well my z is my DD now, but the more i drive it the more i wish i could take a little better care of it. i hate getting it dirty(its black) and clean it as often as a i can, but hate leaving in parking lots and adding wear and tare every day. i drive about 200 miles a week. its not about the gas really, just want to take a little better care of the baby!! dont get me wrong i love driving the car...money isnt exactly growing on trees for me, but do you guys think i should try and get myself a little beater to do the dirty work of life?

 

well anybody who has a very nice very clean car would like to have somthin else to drive instead....if u can afford it then yea y not....but look i got my SS when i was 19(22 now)...it had 26k on it...now 64k....if u pay close attention to detail(wash, wax,etc) on week/monthly basis....and not to mention the basic maintainece then u have nothing to worry about....hell u can never drive the thing and keep it clean and the minute u pull outta the driveway some kid flings rocks on ur car from bikin, bladin whatever....dont get me wrong i LOVE my F-bod but when it comes down to it...it STILL is a car and its expendable....enjoy it

 

Ya i also started to DD my Z(also black) about 2mo. ago, but if you take care of your car like SS stated above, you got nothing to worry about. Besides, i have learned to wash and dry my car faster and more thorough than when it was garaged most of the time. And i truly love driving this thing, just keep on the maintainence!

 

Get a DD. It's the way to go, IMO. Keeps the 'toy' car looking it's best for years to come.

 

I bought mine to be a DD. The 4x4's sit in the garage for weekend use. No sense suffering through life in a shitbox commuter. I did my time doing that.

 

yea you paid for it enjoy it, dont let it sit in the garage to stare at, DRIVE it. I tried teh beater thing and you are goin to get sick of driving a POS EVERY day...TRUST ME

 

when and if i ever get a DD it will most likely be another LS1 or LT1 preferably for my DD

 

I'd rather not expose my Camaro to a high speed road salt bath every winter and a constant bombardment of rock strikes on my daily 70+ mile highway commute. I just care too much about the car to ever see it become a trashed piece of ****. That's what eventually happens to all daily drivers in a climate that sees losts of snow/salt.

 

Yea I guess, thats one good thing about NC, I know what your talkin about I used to live in Indiana, I guess it all depends if your car is that nice, I couldnt stand to see that happening to my T/A so I bought my Camaro that had a little more miles on it and wasnt perfect so I didnt have to worry about it as much, but yea if the cars mint I can see where your commin from

 

hehe judging by ur pic....my car looks just as good as urs (red) and it has been in all sorts of weather in the past 3 years.....granted i have to wax it once a month...but since i dont have a garage and its my only ride...if i care to have it lookin like new i have to bust my *** but hey its worth it

 

If you take good care of it regardlessif its your DD, im sure it still will look as good as it the day you got it. Or the day it was purchased.

People still cant believe my ar is a '99. They are liek wow THATS 8 years old? hehe.

I just try and wax it once every couple of months, then clay it twice a year maybe and keep it ice'd or detail sprayed constantly with the california bush thing. Wash it weekly or bi-weekly.

I find it harder or more tedious to keep the interior as nice and clean as I would like. Damn cat hair gts all over the leather dash and I can never keep the floormats clean.

 

I've had my 81 Camaro since I was 16 years old...and I'm 30 now. I've had a daily driver since I was 18, and I say that if it's a car that you plan on keeping looking nice for LONG time, then you should get a daily driver...as I have had since I was 18. You'll be able to keep it clean for a while, but eventually all of the driving, parking, and weather will take its toll.

If you don't plan on keeping your car much more than a few years, then enjoy it now and drive it as much as you can and don't worry about a DD.

 

well im not saying put the car in a garage and let it sit...my dad does that with his 65 goat. that thing comes out once a month maybe (damn nice car though so i understand). i dont mind the maitnence, i love washin the car, one of the most relaxing things i do...there is just only so much you can do with year round all weather abuse. just wanted to see how many guys are using another car for work driving, **** weather, and winter.

and i definetly enjoy the car...

 

Very nice

 

get a bike.. helps alot on gas and are very fun to drive. if u like to use ur car as a dd, but want to keep the mileage low or dont want it to get dirty too often, then just simply get a $7k crotchrocket, and on rainy days, just use the car.

thats my plan, at least. savin up money now just to get a bike i want. buddy of mine fills up his "tank" for $10 and lasts him 2 weeks. it costs me $10 to drive my a4 ls1 out the parking lot. i already paid the car off, so thats why im going ahead with a bike purchase.. kinda tough on the account but, its half of wut i paid for the car, so payments are much less (as well as insurance).

 

It's the details that separate a well cared for daily driver, and one that never sees any sort of bad weather at all. Waxing alone isn't what makes the difference. It's all in the details (engine bay, undercarrige, wheel wells, trim, interior, glass, etc.). If you daily drive the car, these details will show their age over time no matter how often you wash and wax the car. Even more so when you live in a nasty climate like mine.

If you ever come to Chicago, take a look at any 10 year old car that's been driven every winter around here....then come see my car; you'll understand what I'm getting at then.

 

Excellent advice.

 

lol i dont doubt that...hehe i guess i shoulda told ya my car has been to the body shop 3 times in the 3 years ive had it...(2 of which were NOT my fault)...so yea the whole body on the car has practicly been replaced (in 3 years of time) and reapainted soooo people are foever freakin when i tell em its a 99 w/ over 60k on it....i got that before anything got replaced too though.....i do detail the hell outta it too...i actuall had a random guy come up walk right past me and look up and down the side of my car and turned and said to me "you done a hellofa detail job on this car"....i said thanks but was kinda wierded out until he said he had done detail work for 15+ years

 

yeah i was def thinking about a bike...have to get a license and all that crap but i grew up riding dirt bikes so its no biggy...tempting...

 

Do get a DD. I'm STILL in the market for a beater, and I actually *hate* having to take my Z to work.

I'm all about enjoying my car and owning it for a long time, but I know exactly what Rybo and RPM are talking about when they recommend a beater, and I'm only 21. I've only owned my car for about two years, but I DD it so often, for such long distances, that it's already starting to show wear for an otherwise well-kept car.