How long do you keep cars?

[Moemg]

I keep my car until I do not like it anymore .I currently drive a 2017 Toyota Rav 4 that I really like so it is safe for years .

[GravitySucks]

2014 Camry has 108,000 and would probably last another 5 years, but i think I may want a van to travel in for the next few years so it may be going. The van will be purchased used as I only plan on keeping it three years. At that time I should have seen enough of America and Canada, plus DearDog will be to old to travel and camp much.
At 60 I probably only have a few more years of cross country drives in me. I notice most of my friends don't drive much after 70. How many more cars can I expect to need? Maybe I'll pick up a nice used Miata or Corvette before I get to old to enjoy it. Already too old to not look like a cliche driving one now.

[aja8888]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GravitySucks At 60 I probably only have a few more years of cross country drives in me. I notice most of my friends don't drive much after 70. How many more cars can I expect to need? Maybe I'll pick up a nice used Miata or Corvette before I get to old to enjoy it. Already too old to not look like a cliche driving one now.

Yes, go for the roadster. It's worth it. I am 75 and this last year picked up a BMW convertible (5 speed manual). Oh, and I drive from Texas to California and Connecticut twice per year (two separate trips). I love the open road and seeing the USA!

[aida2003]

Toyota lovers here .
Had a Corolla with a manual shift for 8 years (3 yrs old at the time of purchase). Cannot recall the mileage. The AC stopped working but still drove for another 1 or 2 years before trading in for a new Corolla (automatic) which is almost 8 y.o. and has 80K+ now.
Our Camry is 16 y.o. and has 125K miles. Had to get a new starter last year.

[aida2003]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Closet_Gamer Right now, we only by CPO. Awesome CPO deals out there.

Could you please elaborate on this? What's CPO and how does this work? What deals now do you have in mind?

Thanks

[Col. Klink]

It appears that most of us on this forum are keeping cars around a very long time. The auto industry is thankful, I'm sure, that this group is not your typical American consumer.

[VanWinkle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Col. Klink It appears that most of us on this forum are keeping cars around a very long time. The auto industry is thankful, I'm sure, that this group is not your typical American consumer.

True, but DS and DD buy every 2-3 years at 50K each time, so the auto industry is safe for now.

[atmsmshr]

As an engineer, I have bought used luxury cars for myself and drive them until the wheels fall off. Cars are a hobby for me - other gear heads will relate. Current Daily Driver is a 2007 S550 with 98,000 miles.

On the other hand, I insist that the wheels that DW drive are much newer luxury vehicles (2-3 years old purchased) and trade up at around 120,000 for reliability reasons. (Bathtub curve mentioned earlier). Don't want her calling a tow for some breakdown. The purpose of buying used lux is to get the latest safety features.

Two weeks ago DW had a T-bone collision at highway speed of 45 mph. Both vehicles totaled - she was in a 2013 GLK 350. Bruised all over and a fractured right arm repaired with metal rods on Friday. She will fully recover. Other driver in a 2015 E250 suffered a fractured right ankle. She had surgery just before my wife, and will fully recover after not walking for the next 8 weeks. After seeing the vehicles and knowing the speed of the crash, I am unbelievablely grateful that both were not more seriously injured.

If you have not already done so - look up the crash ratings (and even videos) for your car and those you love. Check to ensure your auto insurance is from a reputable company and you have enough. (Kudos to MetLife)

Economy of the ride is my fourth tier on priorities. (Firing Order - Safety, reliability, insurability, economy, and lets face it - pizazz)

No sense in being frugal if you are dead or have a quality of life injury.

[easysurfer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aida2003 Toyota lovers here . Had a Corolla with a manual shift for 8 years (3 yrs old at the time of purchase). Cannot recall the mileage. The AC stopped working but still drove for another 1 or 2 years before trading in for a new Corolla (automatic) which is almost 8 y.o. and has 80K+ now. Our Camry is 16 y.o. and has 125K miles. Had to get a new starter last year.

I don't own a Toyota, but read that Consumer Reports ranked the tiny Prius C as the most reliable passenger car for 2018. Who would have thunk that?

Quote:

Consumer Reports released its annual list of the 10 most reliable cars. The publication created the list by analyzing survey responses on more than 500,000 vehicles, and used the responses to predict which cars will create the fewest problems for their owners. Toyota placed seven vehicles on the list, more than any other automaker, and took the top spot with its Lexus GX SUV.

https://www.businessinsider.com/most...eports-2018-10

[Teacher Terry]

Until they die or become too expensive to fix which is usually around 150-200k/miles.

[EarlyBirdly]

VERY enlightening theme throughout this thread.

Apparently, people who don't p!ss away money on depreciating assets (so as to impress other people who don't really care) are able to retire earlier than most?

Hmm...Who woulda' thunk it?

(2004 Mazda 6, 87k. First, last, and only new car ever purchased. Pretty much looks and drives like it did the day I bought it.)

Birdster

[Jerry1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aida2003 Could you please elaborate on this? What's CPO and how does this work? What deals now do you have in mind? Thanks

CPO is certified pre owned. I think all dealers sell them. They are used cars that the dealer certifies to be in good repair and then warranties them. Usually for a year. I once bought a car that was CPO. It had one year left on the manufacturer warranty and the dealer added a year and 12K miles. So, I got a used car with two years and about 20K miles of bumper to bumper warranty.

[scrabbler1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aida2003 Toyota lovers here . Had a Corolla with a manual shift for 8 years (3 yrs old at the time of purchase). Cannot recall the mileage. The AC stopped working but still drove for another 1 or 2 years before trading in for a new Corolla (automatic) which is almost 8 y.o. and has 80K+ now. Our Camry is 16 y.o. and has 125K miles. Had to get a new starter last year.

My current and previous cars were Corollas. The earlier car was actually a 1991 Geo Prism, which as you probably know was the same as a Corolla but assembled in California. I owned it from 1992-2007. My current car is the real deal, a 2007 Corolla, which I bought new and have owned since 2007. That's 27 years of owning Corollas. Both were automatic.

And those are the only Corollas I have driven in my lifetime. In the 1980s, just after I learned how to drive in 1981, my parents bought a used 1979 Corolla, a stick with no A/C. They had that car until late 1984 when they bought a new car, a 1985 Corolla. They had it for only a year because it got towed and was mistakenly reported as stolen due to a snafu by the tower. By the time that got figured out, it was too late to get the car back.

And my dad bought a new 1987 Chevy Nova, the forerunner of the Prism. Like the Prism, it was basically a Corolla - its interior looked like my Prism. It was a stick but I don't recall if had A/C, as I never drove it and rarely rode in it.

[Walt34]

My retirement present to me was a brand-new 2003 GMC special ordered pickup truck which I still have, with 101,500 miles on it. Yesterday we drove it about 200 miles but that is by far the exception. Usually it sits in the garage and the daily driver is the 2014 Honda Accord. On a good day the pickup gets 18 mpg and the Honda almost twice that.

When I finally do have to replace the pickup I'm giving serious consideration to a CPO or go to one of the used-car dealers that specialize in newer vehicles.

[ncbill]

Vehicle model years 1997-2007.

Getting rid of the oldest soon...200,000+ city miles, suspension shot, getting hard to find parts.

Currently cleaning up my recently-deceased aunt's mid-1990s Toyota Camry with 200,000+ (but highway) miles...if her kids don't want it I'll probably buy it & daily drive it awhile.

[Austin704]

Thanks for all the great replies. Seems I'm pretty much typical in terms of holding on to vehicles for awhile. If I start making longer trips in retirement (this summer) I may buy a newer vehicle but for it makes sense to just keep maintaining them and driving them while the $$ sits in the bank earning a little interest. But "newer" will still be at least 3 years old, probably older.

[Austin704]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GravitySucks At 60 I probably only have a few more years of cross country drives in me. I notice most of my friends don't drive much after 70. How many more cars can I expect to need? Maybe I'll pick up a nice used Miata or Corvette before I get to old to enjoy it. Already too old to not look like a cliche driving one now.

Yes, you should. I have owned two Miatas and they're a blast to drive--but a little snug. I've now got a Mercedes convertible which is roomier and more comfortable for longer trips. Never too old or too young for a convertible, in my opinion.

[Texas Proud]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Austin704 Thanks for all the great replies. Seems I'm pretty much typical in terms of holding on to vehicles for awhile. If I start making longer trips in retirement (this summer) I may buy a newer vehicle but for it makes sense to just keep maintaining them and driving them while the $$ sits in the bank earning a little interest. But "newer" will still be at least 3 years old, probably older.

If you want to keep it 'like new', just buy a can of new car smell and spray it in there every once in awhile..

[Texas Proud]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Austin704 Yes, you should. I have owned two Miatas and they're a blast to drive--but a little snug. I've now got a Mercedes convertible which is roomier and more comfortable for longer trips. Never too old or too young for a convertible, in my opinion.

But you can live in the wrong location...



And from having one when we were in Hawaii, you better put on that sun screen!!!

[freedomatlast]

The newest car I have right now is 6 months old, and the oldest is 49 years old. Quite a range. Many others in between.......it's a hobby.