When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
So I ended up paying $108 dollars shipped for this piece of plastic already painted. I will say, the color matches 100%. I purchased this from Afterthoughts eBay account. It was more expensive at their direct website, but found them on eBay with a cheaper cost. They shipped right away and recommend them for sure.
The Trans Am has always been my favorite car and now that I have the time for a collection, I plan on getting the 25th and 15th anniversary next very soon to fill up my toy garage. I do drive it and will drive them here and there (local store/nice ride around town). Will be taking them to local car shows etc. I recently picked up my CETA from a local older man who had it garaged, only had 22k miles. Its nice to have a collection and have them to take to shows with my kids. Making memories with the kids and will pass them down to them.
That's just my opinion on why I do it, and I'm sure each person who does this has their own story. Its a hobby, just an expensive one lol.
Many stories here. I find the Firebirds to be works of art like corvettes but, at a reduced cost. They are fun to drive on the weekend and there are not many out there. Collector Edition or not you need to drive these things a few thousand miles a year to keep them running right. Do your maintenance and they will be worth some money in the future.
I shoot for about 3K per year and that gives me plenty of weekend time in each of my cars.
My hobby is also expensive but, not as expensive as if I had bought them new.
I have many car instead of that one Porsche or Lambo in the garage. I can drive my car and they do not lose much money or value. I do work hard to maintain them. I believe that is the key. It is also my therapy.
Collector Edition or not you need to drive these things a few thousand miles a year to keep them running right....
I shoot for about 3K per year and that gives me plenty of weekend time in each of my cars.
No need to drive them even that much, unless of course you want to. I'm at 18k miles on my '98, which is an average of ~1k per year overall but in recent years I've only put about ~500 miles on it annually. The key here is to use proper additives in the fuel and make sure to run at least one tank through it every year. This car is almost 20 years old now, and it runs great with all the original parts. Despite some urban legends, nothing has rotted away and no serious issues have developed from letting it sit. As I always like to point out, for about a decade I owned a daily driver '02 Z28 right along side my limited use '98 Z28. The '02 car developed many more leaks/weeps/seeps and various other failed parts during that period than the '98 has during it's entire life. In my experience, mileage/heat cycling/regular use is much harder on a car than careful limited use - assuming that maintenance is respectively proper for either application.
I know some folks can't imagine owning a car that barely gets driven, but it's just a matter of different strokes. Some of us like the time capsule experience and/or show the cars at a competitive level, which necessitates garage queen status most of the time. I've owned my current '98 for nearly 14 years now and I've never once been caught in the rain even. Pleasure and enjoyment mean different things to different people, and while I certainly love to drive these cars I also like to preserve them. For me, the best answer to this quest is to just own more than one.
Originally Posted by Mecinoid
I do work hard to maintain them. I believe that is the key.
I definitely agree here. One reason for the stereotype that garage queens "rot away" is because many receive totally inadequate maintenance for their role; fluids don't ever get changed, fuel isn't stored properly, overall storage conditions are lacking, car doesn't get driven for years on end, etc. There is always more to the story than just being a "limited use" vehicle. Any car can break, sometimes parts fail on brand new cars, so there is no guarantee whether you drive it every day or only six times per year, but what really helps prevent issues is proper maintenance over the long term, tailored to the role of the vehicle.
08-03-2017, 07:08 PM
