When To Replace High Mileage Car?

[bolt]

Yeah, I collect cars and restore them. The collection is being thinned since I am on the dark side of 70 and getting tired. Have been messing with cars for 50 years also. I'm not a flipper..no time for that.

IMHO, the OP ought to fix the Volvo and keep it as long as he can.

I agree with you wholeheartedly!

Readers might get a kick out of this link. I recall years back when Warren Buffet told a HighSchool graduation class he was going to give them all a car. But it was the only car they could ever buy, ...being the catch.

Heres a link : https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/12/bil...e-1-thing-in-life-you-need-to-prioritize.html

A snippet of link above:

But Buffett takes it a step further by offering an analogy: “Let’s say that I offer to buy you the car of your dreams. You can pick out any car that you want, and then when you get out of class this afternoon, that car will be waiting for you at home.”

As with most things in life, Buffett says there’s just one catch: It’s the only car you’re ever going to get...in your entire life.

“Now, knowing that, how are you going to treat that car?” he asks.

“You’re probably going to read the owner’s manual four times before you drive it; you’re going to keep it in the garage, protect it at all times, change the oil twice as often as necessary,” says Buffett. “If there’s the least little bit of rust, you’re going to get that fixed immediately so it doesn’t spread — because you know it has to last you as long as you live.”

And then, like a bag of bricks, Buffett hits us with a brilliant realization: The position you’re in with your car is exactly the position you’re in concerning your mind and body.

In other words, the way you treat your car should be no different than the way you treat your body.

 

[SmallCityDave]

Ah, your point is that marketing is not a factor in people's decision to buy a new car. Yes, that's what I'm saying.

That's right car companies are spending 100's on millions of dollars on marketing but it's not working....



I have a $1500 iPhone to sell you that you will "need" and it too will make you safer.

 

[ejman]

I imagine many did as you while saving for retirement. But now in retirement they have decided to enjoy their money. Buying a new car every few years is one way or funding different hobbies is another. I could buy less frequent and save more money for my nephews..... but I'm not.

I remember a story about a Porsche being bought by a retired guy that went along the lines of " either I buy the Porsche and enjoy it or save the money and then perhaps when I pass my never send me a birthday card nephew gets to enjoy it" Which would you choose?

 

[RobbieB]

I loved the big RV's going down the road with "We're spending our children's inheritance" bumper stickers.

 

[Bestwifeever]

That's right car companies are spending 100's on millions of dollars on marketing but it's not working....



I have a $1500 iPhone to sell you that you will "need" and it too will make you safer.

You enjoy your small life. Bye.

 

[SmallCityDave]

You enjoy your small life. Bye.

I am, my life isn't about my stuff.


Enjoy your new iPhone

 

[RobbieB]

I bought a new car last year but it wasn't because of marketing.

It was the first new car I ever bought. Thought I'd buy one before I died.

 

[Vinnyfrombrooklyn]

You can get a code reader at Harbor freight for like $15

 

[Sunset]

I remember a story about a Porsche being bought by a retired guy that went along the lines of " either I buy the Porsche and enjoy it or save the money and then perhaps when I pass my never send me a birthday card nephew gets to enjoy it" Which would you choose?

Exactly, and the nephew goes out and buys a Porsche with the "extra" "free" money.

 

[Sunset]

I bought a new car last year but it wasn't because of marketing.

It was the first new car I ever bought. Thought I'd buy one before I died.

Oops, so you've given up on living

 

[svalder85]

I haven't learned

In my experience the best time to get rid of a car is six months before I actually got rid of it.
And usually two months after I put new tires on a high mileage car.

 

[gooddog]

Time to buy a new car. I faced the the same situation about 6 months ago, and decided to go with a new truck. It ended up being the right decision in every way. Better MPG, safer, more features, no more repairs, and insurance was actually less. Did the math on it, and it will pay for itself in 8-10 years. If you do the numbers, you might come out the same.

 

[freedomatlast]

Interesting thread. After reading all of it, it seems to me there are two main schools of thought by two main categories of people.

On one hand, we have the people that know very little about the mechanics and electronics of cars, who want the latest features available and are comforted with the knowledge that they have a new, safe, reliable car to get from point A to point B. They don't want to have to deal with car repairs and have other interests with which they want to spend their time.

On the other hand we have the people that have years of mechanical and electrical experience with cars. They know that just because a car is older and/or high mileage, doesn't necessarily mean it's unreliable. They can do most of the work of maintenance and small repairs by themselves and don't necessarily have to pay someone else's labor to get it done. Also a check engine light coming on doesn't get them excited and they know that it's most likely an issue they can fix themselves, relatively easily, especially with all the help and information available on the internet. They enjoy the simplicity of older vehicles and get some personal satisfaction from keeping an older car on the road, and enjoy the savings from doing so.

I suppose there is also a hybrid group....those that do understand cars, but just don't want to deal with maintaining an older vehicle any longer, at this point in their lives.

Obviously, there's no right or wrong here. Just different perceptions based on past experiences.

 

[Music Lover]

For me the sweet spot is a 3 year old gently used car...someone else pays a big chunk of the depreciation and I get a solid car at a good price.

One thing to research is model changes. Find the car you want and then check model history...they usually change every 3 or 4 years. So, it's possible to buy a 2016 car that is exactly the same as a 2019 model. The 2019 car will have rolled off the same assembly line using the exact same parts a 2016 model.

 

[W2R]

Although I don't have a high mileage car, some of the comments about marketing inspired me to write a slightly off topic post. Here goes:

I'd love to get a new SUV and have the money in the bank to pay for it. All I ask is that

(1) it is brand new,
(2) extremely reliable,
(3) has three features that I presently have (remote tailgate, push button ignition, remote entry), and otherwise minimal electronics aboard;
(4) two rows of seats instead of three since I never have more than one passenger but appreciate a big SUV with lots of cargo space;
(5) lets me retain complete control of the vehicle when I am driving instead of trying to make driving decisions for me.

A good marketing campaign that could possibly influence me to buy a specific SUV would address all of these points, and yes, I would respond to it like Pavlov's dog. As you probably noticed, such marketing is non-existent.

Marketing or not, I still haven't found the right SUV for me. I still need to check into the Highlander, which I think is probably my best bet, but my knee surgery has put my car search on hold for a while. That's OK; my 2009 Venza only has about 33K miles on it, with new tires and a new battery, so it will be fine for a while. I just wanted to Blow That Dough but the auto industry isn't helping me to do that.

 

[Jerry1]

For me the sweet spot is a 3 year old gently used car...someone else pays a big chunk of the depreciation and I get a solid car at a good price.

One thing to research is model changes. Find the car you want and then check model history...they usually change every 3 or 4 years. So, it's possible to buy a 2016 car that is exactly the same as a 2019 model. The 2019 car will have rolled off the same assembly line using the exact same parts a 2016 model.

Regarding model changes. I’d rather buy at the end of a model run. So, assuming for the above example, that 2019 was the last of that model (they reworked the model for 2020), I’d like to buy the 2019 around 2021. By the end of a model run, they will have worked out most of the bugs. Being a GM family, I’ve only bought GM’s so I don’t know if this applies to all brands, but you never want to buy the first year model of a GM product.

 

[Music Lover]

Regarding model changes. I’d rather buy at the end of a model run. So, assuming for the above example, that 2019 was the last of that model (they reworked the model for 2020), I’d like to buy the 2019 around 2021. By the end of a model run, they will have worked out most of the bugs. Being a GM family, I’ve only bought GM’s so I don’t know if this applies to all brands, but you never want to buy the first year model of a GM product.

First year runs in many manufacturers could have some issues...but the advantage of researching a 1st year model 2 or 3 years later is that any issues should be well known by then and should have been resolved.

 

[ivinsfan]

Regarding model changes. I’d rather buy at the end of a model run. So, assuming for the above example, that 2019 was the last of that model (they reworked the model for 2020), I’d like to buy the 2019 around 2021. By the end of a model run, they will have worked out most of the bugs. Being a GM family, I’ve only bought GM’s so I don’t know if this applies to all brands, but you never want to buy the first year model of a GM product.

New or used? Buying new in the last year of a model run can accelerate the depreciation on your new car. They do discount but not by enough IMO.

 

[mistershankly]

So... the CEL has turned off on its own (still works and is not burned out). Stubborn guy with a goal of 300k miles is now back in my head

 

[yorick]

I’m in the “quality of life” camp. We recently replaced two cars, for different reasons.

The Santa Fe went with 90k miles, replaced by a new CR-V. This was all about adaptive cruise control. Husband’s shin kills him on stop-and-go traffic on long drives, and I can’t drive for 6-8 hours straight without falling asleep at the wheel, literally. So, adaptive cruise control solves that entirely. Our first 7-hour trip in it was way less stressful than a shorter trip the previous year in the older car.
We bought it during the changeover of the calendar year and got it new for prices I saw later in the year used - that worked out.
Unless there’s another must-have feature, we may drive this one to 250k.

Then there was the Accord with 220k, still going strong, nothing wrong with it. Son wanted it which gave me a good excuse to buy something else. Ultimately our son changed his mind - stuff happens, I sold it.
What I got instead was a 2013 c70 Volvo, used. That’s been a huge quality of life upgrade. Driving with the top down and the dogs in the back is a pleasure.
I will replace that one if a similar (affordable) model becomes available that has adaptive cruise control, for easier work trips. Those are 2 hours or so, which means I am fine without the adaptive. I’d still go for it if the cost isn’t crazy, and if Volvo ever makes four-seater hard tops again.

For the CR-V then we need to decide. There are two reasonable ways to go in my mind:
- Drive until the car is 3 years old, sell, and buy new, or rather “1 year old model at the very end of its dealer run”. 3 years is usually when maintenance costs start to go up, even just with planned maintenance.
- Drive until the wheels fall off, replace around 250k-300k or even later.

The latter is the financially better move. The former may give further QoL upgrades - though I doubt that the other killer feature I want, which is “I drive it onto the freeway, it drives itself for the next couple hours, I handle the interchange / off ramp”, will be available in 2 years time.
That’s called Level 4 autonomy in geek speak, by the way .

So in a nutshell: Go for QoL and decide that the cost is totally worth it - can’t take the money into the grave, after all - or decide that the money is better used elsewhere and drive it forever.

 

[gooddog]

There is a 3rd type, and my mechanic of 35 years is one of those. He replaces his trucks every two years. I asked his wife why he does that, and her reply was that the new trucks have so many features and are so reliable that it is foolish not to, and safer to boot. When the 60 year old guy who owns the largest shop in town thinks it is foolish to hold on to an old car, that says a lot.

 

[RobbieB]

(5) lets me retain complete control of the vehicle when I am driving instead of trying to make driving decisions for me.

From your life experience so far do you see a trend towards more or less automation?

Good Luck!

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

There is a 3rd type, and my mechanic of 35 years is one of those. He replaces his trucks every two years. I asked his wife why he does that, and her reply was that the new trucks have so many features and are so reliable that it is foolish not to, and safer to boot. When the 60 year old guy who owns the largest shop in town thinks it is foolish to hold on to an old car, that says a lot.

My farmer cousins do the same thing. A new truck is a tax-deductible business expense for them.

 

[yorick]

On the automation discussion: My crystal ball says it’ll take quite a while for cars to “drive themselves” reliably. I know there are some industry players who throw 2022 around - I remain skeptical. 2029 maybe. Maybe.

That said, when cars can drive themselves reliably, those that do will have fewer accidents than those that don’t. Human error, such as distraction, being tired, and so on, is still the main reason we have accidents.
And that in turn means insurance will follow suit and give incentives to those who let the car drive. As in, lower rates. Insurance companies don’t give a hoot about philosophical arguments, all they care about is risk, in dollars and cents.

Or my crystal ball is cloudy. Hard to predict the future with any accuracy.

 

[Music Lover]

There is a 3rd type, and my mechanic of 35 years is one of those. He replaces his trucks every two years. I asked his wife why he does that, and her reply was that the new trucks have so many features and are so reliable that it is foolish not to, and safer to boot. When the 60 year old guy who owns the largest shop in town thinks it is foolish to hold on to an old car, that says a lot.

Someone who has the largest shop in town can buy a new car every 2 years and it's pocket change.

The reality is that vehicles are very reliable these days and no one has to replace a 2 year old vehicle unless they want to. And almost no one really has to replace a 5 year old vehicle unless they want to.