Do you drive a car until the wheels fall off or trade it in before they do?

[DisneyLuver2013]

We love all of our cars (and name them properly, too ). Plus, I prefer not having a car payment all the time, so we keep all of our vehicles until the wheels fall off!

 

[sam_gordon]

Other than severe rust or collision damage, I am a believer in fixing a car as long as it still meets your needs. It will always be cheaper. We have had his, her's and ours cars for the past 29 years, the ours being the family car. All purchased new.
Our family car is 28 years old and has 149,000 miles on it.
My car is 12 years old and has 129,000 miles on it
My wife's car is 15 years old and has 112,000 miles on it.

Full disclosure. We ARE shopping for a 4th car, a just for fun car. A 1965 or 1966 Mustang, so I am going the wrong way I guess since my new to me car will be 50 years old!

The biggest repair bill I have had was this year with the family car, a new transmission that cost $1,900. Not cheap, but the sales tax alone on a new vehicle of the same make and model would be between $4,000 to $4,500. And sales tax buys me nothing.

I don't think it's the age as much as the mileage. DW's van (that we're trying to replace) is an 2001 and has 287k miles on it. It doesn't make sense to put $1500 worth of repairs into that.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

We buy and sell used. So when we get sick of keeping up with it or no longer need it, we sell it private party.

My DH can work on cars so we do keep the car in good running order.

 

[gregokdisney]

Drive it til it dies. Our cars are driven for a minimum of 200,000 miles. As long as it's safe and not costing a fortune to fix frequently, we keep driving it.

 

[ez]

We drive our cars forever so to speak. As long as it seems safe and does what we need it to do Im fine with it. The only new car we ever bought we drove for 15 years. Right now we have a 2009 and a 2005 both with a lot of miles and bought used. Plan on having them both for many more years. I have friends that are always getting new cars, I just don't get it.

 

[marmalade]

My car is a 2007 Chevy Equinox with only 64,000 miles on it, that I bought with 24 miles on it. I will drive it until it I no longer feel it is reliable, but right now the only things I've had to replace were tires, breaks and a transmission line. We have 2 other vehicles (a 2005 F150 and a 2011 F250) so if something does happen to it I have another vehicle while my car gets fixed. If I didn't have a fall back vehicle, I think I would be in the market for a new car sooner than later.

 

[Goofy_Disney_Dad]

We just lease and turn them over every 3 years. Keeps us in new, dependable cars and allows us to get something new often. One less thing to worry about.

 

[lauradis]

Cars are machines to me , just like the washer, dryer, freg. They have no real value except to get me from point a to b. We buy new and run them into the ground, normally takes about 15 years.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I don't have a set schedule. The cars that I have gotten rid of have been perfectly good. I have traded for a complete change in style more than anything. I guess I am moody or something, a few years ago a Mustang was what I wanted. After owning that a while I discovered that was exactly what I did NOT need, got a sedan, and now a mini-van. Maybe I am just getting old.

 

[Katy Belle]

Both....it depends. We used to drive them til they fell apart, always, because that was what we could afford. DH is pretty good at simple repairs, which keeps them going. We now have more disposable income, have paid cash for the last 4 vehicles, makes it easier to trade them in sooner.

We currently own...The Man Van, a 2000 Venture Van. It has nearly 250,000 miles on it. We bought it new. DS17 drives it, DS15 will take it over soon. Perfect vehicle to start kids on.
DS20 drives a 2012 Nissan Rogue. Bought used. I don't know how many miles it has.
I drive a 2010 Expedition. It has about 95,000 on it. I plan to drive it until my last boy graduates from HS. Three more years. It's great to haul tubas and percussion equipment.
DH drives a 2014 Corvette.
And we have an extra car....a 2010 Challenger. It's DHs rainy/snowy day car! The Corvette is a fair weather car! It will probably go to DS17.

 

[MomofKatie]

DH drives his car a lot of miles for work, so we buy him a new one every 5-6 years (until it is paid off). After he puts about 130k miles on it, the car gets handed down to me. I don't put many miles at all on them once they come to me- my current car is 12 years old, and I have only put 40k miles on it in the 7 years I've been driving it. Nice to have 2 family cars, but only one car payment. We keep our cars in good repair, so they stay reliable for a long time. We tend to get pretty decent trade in value for our old cars.

I will get the 2011 KIA Soul within the next 12 months- it will be paid off in December. DH will get a shiny new something or other- right now, he is leaning towards a KIA Optima.

 

[Couchy]

We are in the minority and lease. I know this does not make financial sense to many but due to my health conditions we prefer that I have a very reliable car. DH is finicky and we used to buy for him but noticed he only keeps his cars for 3-4 year... so now he also leases

 

[gemini2727]

I'm currently getting to this situation myself, lol. I'm not in the "this is a newer car I'm alright" stage, I'm in the "what was that noise, what's gonna happen next" phase... and will that "what's gonna happen next" be the end of my relationship with my car... lol

Same! My car is making noises no car should make, afraid it won't be long now

 

[Squirlz]

I drive my cars and maintain them until the time comes to make room for something else. Then I sell them as perfectly well kept examples of their vintage. I've never owned a 'transportation appliance'. I only buy something collectible and desirable.

 

[mousehockey37]

Same! My car is making noises no car should make, afraid it won't be long now

Yeah, like another poster, I bought my car new with 25 miles on it. 04 Cavalier. I hear every last noise it makes, even the ones other people can't, lol. I'm trying to improve all my situations, and the last thing I need is a car payment again, but alas, if I need to, I will... That said, I've been peeking around at cars and had a used lot give me an "estimate" on mine. Took a few days of hardball for them to tell me what it was worth to them, but I finally got that number. In the area I live in, if I had to, I know I could easily put it on the corner and sell it within hours for double what they'd offer for a trade. Especially since it's graduation time and parents are looking for older cars that would still be good to learn and give as a present.

 

[goofyernmost]

I have kind of wavered over the years. Some I have kept for a very brief period of time and others that I have hung onto for way to long. The key factor has always boiled down to dependability and likeability. I have always, until I got older and no longer wanted too, maintained my own cars so I do have some mechanical knowledge. I have been lucky enough to be able to sense when the end is near and sell it off before it actually just stops and cost me an arm and a leg to repair.

My latest car (sounds even funny to say that) is a 2005 Cadillac Deville DHS. It has every button, bell and whistle on it that I will ever need. It looks like new, it drives like new and just feels good to drive. It currently has 111,000 miles on it. When something does go wrong it is very, very expensive to repair, (the special high amp. battery alone is $250.00) so I always have that on my mind, but, whatever it costs to repair it will be a whole lot cheaper then buying a new one that would be comparable. I have no problem with taking it anywhere. Frequent 2000 mile round trips back to Vermont for a visit or a yearly road trip to WDW. I never worry about it not making it. It seems to enjoy a road trip as much as I do.

I thought about a different used car, but then decided that I already own the best used car I have ever seen so what would be the purpose. With any luck at all, this one will last me until I am gone or unable to drive any longer. I've been offered 10K for it as it stands and that is the reason why I never have been tempted to lease. Even if it's only $500.00 I always like the feeling of getting some of my money back when I part with it.

 

[deedeetoo]

We drive our cars until the maintenance starts getting to be too much, both from a money and time standpoint. If the car starts needing one thing after another and is constantly in the shop getting fixed, I start looking for something else. That said, my car is still "new" - its a 2010 RAV4 with 75000 miles. DH has a 2004 Corolla. I'm not sure how many miles are on that. Both are running fine and I don't think either one is getting replaced anytime soon.

 

[disneychrista]

Mostly driven to its grave or close to it.

Not sure I will keep my current one, purchased last year, nearly as long as my last one (14 years). Really wish they had the 3 day trial period for new cars like they do used ones. I knew within a day that it was going to be a car I loved.

 

[mamacatnv]

I don't care what I drive as long as it does not have body/paint damage - I don't care how old it is, I just don't want it to look like a beater

We are a fleet of Honda's
We always buy used and we drive them a good long time - generally pay cash

Currently
2005 Civic - 125K - we bought this last year with 105K for a steal
2002 Odyssey - bought in 2004 with 40K currently has 225K and going strong - this was the only car payment in the past 10 years
1997 Civic - we bought it used in 2007 at approx. 100K - currently has 257K
We also have a Isuzu Rodeo - this is formerly DS's car, now its the spare and will be going to DD shortly.

 

[MickeySP]

I do a car payment into an account then when my current dies I pay cash. I haven't had a real car payment in 25 years. I have never bought a car more than 3 years old, works for us both