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

[xlxo]

I think it depends on where you live and how much driving you do.

• cars on the West Coast get little road salt compared to vehicles in the rust belt. Being garage kept makes a huge difference, especially for sunroofs.
• when choosing vehicles, I typically look for popular vehicles with high sales volumes. If you plan to keep a vehicle more than 10 years, gettings parts is the challenge. I'm sure your mechanic will tell you examples of vehicles worthless when a critical transmission or engine component was no longer available.
• the quickest way to make a car look old? Park the car in a busy parking lot where you get a custom dent job. My vehicles are parked at the farthest spot that makes me walk.
• oh my cars.... one is 31 yrs old and the second is 22. Looking at adding to the harem next month. I average 15000 miles a year across all my vehicles.

 

[ScottOKW2K]

We just went through this. We had a 1996 Benz C class we bought used in 1997. My wife drove it till we started experiencing some maintenance problems so we purchased a Honda Accord in 2007, but we still kept the Benz. This became our daughter's car when she started driving. She drove it through high school and is currently in college. It finally gave up the ghost early last month - literally died on the highway and had to be towed. $800 to replace the part that failed, the possibility that there may have been additional engine problems, and we knew the a/c control was flaky and this would cost additional $$ to address. Our concern is that we could easily put $1K ~ $2K to get the car's engine and a/c both running, and still have a 19 year old car that is only worth $2K to $3K.

So now my daughter is driving a 2015 Accord. Everything works, she is in the safest car in the family, and when she is out on her own after graduation she will have a car that is still under warranty. I think of this as her "seed money" - imagine how your life as a young adult would have been if you didn't have to worry about a car payment till your mid-thirty's. It also helped that the interest rate for a new car purchase is so low, as the total interest we will pay over the life of the loan is less that one month's average car payment ins the U.S. She's happy, Momma is happy, so therefore I am happy too.

 

[emmybee]

I've owned 3 cars so far, and w/ the first 2 cars, I traded them in when they started to give me too much trouble. I've owned my current car for almost 8 years, and I love it still. The hubby is starting to make noise about trading it in before it loses much more value, but I can't quit her just yet. My Volvo C30 is a cute hatchback that is zippy, still looks pretty when she's cleaned up, and hasn't given me much trouble the whole time I've had her.

 

[A_Princess'_Daddy]

My wife and I are somewhere in the middle. If we like the car, we'll drive it 8-10 years, but we've purchased a few that we've just hated and got rid of much more quickly (Volvo XC90 and VW Toureg were both loathed and disposed of within 18 months of purchasing both). I can see keeping my current car another four to six years (have had it four years). I need a reliable and comfortable car, but I am not a car guy at all so don't need something that is cool or particularly fancy to be happy. My wife has a 2010 Honda Odyssey that we'll likely keep about the same amount of time. We love the Odyssey!

 

[nene0182]

We like new cars. No, it doesn't make financial sense but we lease my car so I get a new one every 3 years. Until last week my husband drove a 2003 Honda Civic. But, he now has a new truck. So, in our house we now have a 2014 Kia Sorento and a 2015 GMCS Sierra. We put quite a bit down on the truck though and have a small payment. It should be paid off within a year.

 

[Colleen27]

We buy used, pay cash, and drive 'em till they aren't worth repairing.

I've had pretty good luck with my vans and can usually get 200K+ miles out of them before they head off to the scrap yard, and since I don't really care much what I'm driving as long as it has enough space I have no desire to upgrade until my current vehicle genuinely needs to be replaced. I've never had one die at the side of the road (knock wood) - usually the end comes as taking it in for some noise or weird behaviour that turns out to be a needed repair that exceeds the value of the car. My current van is 11 years old with 168K miles and I expect we'll be replacing it next year or the year after.

 

[Mickeyluver37]

My dad raised me to drive it until the wheels fall off! When I was 8 years old, he bought a 72 Oldsmobile 98, and my oldest daughter came home from the hospital in that car. It had almost 500,000 miles on it when he sold it, when I was in my 20s. I had a 95 Ford Windstar that I put 300,000 miles on before it bit the dust, and now I have an 07 Chrysler Town & Country with 125,000 miles on it--it's barely broken in! The only car we got rid of early was a Nissan Sentra--bought new, but it was a lemon from day one. Even then, we managed to get 130,000 miles on it.

That's awesome!! We bought a Honda Civic brand new in 2001. We drove the 2 oldest kids (2 and 4) to their first trip to WDW in that car in 2002! Magical Express wasn't around, and neither DH or I were 25 so we couldn't fly and rent a car. DD is now 18 and driving that car, and we're hoping it lasts her through college!

 

[unhinged]

We drive our cars until the monthly maintenance starts costing more than a new car would cost. So, if it is spark plugs one month, a water pump the next, bye bye.

 

[powellrj]

When I was working I drove a company car so I got a new one every 2 years and was very spoiled by it. When my company did away with company cars and we went with a car program it was under 4 years or 100,000 miles. Both DH and I were on the same program so it seemed like we were always buying a new car.

I retired a few years ago and miss my new cars! DH and I were talking about it over the weekend and while I would love a new car, I love not having a payment even more.

 

[YoYoAurora]

We're drive it until the cost of repairs exceeds the value of the car folks. We also pay cash, so no car payments. We put money into the car fund each month and draw from it when we have to have a new car.

Right now, DH drives a new 2015 Honda Accord. I'm still driving my old Kia Sportage that I picked up used for a song in 2004, but it's a 2002 with almost 200K. He has a 60 mile RT daily commute. My commute has gone from 163 miles RT daily to a 30 foot walk to my desk upstairs, but I do quite a bit of driving in a 50 mile radius of the house each week for work.

I'm getting ready to go car shopping as my mechanic just gave my car the long face. I hate going car shopping, but it's time. I'll be looking at the Kia Sedona, Kia Sorento and similar vehicles.

 

[Snowflakey]

We keep driving!

07 Toyota Camry - 210,000 miles and still going
02 Toyota Camry - 205,000 miles and still going

My sister has a 2000 Camry with 350,000 and STILL GOING STRONG

Thank you Toyota

 

[aprilchem]

We switch out cars a lot. DH and I have been married 13 years and I think we've had 8 cars in that span of time. We buy them used, normally, although my current minivan we bought new - it was the current year's model and we bought it a month after the new models came out, so we got a good price on it.

My DH is awesome at getting deals - I think three of those cars we sold for more than we paid for after having them for 1-2 years. We pay cash for all our vehicles, although twice we've bought them on credit cards and then paid them off the next day to get rewards points. DH is currently car shopping for some Subaru SUV now, so I'm guessing we'll be changing out again in a few months.

Personally, I have no desire to run cars until they die. I like cars, I like to drive, and I enjoy driving a newer car. If we couldn't afford to do it we wouldn't, though.

 

[richmo]

I've changed over the years. Used to buy new, keep 3-4 years to about 60-80,000 miles. Then I would trade in...I figured if my cost of purchase - trade in worked out to about $3000 x # of years I had the car, it was good.

Then I found that the cost of new vehicles jumped significantly a few years back. For example, the Honda Pilot I bought in 2004 for $31000 was up around $45000. Since then, I've been pretty good at locating reliable cars about 3 years old with low mileage. Haven't had to retire any yet, but I'm sure that day will come...

 

[ronandannette]

We like new cars. No, it doesn't make financial sense but we lease my car so I get a new one every 3 years. Until last week my husband drove a 2003 Honda Civic. But, he now has a new truck. So, in our house we now have a 2014 Kia Sorento and a 2015 GMCS Sierra. We put quite a bit down on the truck though and have a small payment. It should be paid off within a year.

In our experience it doesn't make any less sense than trying to maintain an old one. We purchased a Saturn in 2008 and it turnEd out to be the first and only production year of that particular model just as GM folded Saturn. The resale value dropped immediately and by the time it was paid for (60 months later) it was worth practically nothing other than whatever value we could get out of driving it. We decided to pass it along to DS and so I drove it for the past 2 years but had to make most of the more major repairs that are needed once you pass 100,000 miles. We've spent at least 2,000/year for the past 2 years trying to keep it tip-top. That would have pretty much paid a new lease on a much more enjoyable vehicle. We'll never buy again. Especially given that I recieve a car allowance from work that basically covers the lease payments on the two modest vehicles DH and I are now driving.

 

[DVC-Don]

When the vehicle is unreliable or repairs start to cost $$$ it's gone. I buy new cars and the shortest I've had on is 3 1/2 years (lot of maintenance problems with that F-150) and the longest was 7 years (a Cadillac). We put a lot of miles on.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

I've owned 3 cars so far, and w/ the first 2 cars, I traded them in when they started to give me too much trouble. I've owned my current car for almost 8 years, and I love it still. The hubby is starting to make noise about trading it in before it loses much more value, but I can't quit her just yet. My Volvo C30 is a cute hatchback that is zippy, still looks pretty when she's cleaned up, and hasn't given me much trouble the whole time I've had her.

I really like the C30, and with discounts you can usually buy one cheaper than a comparably equipped Mini. Was sad when they discontinued it this year

 

[Turn the Page]

I marked other.

I'm like a lot of the others who said they drive vehicles until the repairs get too expensive and time consuming.

I drive a 2008 Jeep Patriot with 160,000 miles on it. I like it pretty well though I do wish it had 4 wheel drive. I can live without it though.

DFi drives a 1999 (or is it a 2000?) Chevy Blazer with about 140,000 miles on it. His is getting a little rough but is still reliable.

My brother and FIL are both mechanics so we can get work done cheap. My brother often does work on my car after hours so he doesn't have to charge me labor. He used to charge me the cost of whatever parts he needs and 2 tall boys of PBR but now he charges a 6 pack of Molsons. I asked why his prices went up so much in 6 months and DFi said it was inflation.

I loathe having a car payment and never want another if we can help it. I imagine we will keep these vehicles for at least another few years until we start paying the equivalent of a car payment in repairs several times a year or we win the lotto.

 

[xlxo]

What I've found about older vehicles...

• insurance is cheaper... especially when they are moved to collector status
• new cars depreciate.... how frequently do you want to buy a new car in your life? Once an old car depreciates, it won't depreciate again.
• I noticed young people like to personalize their vehicles. Older vehicles after 20 years have their uniqueness as they are rare on the road.
• parts and rust is the biggest concern.
• I had to switch places when I found new staff could not figure out how to adjust a carburetor
• budget for potential engine rebuilds and a new paint job after 20yrs. Buy a quality brand. I avoid Korean vehicles. I avoid makes where the parts are expensive.

 

[scrapquitler]

We have this ongoing debate in my house about our cars. I strongly dislike cars, and car shopping and car buying...I'm just not a car person! As long as it's safe and reliable, then I'm fine. HOWEVER, my car is now 12 years old and has over 160,000 miles on it. So, we keep having the "trade it in or keep it for a while longer" conversation.

It got me wondering how many people drive their cars until the car just dies on the side of the road and how many people trade it in after a certain number of miles. I see advantages to both avenues. I think I lean more toward the trade it in side of the debate, but I'm not sure WHEN to trade it in.

We buy new and drive it until the price of the repairs just doesn't make any sense. Most recently my 2000 taurus had about 160K miles on it and the transmission started to go, so we decided that it was time. Hubby bought a new car, and I inherited his 2008 Subaru Outback which now has 155K miles on it and has not had any problems at all I expect this car to last past 200K and will continute to do all the regular maintenance and 'reasonable' repairs until something major comes up. I'd rather spend a few hundred here and there every four or five months than have a big car payment every month. Once it doesn't make sense to do that any more, we'll get a new one.

 

[Turn the Page]

I forgot to say I have always bought used though my Jeep was only about 2 years old when I bought it. I have had it about 6 years now.

However, when it comes time to get a new vehicle I am pretty sure I am going to have to special order one from the manufacturer and even then I doubt I will be able to get what I want.

I want a small SUV/crossover with 4 wheel drive, manual locks, manual windows, cruise control, and a manual transmission. Why is that so hard to find?

ETA: Oh and A/C. Gotta have A/C.