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

[Anesthesia Fine]

I totaled my first car (hit a deer. RIP convertible, I miss you), drove my next car (mid-size sedan) until we had too many bulky carseats to fit three tiny hineys comfortably in the backseat, traded it in for a minivan, which is still going strong, albeit helped by my brand new shiny work truck that I love to pieces and will drive until it shakes apart on me (somewhere in a gravel pit, I imagine). That's four vehicles in over twenty years of (alleged) adulthood.

My husband is pretty much the same way. His car is probably going to be our oldest's first vehicle once she gets her license, and then he'll be in the market for a new one.

 

[Cantw8]

I drive them into the ground. I only get rid of them when they start to nickel and dime me to death. I just bought a 2015 Jeep Cherokee, prior to that I had a Santa Fe for 12 years and handed it down to my son. I don't care if it nickels and dimes him to death

 

[aprilgail]

Before the car that I am driving now and have kept for 11 years (getting rid of it this year!) I never kept a car more than 2 years- I traded them in before they needed their first brake job!

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Before the car that I am driving now and have kept for 11 years (getting rid of it this year!) I never kept a car more than 2 years- I traded them in before they needed their first brake job!

My 2002 GMC 2500HD is still on its original brakes after 95,000 miles - and I tow with it

DW's 2008 Acadia is on its original brakes with 104,000 miles on it (but not the original transmission ).

 

[wishesuponastar]

Well, let's see....since I've been married almost 19 yrs we have tried to keep our cars til they don't run anymore but circumstances happened. Such as leased a car then returned it; Totaled a car when someone crossed in front if us; bought a used car in 2004 then a few months later it just died; bought a new GMC truck but had to trade it in for something more economical; which leads us up to our last car a 2005 Mazda which was running fine this year but then DD17 took it for a drive and someone hit and ran it and it was totaled.

Our current car is used and we hope to keep it a long time.

 

[gracie1]

I have a 2002 stratus and love my car! It's got 150k miles on it and last year I had to put about $1200 in it for ball joints and struts and alternator. I have about another $1500 this year to do the front tie rods, ball joints and struts. If the transmission were to blow - I would more than likely replace it because I really don't want another car.

 

[goofy4prez]

I don't keep a car until the wheels fall off. I am not a person who is mechanically inclined nor do I have the time to work on a car with my schedule. I would have to hire someone. Because of this at some point it becomes more costly for me to keep the car than it is to buy another one. Another factor for me is safety. I personally do not want to be driving a 15 year old car that is simply not as safe in vehicle design or safety technology. I few weeks ago I bought my DD17 (soon to be 18) her first car and safety was the most important issue for me and would not feel comfortable buying her an old beater.

 

[sam_gordon]

Just saying, many fleets operate this way, fix not replace because the cost per mile driven is lower. I went through the debate last year with my Suburban, before the transmission went out. New Suburban about $55,000, decent used one, about $36,000. Even on the used one I'd lose more in depreciation in the first year than a new engine and transmission would cost, not counting the $3,000 sales tax on the used one.

Transmission shop had 3 DHL delivery vans in getting new trannies, all 3 had over 500,000 miles on them. They run them 7 years no matter how many miles they have on them because it is more cost effective.

If my choice was spend $1500 to fix a van or $36,000 for a replacement, then yes, I'd fix it. But there are replacement vans in the $10-13K range that will last 5-7 years with minimum maintenance.

 

[lurkernj]

We keep em. DH just got rid of his 15yr old Dodge Dakota when it needed $750 worth of work (brakes, new windshield). In addition to the necessary work, the truck was pretty rusted, and the inside panel of the driver door was missing (the window was being held up by a hockey stick, and a clothes hanger was being used as a door handle). He was so excited to get my 12 yr old crv so i could get a new car He thinks he got a big upgrade. In all honesty, I would've let him get the new car, but he didn't want it.

Oddly enough, someone we know bought the truck, fixed the brakes and drove it all the way from NJ to Alabama, lol. I warned him when he took it that it probably wouldn't make it, but apparently it had a bit more life in it than we thought.

 

[xlxo]

Convinced me that I would never again buy a new one. I'll let someone else take that hit and I will take it off their hands in a flash when they tire of it.

I should add... pay attention to the depreciation rate. Some cars after 2 years depreciate so much faster than other models. I'm looking at a Nissan Leaf or a Prius. Prius hold their values so much more than the Leaf.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

I should add... pay attention to the depreciation rate. Some cars after 2 years depreciate so much faster than other models. I'm looking at a Nissan Leaf or a Prius. Prius hold their values so much more than the Leaf.

True that. Our 2014 Focus was purchased new specifically because people were actually asking more for used 2012 & 2013's. The 2015 features a change to the styling, so the 2014's featured both heavy dealer markdowns AND $3,500 rebates.

OTOH, I bought my '96 Cavalier in '98 for half its original sticker.

So, here you have 2 similar sized cars - 1 made no sense to buy used, 1 made no sense to buy new.

There are no absolutes in the car buying business anymore. Just like tvguy's van story. Commercial vehicles are designed to hold up to high miles AND repairs are simple & straightforward because that is built into the design. What's more, if you put a new engine or transmission into one and something else major goes wrong, you can sell that engine or transmission pretty easily. That same market for used small car parts isn't as hot because a transmission swap in such a car is beyond the scope of a weekend mechanic (the same guy who COULD swap a transmission in a pickup truck).

Would I pay $900 to put a new transmission in a $2,000 pickup truck? Sure. Would I pay $2,000 to put a new transmission in a $2,000 front wheel drive car? No way.

 

[JanaDee]

I have a 2002 stratus and love my car! It's got 150k miles on it and last year I had to put about $1200 in it for ball joints and struts and alternator. I have about another $1500 this year to do the front tie rods, ball joints and struts. If the transmission were to blow - I would more than likely replace it because I really don't want another car.

When the repairs cost more than the vehicle is worth is when we replace. So in Gracie's example above, an 02 with 150k miles isn't worth $3000, so we would be replacing instead of fixing.

 

[4greatboys]

Gracie, mine is a 2002 as well with 175,000. I would most likely repair it over buying another. 1-I love my vehicle and 2-I don't want another car payment any time soon.

 

[Monykalyn]

Hate car payments so tend to buy new, pay off quickly then drive til it dies or starts requiring too much work. Have an '01 4Runner with 185k miles on it that still runs great (routine maintenance) so no plans for another car-but this model is rumored to have at least one somewhere in the world with over a million miles-and I detail it twice a year so inside is still nice. DH's van is 9 years old and approaching 300k-he drives alot for work so we are likely going to get a newer car this fall for him.

 

[robinb]

We drive our cars until they cost too much to maintain or are unsafe. I detested my last car (a 2006 Mazda 5) and we still hung onto it for 9 years and 100,000 miles.

 

[pjlla]

FWIW I voted in the "drive it until the wheels fall off" category. The last 4 cars we were done with were donated to NPR (since about 1998) when we had gotten everything out of them that we could.

My current car is a 2006 Honda CR-V that we bought new (big mistake BTW, to buy new). It currently has 237K miles on it and is still running really well (knock on wood!). Don't plan to replace it any time soon!........P

 

[tvguy]

If my choice was spend $1500 to fix a van or $36,000 for a replacement, then yes, I'd fix it. But there are replacement vans in the $10-13K range that will last 5-7 years with minimum maintenance.

Yes it is a balance. Allegedly, the two ways to have the lowest cost per mile of ownership are:
1) Buy a new car and run it forever
2) Buy a good 2 year old used car, drive it 2 years, get rid of it and buy another good 2 year old used car

 

[usd2bmd]

We drive them until it cost more to keep it than it's worth. I hate the idea of paying for a car. We always be used because I just can't stomach paying a lot every month for a car. we have several friends that lease, but to me it's like renting a car long term; at the end you no longer have all the money you spent and you no longer have a car. My husband currently drive an '01 Malibu and we love it. the car runs like a dream but the body is starting to show it's age. We were going to replace it this past spring but it doesn't cost us anything (knock on wood) so we decided to keep it another year. His will be replaced first. We usually buy used, from a dealer, something two or three years old with low miles and drive it til the doors fall off.

 

[goofyernmost]

I should add... pay attention to the depreciation rate. Some cars after 2 years depreciate so much faster than other models. I'm looking at a Nissan Leaf or a Prius. Prius hold their values so much more than the Leaf.

Mine still holds a retail of around 10K. That's a 10 year old car with over 110K miles on it. It took an over 50% drop in value in the first two years and then only another 15% or so over the next 8 years. I like those odds much better. Granted the car is in terrific shape and it cost more then a few bucks to keep it that way, but, I still feel that even if it didn't run another day, I got my moneys worth from it. I would never have been able to say that if I had purchased it new.

 

[daphnehdz108]

I kept my last car for 10 years and now it belongs to my teen. It still runs well.