Mint Condition Vintage Vehicles

In this recent posting at one of my favorite blogs, Speedhunters, and reposted at another favorite, Jalopnik, are photos and information concerning a practically brand new, fresh off the lot 1986 Toyota Corolla AE86. The condition it’s in is, well, showroom new. The original owner drove it until the tank was mostly empty, drained the rest and parked it. Every now and then he would manually turn it over to make sure the engine didn’t deteriorate with disuse. And, as amazed and fascinated at the idea of getting to see what a 25 year old car would look like new, it leaves me quite conflicted.

Mint AE86 Corolla
(Photo and Speedhunters article credit: Larry Chen)

You see, I’m torn between the novelty of a mint condition vintage car, and the depressing thought that this car hasn’t even seen its hundredth mile. Especially a car as fun and charming as the AE86 Corolla, and this one is even optioned such that it’s ideal for driving, as it comes with the factory limited slip differential. Coupled with a strong and easily modified 4-AGE Toyota four cylinder and rear wheel drive, it’s not hard to see why these cars are a hoot to drive. And fans of Initial D or drifting in general know this already.

It’s wonderful that a car like this has been preserved of course. In fact, there likely are very few unmodified AE86s driving around at all. Their fun-to-drive nature and easy modification make it hard to resist for tuners. And it’s nice that it isn’t being abused and slid into walls by inexperienced or even experienced drifters and street racers. However, was parking it in a garage for the rest of it’s life the only way to preserve it?

Cars are built to be driven, and it really makes me rather sad to see cars like this. And this isn’t the first one, I’ve ever heard of or seen. I remember once at one of the annual car auctions held in Auburn, IN there was a 70’s Pontiac Trans Am with only 12 miles on it! 12 miles! Who does such a thing? Who could possibly resist driving their brand new sports car more than 12 miles, and then never drive it around again, until it was sold? It even had the paper floor mats from the dealer still in place.

As a matter of fact, it seems like a waste in a lot of ways. Sure, it’s one less car burning dirty fossil fuels and cluttering the highways, but then, what was the purpose of all the energy that went into building it? All the metal and plastic and energy to bring this car into existence, just to sit in someone’s garage for a quarter century? Even, the person that bought the car in the first place. All the money spent, and space taken up for less than 50 miles of driving? And what good does it do? It’s not like these cars are going to shows for people to see, since that would add miles. Instead, they get ferreted away into private garages where they’re painstakingly preserved and maintained to avoid wearing out from disuse.

To anyone considering this sort of car ownership, please reconsider. You won’t be doing yourself or anyone else any favors, unless you’re starting a museum. Cars are built to be driven and enjoyed, not hoarded like Hot Wheels. And it’s perfectly possible to keep a car in tip top shape, while driving it as well. It doesn’t have to be much, but at least let it see 100, 1000, or more miles. You owe it to yourself, your car, and the people that appreciate cars like yours as well. So go out, take a drive, it’s been long enough.