How do you not drive these low mileage cars?

 

Rarely driven and garaged most of their life, I guess.

 

I do!

3950 miles on the clock when I picked it up in march.

Rolling over to 4800 tomorrow.

Now, I only spend 4 months a year at home, the rest of the year I'm at sea, so even if it's my "daily driver" it will only get 3-4k a year, and I'm cool with that. It will take many years to make it to even 40k

It's a very smooth ride, and comfortable. I love my 'Bird.

 

The truck (78 C10) is my DD, currently at 41k miles. The Camaro goes to work on sunny Fridays. The Equinox is the wife's car. At some point I'll get a black Silverado 2500 HD or a white Camaro 1LE (fifthgen) to drive regularly... after the lottery of course.

 

Try this again...

Amanda





http://www.blueridgeheritage.com/tra...y/amanda-crowe

"Amanda" is a mostly original completly stock 1986 Pontiac Trans AM WS6 with T-Tops. The car currently has 29,700 actual miles on her clock. She is completely stock except for a hidden CD player which plays through the OE stereo through an FM modulator. I have owned the car since 2006. When I purchased the car it had 25K miles on it. The car is named for her original owner, Amanda Crowe, a famous Native American Wood Carving artist.

Crowe bought the car from Harry's Pontiac in Asheville, NC on a Saturday in 1986. The car had not been dealer prepped. Amanda was instructed to return the car the following week for the dealer prep, however she never returned the car to the dealership. Consequently the car still has many of the factory OK to ship stickers still in place today. Amanda Crowe was an avid car collector, and used the car for her "Sunday Afternoon Car." It was stored in her garage with the rest of her collection.

Amanda came from the factory with the Pontiac Performance Sound option as well as the Cross Laced Wheels option. The engine is the 305 TPI, and the car came equiped with the 3:27 9 bolt axle.

 

That car has some really cool history. I'm glad Amanda found someone who appreciated how original she was.

EDIT: What does the license plate mean? Lee's?

 

Cool story about Amanda, very nice car!

 

Had the car out for a drive today...thought I'd add a few more pics:

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphoto...77951470_n.jpg

http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphoto...83649044_n.jpg

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphoto...50469836_n.jpg

 

Thats a very nice '84 Z28!

 

Thanks for the compliments. There are lots of cool cars in this tread and also on this site, some that have not been posted on this tread.

Amanda leads an easy life now, but she almost did not make it at all. After Crowe's death in 2004, the car fell into two years of total neglect. The car had little use and no maintenance for about four years do to Crowe's illness prior to her death. When I bought the car, we were not sure that it ran, what worked, what was broken.

It turned out that the car was parked with the fuel tank completely empty. It appeared that the engine had been run out of gas, maybe on purpose, maybe by accident. The ignition was on, the car was out of gas and the battery was stone dead.

My original plan was to get the car back on the road and autocross it on the weekends. As the rehab of the car continued ( I use the word rehab, because it was not what one would think of as a restoration) I realized that the car was too special to modify.

In 2009 we attended the F-Body Gathering held in Atlanta every year on Memorial Weekend. Amanda earned Class Winner for stock 82-87 Firebird. Granted, there is not much competition for that class, still we were pleasently shocked. Amanda has earned class winner three more times, and earned Best Firebird awarded by Scott Settlemire on General Motors in 2010.

Right now, that is her life. Amanda lives in an air-conditioned race car trailer, and rides to out of town events behind our F-350. We drive her on the Tail of the Dragon once in a while and usually drive her to the spring and fall Rod Runs in Pegion Forge TN.

Since Amanda has already outlived one owner, and I am 56 years-old, there is a fair chance that the car will outlive me. My hope is that the car ends up with another die-hard F-Body fan who is more collector then modifier, and the car can continue in its stock form. For that reason, I may at some time make the decision to sell the car to the right buyer. Right now I am having too much fun with it.

Charles

 

very clean!! nice

 

I have to say I could leave that car stock. And it could be garage kept. but if I ever got my hands on it....well it would get driven

 

Beautiful!

 

Beautiful! Love the color.

 

The car does get driven at least once a week, and we drive it whan we want to drive it. I keep it road ready at any given moment, and have no reservations loading up and hitting the road. Fortunately I am at a point in my life that the car does not have to be a daily driver. Avoiding running up the mileage too high, too fast, is common sense. No point in subjecting it to parking lot dings, road salt, and other hazards of DD. Once the mileage is put on the car, it can never go back to what it is was. You can restore a car better than original, but you can't make it original again.

I want to purchase another very low mile original, probably an 86-92 Z-28 or IROC with T-tops, and will use it the same way as the car I have now. I also have plans to purchase a nice clean stock high mileage car to build it like I want it. Maybe an 87-89 Formy L-98 stick shift car, probably a hard top.
Charles

 

I love it!!! I honestly don't care for tinted windows on "original" cars, but even those look great with the color.

 

This was my fourth Trans AM, and third Thirdgen. It is an 83 base model, that I bought brand new in Griner Pontiac in Valdosta Ga in 1983. Unfortunately, I had a lasp of judgement and sold the car in 2003, after owning it for 20 years. It had 43K miles on it. I should have kept it, installed a 383, WS6 running gear, but kept it stock looking. It would have made an awesome sleeper...

 

this is my 86 Berlinetta "starship camaro" all original and all stock
sorry for bad picture quality

 

I really appreciate all the comments from everyone about my Z. There are some very fine third gens represented here from all over the country! I truly love viewing the pics of them and reading about the histories of each one. I believe this has been my favorite thread so far! Keep 'em coming! Thanks again!

 

I've had my Z-28 for 21 years. I've averaged putting about 1300 per year on it. I drive it to the store, to go get lunch and an occasionally to work or a little cruise. I try not to drive it in the rain and its never seen snow. I also don't drive it when its really hot outside. Sounds like I'm picky as to when I drive my Z-28.........??? Damn straight.

 

Th car isn't really a sitter. I drove it from Minneapolis to Ann Arbor, Michigan for Camaro SuperFest many years ago, It's been driven to Atlanta from Orlando for the Fbody Gathering, and I took it on the Hot Rod Power Tour last year from Cocoa Beach, FL to Indy. It gets driven when the weather is nice. Because of the 1000 point judging that I've had the car in and the attention to detail, I hate driving the car if it looks like rain, and living in Florida, we get rain daily in the summer. I also drive the car hard! I love the sound of the engine roaring and the tires squealing. The mudflaps will stay on the rear of my car. No gravel roads for me, but the burnouts can still damage paint!

 

Scott, I remember your car from the F Body Gathering a few years back. It looks great in pictures, but is truly stunning in person. I can't figure out how you keep it looking so pristine, and still drive it.

 

well thats good to hear. man i wish i could have seen that in person when you went to indy!

 

I get a lot of crap for not driving the car if it looks like rain, but when you put hours of detailing into the wheel wells, engine compartment, interior and undercarriage, rims, etc, you don't subject yourself to that much additional work. I have to say though that I bought the car to enjoy it and I do enjoy it, but not when I can't drive it. That's why we did the Power Tour. In a hope that I would get over my obsession for clean and just enjoy the car. I spent a week cleaning it after I got home!

The one thing that might change my mind is if I can get some "fillers" for over the headlights. Chevrolet designed this area to be an air intake area for the carb'd cars, but with TPI, it's just an area for rain mist and dust to enter the engine compartment.

 

once again i wish my car was nice enough to keep this clean, i mean atleast to warrant an understanding of why i keep it this clean

 

Really like your IROC Scott. I also "feel your pain" so to speak. I spend alot of time detailing my car (when I can get a "kitchen pass" from the wife!) but I bought the car to enjoy, not stare at. I have people give me crap too because my car is fairly low miles, but I just can't stand to not drive it when I can. I have no intention to ever sell it (unless an unrefusable offer presents itself) so why not drive and enjoy it? It was made to DRIVE!

 

Scott, my car would never make it in the 1000 point shows. My idea of detailing the undercarriage is washing the mud out so it does not rust. We live on the side of a mountain, and mud is a fact of life. I had considered doing a complete resto on my car, to make it a 1000 point car. Jim K. the Judge at the Gatherings talked me out of it. He said that the car only gets to be original once, and in its condition the car is drivable and enjoyable as a car. Once a full restoration is complete, I would want to place it in a giant Zip Lock bag and only take it out once in a while to look at it. Than it really would be a trailer queen. I do admire someone like yourself who has the patience to detail one so that it looks new.

 

Just picked up an original (sort of) 84 z28 matrix3 conv. Will join my 84 autoform conv in my garage.

 

Eh, I'm the same way... well not on detailing wheel wells and undercarriage, but the avoiding rain part. However, the weather forecast here in the panhandle is thunderstorms every day of the week for the rest of eternity, but you never know when or if that storm will hit. For example, yesterday was "Thunderstorms" but it was beautiful and sunny all day until about 30 minutes in the afternoon, during which it poured.

Here I am at 16k miles getting caught in one of those surprise Florida bursts:


My car gets driven. I've had it for about 2 years and have already put close to 8k miles on it. The mileage has definitely slowed and will continue to slow, but I do take it out and enjoy it. I bought a low-mile survivor because I missed the chance to by a thirdgen new. So this is a "new car" time machine sorta deal.

 

I'm very paranoid of rain with the '89. The others, not so much. I get REALLY annoyed when people say, "don't worry, it's not going to melt". Of course it won't melt, pinhead. But those folks also don't appreciate how many hours of work it takes to detail an undercarriage, wheelwells, wheels and engine compartment.

Of course, sometimes rain can't be avoided. My '89 has seen rain three times. The ride home on the day I picked up at the dealer and two other freaky, surprise rainstorms.

 

My wife yelled at Scott Settlemire at one of the shows for allowing GM to make cars that can't get wet! She just doesn't understand the amount of work involved in getting the road grime off the car.

I've gotten my 997/1000 points, which I think is very generous so I try to just enjoy the car now. I've only done 1 show a year the past few years and that was the NPD All GM show in Ocala, FL. The people putting on car shows these days feel that they will get a better turnout if people can go home with a trophy. I *HATE* getting 1st place in my class at every show because all of my competition was classed differently. I took 3rd place last year at the NPD show. They only give 1 award for the entire 3rd gen fbody class and obviously the crowd wanted a very highly modified car to win. I don't mind losing that way. It also makes winning that trophy so much more honorable!

 

What show did they have 1000 point judging?

 

The FBody Gathering in Atlanta used to have 1000 point judging. I used to be one of the judges! The WinterNationals in Orlando every February also does 1000 point. I haven't been in 1000 point for about 5 years now and don't really have any interest. I see cars crossing Barrett-Jackson or Mecum that say they were judged by the US Camaro Club or Worldwide Camaro and received 980+ scores and they use that as a selling point. I now have multiple Platinum Awards. If I ever sell the car, they should help increase the value by another $5! I don't know if these have the same prestige as the Bloomington Gold for Vettes, but the car has it's own value and the awards are only extras.

 

Some beautys in here, boys. I don't get to see mine much, as it's garaged at my parents house in Wisconsin. I plan on getting some more/better pics on my next visit. 86' TA. Bought new by my grandfather, later sold to me(with 3k miles on it), later sold to help pay for my schooling and, miraculously, bought back by my father long after I moved to California. It will be kept as nice, low mile and original as possible until I can pass it on to my nephew when he's old enough to drive(he's 5 now. haha) Just turned 50k miles when i drove it a little bit on my last visit to Wisconsin(wasn't snowing) for Christmas with my family. Only the muffler and stereo system have been changed.(well, the hood bird decal too. didn't come that way. The guy I sold it to, those years ago, had that put on.) I like the look so I kept it on.













That's my brother-in-law, neice and the earlier mentioned nephew(in the back seat) after winning at a small, local car show.

 

1988 IROC-Z 5.7 83K miles. As it was when GM made it in 88.

 

these are the only photos i have of when the car was original minus the wheels, the cragars are no longer on this car, the black crosslace on are now. Im in the middle of restoring the exterior.

 

ahhhh.... i wish my white firebird was that straight, look at those body lines. perfect...

 

Ignore the wheels... i have factory's in the shed. All original, radio, exhaust, everything but the wheels in these pics. 22k original miles 1984 TA with T-tops

 

86 Z28 Camaro, the way we got it, we are repainting it though and redoing the whole interior.

 

This might be the way you got it, but that is not "All Original" or "Stock". The painted hood louvers, windshield decal, rims and painted ground effects are not correct.

 

Wow. Great looking cars, guys. I, especially, like that 84' TA.

 

All original 1986 trans am. LB9. WS6. Borg Wagner rear end.

 

The 86's are showing sweet in here. Thanks for all the pics.

 

My pride and joy.... 1984 Trans Am, black with t-tops, light sand grey interior, silver trim and striping, only missing one decal on the hood, 22K original miles, no rust, 305 4bbl, ALL STOCK (please ignore the wheels in these pics. i have stock ones in my shed)

 

Thanks! I posted better and bigger pictures. My bad on the first post

 

^^Damn man. Be proud that's a sweet *** TA. Just awesome. Thanks for the pics.

 

Who's that little person on your hood

 

Here is a picture of mine at the old house. I haven't really driven this thing for years.

I have been collecting some odds and ends that I now started to install. I do want to get this back on the road and enjoy it. No sense to keep it sitting. I think it has nearly ~70k on the clock, but I am over the fact to try and keep cars, don't drive them for no apparent reason but to keep the mileage down. Shoot, wrench on them, shine them up and hit the open road!

 

Haha not sure. Nice IROC in the next post, btw.

 

That is a really clean looking IROC that you have. Did your car come with those mud flaps? I've been trying to find some and haven't had much luck.