I wouldn’t daily it”

Rico > LJ909 01/21/2016 at 19:58

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It's a perception thing most likely. They don't want to be the one pulling up to work in an S600 or 640i which is totally understandable. Me? I wouldn't care and would definitely drive the car whenever I needed to.

Aaron M - MasoFiST > LJ909 01/21/2016 at 19:59

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To be perfectly fair, I don’t really DD my BMW either. When the weather cooperates I bike at least 3 days a week, and even when it doesn’t I usually take the train. I drive my car about 2-3 times a week.

LJ909 > Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras 01/21/2016 at 19:59

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Sounds like someone that’s smart and frugal with his money. Has the money but doesn’t want to necessarily show it. That can be a good thing.

LJ909 > Rico 01/21/2016 at 20:01

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That’s me. I wouldn’t care either. Especially if I worked my way up to the position where I could afford a car like that.

Spasoje > LJ909 01/21/2016 at 20:02

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It’s definitely weird.

I buy a car like that because I want to enjoy everything that $70-100k gives me. If I plonk down my hard-earned money only to watch it sit there, what the hell’s the point of owning it in the first place?

bob and john > LJ909 01/21/2016 at 20:03

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the way i look at it, cars where made to be driven. 100% i’m taking the posrche is I can (you know, no salt or anything)

ppl buying them and not driving them for the resale value. I heard a great (if crude) anlogy at one point: “thats like not banging your hot girlfreind so shes tight for the next guy.”

crude, but very true

TractorPillow > LJ909 01/21/2016 at 20:04

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I don’t understand it one bit. Putting miles on my sports cars is a point of pride for me (6000 miles in 6 months of ownership on my Viper).

thebigbossyboss > LJ909 01/21/2016 at 20:04

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I live in northern canada, so no. You’d be amazed at how impractical a Ford GT is in the snow haha.

Scary__goongala! > LJ909 01/21/2016 at 20:05

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I can definitely understand not driving it to often just to keep it looking pretty. But at the same time, you spent all the money on it so why let it just sit. You don’t buy a house and then live in it one day out of the week.

V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches > Rico 01/21/2016 at 20:08

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Fun story. So when I bought my S600, the first day I showed up to work with it, my CFO commented about how I should have been financially savvy and spent less money on a new Ford Edge/escape (?) like she had just done . She was a bit les pompous when I told her that my car cost about half of what her quasi SUV cost.

V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches > LJ909 01/21/2016 at 20:11

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Just saying, the S600 is probably broken. But it is stupid when people buy nice cars and then never drive them. I drive my S600 as long as conditions allow. But for winter i do drive a ‘98 Honda Accord.

V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches > TractorPillow 01/21/2016 at 20:14

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This. It's my goal to get the S600 to at least 155,000 miles so I can get a Mercedes grill badge. I've put on about 9,000 miles since June .

Liam Farrell > LJ909 01/21/2016 at 20:14

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My Great-Uncle lived in Stinson Beach California and he had a CRV and his wife a early 2000's Saturn wagon. His house was literally on the beach, he could have bought any car he wanted but he was very frugal. He always said to invest in Real Estate and that’s what he did.

The roads around there are just spectacular, it's where CNET drives the cars they review on their show.

Danger Ranger XLT > LJ909 01/21/2016 at 20:15

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Its particularly strange given that a few of the cars you mentioned are literally built to be daily driven. I can understand if someone doesn’t want to DD a Saleen or a Corvette. And while I’ve known plenty of people who daily Boxsters and 911s, I also understand wanting to save them for weekends or fair weather. But the S600, Cayenne, and the 640i are daily drivers, plain and simple.

Personally, I’d try daily driving almost anything for a while. Who wouldn’t enjoy sitting in traffic for three hours in an old Lamborghini Diablo?

TractorPillow > V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches 01/21/2016 at 20:15

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I’m adding 1,400 miles in a week when I drive it from GA to my new home in El Paso...well I haven’t found a home yet, but new hotel until I find a home!

Vicente Esteve > LJ909 01/21/2016 at 20:17

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I think it’s the opposite of weird. To me, the weird person is one who dailies his fun/nice car and has a “beater” only when he needs it.

I have an uncle with a Boxster S and only uses it on some Sundays of the month before 10 AM. After that, he says it’s not worth it to take it out.

If I had a Porsche (or any nice car) though, it would be daily driven without question.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > LJ909 01/21/2016 at 20:18

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It makes me think it’s one of two things:

1. Some people just like to have a car or two “to keep nice or for special occasions”. Hell, I knew one family that had a Chevy S10 for a work vehicle and a 1978 Pontiac Lemans coupe with a Chevy 305 that they kept as their “nice” car for going to church and special occasions. The ‘nice’ car doesn’t always have to be all that special or rare.

2. They bought a car that is too expensive for their wallet.

And I don’t think it’s weird and I can understand it. Also #1 is also done by the type of person that might also spend $100,000 renovating the upstairs of their house, keep it roped off and then live in the basement. They want to keep the upstairs nice in case someone like the Pope visits... LOL

Rico > LJ909 01/21/2016 at 20:21

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Hell I would do it even if I didn't work my way up to that position, even if I just hit the lotto.

TrickJos > LJ909 01/21/2016 at 20:21

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I don’t think it is weird at all. My daily is a ‘94 Saturn. My nice car is a 2012 Camaro SS. I fully intend to keep the Camaro forever and I love keeping it clean and dry in the garage. I don’t mind rain so much but I keep it away from the snow and salt at all costs. It isn’t a garage queen by any means though. I drive it a few times a week when the weather is decent and when my wife and I go on a long trip we take the Camaro because it’s our best car. I just like to keep is as nice as I can and not driving it everyday seems to make it that much more enjoyable when I take it out.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > thebigbossyboss 01/21/2016 at 20:23

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How bad could it be?

LOL

thebigbossyboss > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 01/21/2016 at 20:24

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I was out on deliveries today...and saw one under a tarp. Oh la la.

Übel > LJ909 01/21/2016 at 20:26

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Not quite the same category as having a garage queen 911, but I don’t DD my Karmann Ghia because it’s still fairly low miles (58k) at 44 years old, and I’m trying to hold onto its monetary value somewhat. That’s not to say I don’t drive it, it’s my official beer run car and I take it to shows all the time, but DDing it just launches the miles up in a way I’m not comfortable with. Also, my commute has highway miles.

Having a “special occasion” car of any type is just bonkers to me, unless it’s something like a Model T or Motorwagen that truly isn’t functional on modern roads and lives for parade duty.

rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S > LJ909 01/21/2016 at 20:27

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Not weird. Lots of workplaces have unwritten rules about what you can drive to work. For example, I know a lot of lawyers that are heavily discouraged from driving anything nicer than a 5-series where a client might see. Some of these folks have really nice sports cars, but they are relegated to weekend duty. And even if there is no rule/policy some people just don’t want to be seen as flashy.

Personally, I walk to work most days, so despite having a few nice cars that applies to me as well albeit for different reasons. (Riding the train is sort of the same deal - if you are improving your commute by not driving then why would you drive?)

V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches > TractorPillow 01/21/2016 at 20:28

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Cool! I think I might do a Route 66 roadtrip this summer. Didn't you also have a lotus before the viper ?

LJ909 > thebigbossyboss 01/21/2016 at 20:29

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Ha. I could only imagine.

LJ909 > Scary__goongala! 01/21/2016 at 20:30

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My dad is a weird one.

LJ909 > V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches 01/21/2016 at 20:31

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Oh is definitely not broken. Him and his wife leave in it every weekend religiously.

vondon302 > TrickJos 01/21/2016 at 20:31

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Truth

LJ909 > Liam Farrell 01/21/2016 at 20:32

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My dad actually took me there once a long time ago. He had a Mustang GT then so I didn’t get to experience the driving roads that good.

V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches > LJ909 01/21/2016 at 20:33

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Well what the fuck. DDing a V12 is so awesome.

The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock > LJ909 01/21/2016 at 20:33

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Where I live lots do, they even put on snow tires. A 911 on snow tires looks mighty fun.

itranthelasttimeiparkedit > LJ909 01/21/2016 at 20:33

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I think a lot of the people that do this aren’t trying to preserve the cars or anything, its that they secretly enjoy driving the old s-10 more than the 911, for whatever reason...

LJ909 > Danger Ranger XLT 01/21/2016 at 20:35

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The neighbor that has the Cayanne seems to only use it when hes taking his family around. Which is even more strange considering that they also have an Expedition. I thought my mom would drive her 640 more considering that the whole reason she bought it was because she didn’t need room for me and my sister anymore now that we are adults. At least she drives her car more than my dad though.

LJ909 > Vicente Esteve 01/21/2016 at 20:38

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Yea that is weird and backwards. But if your uncle doesn’t think that his Boxster is worth taking out why did he get it in the first place? If you don’t mind me asking.

nermal > LJ909 01/21/2016 at 20:39

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It’s kinda backwards thinking. The key to acquiring a large amount of money to purchase a nice car with is not spending a large amount of money. Thus, wealthy people are often very, very cheap.

LJ909 > TrickJos 01/21/2016 at 20:43

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I see your point of view. You not driving it often makes it that much more satisfying when you do drive it.

LJ909 > Übel 01/21/2016 at 20:44

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58k on a Ghia? I would never touch that car. I would keep it in glass.

LJ909 > rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S 01/21/2016 at 20:46

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I can understand the what you drive to work rule, especially in a profession like a lawyer. Don’t want clients thinking your some douche bag flashy lawyer.

LJ909 > nermal 01/21/2016 at 20:47

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Like my father sadly.

Übel > LJ909 01/21/2016 at 20:50

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Yeah but then it’s REALLY no fun

bobbe17 > LJ909 01/21/2016 at 20:50

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I agree 100%. I work with a guy that has a Viper and another that has an Exige. They each put around 2,000-3,000 miles a year on their cars. When I was shopping I told myself if I was spending the money, I’d drive it. So I got a high mileage M3 and have put on about 10,000 miles a year.

I do understand it a little bit now though. For me, an extended period of time on the interstate is “wasted miles.” I’m not worried about depreciation, but I do know that it puts wear on consumables, uses more gas than my other car, and puts me that much closer to the next service all for just sitting there with cruise control on.

Under_Score > LJ909 01/21/2016 at 20:50

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My neighbor has a c.2014 911, but he always drives a c.2008 Tacoma. Much less extreme example than yours, though.

Wobbles the Mind > LJ909 01/21/2016 at 20:56

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As you get older, your peers judge you by care under ownership. That’s why you get so many older people with show cars presenting how stock their 60 year old vehicle is. It’s just like kids, their age and relative success reflects on your care. Own a $100,000 car, keep it in showroom quality using nothing but a dusty garage is a badge of pride. It’s one of those things I’m noticing as I get older. What’s the point of owning a Rolex if it’s beaten up? Everyone that builds home theaters only use them when they have guests, not every day. It’s just how ownership works with age.

LJ909 > bobbe17 01/21/2016 at 20:56

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I get what your saying, but isn’t that all a part of the ownership experience? I liken a car to a marriage: you have to be there though thick and thin no matter what, even the bad costly times.

TractorPillow > V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches 01/21/2016 at 21:07

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Yep. Put around 13k on it in 2 years, but it shared DD duty with some other cars (Mazdaspeed3, 86 MB pillarless coupe, and ‘72 Mini). The Elise was amazing. Hoping to sell the Viper this coming summer and get into an older Evora.

Jack Does Cars > LJ909 01/21/2016 at 21:34

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If I had a 911 (Black/black Targa 4GTS with a manual, please.), it would be driven every single day. 911's were made to be daily drivers you could take to the track, after all .

traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn > bob and john 01/21/2016 at 21:56

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Yeah why would they want to keep the resale value anyway? It’s a depreciating asset man!

E92M3 > LJ909 01/21/2016 at 22:23

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Here’s my weird reasoning. I don’t have a $100k car, just a E92 M3. The M3 is garaged, my MDX stays outside. If it’s going to rain, I take the MDX. That way the M3 is only driven on nice days. Because of this it stays super clean. I probably only wash it 4 times a year (usually after a trackday), and wax lasts a whole year. The MDX I hardly wash either because I know the next time I drive it, it’s going to be in the rain. No matter how careful you are (even if you use the 2 bucket method), you’ll scratch the clear when washing/drying. I like to have 1 clean car, but not necessarily the process. I don’t have time to wash it properly on a weekly basis anyway. So, that method works great for me. It has nothing to do with mileage in my case.

His Stigness > Aaron M - MasoFiST 01/21/2016 at 22:35

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Ah but see when you’re not driving your BMW, you’re not driving at all. All these people he mentions are still driving, but driving utter pieces of shit. How the hell can someone with a brand new German car drive an old POS?

Tapas > LJ909 01/21/2016 at 22:38

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Holy crap. If I knew that many people who did that, I would be furious lol

Opposite Locksmith > TractorPillow 01/21/2016 at 22:44

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More than I've put on my WRX since I bought it more than four years ago. Fuck epilepsy

Übel > traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn 01/21/2016 at 22:46

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Not if you do it right!

LJ909 > E92M3 01/21/2016 at 22:50

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It’s a good clean car method. At least you actually track your M3 though.

V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches > TractorPillow 01/21/2016 at 23:44

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Cool ! What kind of MB did you have ?

BlackberryShawtyHasAnE46 > LJ909 01/21/2016 at 23:56

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I’ve never understood this either. I buy a car to drive it and enjoy much in the same way that I buy a balenciaga bag to use it. like yes it's nice but I'm not getting enjoyment from it sitting in my closet.

Vicente Esteve > LJ909 01/22/2016 at 00:08

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He got it because ever since he was a kid he told to himself “One day I’ll own x car”. He made enough money, bought a 911 and thought it was too much of a waste. He thought that it was sort of useless to have such a capable car and not be able to use even half of its potential. He swapped it for a Boxster, which IMO was pretty smart since it is mostly used for cruising.

He told me though that his dream of owning a Ferrari is not far away as he has visited the dealership in his city often. It’ll probably one of those bucket list moments in his life which I respect.

LJ909 > Vicente Esteve 01/22/2016 at 00:12

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At least he’s rational with his decisions. If people thought the way he did half of the cars on sale today wouldn’t be bought.

Clown Shoe Pilot > LJ909 01/22/2016 at 00:14

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Not as weird as when people form a plural with an apostrophe.

I don’t daily drive my Clown Shoe. Anything I can do to increase the interval between major wallet busting maintenance items, I do :)

Vicente Esteve > LJ909 01/22/2016 at 00:15

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He really is. He bought his wife a Cayenne just as they came out in 2004, and just last year traded it in for a new ML. He told me it was an expensive vehicle that he felt should last a damn long time.

Burn-Spaz1966-Burn > LJ909 01/22/2016 at 00:16

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Well if that is their dream car, maybe they are considering all the other drivers on the road. Unless you have the cash to replace it.

911e46z06 > LJ909 01/22/2016 at 00:28

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Dude, I have an ‘87 911 turbo-look cab. I bought it for 20 grand. Now it’s worth well over 100. I used to drive the shit out of it, but now that it’s worth a fortune, it causes physical pain to put miles on it. So no, I don’t find it weird. Oh, and the car looks like this:

LJ909 > 911e46z06 01/22/2016 at 00:41

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If I had 100k to spend on a car, I would make you an offer.

911e46z06 > LJ909 01/22/2016 at 00:43

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I wouldn’t sell it. It was my dads daily driver for most of my childhood. I give him shit every time I see him about how dumb he was to sell it to me when he did.

Also, full disclosure: I have other fun stuff to drive. So it’s not like I’m out riding around in a Camry while the Porsche sits idle.

Aaron M - MasoFiST > His Stigness 01/22/2016 at 06:05

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That is a completely fair distinction, though one of the examples did mention taking the train. I feel that these scenarios come down to either odd assumptions about how cars maintain their value, fear of parking outdoors in a general lot, or in a couple cases the car may be a pain in the ass to drive in a commute setting. I wouldn’t want to daily a C6 Corvette in Boston traffic, nor a Saleen Mustang.

I do agree with the general thrust of the post, I wouldn’t want to buy a car and not drive it.

TractorPillow > V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches 01/22/2016 at 07:28

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86 euro 420 SEC in great condition. No s600 like yours, but the most luxurious car I've owned, even being 30 years old.

V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches > TractorPillow 01/22/2016 at 08:16

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Those are awesome! I think that the W126 coupe is the best looking of the big S coupes. I’ve always wanted to have a 560/420 SEC. The W126 is such a well sorted design. If I ever have god money, I plan on making a W126 730 SEC. This one shows up at my local cars and coffee

Nonster > LJ909 01/22/2016 at 09:23

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I think its crazy. You should survey all the people you listed and then report back with their logic or reasoning behind it, might be a good read.

I think a lot of people simply care about image or impressions that their cars make.

LJ909 > Nonster 01/22/2016 at 09:39

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Hey that is a good idea. I’ll do that this weekend.

B_dol > LJ909 01/22/2016 at 18:46

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Doing my best to combat this trend, but sometimes the mileage/weather/traffic makes me feel dumb.

I think my car has maybe another year, 2 tops of daily driver duties before I need to sideline it to <7K a year.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > LJ909 01/28/2016 at 15:54

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It’s a free county, and people can do what they want with their stuff, but I don’t get it either. If you’ve spent good money on something nice and pleasing to drive, regularly enjoy the niceness and pleasure of it! I’m hoping to take my E90 M3 past 200k, fwiw (2/5ths of the way there).

A comparison: buying the absolute best, most luxurious and comfortable mattress in the world, but sleeping on the couch 5 days a week in fear of wearing it out.

MarkD69 > BlackberryShawtyHasAnE46 08/13/2018 at 21:10

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If you beat it up it won’t be nice anymore not to mention if you put high miles on it you’ll be upside down in your loan . It adds up over time. So when u go to trade it in you can get an even nicer car for less money . Or u can keep buying the same class of car over and over again because you keep running the piss out of it.  Maybe that’s how the individual got the nice car in the first place

MarkD69 > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 08/13/2018 at 21:21

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Would you wear your brand new $ 200 shoes to cut grass in ? why not they’re more comfortable and nice looking 

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > MarkD69 08/13/2018 at 22:24

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I’m not saying you should take your new GT3 bombing down forest service roads...