Caring for a Pony that accumulates low annual miles?

[Buckshot Barry]

I should add that I've used Meguiar’s Silicone-Free Dressing and #34 Final Inspection and the results have been very good. No tire browning at all. Paint is still very slick. She has never seen a water hose.

 

[streethorse]

Im going to have to call PETA.
Keeping a Pony locked up and denying it water is cruel and unusual.

 

[Svtpilot]

Instead of starting a thread asking how to take car of a low mileage Mustang, you should have started a thread informing us how to do it. I think what you are doing should cover it, though if it were me I would probably start it once a week. Your car looks great !!

 

[Buckshot Barry]

Instead of starting a thread asking how to take car of a low mileage Mustang, you should have started a thread informing us how to do it. I think what you are doing should cover it, though if it were me I would probably start it once a week. Your car looks great !!

Thank you!

Mid 2008, I added a Battery Tender Plus and it has totally cured any dead battery issues from not starting the Pony after 2 plus weeks. I'm using the cigarette lighter adapter to connect to the Pony. She still has the original battery.

I've also put in a lot of effort in collecting and preserving every piece of documentation I could get on her. I'm most proud of finding the Build Sheet behind the glove box. The guy on the assembly line took great care in placing it there. She was special ordered on Dec 22, 2006. All this documentation is stored in a Rubbermaid container in the trunk. Individual sheets, such as sales receipt, dealer factory invoice, build sheet, Ford Customer Service spec sheet, etc are in plastic frames.

BTW, she still has that new car smell!

 

[Buckshot Barry]

I'm also very proud that there is zero rust on the rotors. I was lucky there was no rain from Michigan to Atlanta over the week of Jan 20, 2007. The engine looks pretty good too.

 

[bigb427]

By far the biggest concern in maintaining a car with super low mileage is ensuring the gas does not go stale. Make sure to put a stabilizer in it like Stabil. Even with stabilizer you will want to make sure the gas in the tank never gets more than 6 months old.
Stale gas can cause severe damage like stuck valves in your engine, destroy any rubber fuel system components, and cause fuel pump failure.

 

[stanmckinney]

It needs to be driven to keep it in good shape. I have a 1966 Mustang that is not driven very much and that causes more problems than anything else.

 

[madweazl]

It is important to get the engine and trans up to temperature for a period of time to eliminate condensation that may build up internally. I saw a '93 Cobra for sale a couple years back that had ridiculously low mileage and still had the protective plastic bits on the fenders etc. Sure wish I had the money to pick it up at the time (~$20k if I remember correctly).

 

[Ford4me]

Im going to have to call PETA.
Keeping a Pony locked up and denying it water is cruel and unusual.

Streethorse, How do you like your Eibach Pro Kit? I'm wanting to get the Sport Kit in the very near future.

 

[Ford4me]

Just a followup. My Pony will be 5 years old on Jan 16 and she has 746 miles on her now. Here is an odometer photo from last April

This is a nice color, what's it called?

 

[streethorse]

Streethorse, How do you like your Eibach Pro Kit? I'm wanting to get the Sport Kit in the very near future.

Its a near perfect drop IMO .

 

[chgovfk]

There's nothing wrong with keeping low miles - I have an 07 Gt that I bought new - I have (3) three binders w/every piece of paper on it from the dealer - (1) binder has all the mods paperwork etc (+ original parts in the box ) and another binder that has all of the maintenance paper wk- preserving a car is like a hobby with in a hobby.

- I'm a detailed person by nature and I like saving the new car feel - and smell - I drive mine a little more - but every 1/2 season - I do a complete detail - I jack it up on all fours - wheels come off - (rotate) clean detail ea. wheel well - and then the back of the rim ( detail ea. rim off the car /polish ) - then the complete underside wipe down - the motor gets detailed per washing - I try and start it ( run it around the block ) keep good gas in it every week - watch the tire pressure close (no flat spots) - if the car is already really clean - I'll just start it - run it around to the highway - get up the temp like another posted - makes sense - I think that's 'key' instead of just letting it sit ..... my 07 has 19k on it and it looks like it just rolled off the showroom floor -

 

[Buckshot Barry]

This is a nice color, what's it called?

Vista Blue

 

[puma1552]

FYI, by dragging microfibers across a dry surface, you're doing more harm than good; cars need to be washed with water and soap with high lubricity. When you dust a car off with a microfiber, you are just dragging the dust against the clear coat and causing micro-marring.

Not to mention, the door/trunk jambs, cowl area, wheel wells, etc., need to be cleaned out as well with a good wash once in a while. Underside too.

 

[Burns331]

I wonder if there is any side effects to doing so? seals drying up corrosion form sitting and such.

I hear ya. I know where there is a 69/70 (not sure which) Boss 302 Grabber orange with 70 miles on it. The family bought it and parket it. Supposedly still has the plastic on the seats and what not.

They are pretty wealthy and have a lot of cars. But i wonder how hard it is on the parts to sit there.

 

[Buckshot Barry]

FYI, by dragging microfibers across a dry surface, you're doing more harm than good; cars need to be washed with water and soap with high lubricity. When you dust a car off with a microfiber, you are just dragging the dust against the clear coat and causing micro-marring.

Not to mention, the door/trunk jambs, cowl area, wheel wells, etc., need to be cleaned out as well with a good wash once in a while. Underside too.

The micro fiber cloths are not dry, that's where the #34 Final Inspection comes in. I've actually detailed the underside twice. There's only a spec of rust on the drive shaft. I just can not bring myself to spray a water hose anywhere near this car. No rust on the brake rotors either.

 

[ai5u]

Sweet Ride Buckshot -

I own a 2009 GT w/5002 miles, a 2010 GT w/1000 miles and a 64 1/2 with a remanufactured engine with 300 miles on it. A possible recommmendation is if you are into car shows you could drive your ride to show it off - just to regional/local shows. It would provide the necessary mileage to keep your seals/gaskets and gas clean and you could show your ride off to other Mustang fans