How long do you drive a vehicle, on average, before replacing it?

[tvguy]

Wow. I guess my dh and I drive a lot- he did have a huge commute, and we travel mainly by (my) car pretty frequently. My minivan is not quite 2 years old and has 50K on it, his car is three years old and already has over 150K. I can't see us keeping a car 10 years, but I would if we drove as little as you all do
And although it just may get me kicked off this board , I have to admit we normally buy new cars. I wouldn't mind a low mileage used car, but DH really enjoys a new car. I'm fully aware of what a bad decision it is from an economic standpoint, but he works hard, drives alot and I want a car that makes him happy while he is driving it! All about balancing our priorities. I know, he would rather spend more on a car than vacations (crazy, right? ) so we compromise, he gets most of what he wants in a car and I get most of the vacations I would want.

Yeah, you're driving two to 5 times the national average of 11,500 miles a year, and that certainly can change the picture.
I have a friend who put 180,000 miles in 3 years on his mini-van, kept it spotless. Went to trade it in when minivans were hot, the salesman was drooling at getting a clean minivan on the used car lot, until he looks at the odometer. Sad thing is, he is a Highway Patrolman and drove another 30,000 miles a year for work!

 

[danielle79]

Time teaches lessons, but after realizing how expensive cars are.

I 1 probable will not buy new again. Last few cars/ vans were barely used. Bought 2010 t and c last yr for 8k. Instead of a 2013 for 33k. (Cash from prev owner) I should keep 8/12 yrs. Previous t and c one I gave to my nanny was a 2003. I think we paid 16k 1-2 yrs old, when new were about 25/27k DH loves new cars so he will prolly buy new again, but will keep. 10 / 12 yrs depending on repairs.

We can pay for a Disney trip or 5 with the $$ we do not spend on new cars/keeping old cars and not paying interest. I don't care what I drive age/name ect, it is not my thing. As long as it doesn't break down a bunch, the cheaper/ longer the better ..

Can I ask where you bought a 2010 t &c for $8k? I am in the market for a new van, my 2002 dodge grand caravan has 155,000 miles on it. That seems like a great deal, I would drive to Michigan to get that price!

 

[OklahomaTourist]

I wouldn't mind a low mileage used car, but DH really enjoys a new car. I'm fully aware of what a bad decision it is from an economic standpoint, but he works hard, drives alot and I want a car that makes him happy while he is driving it! A

Perfectly reasonable to balance your own needs and wants in that vein.

Keep in mind, too, that sometimes, even if not exceptionally often, buying new makes financial sense. I didn't believe it until I went through the process of buying my wife's van five years ago.

Started looking at used Siennas in the late '07/early '08 time frame, and was stunned to find that most of them with decent mileage were priced at only a fraction off brand new vehicles. And these were private party sales, too! After a couple of months of this "discovery," I realized it was foolish to pay near full price for a used vehicle with no (or minimal) warranty coverage.

So I did my due diligence on a new Sienna, and that's what I ended up buying. Point being that while the conventional wisdom holds that buying new is typically expensive due to instant depreciation, sometimes buying used isn't always ideal, either. Ya gotta do your own research to make sure. And considering that, from the time we were married, my wife had driven a Tempo until it (literally) started falling apart, and then a used Villager for several years after that, I figured a shiny new vehicle for her wasn't such a horrendous splurge, anyway

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

Wow. I guess my dh and I drive a lot- he did have a huge commute, and we travel mainly by (my) car pretty frequently. My minivan is not quite 2 years old and has 50K on it, his car is three years old and already has over 150K. I can't see us keeping a car 10 years, but I would if we drove as little as you all do
And although it just may get me kicked off this board , I have to admit we normally buy new cars. I wouldn't mind a low mileage used car, but DH really enjoys a new car. I'm fully aware of what a bad decision it is from an economic standpoint, but he works hard, drives alot and I want a car that makes him happy while he is driving it! All about balancing our priorities. I know, he would rather spend more on a car than vacations (crazy, right? ) so we compromise, he gets most of what he wants in a car and I get most of the vacations I would want.

My husband puts a ton of miles on a car too. He is a salesrep and drives all over the state. In Dec 2012 he finally got a new to him car (2010 Volvo with really low milage). We kept is 1999 Honda Accord with 260,000 miles on it for my DS16 to drive to school. The Honda is still very reliable, has been well maintained, new tires, new timimg belt, repainted a few years ago and most of the miles are highway miles. I drive a 2002 Navigator with 189,000 miles on it. So far it still runs well. We would rather spend our money on private school, college, retirement savings, vacations...as long as my car is clean, looks decent and runs well, I don't care how old it is.

 

[Colleen27]

So I did my due diligence on a new Sienna, and that's what I ended up buying. Point being that while the conventional wisdom holds that buying new is typically expensive due to instant depreciation, sometimes buying used isn't always ideal, either.

I think that "conventional wisdom" on that count hasn't kept pace with the times. Used car prices now aren't what they were even just a few years ago, while new car incentives are more frequent and generous if you're willing/able to be patient. Especially if you're not looking for a car with a lot of extras/options. We looked at a few 2-3 year old cars that were priced within a couple grand of the out-the-door price on new models, partly because they had options we wouldn't pay extra for buying new (like rear-view cameras and onboard nav systems). And for that small price difference, I'd rather be the first owner and have the full warranty protection.

 

[NotUrsula]

For someone who usually carries no debt, I look like a spendthrift in this thread, LOL.

DH and I prefer to buy new (these days the markup on nicer used cars is just too high, so unless we are buying a beater for a kid to use just to drive to school, new ends up being worth it to us for the warranty and the newer technology convenience.)

We do finance, but always pay the cars off in no more than 24 months, so we usually get very favorable terms. The goal in our house is to get 5 years of use with no payment, so we normally drive vehicles for around seven years. I don't drive much for work except my ordinary commute, so my 2008 is still under factory warranty -- that got me a new fuel pump last week. (The pump itself did not fail, but the fuel fill sensor did, and since on my car that is an integral part of the pump, knowing how much gas was in the tank without resorting to a dipstick meant getting a new pump. I'm glad it was still under warranty.)

 

[EMAW_KSU]

We have a 2005 with 107,00 on it and a 1994 with 260,000. We purchased both of them new and do not have plans to replace them within the next two years. I put a new engine in my truck 2000 miles ago and transmission about 60,000 miles ago.

 

[Colleen27]

Wow. I guess my dh and I drive a lot- he did have a huge commute, and we travel mainly by (my) car pretty frequently. My minivan is not quite 2 years old and has 50K on it, his car is three years old and already has over 150K. I can't see us keeping a car 10 years, but I would if we drove as little as you all do

That's the only reason I can do it - our town is very walkable/bikeable, DH's commute is ~10 miles round trip, and even as a one car family we average about 6000 miles/year. I wouldn't be as comfortable as I am with driving older cars if we put on a lot of miles but for what little driving we do, I've set the bar pretty low - reliable, not ugly/junky-looking, and reasonably comfortable. If I spent more time in my car I'd probably care more about features.

 

[ilovepete]

Ours tends to be every 5 years or so, but we are buying used cars and driving them quite a bit. Now, though, we recently both got new cars (well one actually new and one slightly used). We are planning on driving them until we can't any more, so much longer than the others since they are new. I'm hoping for 10 years but who knows.

 

[gillenkl]

Our vehicles are a 2000 and 2001 - no plans to get anything new for at least 6 years until kids graduate from high school.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

We have:

2002 GMC 2500HD purchased new in 2001, 78,xxx miles
2008 GMC Acadia purchased new in 2007, also 78,xxx miles

Most recently sold 1997 Chevy Malibu in 2012. It was purchased new in 1997 and had 153,xxx miles.

 

[pednurse]

We drive our cars until DH can no longer make them run. He's become very proficient at fixing them. We have a 1988 Chevy Silverado (bought used in 1999). As the odometer stopped working (as has the trip meter), I have no idea how many miles is on it....although we're fairly certain it's around 250,000 or so. We also have a 1999 Ford Escort, bought new at the time during a lot-clearing sale just before the new models came out. It has around 150,000. We also have a 2001 Ford Windstar, bought new during the post 9/11 no interest rate sales. It has recently passed the 100,000 mark.

 

[sarahk0204]

I would love to keep a car for 10 years, but it has happened only once. We got rid of our 1998 Saturn SL2 in 2008 when DH bought a Prius. The second longest spans of 7 to 7 1/2 years were our 1996 Nissan Sentra that we traded in in 2003 for our Saturn VUE when we found out we were having twins and the VUE that we traded in 2011 because DH had some horrible back problems and needed a more comfortable ride than the VUE or the Prius. So, we have a 2008 Chrysler Town & Country, and we still have a few months to go until we are down to 1 car payment. The twins are headed to private school in a couple of years, so we need to get both cars paid off and drive them for a while to free up $ for tuition.

 

[usd2bmd]

We keep them until fixing them costs more than they are worth. We always buy used..mainly because I am cheap when it comes to cars and think paying $400 for a car is crazy. Everyone has limits and my limit is paying a lot for a car.

 

[baldy6060]

I keep trying to break my previous records. My old record was 207k miles before my van gave up. I just recently made it to 218k with my last one. Bought a van recently for what I thought was a good price but it's a money pit. Won't be keeping it til 200k. It only has 110k now but was in an accident and had more problems than I thought when I bought it. You live & learn, I s'pose. Btw, I'm 36 and spent a total of about $16,000 on the 3 vans, 1 Ford Tempo (named Christine because it was possessed) and a 66 Ford Mustang (my 1st car and my baby which I miss very much).

 

[tvguy]

We keep them until fixing them costs more than they are worth. We always buy used..mainly because I am cheap when it comes to cars and think paying $400 for a car is crazy. Everyone has limits and my limit is paying a lot for a car.

A friend is a Toyota dealer tech, he brags he has never paid more than $1,000 for a car. His preference is buying cars with salvage titles AND over 200,000 miles on them. But he can, of course, fix things himself. His fleet includes a 1969 Corolla, a 1988 Camry, and a 1981 Toyota Pickup.

 

[ReneeA]

My DH is the king of babying his cars & making them last. He drove a used Buick Riviera for 6 years, and it had 350k miles on it when he sold it. His next one was a Chevy Lumina, he bought used, and it had 285k on it when we traded it in on our minivan. He currently drives a 2001 Chrysler Voyager that we bought new. It has 130k on it, and for about the past 5 years, every 18 months or so, we spend $500-900 on repairs/maintenance. It's been paid off since 2004, so only one car payment for us for almost 10 years.

 

[rock_doctor]

It depends on how handy you are and if you willing to spend the money to keep it up. Click and Clack said once, to keep an old car you have to be willing to spend $2000 a year on it and that is pretty accurate. We kept our dodge van until it had something in the mid 300k, our Chevy van until it had the upper 700k and we still own the rest of the vehicles. My suburban has 157k on it and no plans to get rid of it. So it really depends on the owner. If you do decide to keep a vehicle longer then normal (8-10 yrs) then find out if there is an internet forum devoted to your car. Start reading. If you spend daily time on the forum you will learn what problems others are having and how they fixed it. Then when it happens to you, you will know how to recognize it and how to fix it.

 

[FreeTime]

We keep our cars until they die. We have a 2002 Durango with 160,000 and it is rusting and looking ugly, and a 2002 Spectra with 140,000. Both paid off early. We usually buy new as DH doesn't like dealing with someone else's problem (although we disagree on this). We also have a 2009 Tahoe (our vacation only car) with 23,000.

 

[tvguy]

My DH is the king of babying his cars & making them last. He drove a used Buick Riviera for 6 years, and it had 350k miles on it when he sold it. His next one was a Chevy Lumina, he bought used, and it had 285k on it when we traded it in on our minivan. He currently drives a 2001 Chrysler Voyager that we bought new. It has 130k on it, and for about the past 5 years, every 18 months or so, we spend $500-900 on repairs/maintenance. It's been paid off since 2004, so only one car payment for us for almost 10 years.

I consider repairs and maintenance 2 different things. I expect maintenance costs...oil, tires, brakes, and batteries.
Things like alternators, motor mounts, radiators, water pumps, I consider repairs where a car has let me down.
I specify that because I do know some people who consider an oil change a "major" repair. One friends parents changed the oil once every 50,000 miles and felt that was a huge expense and hassle. I guess the jokes on me, they got 250,000 miles out of their 1986 Nissan pickup before they decided to trade it in.