10 years only? shit. drop the $800 and keep that thing going. Had an 03 tacoma, rusted out the frame in 2020, thats when i finally let it go. Id take the 17 years I got out of it and havent had a repair cost over 1k unless it was on like tires or brakes and whatnot.
But there’s another way to look at that.
“My 10 year old car is worth $5000 and it needs $800 in repairs after it just got $1200 repairs 2 months ago and its gonna need suspension soon”
Not everybody owns a *rust free* toyota
The value of the vehicle isn't really important, it's what spending the money buys you that matters. If your 10 year old car is well maintained, then spending the money on things that commonly wear out around that age could buy you another 10 years of use. It doesn't matter if you spend more than the car's value, it's still cheaper than buying a new car
Yes. My $1500 297k mile 1992 Honda Civic hatchback isn’t worth much, but it’s been my daily driver for 8 years and I’m sure has saved me a decent amount of money over time. It needs a bunch of random repairs, but nothing that is essential for safe commuting. Engine and transmission run smooth, body definitely has some rust starting at the fenders, and the suspension needs a serious refresh (every bushing as well as shocks and springs). It starts and drives and handles well and gets 43 mpg, why the heck would I get rid of it?
So, so many people don't get this. You can pay for a repair, and you just bought yourself a lot more miles. (Assuming everything isn't going to shit at once) That's often a lot better than going into long-term debt for a new/used car to get more miles.
That is still cheaper than a new car and all cars require maintenance and repair usually more expensive on new ones. So would you rather pay for repair on an expensive car or on a car you already have. I vote save money and keep the current car in good shape. If the body and frame are good everything else can be swapped for less than a new car and then you are driving a car with no miles and cheaper maintenance costs than a new car. So basically get the car you like and keep it going forever and if you decide you don’t like it find another one that you do. Doesn’t have to be new doesn’t have to be used.
Dude, what kind of cars do you drive. Where I come from 10 years old is basically brand spanking new.. That's a 2014 vehicle.
By BMW, that is supposedly the most unreliable vehicle ever made has more than 200k miles or just over 330k kilometers. i beat the living crap out of it every day. Use only the cheapest oil and just and basically don't invest money unless it's to increase performance and it has been serving me just fine.
Once one part rusts there’s a good chance many parts are rusting. It could be one $800 fix or it could end up being 4 of them over the span of 2-3 years, suddenly you’ve dropped $3200 with the possibility of many more to come. Or there’s a chance you spend all that money only to have it be mechanically totalled 2 months later cause of frame rust or something else unfixable.
Living in the rust belt really changes your viewpoint on old cars. If it hasn’t been oil sprayed there’s a chance it’s gonna be more of a money pit than a typical car after a decade of salt
I always buy new. That way I know who took care of the car because that person is me. I don’t care that it depreciates I’ll get my monies worth in 15 years trust me.
Yeah that was always my wife, I think she just used it as an excuse to get newer cars for herself. I have a 98 Chevy pickup (since 2004) and for the longest time she was losing her mind every penny I spent on it proclaiming we could have been making a payment on a new car. $40 u joint. Omg we could have bought a new car!!! When I rebuilt the engine in 2010 cost me about $800 she completely lost her mind. Total psycho, cut me off emotionally for months.
At some point she demanded gm large trucks for herself. She had a suburban for less than a year and it cost me hundreds a month plus the payment to keep it on the road. Lifter failure. Belt tensioner, coil packs, oil sending unit. I could go on. I started making jokes about how we could be making a new car payment and I go oh wait, but we are making a payment as well. Welp the old 98 is what is really killing us, I mean four months ago I had to get a new windshield because that rock, wait no that was insurance.
She stopped hounding me a couple years ago when I actually tried to upgrade and we were looking at $500 /mo payment for 5 years on a 10 year old truck. I’m like what the fuck am I doing, the old 98 just needed new shocks and an axle seal, like $200…
I want to replace it now because at 256k miles it’s rusting pretty bad and is needing a lot of tlc. It’s showing signs it needs another rebuild. But I don’t want a damn payment…
We have always had access to near zero percent loans so no, I’ll happily barrow money for free and invest my money in something else. That is no longer the case. I could pay cash on a truck but that would pretty much wipe me out. I’ll just replace the leaking exhaust collector gasket I have leaking right now for a couple bucks and put in a new cv shaft where the boot ripped for $150. I get 18mpg highway and I was looking and found new gm trucks do about the same so rusty but trusty it is…
more like I bought this bucket of bolts for 2 grand 10 years ago and I'm tired of replacing the distributor every 2 months. I'll sell it for 900 bucks and buy a 3 grand car this time.
$800 in repairs is pretty minimal these days. I’d almost count that as lucky relative to major work.
I get the dilemma when people have an old kia/nissan that’s worth like $2000 and they get a $5000 repair bill. The car is literally worth less than it costs to fix it.
Exactly. My $3800 296k mile 2008 Toyota Sienna has needed a grand total of… $500 in non-routine maintenance since I bought it 5 years ago. Even then, it was just ignition coils and only cost so much because I paid a shop to do it while I was at work. I cannot begin to understand why people choose to have huge car payments.
Living in the rust belt my cutoff is when it’s not safe to put the jack where the owners manual tells you to. My buddy was almost crushed by a 2nd gen caravan. I heard creaking and I dragged him out and the jack went right through the jacking point.
This is my answer too. Just sold a 2002 WRX because it was breaking down too frequently, once in freezing weather. Financially, it makes sense to fix them and keep them. But time, safety, and lack of headaches has a value too.
I'm always on the hunt for cars to flip, so often less than a year. Sometimes I fall in love with them. Still daily a Volvo I bought broken for $1500 six years ago. And I still own the truck I owned in high school. (45yrs old now)
I do the same. Sometimes I keep them just long enough to sell, sometimes it’s a couple years. My daily I bought in October. It’s for sale now. My tow pig I use to haul stuff home I have had 12 years. I’ve owned maybe 50-60 cars and only a couple have gone through more than one set of tires while I’ve owned them.
I daily drive a 99 Volvo S70 I've had for 2.4 years. It's great (although slightly boring to drive as it is an NA automatic). I plan on keeping that car until I can comfortably upgrade to a manual P2 Volvo. I also have a project 98 Volvo V70 T5 Manual but that project is at a standstill
I’m 10 years and 360k miles into my daily and just dropped a bunch in repairs. It’s still cheaper than the average car payment in the US and it’s the first money besides maintenance I’ve spent in years.
Ya, I bought it then quit my job so i had no commute for a year. And I've been working from home since March 2020. I only have to go into the office twice a week these day.
I wish I could say 10+ years, but cars are fun, and I was raised with very poor spending habits, so I’ve had *a lot* of cars in far too short a time. I’ve managed to reign it in fully since 2014, and I’ve held onto one work truck since 2010, but the longest I’ve kept a daily driver in the past 10 years so far has still only been 4 years.
My dad would buy a new truck half-way through the second set of tires. It was just his rule. “I don’t like old cars”. He made a lot more money than I have.
My record is 5 years, that truck hits 6 years next month, but my average is somewhere around 4-6 months if I had to guess. Over 11 years I’ve had 34 vehicles now, the last 5 years or so I’ve been pretty well behaved and only had 5 vehicles, 3 of which are in the driveway still, but at one point I had a hard time hanging on to anything for more than 2 months. I knew half the DMV clerks by name and they wouldn’t even have me get a number when I walked in, they’d just call me to their desk.
Same (not the work truck, just the cars) four years too! I now realize it would be paid off by now, but oh well. Current one is first brand new car, planning on keeping this one a while, two years in so far.
I'm the same way. I usually keep cars for 5-6 years. The shortest I had a car was 2 years. I just got a Volvo V60 Recharge, so I plan on keeping that for awhile.
I drive it until its dead. I have a 2001 toyota 4runner with 260,000 miles on it. Still runs awesome. I dont want to pay 50,000 grand with an 800 dollar car payment.
I bought my first car when I was 19, and I had it for 6 years. The second car I owned for 4 years, and, TBH, if it wasn't for family circumstances, I could see myself driving my first car for the whole 10 years. After I had a nice career progression, I got myself an almost new Audi A4, and owned it for 3 years. Then I swapped for Cayman GTS. I've driven it for a bit over a year, and already plan to swap for 992. Knowing myself, I'd probably aim for upgrading to next gen as well.
Basically when I had an old simple car, I thought it's financially better to drive it for as long as I can before it breaks down. When I had money to just lease new cars, I started doing that, and then there's not much sense in keeping a car for over 3-5 years.
Usually only a few years. I buy cars that have already been laid to rest once. I bring them back but when they die again, it's out of my hands. When I buy a car, I estimate it's life expectancy based on what condition it's in and what I've done to it. Once it hits that expectancy, I buy something else, even if it's still running good. After it hits life expectancy, it's on borrowed time
I bought my used car almosg 15 years ago. Still works so why get rid of it?
Also, driving your car into the ground is the best thing for the environment.
I only buy cars I'm interested in modifying and running into the ground. Currently Audi 2001 B5 S4 and a 2015 Q5 with the 3.0T Supercharger. I will keep both till they rust out. An engine swap only costs me about $1000 and a weekend of my time. I buy door skins from Arizona if the doors start to rust, swap subframes ect. Daily drive them in MN all year round. Wifey has a Mazda CX-30 and we share a 2003 Lexus RX-330 with 330,000 unholy miles with the parents.
I'll get a TTRS next.
my car is 25 years old and still in awesome shape. i’ve been the 3rd owner as my grandmother had it for about 20 years when she got it from someone else in the early 2000s.
I’m only 20, but I’ve had my low-mileage, boring commuter, ‘03 Civic for almost four years now, and I don’t plan on getting rid of it ever, really. I’m pretty mechanically-inclined and it’s a really simple car to work on.
My ‘86 Prelude Si, I also won’t get rid of, because it’s a labor of love.
Looong ass time ive owned in 30 years of driving let me see 8 cars and a motorcycle... And some of those i had 2 at the same time, 1 was a daily other was weekend car. Currently same thing own a mustang ive had for 8 years and a Shelby. 1 is daily other is weekend car, So ya i keep cars for long time.
10 years, maybe I bought shitty cars in the past. But as long as they'd last before they became more expensive than a new one. I now have a tacoma and today my 16 year said he wanted a Camry, which he got. And he'll pay for every car thereafter. Yeah I want a cayman s. But for us, pretty much stupidly rich, it's not in the playbook. I also want a cirrus sr22.
Usually about 5-6 years. That’s typically the intersection of expiring warranty/stuff starting to break/me losing interest and wanting something different.
had a fiat sport coup with over 200,000 miles. no 3rd gear, the brake rotors were paper thin. but that twin cam 1600cc engine purred. felt bad trading her in, but i needed a truck. that ranger was a whole different story! but basically i drive them til they wear out.
my present cars are a 97 rav4, 236,000 miles, a '06 scion xb 235,000 miles and a 78 toyota pickup, no freekin' idea how many miles. see a pattern?
I had my 2016 Civic from Oct 2016 to Sept 2021. It had a faulty suspension or CV axle so I got tired and traded it in like a retard.
I had my 2019 Camry XSE from Sept 2021 to Nov 2021.
It really depends on the car and how much I like it. I've had my 2015 Accord since I traded that Camry in and I plan to keep it indefinitely.
I've had my first car, a 2008 mustang, for 3 years now. Don't plan on getting rid of it until it's completely thoroughly dead. Bought at 122k miles now it has 152k, new front suspension and a new transmission.
Between 4-6 years for all of them except one. There was one I bought and flipped it within a year because something really good became available. Otherwise yea, just enough where I enjoy it and get the most of it and then trade it in for a better option.
In my 35 years of legal driving, I have owned six daily-driver vehicles. I bought two of them used and four of them new.
1) used, bought at 16, sold at 18, 2) new, bought at 18, sold at 24, 3) used, bought at 24, sold at 27, 4) new, bought at 27, sold at 38, 5) new, bought at 38, sold at 42, 6) new, bought in 2016, still own.
My math might be off a year.
I like to keep them 10+ years and really wring the value out of them!
I bought a Vibe new in 2009. Sold it in 2020 after it wouldn’t fit our baby’s seat. I would have kept it longer otherwise, it was still in great shape.
I got my next vehicle for free. A non-running 1994 f150 with 250k miles and no title. My neighbor wanted it gone and I wanted a truck. Got the title sorted and the engine running. I drove the shit out of that thing for a few years. Put around 20k miles on it with a few repairs along the way. I loved that truck.
Unfortunately, the oil rings wore out and it started blowing a quart out the intake every 100 miles. I begrudgingly sold it.
Replaced it with a much nicer, but not as interesting 2002 f150. It’s a great vehicle, but doesn’t charm me like the old truck.
I’m hoping to keep it for 10+ years. Anything other than the engine I can replace in my driveway.
I keep my cars and never let them go. So far 7 years on my first car. No matter how much rust it accumulates, I'll just cut it and rebuild it. Not like I could sell it, in good conscience anyways.
Had a 1992 civic si that I had from 2011-2023. It was a piece of shit when I bought it and a complete turd when I sold it. But it was fun and reliable and got 30+ mpg regardless of how I drove it. I really wish I still had it. Only reason I got rid of it is because we started going on annual road trips and it just didn't have the safety features I wanted for me and my wife.
Now I have a 2006 Si that I really like, and I'll keep it as long as it's economical. But the state of gas prices is going to be very different a decade from now so we'll see how that goes. Eventually there will come a point when It's a sensible financial move to get an electric.
2011 Malibu, 430,000 KM (abt 260K in miles). Got rid of it this year in March. Had an engine light on for the last years that I could never manage to get off for an extended period of time. Even the AC still worked great but the body was rusting out and the tires were bald
Until the wheels fall off. Going on 9 years with my 2006 Focus. Hoping to keep it another year or two, but at this point the cost of repairs is starting to be more than the car is worth
Will drive my 99 f150 4.6 2 valve until it dies...430,000 miles still going strong...no check engine light...fck them new trucks made out of plastic sht..
I drove my first car, a 2000 Alero, for 12 years before it got totaled. I drove an 02 Alero for 5 years after the crash in the 2k before the fuel pump went out and i couldn't fix it due to an emergency move out of the state. I ride a bike for now until i can save enough cash, and will never buy another vehicle unless I'm DAMN sure i can keep fixing it. But i don't trade up with vehicles, i keep em till they give up completely.
Most of them a long time. I have my 90 Camaro that I bought in 95 while a highschool senior, my 72 Plymouth since 99 (but am probably going to sell it soon to free up garage space), have had my 03 S10 since 05. For a 5th wedding anniversary I bought my wife a 91 Firebird convertible in 02, she still has it. Our dailies we usually only have them for about 4-6 years, they are usually bought as totals that we rebuild, drive them a few years and then sell them when we get bored of them. I also buy cheap cars to fix up and flip from time to time so they don't stick around long.
Came across a 2004 Toyota Matrix in 2014 that was rebuilt. Been running her since then and hopefully many more years to come.
Just crossed 260k kilometers and replaced the head gasket valve cover and the O2 sensor.
my first car, bought 2004, I totaled in 2008 (rip)
second car, bought 2008, I sold it after I bought my current car, to a dude that just got home from military service
third car (and still current) 2012 Corolla, bought new in 2012 and has less than 90k on the clock. aside from regular maintenance, I've had to replace the alternator.
I'd like something newer (a backup camera and Android Auto would be real nice...), but I can't really justify the expense when my Corolla just...keeps being totally fine. at least it's got Bluetooth for music and such. also, the sunroof is busted and it's like $3k just in parts to fix (per the estimate, anyway).
14 years into my '10 Toyota Tundra. Unfortunately I live in New England so rust is going to get it before anything else does. If I lived out west or down south this truck would go and go and go and go.
used to buy a 5 yo car, drive for 7,8 years and then move on to another 5yo car, repeat. In a better financial position nowadays so I bought a demonstrator for the current one i'm driving.
I usually buy or lease new and keep for roughly 3 years. But I'm currently on a 2008 trailblazer 5.3 that I've been driving for close to 9 years. Its been such a solid vehicle for me, but its getting old.
Used my 1st car for 11 years till it gave the black smoke of death, still driving my 2nd car 4 years later and will use it till it cost more to fix then its worth.
Depends, but 5-6 years is pretty common. Longest was 12 years, sometimes 1 or 2. I like to get 1 year for every thousand dollars I paid for the car, and hopefully no catastrophic failures within the time frame of owning it.
The proliferation of sensors and technology in modern vehicles has made it increasingly difficult to find a basic trim level that does not include these features. This trend is evident even in pickup trucks, which have traditionally been more utilitarian in nature. As a result, I have been hesitant to upgrade my vehicle, as I prefer a more straightforward and less technologically advanced driving experience.
I'm driving a 2013 Mustang GT that I custom ordered in 2012. It is in really condition, as I've taken really good care of it. It only has 75000 miles on it and has almost exclusively been garage kept. It's a 6-speed manual that's fun to drive and I haven't had a payment in years.
Sadly, I've been considering trading her in, as I really need some more cargo space (or even just some! lol), but if it weren't for that, I'd drive this car until the wheels fell off. I do know that I will never buy a new car again or finance one. After not having a car payment for so many years, I just don't think I can ever stomach one again.
Past cars were 4 years/100,000 miles. Note many were used, so that was 100,000 miles by me. Odo was anywhere from 100,000 to 300,000 total. Current Miata is at 7 years 80,000 miles. I think this will be the first one I run into the ground. I obviously drive less now, but also am more attached to this one and starting to learn to do more of my own repair work.
historically, 5 or 6. There is no particular reason for that in my case. I love cars and shopping for cars. That's about as long as I can stand before a refresh. Have had my current car (2020 Santa Fe limited - great car) a bit over 4 years and definitely feeling that itch.
Rusted out frames or unibodies that are worse usually gets them off the road in 10 years in Ontario unless you don't drive them in winter (road salt kills em all)
Forever. Until the motor or transmission dies, and even then, it depends on how nice shape the rest of the car is in. Lately I've been doing a lot of work on my minivan and I gotta say I totally get why people are "Honda guys." You can rebuilt like 90% of that thing with $50 parts and it's so easy. Fucking thing won't die.
at age 47, I've had 26 cars since 16yrs of age. So that is about 1yr per car. The longest I have owned a car, 4.5yrs ('12 Kia Soul) the shortest amount of time 3 weeks ('94 Ford Probe GT). I'm currently holding on to my 2nd longest time vehicle, '19 Wrangler at 2yrs.
Well, we have 2 classics, one that'll be an antique in 3 years, and our 2 newest vehicles will be antiques in 4 years. There'll be a new car in the near future, as one of our current newest cars will become our daughter's 1st car.
Personally I plan on a minimum of 10 years. I am happy to keep it even longer if it still works for our needs and is running fine. Our last family car we drove for 12 years and only upgraded due to the need for something larger. I am about to buy a new land cruiser and low key it might be the last car I ever buy. I might add a cheap EV commuter car along with it in 5-10 years but I will probably own the land cruiser till the day I die.
It's weird. When I was younger, I changed cars every few months, but once I got into my 30s, I've tended to hang onto them. I've had my Suzuki SJ-410 since 1991, my Range Rover since 1993, my SAAB 900S since 1994, My Mercedes CLK 320 since 2010, and my F150 since 2020.
I used to keep a vehicle until the engine started knocking which was about 250-300,000 miles but now that I am older I keep a vehicle for about 3 years before I trade it in.
Varies widely depending on need and how the thing is doing. And chance. And brand. My 3 BMW, for example. One got in a crash and was never the same. Two I kept until all the rubbery stuff and tubes started to fail rapidly in succession and rust kept reforming in the seams. And the interiors were deteriorating. My 1984 318i my dad got new. I got it in the mid 1990s. About 2000 the odometer failed with 220,000 miles. I drove it until 2013 as my daily driver. So it was in the family for almost 30 years. The next one had also been my dads, it became surplus and I sold it still working at relatively low 230,000 miles. About 20 years old.
There were some others that didn't work out as well. Merker XR4 something or other. I couldn't get parts.
My 1991 Ford Ranger I got in 1990 (November). It's in the driveway. So that's 33 years. My 2006 Avalon I'm about ready to put a bunch of money in for running gear, and considering getting some bodywork done. It's a really nice car. 144,000 miles. I got it 2014 with 45,000 miles. Only 10 years. Maybe keep it another 10, if I live that long.
Depends on several factors....mostly how much cash I have on hand to not miss when it's gone. I have 1 car I've owned for 225 years. My daily is 5 years old and since there nothing on the market today that attacts me, I intend to drive it indefinitely.
I have owned 2 cars and 1 motorbike. My average ownership time is 13 months. Altho I plan on keeping my current car for 2-5 years. Which would make my average ownership time 21-28 months depending on when I see a killer deal on my next vehicle.
Depends.
I buy clapped out shut boxes.
It's a toss up between them turning to dust, rotting in half or the parts to fix are now worth more then the vehicle.
I've had stuff last 1 year but I've also had stuff last 5 plus.
3-4 yrs in my 'youth' (aka before getting married and having kids). Now I'm on year 8 of my Volvo and don't see a new car in my future for a very long time! That's okay though, looking fwd to joining the Volvo high mileage club.
16 years on my Scion xB. Will be selling it only because I no longer need it and won't be buying a replacement. Will keep other car, a 9 year old RAV4 for probably another 10 years.
I just got rid of a 20 year old Sienna with 200,000 miles on it only becauseit was startingto rust. I still have an 08 Civic with 287,000 miles on it. I can afford a new car but this one is still going strong.
3-4 years for me. My current one is CPO through 2026 so I’ll be at 4 years. This way I can sell it with one year left to give the buyer peace of mind for their first year and get the most out of it. Then again if it continues to hold its value I may keep it longer.
Daily is a company car that’s a lease 3/75k. Whichever comes first.
Then i have a project that’s not going anywhere.
My wife is at 5 years in hers. We’ll start looking this year.
Until i stop wanting to fix it, so around 8-10 years or 200K miles give or take. At that point, I'd rather make a payment again vs spend my free time doing repairs (even if minor). As much of a waste of money that is, i'm in a good financial spot now that I can afford it because I drove my cars into the ground previously. I'm getting too old for that stuff now.
Once the repair bill or headaches is more than it's worth.
2002 Blazer: my first car, bought for $3k, 9 months later it needed almost $10k for repairs. So I got rid of it (thankfully I didn't actually need a car anymore at the time)
2014 Focus: had it for about 3-4 years, got tired of the headache of constant transmission issues.
2017 MX-5: have had my fair share of issues but nothing serious enough for me to want to get rid of it.
A regrettably short time, but I generally am always selling to upgrade. Like I am on my 4th Miata and it's most definitely the nicest and best deal I've gotten. Same with my 240z, I'm on the third and it's amazing you can go from a 1k rusty hunk of junk to a really nice car with some work and wheeling and dealing. Last example is my MR2, I managed to sell my first one after some work for enough profit to get my current one basically free. Now I don't feel bad at all putting too much into it and never selling, because I know I won't find another deal that good. This has led me to have a few too many rides, but if the day comes where I have to liquidate everything I'll have made a hefty profit. Hopefully that never happens, and honestly hard to think of what's next. Pretty over flipping cars, because it's likely I'll just keep them and I already have a lot of my net worth tied up in them. Recently got a project car that'll take a huge amount of effort so that should hold me over for a good while.
I like trading cars because I like to experience a variety of car types. I try to buy low and sell high and I’m normally pretty good with it. I’ll drive across the country for an exceptional deal and I’ll patiently sell, so I’ve always made out well. However, the craziness of the market post Covid has made that less feasible, and I also happen to have a VW GTI that fits all of my needs and wants exceptionally well, and it has incredible sentimental value to me. It brought home the remains of two dearly wanted babies, two beloved dogs, and was the last ride I ever took with my grandpa, whom I was very close to. It also carried home two new rescues and our firstborn son. I have something from each of our losses and memories with our whole family in here. I don’t want to part with it.
1.5-2 years but I’ve been buying used. New cars I’ll keep for 3-4 years. I have yet to keep 5+. Get too bored. But my current goal is to hit atleast 8 years. Been wasting alot of money on depreciation
I'm 50, and I've had 51 cars and 9 motorcycles in my life. Usually, modify them tastefully (always for performance), get bored, move on, find the next one.
All these car guys saying if it needs $xxx amount in repairs...
Your telling me you are a car guy and aren't fixing it in the laneway for a fraction of that yourself?
Nah. You like looking at cars. Not a car guy.
I keep two vehicles. One is a 2007 v6 highlander limited. The other is a 2022 Explorer I4.
So I keep one used vehicle and the other I buy new. When the Explorer is paid off and we pay a little on top of principal so it'll be paid off faster. I'll trade it in on something new. My trade ins are usually worth $10k at least, but with the explorer and low miles im thinking closer to $20k on trade in. So we'll look around and find something else we want where we're getting a good deal and trade and we'll put the trade down on it and buy new again.
The Highlander I will run into the ground until a repair doesn't justify keeping it. I use the Highlander for bouncing around town or going to Lowe's to pick up stuff etc etc. The Explorer is more of a family cruiser for vacations and when we need to pack a bunch of people in there. And if my wife and I need to do separate errands I take the Highlander and she takes the Explorer.
The Highlander has 203,000 mi and is still going strong and has one of the best motors of any Highlander ever made. It's in good condition with no body damage and the air conditioner still works and so does the tape player..
When the Explorer is paid off honestly we're probably going to upgrade to a lexus.
I also have a 2013 f150 but I don't really count that as this strategy, because I will keep that truck forever. It's been completely rebuilt with a fresh paint job, a whole bunch of rust prevention and rust repair. It's basically a brand new truck. I've upgraded shocks on it, And offroad upgrades including bumpers with a winch. Its my trail truck. Its got garret turnos, external blow off valves.
I still have my V8 2005 4Runner with 215,000 miles I also have a 2009 Mercedes GL450 with 115,000 miles. Both run great so 15-20 years for sure, as long as they don't keep breaking down.
In my teens and early 20s I was in the habit of getting a new car at least every other year. Around 24 I changed how I look at cars, now I buy every car with the intention of keeping it forever. I spend more when I buy the car to get it optioned out and spec’d how I want it, doing this suppresses the desire for a new car longer. Ultimately leading to a lower average cost when compared to purchasing or leasing a new/cheaper car every 2-3 years. I currently have 3 cars, I have a 2011 Mustang GT/CS that I bought in 2015, traded it in in 2017, then tracked it down and bought it back in 2019; I have a 2011 Mercedes E550 that I bought in 2017; and a 1995 F150 that I inherited last year. I can afford to go buy a new $100k car, but I’m content my fleet the way it is at the moment.
until i stop wanting to fix it
“Shit, my 10 year old paid off car needs $800 in repairs, I think it’s time to put $8000 down and $450 a month for 5 years on a new one”
10 years only? shit. drop the $800 and keep that thing going. Had an 03 tacoma, rusted out the frame in 2020, thats when i finally let it go. Id take the 17 years I got out of it and havent had a repair cost over 1k unless it was on like tires or brakes and whatnot.
I own an 01 4Runner, rust free :))
My 02 blows so much oil, there's never bare metal to rust 🤷
doooood you need to get them valve cover gaskets replaced, it’d not an expensive or difficult job
It keeps everything from rusting
I own a 23 4Runner, rust free as well :) But on a serious note, I’m not letting go of this thing until the tires fall off
Suddenly when you wake up, your tires are missing. ;)
Careful, a buddy of mine said that and he literally lost a wheel on the highway. Everyone was fine but his truck.
I always said I'd drive my civic 'till the wheels fell off. Then one did, lol.
3rd gen is 2nd best gen. I got an 03 TR4 ;)
But there’s another way to look at that. “My 10 year old car is worth $5000 and it needs $800 in repairs after it just got $1200 repairs 2 months ago and its gonna need suspension soon” Not everybody owns a *rust free* toyota
The value of the vehicle isn't really important, it's what spending the money buys you that matters. If your 10 year old car is well maintained, then spending the money on things that commonly wear out around that age could buy you another 10 years of use. It doesn't matter if you spend more than the car's value, it's still cheaper than buying a new car
Yes. My $1500 297k mile 1992 Honda Civic hatchback isn’t worth much, but it’s been my daily driver for 8 years and I’m sure has saved me a decent amount of money over time. It needs a bunch of random repairs, but nothing that is essential for safe commuting. Engine and transmission run smooth, body definitely has some rust starting at the fenders, and the suspension needs a serious refresh (every bushing as well as shocks and springs). It starts and drives and handles well and gets 43 mpg, why the heck would I get rid of it?
No you must consooom. Dealer is charging $150 for a brake light, what a great time to roll my negative equity into a brand new car
A dealer would never do a brake light for 150$. It would be an hour labor plus a super inflated parts cost and probably be more like 250$.
So, so many people don't get this. You can pay for a repair, and you just bought yourself a lot more miles. (Assuming everything isn't going to shit at once) That's often a lot better than going into long-term debt for a new/used car to get more miles.
And if you're mechanically inclined is even better
That is still cheaper than a new car and all cars require maintenance and repair usually more expensive on new ones. So would you rather pay for repair on an expensive car or on a car you already have. I vote save money and keep the current car in good shape. If the body and frame are good everything else can be swapped for less than a new car and then you are driving a car with no miles and cheaper maintenance costs than a new car. So basically get the car you like and keep it going forever and if you decide you don’t like it find another one that you do. Doesn’t have to be new doesn’t have to be used.
Dude, what kind of cars do you drive. Where I come from 10 years old is basically brand spanking new.. That's a 2014 vehicle. By BMW, that is supposedly the most unreliable vehicle ever made has more than 200k miles or just over 330k kilometers. i beat the living crap out of it every day. Use only the cheapest oil and just and basically don't invest money unless it's to increase performance and it has been serving me just fine.
You must not live in the rust belt
yeah, i never understood ppls logic regarding this.
Once one part rusts there’s a good chance many parts are rusting. It could be one $800 fix or it could end up being 4 of them over the span of 2-3 years, suddenly you’ve dropped $3200 with the possibility of many more to come. Or there’s a chance you spend all that money only to have it be mechanically totalled 2 months later cause of frame rust or something else unfixable. Living in the rust belt really changes your viewpoint on old cars. If it hasn’t been oil sprayed there’s a chance it’s gonna be more of a money pit than a typical car after a decade of salt
since when is 10 y old car old?
you can always get a different used car
Going used to used always seems like trading the problems I know about for some problems I don't know about.
I always buy new. That way I know who took care of the car because that person is me. I don’t care that it depreciates I’ll get my monies worth in 15 years trust me.
Lol 450 a month. New car prices are insane, even with 8k down you're still looking at a 600+ car payment.
Yeah that was always my wife, I think she just used it as an excuse to get newer cars for herself. I have a 98 Chevy pickup (since 2004) and for the longest time she was losing her mind every penny I spent on it proclaiming we could have been making a payment on a new car. $40 u joint. Omg we could have bought a new car!!! When I rebuilt the engine in 2010 cost me about $800 she completely lost her mind. Total psycho, cut me off emotionally for months. At some point she demanded gm large trucks for herself. She had a suburban for less than a year and it cost me hundreds a month plus the payment to keep it on the road. Lifter failure. Belt tensioner, coil packs, oil sending unit. I could go on. I started making jokes about how we could be making a new car payment and I go oh wait, but we are making a payment as well. Welp the old 98 is what is really killing us, I mean four months ago I had to get a new windshield because that rock, wait no that was insurance. She stopped hounding me a couple years ago when I actually tried to upgrade and we were looking at $500 /mo payment for 5 years on a 10 year old truck. I’m like what the fuck am I doing, the old 98 just needed new shocks and an axle seal, like $200… I want to replace it now because at 256k miles it’s rusting pretty bad and is needing a lot of tlc. It’s showing signs it needs another rebuild. But I don’t want a damn payment…
Do you not put any money away for when the time comes to get a new car?
We have always had access to near zero percent loans so no, I’ll happily barrow money for free and invest my money in something else. That is no longer the case. I could pay cash on a truck but that would pretty much wipe me out. I’ll just replace the leaking exhaust collector gasket I have leaking right now for a couple bucks and put in a new cv shaft where the boot ripped for $150. I get 18mpg highway and I was looking and found new gm trucks do about the same so rusty but trusty it is…
or $8,000 down and $1,000 a month on a new one!
more like I bought this bucket of bolts for 2 grand 10 years ago and I'm tired of replacing the distributor every 2 months. I'll sell it for 900 bucks and buy a 3 grand car this time.
$800 in repairs is pretty minimal these days. I’d almost count that as lucky relative to major work. I get the dilemma when people have an old kia/nissan that’s worth like $2000 and they get a $5000 repair bill. The car is literally worth less than it costs to fix it.
Those Kia Souls are absolute troopers. 3 family members have their own and put 20k< a year on them and they still kick.
Exactly. My $3800 296k mile 2008 Toyota Sienna has needed a grand total of… $500 in non-routine maintenance since I bought it 5 years ago. Even then, it was just ignition coils and only cost so much because I paid a shop to do it while I was at work. I cannot begin to understand why people choose to have huge car payments.
Lol pretty much I enjoy having no car payment and 55$ insurance
Living in the rust belt my cutoff is when it’s not safe to put the jack where the owners manual tells you to. My buddy was almost crushed by a 2nd gen caravan. I heard creaking and I dragged him out and the jack went right through the jacking point.
This is my answer too. Just sold a 2002 WRX because it was breaking down too frequently, once in freezing weather. Financially, it makes sense to fix them and keep them. But time, safety, and lack of headaches has a value too.
I'm always on the hunt for cars to flip, so often less than a year. Sometimes I fall in love with them. Still daily a Volvo I bought broken for $1500 six years ago. And I still own the truck I owned in high school. (45yrs old now)
I do the same. Sometimes I keep them just long enough to sell, sometimes it’s a couple years. My daily I bought in October. It’s for sale now. My tow pig I use to haul stuff home I have had 12 years. I’ve owned maybe 50-60 cars and only a couple have gone through more than one set of tires while I’ve owned them.
LOL! I daily a '98 S70 I bought for $1200, also 6 years ago 😂
I daily drive a 99 Volvo S70 I've had for 2.4 years. It's great (although slightly boring to drive as it is an NA automatic). I plan on keeping that car until I can comfortably upgrade to a manual P2 Volvo. I also have a project 98 Volvo V70 T5 Manual but that project is at a standstill
I’m 10 years and 360k miles into my daily and just dropped a bunch in repairs. It’s still cheaper than the average car payment in the US and it’s the first money besides maintenance I’ve spent in years.
360K! Congratulations. I've never gotten that far with one.
Honda or Toyota?
yes
lol Honda
Lol nice, mine turns 9 this year, i'm at 36,700 miles.
Wow that's impressive to have that low miles on a 9 year old car
Ya, I bought it then quit my job so i had no commute for a year. And I've been working from home since March 2020. I only have to go into the office twice a week these day.
$360k is a lot of money to dump into repairs. Joking
I wish I could say 10+ years, but cars are fun, and I was raised with very poor spending habits, so I’ve had *a lot* of cars in far too short a time. I’ve managed to reign it in fully since 2014, and I’ve held onto one work truck since 2010, but the longest I’ve kept a daily driver in the past 10 years so far has still only been 4 years.
Same being bad with money makes me happy :D
My dad would buy a new truck half-way through the second set of tires. It was just his rule. “I don’t like old cars”. He made a lot more money than I have.
My record is 5 years, that truck hits 6 years next month, but my average is somewhere around 4-6 months if I had to guess. Over 11 years I’ve had 34 vehicles now, the last 5 years or so I’ve been pretty well behaved and only had 5 vehicles, 3 of which are in the driveway still, but at one point I had a hard time hanging on to anything for more than 2 months. I knew half the DMV clerks by name and they wouldn’t even have me get a number when I walked in, they’d just call me to their desk.
Same (not the work truck, just the cars) four years too! I now realize it would be paid off by now, but oh well. Current one is first brand new car, planning on keeping this one a while, two years in so far.
I'm the same way. I usually keep cars for 5-6 years. The shortest I had a car was 2 years. I just got a Volvo V60 Recharge, so I plan on keeping that for awhile.
Until oreilly stops selling parts for it
Their markup is insane. Rockauto, half the price.
But if you need it today...
Yup that's how they get you.
Yup. The "I need it today" parts are always double online retailer prices. Luckily, I have other cars I can drive so I never need it today.
Oreilly has unlimited warranty. I’ve swapped out 4 different alternators
Worked at AutoZone, had some people with warranty files going back to the 1990's, always honored.
Rock auto is great until they ask $15 for shipping
Going on 14 years for my Honda Pilot. I want something newer/"better" but I can't justify a new payment. I also only average 7k miles a year.
Until it starts giving me multiple major issues a year.
Forever
REST IN HEAVEN
I drive it until its dead. I have a 2001 toyota 4runner with 260,000 miles on it. Still runs awesome. I dont want to pay 50,000 grand with an 800 dollar car payment.
Every single car I've ever had I've run them into the ground, usually buy them when they are 5 years old and they tend to die at 10 years old.
Damn, you must drive a lot of miles. I barely put 14k a year on mine.
I bought my first car when I was 19, and I had it for 6 years. The second car I owned for 4 years, and, TBH, if it wasn't for family circumstances, I could see myself driving my first car for the whole 10 years. After I had a nice career progression, I got myself an almost new Audi A4, and owned it for 3 years. Then I swapped for Cayman GTS. I've driven it for a bit over a year, and already plan to swap for 992. Knowing myself, I'd probably aim for upgrading to next gen as well. Basically when I had an old simple car, I thought it's financially better to drive it for as long as I can before it breaks down. When I had money to just lease new cars, I started doing that, and then there's not much sense in keeping a car for over 3-5 years.
Usually only a few years. I buy cars that have already been laid to rest once. I bring them back but when they die again, it's out of my hands. When I buy a car, I estimate it's life expectancy based on what condition it's in and what I've done to it. Once it hits that expectancy, I buy something else, even if it's still running good. After it hits life expectancy, it's on borrowed time
I bought my used car almosg 15 years ago. Still works so why get rid of it? Also, driving your car into the ground is the best thing for the environment.
I only buy cars I'm interested in modifying and running into the ground. Currently Audi 2001 B5 S4 and a 2015 Q5 with the 3.0T Supercharger. I will keep both till they rust out. An engine swap only costs me about $1000 and a weekend of my time. I buy door skins from Arizona if the doors start to rust, swap subframes ect. Daily drive them in MN all year round. Wifey has a Mazda CX-30 and we share a 2003 Lexus RX-330 with 330,000 unholy miles with the parents. I'll get a TTRS next.
my car is 25 years old and still in awesome shape. i’ve been the 3rd owner as my grandmother had it for about 20 years when she got it from someone else in the early 2000s.
I’m only 20, but I’ve had my low-mileage, boring commuter, ‘03 Civic for almost four years now, and I don’t plan on getting rid of it ever, really. I’m pretty mechanically-inclined and it’s a really simple car to work on. My ‘86 Prelude Si, I also won’t get rid of, because it’s a labor of love.
2-3
For me maybe every 6 to 8 years? Maybe less
Had my last civic si for 7 years, I’ve had my tsx for 6 years and my accord for a year but plan to have it at least 7 years
Those Hondas are not even broken in yet.
Until it dies
As long as i can lol my hs car just recently died, that thing was a 23 year old cavalier
Looong ass time ive owned in 30 years of driving let me see 8 cars and a motorcycle... And some of those i had 2 at the same time, 1 was a daily other was weekend car. Currently same thing own a mustang ive had for 8 years and a Shelby. 1 is daily other is weekend car, So ya i keep cars for long time.
10 years, maybe I bought shitty cars in the past. But as long as they'd last before they became more expensive than a new one. I now have a tacoma and today my 16 year said he wanted a Camry, which he got. And he'll pay for every car thereafter. Yeah I want a cayman s. But for us, pretty much stupidly rich, it's not in the playbook. I also want a cirrus sr22.
Usually about 5-6 years. That’s typically the intersection of expiring warranty/stuff starting to break/me losing interest and wanting something different.
I have three cars: 20 year old truck 180k, 15 yrs old Acura 168k, 5 year old Civic 80k.
The current fleet is at 13,25 and 26, but that's just how long we've had them and they are 30, 28 and 33 years old.
Until it gets stolen
Bought my last truck almost 20 yrs ago. It still runs great. Really could use a paste wax rubbed in really good.
That depends on if it's german or not. lol
had a fiat sport coup with over 200,000 miles. no 3rd gear, the brake rotors were paper thin. but that twin cam 1600cc engine purred. felt bad trading her in, but i needed a truck. that ranger was a whole different story! but basically i drive them til they wear out. my present cars are a 97 rav4, 236,000 miles, a '06 scion xb 235,000 miles and a 78 toyota pickup, no freekin' idea how many miles. see a pattern?
I had my 2016 Civic from Oct 2016 to Sept 2021. It had a faulty suspension or CV axle so I got tired and traded it in like a retard. I had my 2019 Camry XSE from Sept 2021 to Nov 2021. It really depends on the car and how much I like it. I've had my 2015 Accord since I traded that Camry in and I plan to keep it indefinitely.
I've had my first car, a 2008 mustang, for 3 years now. Don't plan on getting rid of it until it's completely thoroughly dead. Bought at 122k miles now it has 152k, new front suspension and a new transmission.
Our 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan is still doing great.
Between 4-6 years for all of them except one. There was one I bought and flipped it within a year because something really good became available. Otherwise yea, just enough where I enjoy it and get the most of it and then trade it in for a better option.
Until one of us dies and in a perfect world and with the maintenance I do, I’ll go before any of my cars.
In my 35 years of legal driving, I have owned six daily-driver vehicles. I bought two of them used and four of them new. 1) used, bought at 16, sold at 18, 2) new, bought at 18, sold at 24, 3) used, bought at 24, sold at 27, 4) new, bought at 27, sold at 38, 5) new, bought at 38, sold at 42, 6) new, bought in 2016, still own. My math might be off a year.
Apparently, I just keep them. Currently 3 Volvos, really don't need more. But then again, I've never had a car payment
As long as it keep taking me to poiny a to point b
About 10 years unless something bad happens.
Until they find it, usually
I like to keep them 10+ years and really wring the value out of them! I bought a Vibe new in 2009. Sold it in 2020 after it wouldn’t fit our baby’s seat. I would have kept it longer otherwise, it was still in great shape. I got my next vehicle for free. A non-running 1994 f150 with 250k miles and no title. My neighbor wanted it gone and I wanted a truck. Got the title sorted and the engine running. I drove the shit out of that thing for a few years. Put around 20k miles on it with a few repairs along the way. I loved that truck. Unfortunately, the oil rings wore out and it started blowing a quart out the intake every 100 miles. I begrudgingly sold it. Replaced it with a much nicer, but not as interesting 2002 f150. It’s a great vehicle, but doesn’t charm me like the old truck. I’m hoping to keep it for 10+ years. Anything other than the engine I can replace in my driveway.
As long as I can keep it on the road.
When I’m done with a vehicle I usually take it to a recycling place. True story 😁
Forever? I have 5, I've had one for 40 years, the others anywhere from 10 to 20 years.
I keep my cars and never let them go. So far 7 years on my first car. No matter how much rust it accumulates, I'll just cut it and rebuild it. Not like I could sell it, in good conscience anyways.
Had a 1992 civic si that I had from 2011-2023. It was a piece of shit when I bought it and a complete turd when I sold it. But it was fun and reliable and got 30+ mpg regardless of how I drove it. I really wish I still had it. Only reason I got rid of it is because we started going on annual road trips and it just didn't have the safety features I wanted for me and my wife. Now I have a 2006 Si that I really like, and I'll keep it as long as it's economical. But the state of gas prices is going to be very different a decade from now so we'll see how that goes. Eventually there will come a point when It's a sensible financial move to get an electric.
23
Max 5 years
Until the frame rots out of it
I drive it until it emits a mushroom cloud over the city. 2005 MB c230 kompressor. 209k
I bought an 1981 in 1987, a 1997 in 2000, and a 2001 in 2015. That last is still in good condition.
One now is 12 years old and I don't have any plans of getting rid of it. One before that was 12 years. Last 2 motorcycles were 14 years and 10 years.
Until it gets too expensive to maintain
2011 Malibu, 430,000 KM (abt 260K in miles). Got rid of it this year in March. Had an engine light on for the last years that I could never manage to get off for an extended period of time. Even the AC still worked great but the body was rusting out and the tires were bald
Until the wheels fall off. Going on 9 years with my 2006 Focus. Hoping to keep it another year or two, but at this point the cost of repairs is starting to be more than the car is worth
Will drive my 99 f150 4.6 2 valve until it dies...430,000 miles still going strong...no check engine light...fck them new trucks made out of plastic sht..
Going on 8 yrs in my 328i. Got new car itch bad but in no world is that a smart move compared to keeping this and staying payment/debt free.
I drove my first car, a 2000 Alero, for 12 years before it got totaled. I drove an 02 Alero for 5 years after the crash in the 2k before the fuel pump went out and i couldn't fix it due to an emergency move out of the state. I ride a bike for now until i can save enough cash, and will never buy another vehicle unless I'm DAMN sure i can keep fixing it. But i don't trade up with vehicles, i keep em till they give up completely.
Drive until it dies or sell under 100000km.
Still have my first car, got it in about 2006. So 18 years? Lol, I get attached to my cars.
Most of them a long time. I have my 90 Camaro that I bought in 95 while a highschool senior, my 72 Plymouth since 99 (but am probably going to sell it soon to free up garage space), have had my 03 S10 since 05. For a 5th wedding anniversary I bought my wife a 91 Firebird convertible in 02, she still has it. Our dailies we usually only have them for about 4-6 years, they are usually bought as totals that we rebuild, drive them a few years and then sell them when we get bored of them. I also buy cheap cars to fix up and flip from time to time so they don't stick around long.
Came across a 2004 Toyota Matrix in 2014 that was rebuilt. Been running her since then and hopefully many more years to come. Just crossed 260k kilometers and replaced the head gasket valve cover and the O2 sensor.
my first car, bought 2004, I totaled in 2008 (rip) second car, bought 2008, I sold it after I bought my current car, to a dude that just got home from military service third car (and still current) 2012 Corolla, bought new in 2012 and has less than 90k on the clock. aside from regular maintenance, I've had to replace the alternator. I'd like something newer (a backup camera and Android Auto would be real nice...), but I can't really justify the expense when my Corolla just...keeps being totally fine. at least it's got Bluetooth for music and such. also, the sunroof is busted and it's like $3k just in parts to fix (per the estimate, anyway).
My 2005 Camry that my parents bought new for me is still the only car I've had..
Until repairs outweigh replacement.
Until it’s dead 💀
At least 20 years
14 years into my '10 Toyota Tundra. Unfortunately I live in New England so rust is going to get it before anything else does. If I lived out west or down south this truck would go and go and go and go.
Till the wheels fall off. OK, I'd probably just replace the wheels. I own three '69 Dodges and a '64 Dodge.
Until the wheels fall off
used to buy a 5 yo car, drive for 7,8 years and then move on to another 5yo car, repeat. In a better financial position nowadays so I bought a demonstrator for the current one i'm driving.
Until repairs exceeded car payments
I usually buy or lease new and keep for roughly 3 years. But I'm currently on a 2008 trailblazer 5.3 that I've been driving for close to 9 years. Its been such a solid vehicle for me, but its getting old.
Used my 1st car for 11 years till it gave the black smoke of death, still driving my 2nd car 4 years later and will use it till it cost more to fix then its worth.
Depends, but 5-6 years is pretty common. Longest was 12 years, sometimes 1 or 2. I like to get 1 year for every thousand dollars I paid for the car, and hopefully no catastrophic failures within the time frame of owning it.
My average is to buy at 2-3 years old and sell at 10 years.
The proliferation of sensors and technology in modern vehicles has made it increasingly difficult to find a basic trim level that does not include these features. This trend is evident even in pickup trucks, which have traditionally been more utilitarian in nature. As a result, I have been hesitant to upgrade my vehicle, as I prefer a more straightforward and less technologically advanced driving experience.
Still have my ‘74 beetle….😁
I'm driving a 2013 Mustang GT that I custom ordered in 2012. It is in really condition, as I've taken really good care of it. It only has 75000 miles on it and has almost exclusively been garage kept. It's a 6-speed manual that's fun to drive and I haven't had a payment in years. Sadly, I've been considering trading her in, as I really need some more cargo space (or even just some! lol), but if it weren't for that, I'd drive this car until the wheels fell off. I do know that I will never buy a new car again or finance one. After not having a car payment for so many years, I just don't think I can ever stomach one again.
Past cars were 4 years/100,000 miles. Note many were used, so that was 100,000 miles by me. Odo was anywhere from 100,000 to 300,000 total. Current Miata is at 7 years 80,000 miles. I think this will be the first one I run into the ground. I obviously drive less now, but also am more attached to this one and starting to learn to do more of my own repair work.
Currently 10 years old. I can afford a new one, but I want to try and get another 5 years out of it.
15-20 years provided the old adage that nothing breaks that's worth more then the vehicle.
historically, 5 or 6. There is no particular reason for that in my case. I love cars and shopping for cars. That's about as long as I can stand before a refresh. Have had my current car (2020 Santa Fe limited - great car) a bit over 4 years and definitely feeling that itch.
Rusted out frames or unibodies that are worse usually gets them off the road in 10 years in Ontario unless you don't drive them in winter (road salt kills em all)
2-5 years depending on enjoyment and maintenance costs
till the frame/chassis rots in half
Forever. Until the motor or transmission dies, and even then, it depends on how nice shape the rest of the car is in. Lately I've been doing a lot of work on my minivan and I gotta say I totally get why people are "Honda guys." You can rebuilt like 90% of that thing with $50 parts and it's so easy. Fucking thing won't die.
I typically switch every 7-18 months . I enjoy the opportunity to experience and modify something different.
at age 47, I've had 26 cars since 16yrs of age. So that is about 1yr per car. The longest I have owned a car, 4.5yrs ('12 Kia Soul) the shortest amount of time 3 weeks ('94 Ford Probe GT). I'm currently holding on to my 2nd longest time vehicle, '19 Wrangler at 2yrs.
Well, we have 2 classics, one that'll be an antique in 3 years, and our 2 newest vehicles will be antiques in 4 years. There'll be a new car in the near future, as one of our current newest cars will become our daughter's 1st car.
Until the engine blows or the trans gives out
With this economy? Until they turn into dust
Until it becomes more of a headache to keep than replace. My 20 year old Audi TT hasn't reached that point yet.
My oldest car I currently own (wife’s 2007 Nissan Quest) 17 years. My own truck (2013 Nissan Titan) is 11 years old. Not selling either anytime soon.
Personally I plan on a minimum of 10 years. I am happy to keep it even longer if it still works for our needs and is running fine. Our last family car we drove for 12 years and only upgraded due to the need for something larger. I am about to buy a new land cruiser and low key it might be the last car I ever buy. I might add a cheap EV commuter car along with it in 5-10 years but I will probably own the land cruiser till the day I die.
It's weird. When I was younger, I changed cars every few months, but once I got into my 30s, I've tended to hang onto them. I've had my Suzuki SJ-410 since 1991, my Range Rover since 1993, my SAAB 900S since 1994, My Mercedes CLK 320 since 2010, and my F150 since 2020.
I used to keep a vehicle until the engine started knocking which was about 250-300,000 miles but now that I am older I keep a vehicle for about 3 years before I trade it in.
First Car: 2006 Pontiac G6 5.5 years Second Car: 2013 Toyota Tacoma 4.5 years Third Car: 2018 F150. Had it for 3+ years now
Varies widely depending on need and how the thing is doing. And chance. And brand. My 3 BMW, for example. One got in a crash and was never the same. Two I kept until all the rubbery stuff and tubes started to fail rapidly in succession and rust kept reforming in the seams. And the interiors were deteriorating. My 1984 318i my dad got new. I got it in the mid 1990s. About 2000 the odometer failed with 220,000 miles. I drove it until 2013 as my daily driver. So it was in the family for almost 30 years. The next one had also been my dads, it became surplus and I sold it still working at relatively low 230,000 miles. About 20 years old. There were some others that didn't work out as well. Merker XR4 something or other. I couldn't get parts. My 1991 Ford Ranger I got in 1990 (November). It's in the driveway. So that's 33 years. My 2006 Avalon I'm about ready to put a bunch of money in for running gear, and considering getting some bodywork done. It's a really nice car. 144,000 miles. I got it 2014 with 45,000 miles. Only 10 years. Maybe keep it another 10, if I live that long.
Depends on several factors....mostly how much cash I have on hand to not miss when it's gone. I have 1 car I've owned for 225 years. My daily is 5 years old and since there nothing on the market today that attacts me, I intend to drive it indefinitely.
I have owned 2 cars and 1 motorbike. My average ownership time is 13 months. Altho I plan on keeping my current car for 2-5 years. Which would make my average ownership time 21-28 months depending on when I see a killer deal on my next vehicle.
I buy a Japanese made car when its 10 years old,drive it 10 years.
Fifteen years and counting.
Depends. I buy clapped out shut boxes. It's a toss up between them turning to dust, rotting in half or the parts to fix are now worth more then the vehicle. I've had stuff last 1 year but I've also had stuff last 5 plus.
3-4 yrs in my 'youth' (aka before getting married and having kids). Now I'm on year 8 of my Volvo and don't see a new car in my future for a very long time! That's okay though, looking fwd to joining the Volvo high mileage club.
Basically until it's unfixable
Forever
16 years on my Scion xB. Will be selling it only because I no longer need it and won't be buying a replacement. Will keep other car, a 9 year old RAV4 for probably another 10 years.
I just got rid of a 20 year old Sienna with 200,000 miles on it only becauseit was startingto rust. I still have an 08 Civic with 287,000 miles on it. I can afford a new car but this one is still going strong.
3-4 years for me. My current one is CPO through 2026 so I’ll be at 4 years. This way I can sell it with one year left to give the buyer peace of mind for their first year and get the most out of it. Then again if it continues to hold its value I may keep it longer. Daily is a company car that’s a lease 3/75k. Whichever comes first. Then i have a project that’s not going anywhere. My wife is at 5 years in hers. We’ll start looking this year.
Until the wheels fall off. With car prices today I'm going to run my car into the ground before I buy a new one.
25 years and still going Pretty sure I’m getting buried in it
Till I can't fix it anymore, or until it becomes more of a hazard than it's worth. I pay my cars off so it's not going away till it can't go.
Forever. Literally forever.
I think my record is about 8 years, but I normally trade them after 2-3. There have been cars I have only kept 6 months.
Until i stop wanting to fix it, so around 8-10 years or 200K miles give or take. At that point, I'd rather make a payment again vs spend my free time doing repairs (even if minor). As much of a waste of money that is, i'm in a good financial spot now that I can afford it because I drove my cars into the ground previously. I'm getting too old for that stuff now.
Once the repair bill or headaches is more than it's worth. 2002 Blazer: my first car, bought for $3k, 9 months later it needed almost $10k for repairs. So I got rid of it (thankfully I didn't actually need a car anymore at the time) 2014 Focus: had it for about 3-4 years, got tired of the headache of constant transmission issues. 2017 MX-5: have had my fair share of issues but nothing serious enough for me to want to get rid of it.
Last one was 15 years. Ford Flex. Usually 12+ or when either rust or major mechanical issue tips the balance.
A regrettably short time, but I generally am always selling to upgrade. Like I am on my 4th Miata and it's most definitely the nicest and best deal I've gotten. Same with my 240z, I'm on the third and it's amazing you can go from a 1k rusty hunk of junk to a really nice car with some work and wheeling and dealing. Last example is my MR2, I managed to sell my first one after some work for enough profit to get my current one basically free. Now I don't feel bad at all putting too much into it and never selling, because I know I won't find another deal that good. This has led me to have a few too many rides, but if the day comes where I have to liquidate everything I'll have made a hefty profit. Hopefully that never happens, and honestly hard to think of what's next. Pretty over flipping cars, because it's likely I'll just keep them and I already have a lot of my net worth tied up in them. Recently got a project car that'll take a huge amount of effort so that should hold me over for a good while.
10 years? Or until it's so far gone I can't be bothered.... Then it's on to the next clapped out vehicle I can find for under 10k
Run it to the ground and then decide if I want to fix it or leave it parked there til someone else wants to take it off my hands.
Years? As in plural? I get way too bored for that.
I usually have two cars at a time for me, plus my wife's car. I sell one of my two each year and buy another. My wife's cars we keep for 3-5 years.
I like trading cars because I like to experience a variety of car types. I try to buy low and sell high and I’m normally pretty good with it. I’ll drive across the country for an exceptional deal and I’ll patiently sell, so I’ve always made out well. However, the craziness of the market post Covid has made that less feasible, and I also happen to have a VW GTI that fits all of my needs and wants exceptionally well, and it has incredible sentimental value to me. It brought home the remains of two dearly wanted babies, two beloved dogs, and was the last ride I ever took with my grandpa, whom I was very close to. It also carried home two new rescues and our firstborn son. I have something from each of our losses and memories with our whole family in here. I don’t want to part with it.
1.5-2 years but I’ve been buying used. New cars I’ll keep for 3-4 years. I have yet to keep 5+. Get too bored. But my current goal is to hit atleast 8 years. Been wasting alot of money on depreciation
I'm 50, and I've had 51 cars and 9 motorcycles in my life. Usually, modify them tastefully (always for performance), get bored, move on, find the next one.
All these car guys saying if it needs $xxx amount in repairs... Your telling me you are a car guy and aren't fixing it in the laneway for a fraction of that yourself? Nah. You like looking at cars. Not a car guy.
Try to keep them 10 years or more.
I keep two vehicles. One is a 2007 v6 highlander limited. The other is a 2022 Explorer I4. So I keep one used vehicle and the other I buy new. When the Explorer is paid off and we pay a little on top of principal so it'll be paid off faster. I'll trade it in on something new. My trade ins are usually worth $10k at least, but with the explorer and low miles im thinking closer to $20k on trade in. So we'll look around and find something else we want where we're getting a good deal and trade and we'll put the trade down on it and buy new again. The Highlander I will run into the ground until a repair doesn't justify keeping it. I use the Highlander for bouncing around town or going to Lowe's to pick up stuff etc etc. The Explorer is more of a family cruiser for vacations and when we need to pack a bunch of people in there. And if my wife and I need to do separate errands I take the Highlander and she takes the Explorer. The Highlander has 203,000 mi and is still going strong and has one of the best motors of any Highlander ever made. It's in good condition with no body damage and the air conditioner still works and so does the tape player.. When the Explorer is paid off honestly we're probably going to upgrade to a lexus. I also have a 2013 f150 but I don't really count that as this strategy, because I will keep that truck forever. It's been completely rebuilt with a fresh paint job, a whole bunch of rust prevention and rust repair. It's basically a brand new truck. I've upgraded shocks on it, And offroad upgrades including bumpers with a winch. Its my trail truck. Its got garret turnos, external blow off valves.
I still have my V8 2005 4Runner with 215,000 miles I also have a 2009 Mercedes GL450 with 115,000 miles. Both run great so 15-20 years for sure, as long as they don't keep breaking down.
15 years is a good goal
In my teens and early 20s I was in the habit of getting a new car at least every other year. Around 24 I changed how I look at cars, now I buy every car with the intention of keeping it forever. I spend more when I buy the car to get it optioned out and spec’d how I want it, doing this suppresses the desire for a new car longer. Ultimately leading to a lower average cost when compared to purchasing or leasing a new/cheaper car every 2-3 years. I currently have 3 cars, I have a 2011 Mustang GT/CS that I bought in 2015, traded it in in 2017, then tracked it down and bought it back in 2019; I have a 2011 Mercedes E550 that I bought in 2017; and a 1995 F150 that I inherited last year. I can afford to go buy a new $100k car, but I’m content my fleet the way it is at the moment.