quote:DRIVEN!!! Love it!
To drive or not to drive, that is the question. Now in my salty and damp country, I would never drive my Pantera on bad days. But I've driven my Longchamp for 2½ years as my daily driver, all kinds of weather, salty roads. Technically and reliability wise it was very good, had some minor issues the first month, but once they were fixed, it ran without problems every day. I washed it frequently, especially in the winter, so every Saturday morning I had it out in front washing it, in all kinds of weather, passers by thought I was, well, something.
But...I must admit it has come with a price. It's clearly worn from the experience. I see rust bubbles 1-2 places that I'm sure there wouldn't have been if it had been a sun only car. And if I look in the engine room, it looks like shit, a lot of surface rust and dirt. One or two spots on my ultra delicate ivory Alcantara have also been the result of me and family in and out on dark wet evenings.
So, don't expect a show car to stay a show car if you use it. So do I regret that 2½ years? No way! It was worth it. If you haven't driven a classic car on a daily basis, you haven't lived...
I'll just have to restore it again sometime. I almost look forward to it...