Iroc588

iTrader: (1)

So i picked up a yellow 86 iroc a while ago for my first car its all original yellow on black custom cloth interior only 86k miles and in outstanding condition now my problem is should i daily drive this thing or try to keep it as clean as possible and get a beater now keep in mind i blew all my money on this thing and if i were to get a beater it would have to be a thirdgen, i took the car to a few shows and i had about 6 people come over and tell me not to drive it and get something else and i agree but i also want to enjoy it and drive it i also had multiple people ask to buy it for way more than i spent on it which makes me think ok this car is rare but is it really that rare to the point where i shouldnt drive it, so there should i daily it or not because its kinda hard to find a third gen you can daily with out spending a fortune feed back is much appreciated

p.s if i didnt post this in the correct area feel free to delete or move to the correct forum

cougar20th

My feeling is it was meant to be driven. Get out and enjoy it. Its not one of the super low mileage time capsule cars.

Btw, beautiful car.

topduarte

iTrader: (8)

I limited my 92 z28 with 59k original miles to 1000 miles per year with Hagerty insurance.

It is your call.

Drew

iTrader: (58)

It depends where you're located, and what your weather is like. Salty winter roads with lots of sand for grip will eat a thirdgen in a few seasons. Hail is always on my mind. You also can't control other inattentive drivers, insurance adjusters, and so on.

I drove my 83 Camaro through two South Dakota winters, it got in a fender bender and I had the body shop fix all the light rust that was starting to show up along the rockers and behind the wheels. After another harsh winter it was all chewed up again and the rust was setting in again. Since then my thirdgens have all been fair weather cars, aside from my beater 91 Firebird. When that car went to the junkyard and the gfx were robbed, I understand there was a lot of rust underneath.

Another thing to consider is that it's a relatively safe bet that the car isn't remotely waterproof anymore. The seam sealers GM used on these cars have long since turned brittle and cracked. Even when it looks ok, there's usually water getting around it. I'd suggest going as far as limiting the water during washes to keep the damage to a minimum.

chazman

iTrader: (4)

Drive it, but like Drew said, avoid the weather.

ironwill

It's your car; drive it as you see fit. I would, however, add that, as already mentioned, you'd do well to avoid snow and salt in the Winter by having a 2nd vehicle to drive at that time.

dmccain

iTrader: (2)

You wont enjoy watching it collect dust in the shed. Drive it but not in inclement weather and such. I wouldn't daily drive it honestly but drive it and enjoy it as much as you can. Gorgeous car btw!

RKeats

IMO, value wise, putting some mileage on it at this point won't really have an effect on value. Especially if you keep it nice and clean. As a daily driver and only vehicle though, regardless of condition, a pretty original car will need quite a decent number of down days through the year as things will inevitably break and usually leave you stuck. As for the year round thing, don't even try it. Driving a third gen in snow is about as good as riding a skate board through a blizzard. Not to mention the rust, the paint damage, the salt stains on your carpet, and that's just a few examples

Iroc588

iTrader: (1)

Ok well thanks so much for the feedback it really does help i have just a few more questions i live in new york so we get heavy winters occasionally i dont have a garage i store the car on my driveway under a weather proof cover thats not the best in the world and i was just wondering is rust still gonna be a huge factor if i dont drive it and just keep it under the cover over the winter or is there more precautions i should take for rust prevention mind you this car has spent its entire life in a nice cozy garage before i got it so theres not a spec of rust anywhere and i dont want to leave it out over the winter and comeback in the spring to see bubbling popping up any help is much appreciated

ironwill

Any unpainted metal surfaces such as the suspension, exhaust system, etc., will surface-rust just from the moisture in the air; the only real prevention is indoor storage in an enclosed garage. Car "covers" used as the only weather barrier can be a double-edged sword; some will trap moisture and cause mold to form on the vehicle.

dmccain

iTrader: (2)

100% agree!!!

Tootie Pang

iTrader: (2)

YOLO

vinny R

The reason your car is in such nice shape is because it was garaged kept. If you leave it outside even under a cover it is only a matter of time before it starts to turn for the worse. To me. IMHO, this is a fate worse than driving it every day. With that said I would just drive it and enjoy it. I think worrying about what is happening under the cover is worse than worrying about adding some miles on the car..BTW make sure you use a good cover, don't cheap out. I did and it cost me a blemish on paint where water got under it and then the sun came out and "Steamed" my clear coat and left it white and milky looking.

Iroc588

iTrader: (1)

damn that actually happened already the water sat on the nose while i was out on vacation and i came back there was stripes of clear coat gone and i was sooo pissed i tried getting a refund but the company only insisted in giving me a new cover i really have no clue on which cover to get ive looked around and my father has a vinyl cover for his vette for the past 6 years and it worked awesome but i cant seem to find a company that makes one for a thirdgen, it sucks to spend 140 dollars on a cover just to have it screw you over ive been thinking of just getting a vinyl cover that they would put on like a boat or something and get one a similar size to the car and put that over the cover to keep the water off

thtanner

iTrader: (1)

They're meant to be driven, but using it for a commute seems wasteful. I'd get a 4 cylinder ecobox for that. I'm not opposed to putting a ton of miles on a car like that, but they should be fun miles

ray jr

iTrader: (2)

nice car , drive it as much as you can before the weather hits .. try and find some cheap indoor storage if you can .. as far as rare , not really .. its a 80k mile yellow 86 iroc and really nothing special but looks like a real nice car to drive around in ..

Big&BadGTA

iTrader: (1)

With that many miles, it's already a "driven car", so keep on driving...

no new tires

RENT A STORAGE UNIT!

KyleF

Congratulations, that is a beautiful car. There are plenty sub 5k and sub 1K mile cars locked away. Your car will never compete with these in the value arena. The condition is what makes your car special. Drive it, enjoy it, and just take care of it. Avoid weather when possible and clean it up well after if you get caught in it.

A beater would probably be helpful, but enjoy the IROC.

ksr

"To drive or not to drive" is a conundrum for me as well. My GTA had 32K on it when I bought it in Feb. of 2019. I'm up to 35.5K now. I'm torn between just driving it all the time, or keeping it really clean. Over the next decade I think it could really increase in value, but I didn't buy it as any sort of investment. I bought it because I like it. I really don't see myself ever selling it.

There's no point in dying rich, enjoy your life and spend your money. Kind of the same thing with my Firebird. Why die with a low-mileage car? (I hope I'm not that close to the end, but I think you get the idea.)

KyleF

This is why I try to buy nice mid tier mile cars.

Enough miles that driving them won't hurt the value
Not enough miles to greatly affect the overall condition.

I prefer some rock chips and some wear. I don't have to be super careful with them and can just enjoy. Then when I am ready to move on it is still marketable.

I believe Low Mile Thirdgens start below 5K miles. Plenty in that category come up for sale if you want an investment grade car to gamble on. Then, it better be unique in some aspect if you really want to odds of long term value to be on your side.

WildCard600

I would get something else for a beater during the winter in NY. I'm from New England originally and have seen so many nice cars ruined by rust and salt it makes me sick. When I lived up that way anything I cared about would not get driven after the first snowfall and not before all snow melted and we had multiple good hard rains to wash the leftover salt off the roads. A guy I worked with had a motorcycle get all rusted to crap after a few years because he would start riding it as soon as the snow melted and the temps rose.

ksr

That's something I don't miss since moving south. When I lived in Pittsburgh, the roads would be bleached white during the winter from all the salt they use. I think they overuse it, dumping tons of salt everywhere at the slightest hint of snow. In recent winters, even mild ones, they use so much salt that the various municipalities, complain that they're running low by the end of January.

88IROCvertZ

iTrader: (1)

I wouldn’t worry about putting too many miles on, especially with almost 90k on there now...

but the car looks like it’s in nice shape...

To keep it in nice shape it should be garaged during inclement weather... When I first got my IROC I hadn’t bought my house yet so my plan was to keep it in the driveway to the house we were renting May-Nov and in the winter I was going to store it at my parents garage 1.5 hours away. Not ideal, but luckily we ended up with a two car garage soon after. I did get the Coverking Autobody armor cover which is a multiple layer, form fitting breathable cover that even claims to prefect the car from dings.. It’s not cheap at somewhere around $400-600 and it’s pretty bulky and heavy to store. It has a soft micro cotton underside so it won’t scratch or damage the finish either. I also wouldn’t park the car on grass. If you keep the car clean and dry it will stay nicer for longer...

I’d get a beater 4cyl Corolla or small truck... something to beat around during the bad weather just to keep the IROC nice... If you have winter, make a deal with someone to store it somewhere. I met a guy at a cruise night that traded a guy winter storage for snow removal in the winter..

I’m all about keeping these cars clean and dry...but drive all you want! They can start getting rust bubbles around the rear fender wells even if they just get daily driven in rain after a bunch of seasons.. If you want to keep your paint nice you can’t throw a cover on a dirty car either...

dmccain

iTrader: (2)

Get one of these lil fellows like I got to commute to work, drive in nasty weather, wal mart trips,.. etc. Save the Iroc for those beautiful weather days.