Dear Tom and Ray:

I have recently acquired one of my favorite cars, a 1977 Cutlass Supreme. This car has 17,000 actual miles, has always been kept in a garage, and needless to say, is in perfect condition. It is currently appraised at $5,000. My question is, will the value of this car significantly increase enough to justify storage/non-use of the car, or should I just use it (it's truly a pleasure) and not worry how the mileage will reduce its value. Jim

Tom: You should drive it, Jim. I don't believe in saving stuff. You could spend years carefully protecting it and nursing it in your darkened garage, and then you could die without ever having enjoyed it. How happy would you be then?

Ray: He wouldn't be happy. He'd be dead!

Tom: You say that this car is a pleasure to drive and you obviously think it's one of the greatest cars ever built. Well, since you are one of a very limited number of people on the planet who feel that way, it may never be worth as much in monetary terms as it is to you when you're behind the wheel with that smug grin on your face.

Ray: Besides, the car will probably be in better shape if you DO drive it, and don't let parts seize up and dry out. So if you're really planning to keep it in "collectible" condition on the hope that it will increase in value, then drive it judiciously, and leave it home when it snows, or when my brother is on the roads. But I wouldn't just let it sit in the garage, Jim. Get out there and live it up.

Changing your oil is the cheapest insurance you can buy for your car, but how often should you change it? Find out by ordering Tom and Ray's pamphlet Ten Ways You May Be Ruining Your Car Without Even Knowing It! To order, send (check or money order) to Ruin, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. You can also order online.

© 1995 by Tom and Ray Magliozzi and Doug Berman Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

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