When Does Your Car Become Too Valuable to Drive?

Too valuable to drive is when I can’t afford the insurance.

I think there is a value to enviroment equation. I have a 512BBI still driven in fury with 17 in wheels and ps2’s to keep it on the road, so I am not acollector more a driver. But with value appreciating(although nowhere near what i have put into the car over the years) and todays distracted drivers I use it more on select roads at select times. Whereas years ago was happy to take the kids to school in it, today I am worried about some text reading parent in an suv not noticing and just driving over the car to get their spot in the pickup line.

So as value and road conditions change the nature of use becomes more limited. On the other hand, now that there are more rallies out in the hinterland the possibility for serious road use increses.

Pity though, when you get used to these older cars they make great and fun runarounds, its just that the fixing cost now exceeds the value return, and the “other” drivers inattention increases the damage risk as well as personal damge risk.

Lets face it the crash tested airbag proteceted driver out there has far less of an aversion to a minor shunt than in days gone by, and a minor shunt in a suv can be fatal to the recipient in a classic.

I have a 1990 TR which has hardly given me any problem. I do my own maintainance. The first owner had it for 20 years and put 14000 miles on it. I have had it for 3 years and has put 8000 miles on it. That is why I have little problem with it because I use it for what it was meant to do. If it ever appreciates in value, only my kids would benefit from it. The true benefit I have is the the pleasure of driving a Ferrari Icon. If I don’t drive it because it has become to valuable, then it is no different than buying a Queen Ann chair.

A friend of mine just sold both of her 289-powered AC Cobras, because they were too valuable to risk having someone hit them. She picked up a Ferrari 360 because it is replaceable. Fly Yellow, Hard Top, gated 6 speed, factory racing exhaust, black interior w/ yellow stitching. She’s cool as hell.

That great Mercedes 300SL gullwing video from last year comes to mind, regular use is the best way to maintain a car, any serious petrol head will want to drive there cars, but I have no idea of the insurance premiums, I imagine that is a major factor.

To my mind there is no car in the world so valuable that it cannot be used. On that premise I believe that when a car’s value begins to dictate your ability to use it then you can no longer ‘afford’ to have it. The car begins to own you rather than you own the car and this is a totally relative thing. As an example I may see a $30K car as ‘disposable’ while for someone else that amount of money buys a car that is stored away for nice weather and special occasions. With million plus dollar cars the thinking is the same but merely the numbers are bigger and if the market outruns your wallet or comfort level then the car is no longer something you can afford in the full sense of the word.

Never?