GR86 How long will you keep your GR86?

[JohnL]

I am thinking of selling, I love the car the way it drives & now I've got rid of the black wheels the way it looks.
But I'm just not using it, in 16 months I've done a bit over 2000 miles, it was always going to be a weekend/holiday car, as much as I love driving it I hate parking it anywhere & worry about it getting damaged.
I know it's irrational but I have suffered numerous car park dinks over the years no matter how carefully out the way I park & I know how upset I would be if the GR was damaged & if I caught them red handed I probably wouldn't be responsible for my actions.
So it spends more time in the garage while I drive round in a bog standard 10 year old Civic!
It seems a waste of both money & the car
The plan is to then swap the Honda for probably a used hot hatch & that to be my only car.
Any advice other than therapy would be welcome, worried I may do something I regret.

As a GRY owner this reads like what you need is a nearly new GRY. Best of both worlds . Mine is not for sale but will be three years old in September and is booked in for 24000 mile service in a couple of weeks. I can honestly say I have enjoyed every one of those miles. It is my daily but as I am retired I don’t have a regular commute but I do some longer motorway/dual carriageway journeys to visit family. It is our ‘big car’ as Mrs L has a Hyundai I10.

Early in my ownership I read a post on this great forum where the owner touched up paint chips and minor blemishes with a paint pen and as long as it passed the two metre test ie not visible from two metres away, that was good enough. I think the post was from One HP but I am not sure and life is too short to check. Adopting that philosophy and buying a paint pen has saved a deal of anxiety and worry. As Mrs L will confirm I park as far from anybody else as physically possible but still have had a couple of minor knocks and unexplained damage, super glue and the paint pen has worked wonders.

 

[SRGardening]

I am thinking of selling, I love the car the way it drives & now I've got rid of the black wheels the way it looks.
But I'm just not using it, in 16 months I've done a bit over 2000 miles, it was always going to be a weekend/holiday car, as much as I love driving it I hate parking it anywhere & worry about it getting damaged.
I know it's irrational but I have suffered numerous car park dinks over the years no matter how carefully out the way I park & I know how upset I would be if the GR was damaged & if I caught them red handed I probably wouldn't be responsible for my actions.
So it spends more time in the garage while I drive round in a bog standard 10 year old Civic!
It seems a waste of both money & the car
The plan is to then swap the Honda for probably a used hot hatch & that to be my only car.
Any advice other than therapy would be welcome, worried I may do something I regret.

I know the feeling- I’ve done 2800 miles in the same time period. I love the car, and with the better weather we’ve seen over the last few weeks I’ve used it more and wouldn’t dream of selling it…..but then back in February when it had been raining forever and the car was rarely being used I had quite a few days thinking “it’s a waste of money”. And I’m the same as you regarding car park dinks etc but what I would say is if one happened I’d just get it fixed as most small marks can be sorted for less the £100 via some of these paintless repairs - so try not to let it get to you too much. Regarding selling the car….At the end of the day it has to be your decision and whatever best suits your own circumstances.

 

[BigB]

There is a difference between cherishing a car and preserving it. Cars aren’t objects to be preserved in my opinion, nothing wrong will keeping it in the best possible condition but its never going to stay flawless.

How long will I keep mine? No idea, life is unpredictable but I have no intentions of replacing it, at all, even if someone plonked a large sum of cash on my lap.

This!

Some nice things are for owning and some nice things are for using! Falls into the same category "as life is too short to drink cheap wine". I use mine daily when I can, and enjoy it. Same for nice crystal glasses and fancy china cups.

My linked problem is that lifestyle (semi-retirement) and location means we only do about 15k a year across 3 cars - that is a double edged-sword.

 

[GRistopher]

I am thinking of selling, I love the car the way it drives & now I've got rid of the black wheels the way it looks.
But I'm just not using it, in 16 months I've done a bit over 2000 miles, it was always going to be a weekend/holiday car, as much as I love driving it I hate parking it anywhere & worry about it getting damaged.
I know it's irrational but I have suffered numerous car park dinks over the years no matter how carefully out the way I park & I know how upset I would be if the GR was damaged & if I caught them red handed I probably wouldn't be responsible for my actions.
So it spends more time in the garage while I drive round in a bog standard 10 year old Civic!
It seems a waste of both money & the car
The plan is to then swap the Honda for probably a used hot hatch & that to be my only car.
Any advice other than therapy would be welcome, worried I may do something I regret.

We're all protective over our cars, but if you're a nervous wreck every time you take it out, you're probably going to be better off with a shagged out old MX-5 or a 350Z. Unless they're garage queens, cars are going to be subject to some scuffs and knocks from time to time. It's a sad truth but it happens.

I drive a van day to day, and my GR86 is often blocked in by a combination of the van and my Mrs' car. If one of those vehicles is off the drive I regularly find myself doing things such as driving to a farm a few miles down the road to buy eggs even if we don't need any. sometimes i don't even come up with an excuse. i just point away from built up areas and see where the mood takes me. I'll literally take any excuse to get out and drive it, because I love driving it. Maybe take her out for a good spanking on some moorland roads before you make up your mind whether you want to sell, and if you're too concerned about damaging it to take it for that drive, then I think you've already made up your mind.

 

[Silver Fox]

I drive a van day to day, and my GR86 is often blocked in by a combination of the van and my Mrs' car. If one of those vehicles is off the drive I regularly find myself doing things such as driving to a farm a few miles down the road to buy eggs even if we don't need any.

Live from @GRistopher 's kitchen this lunchtime...

 

[911sse]

This!

Some nice things are for owning and some nice things are for using! Falls into the same category "as life is too short to drink cheap wine". I use mine daily when I can, and enjoy it. Same for nice crystal glasses and fancy china cups.

My linked problem is that lifestyle (semi-retirement) and location means we only do about 15k a year across 3 cars - that is a double edged-sword.

Exactly the same with us. Three cars and a motorbike, with about 15k miles across them all. Would I change it. Nope.

 

[Bonzo1930]

Thanks for all the words of wisdom & I have decided I'm keeping it for now I think I would only regret letting it go, besides got a road trip up to Northumberland in a week's time so good opportunity to stretch it's legs.

 

[byebyeMX5]

Mine is a daily on grotty little B roads and I put the correct tyre on for the time of year and it really is a car for all seasons!!
Im a couple of K miles off second service From march 2023, front bumper is battered with stone chips but the rest seems Ok, I paid for a ceramic and not overly impressed with real world usage!!
Changed the OEM wheels to Oz Ultras for Summer and OEM shod with CC2's (not impressed by the CC2's!!)
Changed the back box out for a Legamax Premium that isnt to shouty but sounds a bit more like a sports car.
Will run it till it or I dies and if the former will return here for a garage queen after hopefully 150 k miles and go again!!

 

[ShootinJack]

I plan on keeping mine for quite some time, it's my daily however I've changed jobs and work from home 5 days a week bar the odd trip south for work. Have done 11k miles since taking delivery in March 23.
I had it polished, PPF and ceramic coated and haven't regretted it one bit.

 

[SJR202]

Mine is just on 6k after 16 months now, WFH doesnt help but I wouldnt like a long commute in it, its not a motorway cruiser! But on the odd chance in the south east there is a clear road and some bends it does feel like I still havent found its limits.
I've disconnected the fake sound which has made for me driving it so much more enjoyable, the fake sound if it couldnt be turned off I am not sure I'd have kept it.
PPF entire front end/A piller/door mirrors etc on the 2nd month I got it which was 2 months too long given the paint is make of chocolate but saved what I suspect is a lot of chips, also did the sills for people's feet getting in and out, and the rear bumper. paint still looks good.

Plan to: change wheel colour (dont like black wheels), look into switchable sports exhaust which I've seen is now available for it. Dampen the front strut brace as have read on here its the source of a lot of the road noise and then maybe upgrade the speakers once if that works and you can hear them!

 

[skaben]

Keeping mine forever. I have a mx5 which I've had for about 12 years and that gets driven hard everywhere. It's only got a 1.6 litre engine so going from that to the GR86, makes the GR86 feel like an absolute powerhouse!

 

[GR86GRY]

Struggling with this a bit at the moment. Think i've only used mine 4 times in the last 5 months. Need to get out in it more or I expect I'll move it on in the summer.

Had 10 cars in the last 7 years, all bought as "keepers"

Sooooooo, I sold it!

It has been an absolute pleasure guys, but I'm 2x GRs down in the last 7 months, so that'll be me out ....for a while .... until I decide to scratch the Supra itch!

 

[sim61]

Sooooooo, I sold it!

It has been an absolute pleasure guys, but I'm 2x GRs down in the last 7 months, so that'll be me out ....for a while .... until I decide to scratch the Supra itch!

Didn't see that coming!! Must have missed your earlier post.. Best of luck!

 

[ZN8]

Sooooooo, I sold it!

It has been an absolute pleasure guys, but I'm 2x GRs down in the last 7 months, so that'll be me out ....for a while .... until I decide to scratch the Supra itch!

That's a fair achievement if you can say you've owned all 3 GRs!