“Three grand for insurance this year, and I didn’t drive it once, so that says it all.” That is how one owner explains why he is selling his 2023 Nissan GT-R Nismo with just 547 miles on it.
The conversation was posted by the creator behind @georgejsaliba, and it includes a story about an auction, a birthday and a car that never really left the garage.
It lives inside, the owner says, and the host agrees he could tell.
@georgejsaliba
A 2023 Nismo With 547 Miles After Two Years
The owner gives the quick facts. It is a 2023 Nismo, and the odometer shows 547 miles.
He bought it and had paint protection film applied to the front bumper and the front windshield. After that, the car mostly sat.
He says he drove it only a handful of times. He took his wife to the beach, went to a wedding and made maybe one other trip.
“You Don’t Buy A Car To Let It Sit”
The owner says he has a bunch of older Nissans, including R34s, so this one sat alongside a collection. He owned the GT-R for a total of two years, and he is the second owner.
His explanation for selling is honest and a little sad. “You don’t buy a car to let it sit,” he says, and he adds that he feels bad driving it because there are no miles on it.
So he decided it was time to let it go. “I gotta send it down the road and let somebody else drive it,” he says.
The Auction He Went To For His Dad’s 70th Birthday
Then comes the best part of the story. The host asks why he bought the car, and the owner says the true story starts with his father.
A couple of years earlier, he took his dad to a big auction for the father’s 70th birthday party. He loves Nissans, had owned an older one and sold it, and had always wanted another.
They went just to look. He registered a bid so they could get better seats, and then he turned to his father and said he wanted to buy the car.
He Hopped On Stage And Placed The Winning Bid
Then he did exactly that. “I hopped up on stage, and I bid, and I want it,” he says.
That is how a birthday outing became a purchase. A father’s 70th turned into the day a GT-R found a new home.
The host is delighted. “Oh, it’s sick,” he says, and he asks whether the owner still has the receipt from the auction.
The Paperwork From The Auction Is Even Better
The owner does not have the receipt on him, which draws a laugh. The host jokes that it should have been framed.
But he says he has something better to show. He walks to the back of his truck and pulls out paperwork from the auction.
The host looks it over and calls it awesome. The paperwork lists 96 miles, a reminder of how little the car had been driven even before he took it home. “We’re gonna market this with the car,” the host says.
Why Insurance Costs Hurt On A Car You Do Not Drive
The owner’s $3,000 insurance bill sums up a problem many collectors share. A car can sit in a garage and still cost money every month, and insurance is one of the biggest bills.
Collector and exotic cars often carry higher premiums because of their value, and coverage can depend on how the car is stored and how many miles it is driven. A policy that fits a car that rarely moves is worth shopping for.
Many insurers offer special policies for cars that are rarely driven, usually with limits on mileage and use. Asking about them can save real money.
A Collector’s Dilemma That Many Owners Share
There is a tug of war in every collector’s mind. A car with almost no miles is worth more because it is nearly untouched, yet a performance car is built to be driven.
The owner in this story felt that tension every time he looked at the odometer. Each mile he added would take something away from the car’s story, so he chose to keep it indoors.
In the end, he decided the car deserved a driver. That is a decision plenty of garage-queen owners eventually face, and it is hard to argue with him.
What To Think About Before You Buy A Car To Keep Pristine
If you are tempted by a low-mile modern classic, a few honest questions are worth asking. Will you actually drive it, or will it sit?
A car that never runs has costs of its own. Tires age, fluids go stale and batteries die, so even a garage queen needs attention.
Think about what you want out of the car. If the thrill is in the driving, buying a car you feel bad driving may defeat the purpose.
Finally, consider timing. This owner bought on a birthday outing and sold two years later, with 547 miles to show for it. The car did not lose its shine, but the owner decided a car should be driven.
It is a lesson many of us know from our own garages. The best car is the one that gets used, and sometimes the kindest thing to do for a great car is to hand it to someone who will take it out on the road.