Current Events > How long do you usually keep cars for?

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I am wondering if buying a car every 15 to 20 years is too long of a gap

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every 4 years seems a good round number

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depends on the car

i'm holding onto my current one until it dies and the prices for electric cars come down (and charging infrastructure improves)

dolomedes posted...

as long as possible

This, if it ain't broke... still driving my 2001 Camry XLE.

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dolomedes posted...

as long as possible

This. Im still driving my 2013 (old)

...To close to home....

I just got my RIP Saab flat beaded home.
'Tis a sad day.
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Apparently the average in the US is 6 years

source
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2QyoxdGvbc

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generally when i stop making payments i start looking to buy a new one. I want to get rid of my student loans so i've kept my current with it paid off for longer. But once my student loans are gone i'll be getting a new car. Which should be tax return time next year at the latest assuming nothing happens to year end bonus.

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I Like Toast posted...

generally when i stop making payments i start looking to buy a new one. I want to get rid of my student loans so i've kept my current with it paid off for longer. But once my student loans are gone i'll be getting a new car. Which should be tax return time next year at the latest assuming nothing happens to year end bonus.

At that point, why not just lease if you want to immediately go from one loan to another?

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First car was a hand me down (twice - was my oldest sisters 16th bday present then my other sisters 16th bday present a few years later and then my 16th bday present a few more years later). I drove it for two years.

Second car was one I bought on Craigslist. Drove it for 15 months.

Third car was the first car I got a loan for. Drove it for two years then sold it because fuck car payments.

Fourth car was a shitty old Camry my friends dad gave me for $300 cause he was about to give it to a junkyard for $250. I just needed something to get me to work while I looked for a cheap, good condition car. Ended up in it for 10 months.

Fifth car was a lease because I got sick of looking at junkers on Craigslist and sick of not having AC and summer was coming up. Leased for three years then bought it at the end of the lease and still have it now, another three years later. Probably gonna have it another year or two so 7-8 total.

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Until it's not cost-effective (or outright not possible) to keep it going.

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Trumble posted...

Until it's not cost-effective (or outright not possible) to keep it going.

I'll post a pic....but it will be in a few hours.
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It would really come down to how often you want to switch.

Most modern cars remain reliable for well over 200,000 miles. If you drive your car for 12,000 miles a year, for example, that car would last at least 16 years.

I personally am only on my 3rd car, so I don't have a "usual" really. Drove a 1992 Camry from 2005 to 2014. Then I leased a new Kia Optima (never again!) until 2017. Currently driving a 2016 Civic. I'll probably keep it for a few more years.

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pogo_rabid posted...

At that point, why not just lease if you want to immediately go from one loan to another?

mileage limits + you don't have it for the down payment for the next one + keeping a car for 1-2 years vs 5-6 years. Also my current cur is the first car I bought that was actually new, everything else was just new to me.

If I get to the point where i'm looking at 80k cars, then leasing might make sense as you probably would want to upgrade every couple of years.

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Previously it was about every 6 years or so. I want to hold on to my current car as long as it will last.

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I kept my first car until the repairs were costing more than what the car was worth. I'm already tired of my current car. Ford put no effort into the quality.

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My first car was a 2001, but I only drove it for 4 years or so. It had a lot of annoying electrical problems.

Second car I drove for just over 10 years. Still drove ok, but it was having more serious issues, and rusted a bit on the bottom. Had a total of 4 different state plates on it (I moved a lot).

New car, my wife and I got together, it's technically used but under 4k miles. We plan on driving it for a long time.

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i bought my current car in 2007. it only has like 128k miles on it, so i'll probably drive this baby for another 10 years lmao

edit: 2005 Acura RSX. had 19k miles in 2007, has 128k now.

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I drove my first one for 11 years. I've had my current one for almost 3 years now

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Plan on driving it into the ground. Mine's a 2012 Camaro that I got in 2013 but only has 62k miles on it somehow >_>

That's why I've been thinking hard about the next car I plan to get which will be an SUV since I need more space. I'm pretty dead set on getting either a Rav4 Prime XSE or a Lexus NX450+ next year since I know Toyota makes quality cars. Still keeping the Camaro though just in case

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I tend to go through my vehicles fast because I put a ton of mileage on them. Average lifespan on them is about 2-3 years.

Until it has a major failure or accident that is too expensive to be fixed. Though my strategy is to buy a new car once my car hits 150-200k miles to prepare for such a failure and have two cars for a bit. This worked when my old car got totaled in an accident.

EDIT: So far, my current car only has 71k miles on it. I've had it for 6.5 years. I've barely driven it since the pandemic started since I work from home though. Normally, I'd have 80 or 90k on it by now.

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About tree fiddy
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AzNDarkSamurai posted...

I am wondering if buying a car every 15 to 20 years is too long of a gap

Dont ask me I still have my car from 2004 lol.

I have a '97 Toyota Corolla that I got when I was 19, I've had it for 17 years now. I've thought about buying a new car, but it still drives super well, insurance and registration is super cheap for it, only expensive repair it has ever needed was the timing belt. I can't really justify getting a new car except for some new bells and whistles.

I have terrible luck with cars. I keep them until they're no longer functional. So far that's been maybe years on average.

My first car was my mom's Honda CRV when I got my license. I learned how to drive with that car. It got t-boned driving home from a friends' house like a year or two later.

My second car was a toyota camry. That got side swiped and total while parked at a friend's house, spun halfway across his yard and missed the three other cars parked at his house. I owned this one for a year or two.

My third car was a cargo van that I used for a cross country delivery job between various factories and businesses in the rust belt and the south. That got totaled when I fell asleep driving and crashed. Owned that one for like 10 months.

My fourth car was an Acura. I gave that to my dad when I bought my next car. I owned it for a year or two.

I used using a pick-up my parents owned for work as my primary vehicle for a few months after that, but that wasn't under my name at any point and I gave it back. That was after the cargo van but before the acura iirc.

My fifth car was a Saturn ION. I owned that car for about 5-6 years, until it got sandwiched between some asshole who didn't hit his breaks in time (he blamed it on the rain) and the van sitting in front of me at the red light.

I went without a car for almost a year after that.

My sixth car was the same Acura I'd given my dad. I got it back from him when I moved in with my parents. I ran over a fucking bucket of all things coming home from work one day. Couldn't avoid it. Oncoming traffic to my left and a guard rail to my right. It tore a hole in the bottom of my car, causing oil to leak and that destroyed my engine. Would've cost more than the car was worth to repair, so I just got a new one. I had it for about a year or two this time around as well.

My seventh car was a Saturn SL 3. My engine burned out because I completely forgot about getting my oil changed. Walmart didn't put one of those little reminder stickers in, and the warning light didn't pop up until the day it suddenly died. I owned it for two to three years. Felt like a huge dumbass when the light popped up one day at work and I realized it had been awhile since my last oil change. I was planning to finish out my shift and than go immediately get my oil changed, but nope, my car was dead an hour later.

Anyway, the saturn died in march of last year, so I just opted to stay on lock down during the pandemic and go without a car, so I don't currently own a car. I'll be looking to buy one in the near future. Haven't decided what I want, other than it needs to be cheap, reliable and have good gas milage.

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I flip a car or two every year, have been doing so since I was 16. buy a slightly broken but overall good condition vehicle that has a decent demand / resale.

sometimes i would keep one of those for a few months to drive (good way to keep miles down on my main vehicles).

So ignoring them, I've settled into 2 cars I tend to keep forever basically, an 01 4Runner (might trade for a land cruiser) and a 15 Chevy SS which I don't plan on ever getting rid of. 4Runner I've had since 06, SS I've had since new, special ordered to get the color and no sun roof.

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Got an 06 Sentra that I bought in 09 that still runs fine.

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PesticideDream posted...

I have a '97 Toyota Corolla that I got when I was 19, I've had it for 17 years now. I've thought about buying a new car, but it still drives super well, insurance and registration is super cheap for it, only expensive repair it has ever needed was the timing belt. I can't really justify getting a new car except for some new bells and whistles.

Safety. https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/videos/a33506/this-is-how-much-car-safety-has-improved-since-the-1990s/ thats actually comparing a 98 corolla to a modern corolla.


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I get beand new every 3-5 years

5 years so far (mind you, those were all older used cars)

I currently have a 16 year old suv ive had for 4 years and a 3 year old car I bought new. I plan on keeping the SUV until it can't go anymore, and I'll probably trade the car for an electric in 3 or so years.

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Until they quit.

My dad would get either a Mercedes (his favorite) or BMW just off lease and run it 15-20 years. A mechanic told him " Buy a good car off lease and keep it looking new. This is California. Keep up on the maintenance and it will never grow old."

Got a good run out my Honda 10 some years. The car quit in 2003. Been rolling an Audi TT since 2005. Looks like new.


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Till they go all fubar

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