Does anybody drive less than me?

[lihpster]

Most of my driving is on track. I average about 1-2k laps a year (2.3 miles per lap) so about 3500 miles a year. It’s only 36 miles round trip to Whiskey Hill, which is the only thing that keeps me in this horrid state…

They do have tracks in other states, just saying.

 

[Bullet Bob]

It's great being retired, isn't it? I like driving, other drivers - not so much. Since I retired usually I have lunch with a friend and go grocery shopping one day a week. It's 45 miles round-trip to the nearest grocery store, mostly on two-lane country roads, so I don't worry about keeping the battery charged. I usually only use ethanol free gas. Two or three times a year I'll travel three hours one way to see relatives or friends.

It's funny I finally have all the time I want to ride motorcycles, and to get to curvy roads I only have to go to the end of my driveway. But physically? You win some, you lose some.

 

[quikdraw67]

I bought a brand spanking new Pontiac Bonneville on Leap Day in 1980. It has been my pride and joy now for over 44 years.

Living in Buffalo, NY, my plan was to keep it as a "family car" and never drive it in the Winter on salt-laden roads.

As such, every October after an annual coat of wax, he is put in the back of the garage and covered up, waiting for Spring.

As luck would have it, back in about 1990, my son broke his arm and I was out of town with the other car on a business trip, so the wife pulled off the cover and took him to the hospital. I came back home 3 days later. As more luck would have it, the day was warm and sunny, so I got him out, washed the undercarriage thoroughly and got the cover back on.

As the years went by we were able to get another car and "Old Blue" was fully retired. Now he gets driven about 60 miles a year, and mostly to Cruise Night.

What's most interesting that here is a car with NO computer and a carburetor. Yet, he even runs quite well with 3 year old E10 gasoline.

Just had him out two days ago after 6 months idle. Started right up and ran like a champ. Last year I had a local classic car appraiser look the car and make me an offer. The price was 50% more than I paid brand new.

They don't build them like they used to....
View attachment 738945

That's a cool "malaise era" car. What size engine? I'd try the non-ethanol stuff in it just to see if it does better with it. I appreciate those cars, because you see so few of them today, especially in that condition.

 

[45Smashemflat]

2005 Acura TL, the wife has less than 100k on it.

 

[Llance]

In December of 2024 I bought my doctors 1994 Mercedes Benz C280 with 93+ thousand miles on it. It now has 113+ thousand. She only drove it from home to work on sunny days but that drive was regardless of the road conditions. It has some serious cancer issues. I'm having them addressed as I can afford too, still I expect it to last upward of 400,000.

Llance

 

[Golddollar]

When I was still commuting to the Baltimore area I drove 90 miles a day just to get to and from work. I was getting an oil change every 6 weeks. Now that I'm retired I get an oil change about every 4 months.

 

[pasound]

My perfect condition 98 Lincoln Town Car with less than 50K miles (purchased from a retired couple), got totalled parked in front of my building by a driver who ran a stop sign with her phone in her face.
It was 2020, while the covid things were going on, and I bought the only reasonable one of 15 on the car lot (they usually had 200 vehicles) - a Nissan Versa Note with 40,000 miles, early May 2020. It's a 2019 model, a lease return. I've put 7,000 miles on it since. It runs like a top, gets ~30 MPG in town, and a serious 42-43 MPG on the interstates.
Probably would have been 4,000 miles, except for adding the 60 mile round trips to the outdoor range I joined two years ago. Rather be driving the living room size Lincoln, but...

 

[LVSteve]

That's a cool "malaise era" car.

"Malaise Era" Perfect description for US cars of that period. They were only just getting out of it in '97 when I moved here, although US cars then had awful headlights compared to what I was used to in the UK.

 

[STCM(SW)]

My 1999 Tahoe has 93,652 miles. only drive it in the winter in deep snow and for deer hunting.

 

[GypsmJim]

That's a cool "malaise era" car. What size engine? I'd try the non-ethanol stuff in it just to see if it does better with it. I appreciate those cars, because you see so few of them today, especially in that condition.

I made the deal to buy the car on a Wednesday. The order was accepted by GM on Thursday and the car was built on Friday. It shipped over the weekend and was at the dealer Monday. I picked it up Tuesday. The smoothest deal I ever made and so far the best car I ever bought.

The irony was that my trade was a Dodge Charger and I figured I had a few weeks to get it sold. The Monday the Ponch came in was the day Lee Iacocca declared bankruptcy. I took a bath on that one.

It has the last Pontiac engine made - a 301 V8 2 bbl. Awesome mileage. It runs so well that using E0 would be a waste of money.

 

[BE Mike]

I bought my loaded crew cab F-150 new in 2018. I'm retired and only have taken it on a couple of long trips One from Louisville metro area to New Orleans and the other to Kansas City. I keep it garaged and have under 20,000 miles on it.

 

[Rubone]

My old 1994 GMC Sierra 2500 with a service bed on it has been my work truck since around 2000. It is just about to turn over 90K. It doesn't leave town and I never take jobs out of town.

 

[boykinlp]

I only put about 100 to 200 miles a month on mine, and a tank of gas can last me two months.

This is just like me. In fact, I actually filled the 27 gallon tank on my F150 only 6 times all of last year!! I also changed my auto insurance to where I am paying by the mile. It is saving me 50% over what I used to pay.
Larry

 

[Bald1]

I bought a brand spanking new Pontiac Bonneville on Leap Day in 1980. It has been my pride and joy now for over 44 years.

Living in Buffalo, NY, my plan was to keep it as a "family car" and never drive it in the Winter on salt-laden roads.

As such, every October after an annual coat of wax, he is put in the back of the garage and covered up, waiting for Spring.

As luck would have it, back in about 1990, my son broke his arm and I was out of town with the other car on a business trip, so the wife pulled off the cover and took him to the hospital. I came back home 3 days later. As more luck would have it, the day was warm and sunny, so I got him out, washed the undercarriage thoroughly and got the cover back on.

As the years went by we were able to get another car and "Old Blue" was fully retired. Now he gets driven about 60 miles a year, and mostly to Cruise Night.

What's most interesting that here is a car with NO computer and a carburetor. Yet, he even runs quite well with 3 year old E10 gasoline.

Just had him out two days ago after 6 months idle. Started right up and ran like a champ. Last year I had a local classic car appraiser look the car and make me an offer. The price was 50% more than I paid brand new.

They don't build them like they used to....
View attachment 738945

I don’t recall seeing a lot of 2 door Bonnevilles. Does it have the 301 in it?

 

[Maddog 521]

How do you get the gasoline to last that long sitting in your tank for many months and/or even years?

 

[2152hq]

The last truck I had was leased. 3yr lease and when I turned it in at the end to get another, it had 9K miles on it.
I ended up buying that next truck outright. I've had it for 2yrs and 4mo now. and I'm at 7400 miles.
About right.
I like the once a yr oil changes too.

 

[GypsmJim]

I don’t recall seeing a lot of 2 door Bonnevilles. Does it have the 301 in it?

Yes. It also has the limited edition full vinyl top instead of the cabriolet 1/2 top.

 

[GypsmJim]

How do you get the gasoline to last that long sitting in your tank for many months and/or even years?

I stabilize the gas when I put it in. The car lives in a very dry garage. I usually add a few gallons every year to freshen it up. I have an antique boat that suffers the same fate and she runs good all the time as well.

Ethanol gas was the greatest thing to come along since sliced bread. Why, you say? Because it gave everyone an excuse to not have to blame their problems on poor maintenance.

 

[Bald1]

SeaFoam and StaBil work great for stabilizing gas. I use SeaFoam in everything. Along with buying 90 octane ethanol free gas if I know something is going to sit through winter. Like motorcycle or outboard

 

[silicosys4]

Certainly not me. I bought my last commuter at 85k miles, sold it after 5 years of commuting with 201k on it. For 3 of those years I commuted 5 days/week, 160 miles round trip to work...more than half on a windey 45mph coastal "road" that slid into the ocean about every 6 months.