I own a number of classic cars in addition to F-type. I also fully expect F-Type to become desirable classic in 30 year time. With this in mind, here is what I wish original owners of my classic cars did or didn't do.

Please do:

1. Change engine oil more frequently than manufacturer-recommended period. This is especially important if the car sits a lot - you MUST change it based on time and not usage. I have seen so many otherwise pristine low-mile classics with shot engine because of sludge in the pan.

2. Change transmission oil and filter at least once every 6 years. There is no such thing as lifetime fill fluid, and transmission failures around 8-12 year old period is #1 reason why people scrap cars. Nobody would want your F-type in 2025 with 100,000 on the odometer and slipping transmission - it will get parted for sure.

3. If you can, use ethanol-free gasoline. Over time ethanol destroys pump, hoses and everything else in the fuel delivery system. If you store the car, always use fuel stabilizer.

4. Please use front windshield sun-screen when parking outside and SPF containing products to protect your dash from fading and cracking. Cracked up dash is probably the most expensive issue to resolve in a classic car. It also the most prevalent.

5. Please clean coffee and soda spills as soon as they occur. If you wait couple months they become permanent.

6. Please use proper PH-balanced and oil-based leather conditioner on your leather seats. Dry leather cracks and very difficult to impossible to re-hydrate. Leather is not maintenance-free, not if you want it to last.

Please don't:

1. Don't go nuts with polishing. Yes, you want the car to look good all the time, but that doesn't going nuts with a buffer every time. Instead, hard wax it couple times a year then just rinse and dry.

2. Don't repaint, wrap or do anything to the factory coat of paint. Original paint is what makes collectible truly desirable. With this in mind, clear shield on the hood is a good idea.

3. Don't modify your car's suspension, exhaust or aerodynamic features chasing mod trends. These trends and flavors change all the time - one day it is lowered cars with large wheels, other day it is raised cars with tiny wheels. Just think how dated rusted hood and labo doors look would look on your car today. This is how seriously dated today's mods will look only in couple years. Plus, I'd argue that tastefully improving F-type looks is cost-prohibitive and next to impossible. We already have one of the best looking cars out there, lets not wasting money on turning them into what would be viewed as Riced Honda in a couple years. Any kind of mod kills car's value as collectible.

4. Don't tune your engine. 9/10 are snake oil and won't do anything noticeable. 1/10 that actually work, require serious expense and engineering to improve already performance-oriented engine. If there were cost effective gains, Jag engineers would have already done it. Plus, 10/10 will seriously undermine engine's longevity.

5. If have to modify exhaust, make sure it is stainless steel so it will last. If you modify cats, make sure they are platinum-based. These materials last. Your new exhaust and headers might be the best looking and sounding mod today, but would you be able to get replacement parts in 8-12 years when it is time to replace? Getting whole exhaust replaced is not kind of expense second or third owner of 12+ year old F-type will be able to afford. So your modded exhaust failure will lead to the car getting scrapped.

Thanks,

Car collectors from the Future

 

I'll keep my January 2014, MY14 F-type V8S ready and waiting for you. Never abused, never raced

 

If every person in the world kept their F Type in perfect shape it wouldn't be nearly as desirable if people destroyed 50% of them.

That being said, why would I do these things so you can have a better car? This post is like asking me not to have sex with my girlfriend so she's more fresh for you after we break up.

 

There is absolutely no reason not to abuse you car, if you can get away with it and unload it on the next owner before any of it causes noticeable issues.

When you privately sell the car, documented maintenance history and clean interior adds to its value, older the car more value it adds. It makes no difference when you trade it in, but you will never get full value when you trade it in.

I personally tend to take good care of my cars and drive them for long time. For me, doing all these things ensures less problems once the car is out of warranty.

 

Personal example. Before upgrading to F-type my daily driver was 500SL. I have documented history, everything works, and interior is nearly perfect. This did not detract from my enjoyment the car, but it did cost me a bit extra time and money in maintenance.

I was offered $6000 for it as trade-in, instead I expect to privately sell it for $15000 (very conservatively valued). I did not spend extra $9000 worth of maintenance over the years.

 

Well I don't think it is reasonable to ask people not to mod their cars and many people will have them just for the lease term and then move on and again they are not going to follow your recommendations.

Having said that I intend to keep mine a long time and so I would have been following most of your recommendations in any case. I agree on time based oil changes, mine will be getting one every six months even though it is doing low Klms. Will definitely be getting transmission fluid changed and new filter at somewhere between 70,000 and 100,000 Klms. I don't use cutting compound and do regularly use wax and I use a high quality leather cleaner and conditioner and I use a car cover whenever it sits outside. And no I won't be modifying mine, mostly because I think it is damn close to perfect as it is, and also partly because a lot of the popular mods people do are illegal here and so would void insurance in the case of an accident, and I have an extended warranty and most of the mods would also void that.

 

From someone who mods, enjoys driving (not collecting), and keeps cars for decades...no further comment needed.

 

I guess, but...

Gas - its difficult to avoid ethanol these days, at least around here. Ethanol killed my injectors, but retrofitting new upgraded ones cured that b/c 'oxygenated' fuel is now the norm.

Paint - clear coats will flake off eventually because nothing lasts forever.

Leather - most modern leather seats etc are vinyl coated (which is why they really have no attributes of the natural product), and I would guess impervious to most 'moisturising' treatments, no matter how much the manufacturer's push them.

 

I keep my cars pristine......but for me, not for any future owner. As a former restorer/collector, I understand the OP's perspective but for me, I'll use the car, drive it hard and do what I like to it......but the car guy in me will ensure it remains in perfect condition and any stock parts removed will be kept and sold with the car when that day comes.

I run only non-ethanol fuel but it's far more of an issue with the older cars than newer ones.

Dave

 

I can't remember the last time I've seen non-ethanol gasoline available for sale in any major metropolitan area in the U.S. I have no clue where to find it where I live.

 

Yeah, I'm lucky; I can get 91 Octane non-ethanol at Shell and 94 Octane non-ethanol at Chevron. It's all I use in everthing but my DD's (which are diesel anyway) as well as the motorcycles, leaf blowers, chainsaw, generator, boat, etc. etc. Most of those things get put away for 6 months at a time and I credit the ability for them to fire up in the spring without any issues to the non-ethanol fuel.

Dave

 

Yes, same here, but we live in Canada.. in the USA ethanol is pretty much across the range.
Lawrence

 

Yes mate, she has a life after you and had one before you. Just like every good woman can be traced to some guy being good to her. Every stripper can be traced back to some guy who thought her life begins and ends with him.

 

I bought the best used example I could find ... for me.

I maintain it well so that it will last and be enjoyable to drive.
Thus, you might not have a shot at owning it. Well maintaned
vehicles tend to not hit the market because there is no desire
to replace it.

If there are a whole bunch of rules that you want followed throughout
the life of the vehicle, then do as the member in Florida did. Took
delivery of a new F-Type at the dealer, trailered it home in the
same state. What happened next is anybody's guess. Maybe he
shrink wrapped it for posterity.

I like mine best with a lot of road film on it. It seems like the beast
has been doing what it was designed to do ... cover lots of miles fast
in any condition.

 

Brilliant post mate.

To give you something back. It would be a nice world if we all gave those who come behind us a chance of what we had. However, 1 in a thousand look at life, even that of a car, longer than their own. Yes not only will these cars outlast us, I see so many types of cars from the past now popular. I see people spending $100,000 and up in our shop to restore cars that you could have bought for $500 in the 80's. Camaro, Firebirds, Land Cruisers, various not so well designed Chevy's, Fords, Dodge, and Alpha, Mini, Land Rovers, G-wagons. The list is endless.

As an European who first hand understands Americana, I can say that the phenomenon of not appreciating cars and their potential longevity is more an American phenomenon. And part of the psyche. Rightfully so, most cars designed in the USA in the 70's, 80's and 90's were not the best that they could be in any regard. They did not have the best interiors, exteriors or even engineering. There was so much room for improvement that even shade-tree guys could double the power. Try doing that with a Jaguar today. An Etype as an example had the best interior, the most advanced aerodynamics, beautiful shape and incredible power.

I doubt the Ftype will ever be serious collectors, because of 2 factors, the attitude of the people who would be likely to buy one, not just the first owner, imagine the second and third. And they wont be the mature sort. Ferrari's and Porches that fetch 10-20 times their original price were all bought by people who saw a future legend. Second they will be producing a better version of it, not difficult to do. Visibility and grand touring capabilities can vastly improve.

I like to maintain my cars like new so as never to have that used and abused feeling. I am shocked at how few post I see here about rejuvenating the power you had from the factory- which can be much more than modifications.

 

There are plenty of cars that are more desirable modded. AMG, pre-Mercedes buyout, comes to mind. And just about everything Japanese...

 

Sure. Pre-buyout AMG cars are now collectable solely because of buyout. Then there is Barbus, which doesn't get the same 'collectable' outlook.

Still, during 90s AMG and Barbus were well-known and established tuners with a track record of extensive engineering and long-term support for their work. For example, you still can get replacement parts from AMG for a 20+ year old AMG engine.

These are not some hole-in-the-wall shop from internet that cobbled together "performance" exhaust, fudged dyno numbers and looking to make a buck from rich guys with more money than sense.

 

Yep; TYPICALLY the car that retains the most value (for those that care) looks exactly as it did when it rolled off the assembly line.

Mint, stock, low miles....


Dave

 

To use the analogy used by another poster above, why have sex when you can make love, for the monkey business there are less permanent options.

 

OK, I get it now. Moving goal posts to suit your subjective preferences. But I've watched Barrett Jackson.
And it's BRAbus. If you find one of their V12 W124 conversions, let me know what it's going for. I'll bet it's more than stock... In fact, they have a 6.5 500E on their site that reportedly has an asking price of a quarter mil. I doubt the most pristine stock restoration could fetch that.