How long do you plan to keep your car?

[Freedom56]

We keep our cars until they start falling apart. Cars last a long time in Southern California. We keep our cars indoors in a garage which also helps. We have 4 cars now a three locations and have no plans to change them anytime soon.

Southern California:

2008 Honda Accord EXL 83K miles
2012 Nissan 370Z 38K miles

Florida:

2012 Honda Civic 28K miles

Switzerland:

2011 BMW M5 42K kilometers

 

[aja8888]

2013 Hyundai Santa Fe with 84,000 miles on it. Trouble free car needing only routine maintenance since new. We are keeping it as long as it runs. It handles DW's walker and wheelchair easily.

1998 Ford F-150 Pickup (high option loaded Lariat extended cab). 47,500 original miles on it and it is in mint condition. Not to be replaced anytime soon. My daily driver.

2002 BMW 325 Ci, convertible,5 speed manual transmission, 112,000 well kept miles. Just bought by me a few months ago. My fun car. No intention of replacing this sports car anytime soon.

Unless a transmission scatters itself, I do all the maintenance and repairs on the above vehicles. (helps keep me engaged, flexible and young (LOL)).

 

[happy2bretired]

I find it hard to make any changes to current rides but the loco in me wants a full electric car just to learn something knew.

This is kinda my thoughts too. It would be fun to get that final car in my life that was completely different. In my case it might just be a hybrid but who knows what will be the newest thing in a couple years.

I’ve noticed several notices in the local paper about giving your old car to charity this week. I need to keep that in mind in case my daughter doesn’t want to buy my old car when the time comes.

 

[Winemaker]

2004 Chevy Colorado 222,000+ miles
2006 Pontiac Torrent 71,000 miles
2007 Chevy Trailblazer 105,000 miles

We drive 'em til they won't drive no more, although DW wants a Tahoe or Escalade.

 

[Walt34]

We buy new and keep them until parts availability or reliability/safety become issues. Right now we have a 2003 GMC 4WD pickup with a bit over 100k miles that runs fine, everything works, so I don't see any need to buy a new one. It is not a daily driver and has been known to sit in the garage for a week at a time but is very nice to have when needed for something bulky or heavy. The daily driver is a 2014 Honda Accord with 72k miles on it, nothing wrong with that either.

The replacement for the truck will probably be something along the lines of a Toyota Tacoma, DW wants one of those instead of the GMC because being smaller, she feels she'll be able to drive it. She says the GMC is too big for her to drive despite my repeated offers to show her.

 

[Moemg]

I usually keep a car for ten years but my last car I traded at seven . I am sure I lost money on it but life is too short to drive a car you do not like .I now have a 2017 Toyota Rav4 which is a great car for me but my favorite car of all time was my Toyota Solara .

 

[Floridatennisplayer]

1987 Mercedes 260E then replaced it in
2002 Mercedes E320 then replaced it in
2013 Mercedes C300 Sport

Plan is to take the 2013 to Florida in April and leave her there and buy another for home

 

[harllee]

I currently drive a 2006 Lexus RX SUV with around 200,000 miles. I am shopping for a newer Lexus SUV and discussed this in another thread. I am planning on some long car trips next spring/summer and would just feel safer for those trips in a newer car. If I were just driving the Lexus around town I would just keep it and drive it until it died, it has been a great car.

 

[Bestwifeever]

We had a 2009 Civic and a 2004 MDX, both in good shape with ~100K miles, but last year we traded in the Civic as it made me nervous having two cars that age. The 2018 Accord we bought is light years ahead of the Civic; still love the old MDX but there’s no comparison to the new technology and safety features that are standard on new cars.

 

[TDub]

I'm keeping my 1981 Checker until no parts are available or I can't pull myself off the floor and into the driver's seat by clutching the steering wheel.

Gorgeous car.

Last summer I donated a 1998 Subaru Outback, still running very good, I just don't need it anymore. I bought it in 1997, so it lasted 20 years.

This is why Subarus are KING. (And Acura/Honda.)

We own a 2012 Subaru Forester and a 2011 Audi A6, both purchased with cash. Will drive them until the wheels fall off or we start to worry about reliability. That’s the deal breaker. (Especially with only 2 kids, maybe no need to enter the minivan phase of life? Fingers crossed.)

The DW really wants a Tesla for our next car so I’m mentally preparing for that price tag in < 10 years.

 

[Dtail]

I just got the call. $15,500 estimate. pretty sure i'll get another or a Miata again.

What happened?
Miata vs a Vette?

 

[ShokWaveRider]

We keep our cars till the lease(s) run out.

 

[RunningBum]

Great question and one I have been thinking about since our 2016 Outback has 45k miles and I'd like something a little bigger. Historically we have kept cars to 75-100k miles as long as they continued to be reliable... so that would be another 2-3 years for the Outback. While I really like the car, the only thing that I don't like is that you have to fiddle around a bit to get 4 people and 4 sets of golf clubs in it... and there are times when we could use seating for 6.

A couple friends have Buick Enclave and a Ford Explorer and those you can flip do the third row seat and easily and conveniently get 4 bags of golf clubs and 4 people in easily or flip the seats up to transport 6. If we do go bigger, I might lean towards the new Subaru Ascent or the Honda Pilot... but they are all a lot of $$$$. Gulp!

The Ascent isn't that much more unless you go high end, is it? That's the problem I have. I'd like ventilated seats, but I don't want the other extras in the Touring. Not that I'm really looking, but I do like to have a short list in case something happened to my current car.

 

[Bamaman]

I've had over 100 new cars--after working 24 years for an auto manufacturer. Since I'm now paying for cars, we're more conservative.

My problem is a daughter that won't follow our family rules. I have a 2012 Honda Civic SI sitting in the front of the house that her boyfriend just ran through a culvert and ditch--totaled out. It's the third vehicle boyfriends have totaled out--including a 2010 Civic SI and a Lexus ES. I had already told her it was the only car she was ever was going to have. I thought I was calm and very nice when I told him to leave and never return this a.m.

We are now trying to keep cars about 10 years, as our driving miles are down. My 2008 Lexus IS250 is going to my sister, a car dealer, to be sold. It's never seen the shop for repairs other than brakes. We also have a 2014 Explorer as our grandkid hauler and road car. And our 2018 Camry Hybrid is the car of the future--one year old and getting 48 mpg at 75 mph. We love the quietness of the engine/electric motor and the quirkiness of the vehicle. My 16 year old F250 SuperDuty now has just 150K miles, and it's scheduled to wear out when I turn 93 years old.

 

[pb4uski]

The Ascent isn't that much more unless you go high end, is it? That's the problem I have. I'd like ventilated seats, but I don't want the other extras in the Touring. Not that I'm really looking, but I do like to have a short list in case something happened to my current car.

About $6k difference... MSRP of $40k for Ascent vs $36k for Outback (our 2016 Ourback was ~$30k). In all cases for Limited with leather seats and power liftgate. Still $40k for a car? Ouch.

 

[mamadogmamacat]

Very much enjoying this thread. Great to hear from all the long term owners and their reasons why.

My 2004 bought new Prius still runs well. Friends enjoy getting rides in it even more than I enjoy driving it. Bought in Nov 2003 and came off the line in Japan in Aug 2003. It is my first truly foreign made car. have not driven much since ER so it only has 130k miles on it.

because of my inexperience with very old cars (last American made car that lasted 11 yrs was a Ford, but it had way more repairs done on it than this Toyota has yet at over 15 yrs old), I have lately began to wonder if I should get a second car just to have "in case', and also to make me more at peace with taking a car on a long trip. have no reason to think "Rachel car" named after my youngest cat who is herself 16 yrs old would not do fine, but just looking to be conservative. Since I donated my Dodge pick up to charity in 2013, I have only had the one vehicle. There is also a bit of an itch to "blow some dough" since i have done so well, even with the most recent volatility, financially since ER.

 

[Texas Proud]

My normal thinking is I buy new and keep at least 10 years or 100,000 miles...


So, my last few cars and what happened...


85 Cougar that had lots of problems... sold in 95 with 125K miles on it.. (10 years)



95 Monte Carlo Z34 with hardly any problems.... sold in 2009 with 97K miles with cash for clunkers... (14 years)


97 Firebird Formula bought 1 year old... sold it to buy the Acura.. had 95K miles (6 years) BTW, had a huge amount of problems with this car...



04 Acura TL with 6 speed manual... the best car I ever had... loved this car and would still have it today if not totaled in an accident about 3 years ago... had 47K miles... (10 years but would still have it) zero problems with this car...



09 Elantra bought with cash for clunkers.... still have with 85K miles on it... this will be my daughters car when she starts to drive next year...



10 Elantra acquired when mom when she stopped driving... 30K miles on it and son is driving it... will probably give it to him soon so he can pay insurance etc...


15 Pilot 4WD, bought for DW who wanted to go out on trails... we have done it a few times, but actually pull the boat more times than off road... 45K miles but will keep for a good while as DW does not like the look of any of the new ones...


13 Genesis... bought a year ago from oldest sister who bought a new one... had 23K miles.... will keep unless sister buys another in 4 to 5 years and I will buy her current car


I skipped a couple but put most down...

 

[wmc1000]

03 Olds Aurora - currently 33K, had been DM car bought 2 yrs ago with 23K

11 CR-V EXL- currently 65K, bought in 14 with 40K - zero issues


no plans to change in next 10 years although my DF who is 92 is considering buying a new SUV and he has a 14 Lincoln MKZ AWD with only 4K on it so if he decides to change I might buy that from him for trade-in value. Dealer has quoted him $17K

 

[FZBob]

My daily driver is a brown 97 Camry V6 with 212,000 miles. My wife hates it, but I love it. I stay with with traffic in the fast lane, well over the posted speed limit, but I'm invisible. I've never got a ticket in this car - stealth. I used to tell co-workers that it handed me $20 bills every time I drove it. I do my own maintenance, which would be much more difficult on a newer car. I will cry when it dies...

 

[Bamaman]

So many of you need to get out there and see the world. My year old car sees 2,000 miles per month, and we seldom even leave town. We don't drive the Explorer and truck much any longer.

When working, I'd drive 5000 miles per month on the company car and another 1500 miles on personal cars. I felt like a professional driver--but still had 40 hrs. a week's work or more.

 

[vrijheid]

Bought a new Chevy Trailblazer in 2005...ran great, very reliable, few repairs until 2016 and 115,000 miles ~it gave up! I donated to a local fundraiser for troubled youth and was able to deduct $2500 off my taxes! Bought a brand new 2016 Volvo XC 90 with all the bells and whistles. Plan on keeping it until it becomes unreliable and repairs too costly.

 

[Siestatime]

My record has been to keep new cars 10 - 14 years, and when I bought a new hybrid in 2011, I vowed the next car I bought would drive itself. The hybrid Lincoln MKZ has 62k and runs like a charm, but I’m itching to get that driverless car! Still possible in another five years or so, but in the meantime, smooth sailing at 36mpg and zero unexpected maintenance issues.

 

[DEC-1982]

We tend to keep a vehicle for 12 years, and change one every 6 years. Sometime it doesn't work out like that but that's the plan.

 

[SmallCityDave]

My daily driver is a brown 97 Camry V6 with 212,000 miles. My wife hates it, but I love it. I stay with with traffic in the fast lane, well over the posted speed limit, but I'm invisible. I've never got a ticket in this car - stealth. I used to tell co-workers that it handed me $20 bills every time I drove it. I do my own maintenance, which would be much more difficult on a newer car. I will cry when it dies...

I'm starting to get the itch again and I'm torn between three (Camrys) a 2011 with 100k for around $7k that should last another 100k and it's a simple vehicle. A 2016 with under 30k miles for $15k - better gas mileage and it's already depreciated a fair amount or 2018-2019 for around $24k with better power/safety/mpg and a new car warranty.

 

[mrfeh]

We've purchased 6 new cars over the last 30 years; all have been kept for 10-15 years and at least 130K miles.

We keep 'em until a major repair doesn't make sense.