[net.auto] Low mileage older cars

mrl@drutx.UUCP (LongoMR) (07/29/85)

I can't get to 2000 miles/year, but my 66 shelby is sitting with 98K on it.
However, I have a friend in Pueblo who owns a 1965 GT350 with
36K original miles (2nd owner with verifiable mileage). As far as the
all time low goes, I remember reading an article on a '71 El Camino (I think)
in an issue of Car Exchange about 2 years ago that had 13 (yup! thirteen)
miles on it. The original owner apparently drove the car from the dealership 
to his home and stored it there, starting it up every few months to keep 
the juices flowing.

For the uninitiated, looking for a 20 year old car with 75K or less is
not unreasonable. There are plenty out there. Pick up a copy of Hemmings or
Old Cars and you will see several such automobiles being offered for sale
in each issue. It takes some legwork and a lot of looking, but for someone
who is willing to take the time and make the effort to look, it is
actually relatively easy to find these cars.

Oh yeah, one more example. A friend of mine owns a 71 corvette with 21K miles
on it. He bought it new and drove it for 1 year, put 16K on it, then covered
it up and now drives it only occasionally. (yuk yuk, har har, ahem ahem!)
		Mark Longo	AT&T ISL  Denver

wjh@bonnie.UUCP (Bill Hery) (07/30/85)

>   Oh yeah, one more example. A friend of mine owns a 71 corvette with 21K miles
>   on it. He bought it new and drove it for 1 year, put 16K on it, then covered
>   it up and now drives it only occasionally. (yuk yuk, har har, ahem ahem!)
>   

And '73 was the year of the oil embargo, the first round of gas lines, and the
first doubling of gas prices.

cb@hlwpc.UUCP (Carl Blesch) (07/30/85)

> For the uninitiated, looking for a 20 year old car with 75K or less is
> not unreasonable. There are plenty out there. Pick up a copy of Hemmings or
> Old Cars and you will see several such automobiles being offered for sale
> in each issue. It takes some legwork and a lot of looking, but for someone
> who is willing to take the time and make the effort to look, it is
> actually relatively easy to find these cars.
> 		Mark Longo	AT&T ISL  Denver

The August 5, 1985 issue of Business Week has an article on buying
postwar collector cars in its "Personal Business Supplement" section on
page 86.  They too note that low-mileage cars from the fifties can be
found, and cite some of the same references listed above.  The article
is probably too elementary for real collectors, but a good overview
for people like me who know next to nothing about it.
		Carl Blesch

pz@emacs.uucp (Paul Czarnecki) (08/05/85)

In article <583@hlwpc.UUCP> cb@hlwpc.UUCP (Carl Blesch) writes:
>          They too note that low-mileage cars from the fifties can be
>found, and cite some of the same references listed above.

How about my aunt's car?  1954 Ford Customline with ~60K miles on it.
It has been garaged since '54 and used at least a couple times a month.
This is her driving car, not a pampered stored car.  This is an Honest
Little Old Lady Who Drives it to Church on Sunday car.

She has only a little trouble getting it serviced at the local Ford
dealer but she does have problems getting tires for it.

No it is not for sale, she'd love to replace it, but with what?
Something that will break in 5 years?  Or something that cost $20K?

					pZ
-- 
-- Laying here, Lyin' in bed.

   Paul Czarnecki
   Uniworks			decvax!{wanginst!infinet, cca}!emacs!pz
   20 William Street		emacs!pz@cca-unix.ARPA
   Wellesley, MA 02181		(617) 235-2600

toma@tekchips.UUCP (Tom Almy) (08/06/85)

My Mother-in-law's 1978 Olds Cutlass has 8k miles on it, and is garaged.
Needless to say, it looks like new.