Going to be getting my '12 Camaro soon... not sure how much to drive it.

[Xanthes]

New user, have visited the site a handful of times before looking for various information and now that I am getting closer and closer to actually putting the order in for a 2012 Camaro, the amount of things going through my head concerning the car is at an all time high.

I currently own a 2004 Mazda 6. It's served me well for being my first car since I bought it new back on my 21st birthday, and have had very few issues with it. The brake booster went out about 2 years ago so I have to push a little harder than I used to for braking, but that's about it. The only big problem with it is that its a 4-banger, which technically isn't really a problem. I'm just itching for a little more "oomph". Coming up on 80,000 miles over the 7.5 years I've had it.

Planning to get an Inferno Orange 2LT Grey Leather Coupe w/ RS, Automatic, and Black Stripe packages.

Anywho, onward with the point of this post... I am trying to decide what I want to do with my Mazda when I get my Camaro. The way I see it there's only 2 main options:

1) Trade in the Mazda towards the purchase of the Camaro and just drive the Camaro everywhere. (or just keep the Mazda as an emergency back-up vehicle).

2) Keep the Mazda and use it as my daily commuter for work and use the Camaro as a leisure/fun vehicle.

Points of concern:

-Dings/window chips, overall wear-n-tear, and sun damage (I live in Arizona) from daily use if I go down that path.
-Average 300-350 miles a week of driving currently for work and other things.
-If I use it only for fun, would it incur any "sitting" damage from not being driven for 1 to 2 weeks at a time?
-I hardly see myself selling/trading in my Camaro any time soon, so even if I only drove it for fun and kept it low mileage, by the time I would trade it in, I don't think having low mileage would net me much more anyway due to how old it would be by that point.
-Having 2 cars would grant peace-of-mind of having an immediate back up in case something happens and one is in the shop.
-Having 2 cars incurs extra maintenance expenses along with insurance for both.
-The Camaro is going to be a significantly large purchase for me, do I really want to spend that much money to just have it sit in the garage 90% of the time?
-Sitting in the garage 90% of the time keeps it feeling brand new a lot longer.

I'm pretty torn on the subject if you can't tell >_> There's pro's and con's to both. Looking for opinions on both main options and any other concerns/points of interest I might not have thought of yet. Thanks.

[SleepWarz]

trade and DRIVE IT! 2ss here I drive in the rain sun and snow with my windows down and appropriate conditioning system activated. Every time you plant your ass in that camaros driving seat is a wish come true to me. So get rid of the mazda and drive yo chevy!

[ex-SS-ve]

I say keep the current car . Im sure there will be a time or place you will say i wish i had a beater car.

[melvinakshay]

well if it were me, I would keep just one car. My insurance costs for the cars are way too high so I just keep one instead of wasting my $$.

[cam62]

Originally Posted by Xanthes

2) Keep the Mazda and use it as my daily commuter for work and use the Camaro as a leisure/fun vehicle.

This!

I sold my 2005 paid off Armada and within 2 days regretted it after I got my 2ss vert.. Now I'm looking for beater/dd. :(

Let's face it. As much fun as our camaro's are, they are not practical for many of the daily driver duties many people have. Just last week I wanted to rent a carpet shampooer and had to use my girflriends suv to transport it.

I could go on with a whole list of things I wish I still had my suv for.

[Caspers2SSRS]

Originally Posted by cam62

This!

I sold my 2005 paid off Armada and within 2 days regretted it after I got my 2ss vert.. Now I'm looking for beater/dd. :(

Let's face it. As much fun as our camaro's are, they are not practical for many of the daily driver duties many people have. Just last week I wanted to rent a carpet shampooer and had to use my girflriends suv to transport it.

I could go on with a whole list of things I wish I still had my suv for.

[rickerda]

I vote for, "2) Keep the Mazda and use it as my daily commuter for work and use the Camaro as a leisure/fun vehicle."

I have the Camaro as a DD and Challenger SRT8 for weekend and fun

[Xanthes]

I hadn't thought about the usefulness (or lack thereof) when it comes to things like transporting something even slightly bulky. Something to consider.

Keep em coming!

[DJ UNKNOWN]

Keep the Mazda, u won't regret it

[meissen]

I daily drive my car and I don't regret it at all. Sure it's not a cargo hauler, but if you couldn't haul it in your Camaro do you think you're going to be able to haul it in your Mazda3? I live in MI in the heart of car culture and I still don't understand the idea of buying a brand new car and having it sit in the garage 90% of the time unless it was a special model (ZL1) or highly modified. Our cars are fun to drive and meant to be enjoyed. I envy the fact that you live in Arizona and can daily drive it without the possibility of snow.

[Bobbyosto]

Keep the Mazda as a DD, but change that interior color on the Camaro to ebony or orange.

[Dr. Love]

Keep the Mazda; you wouldn't drive a car without a spare tire. What's the harm in a whole spare car when you need it. Insurance will be cheap if it's liability only, plus your car insurance on the Camaro will have a multicar discount. Win-Win.

[PYROLYSIS]

I plan on keeping my 2002 Camaro as a daily driver once I get mine. Hopefully she'll keep running smooth, at 126k now.

[01pewterz28]

Drive it I have 47k on my Camaro