We inherited a 67 Mustang coupe with very low mileage. We want our son to have it in about 10 years. Is it better to store it, or keep it in the garage and drive it a few miles a month?
It’s good to drive it just for the sound of it and the memories. They used to get good gas mileage.
In general it is better to use autos (at least a little) if you are trying to preserve them. I would use it as a weekend car and keep it well maintained.
I too would use itas a weekend car. And put enough mileage on it to cycle new gas through periodically.
running it keeps wet everything that should stay wet. Cylinder walls, bearings, gears, rocker arms, seals, O-rings, etc. etc. And it’s fun.
Driving it means keeping it registered and insured. You also expose it to wear and tear, the elements and possible theft. Ten years from now this usage will have cost a considerable amount of money. If you can store it at little or no cost (in a garage) then that’s what I would do. Prepare it for long-term storage and put it away. What engine and transmission is it equipped with?
Well, I’d drive it, and my kids would never get their hands on it 
But then, I learned to drive in a '67 Mustang so I have a personal attachment to that make/model/year.
I still think I’d keep it as a weekend driver. The insurance should be pretty minimal, and driving it will keep it alive and you will be able to see and fix things as they crop up. Who knows what you’d find after 10 years in storage?
You can register it as antique and get collector car insurance which is pretty inexpensive. I would only take it out on nice days, that’s still less harmful than turning it into a garage queen. If it does need and repairs, mustang parts are very available.
I can not imagine that it will not be better to mothball it properly for 10 years than any other treatment. The key work is properly.
Cars, like fine violins and people go down hill if not exercised. You have to drive it, at least once a week and for some distance, like 10 miles or so. 10 miles a week is only 520 miles a year or 5200 miles in 10 years. Thats not a lot of wear and tear. Early on a Saturday morning, after all the drunks are asleep and before the shoppers are out in mass would be the best time for this drive.
Wine is for drinking, cars are for driving.
Neither one are supposed to be packed away in dusty corners for 10 years.
I do not agree that driving a car will preserve it unless the storing conditions are not as required. If you store the car correctly, deterioration will stop. Seals and gaskets do not dry out. I hear that all of the time and simply do not believe it.
I suggest that you talk to an antique car collector for a expert opinion on this. My experience is limited to many years of storing my summer car for 5 winter months and my winter car for 7 months. I can tell you from my experience, that deterioration does not take place on a properly stored car. My storage times are not long enough to have problems with old gasoline. 10 years is another matter; the gas must be removed from the car’s fuel system!
If you decide to store, post again for conditions but discuss too with an antique car collector. I, for one, would store and not drive the car.
Mileage is not really terrific…that V-8 with AT still sucks the fuel even with the light body. And it uses premium. But with only a few miles on it every month it doesn’t really hurt too bad.
It gets a lot of attention when we do take it out. (All original equipment does that) But with manual steering and brakes it’s something my wife doesn’t enjoy, but I do!
We have the antique vehicle license which was only $10 and it’s permanent. But it comes with the proviso that it not be driven regularly so have to be a little cautious about how often it gets a workout.
That actually is one of the problems. The car doesn’t even have 60k miles on it, and there are soft parts that are not so soft any more. I’m already considering how many tubes and hose I should be replacing, not to menion various fluids that should be flushed.
Storing makes the most sense…but my son is objecting because he likes to drive it when he’s home from college. And the debate continues!
Only time manual steering gives me any problems is when I’m trying to park, or going really slow(idle). Other than that, it doesn’t bother me. Manual brakes make me more aware of the road and allow more room for things ahead of me.
I guess you could say my Chevelle made me even safer of a driver than I was.
drive it use it enjoy. your kid won’t appreciate the way you do anyway. he’s a kid. get him something that’s practical, so when he tears it up , it won’t be a collectible.
I guess I’m not clear on the actual condition of this car. You said it has less than 60K miles, so it sounds like a well preserved driver, not a show car. You have to decide what you (or your son) are eventually going to do with it; fully restore it turn it into a garage queen, try to preserve it in it’s current condition and mileage (i.e., an un-restored garage queen), drive it selectively and do whatever it takes to keep it near perfect, or drive it like a daily driver and let it degrade. Once you determine that, the decision should be obvious.
Ya. Check the negative battery cable for cracking. I don’t know if 67 was one of Fords "cheap out " years, but some of those cables weren’t made to last 40 years. Some were made too thin.