Poll: How long do you keep a car?

[tmarie]

Ahhh...I'm trying to decide whether to push dh for a new car. :) I grew up in a family where we leased and replaced vehicles every 3-5 yrs. Dh grew up in the exact opposite: you buy a car and drive it 'til it dies! When we purchased the car I drive now--SEVEN YRS AGO, a Grand Jeep Cherokee--I agreed that I'd drive it into the ground. The problem is that I think we have a very different definition of what that means! :) The car is 7.5 yrs old and has 97,000 miles on it. We've spent about $2000 on it in repairs in the last 12 months and now the locking feature has broken. Dh travels, we don't live near family, and I'm expecting a dc#2. I am waiting with dread for the day I break down on the side of the road and my oldest dd is stranded at school while I wait for a tow truck. Does it seem unreasonable that I want a new car?? To me 7.5 yrs is ancient, but I suspect dh thinks we could get another few yrs out of this car... What is the average length of time to keep a car out there?

tmarie
dd#1 5/05
dd#2 7/08

[kijip]

We drive Toyotas. My relatives have Toyotas with 200K+ on them. Our Corolla was 9 years old and past 150K when we donated it. We would have kept it, but decided to get something a little nicer for my job, bigger for family (easier to do carpools/carseats). It was purely a vanity/ease decision, the Corolla was in perfect condition. We bought a 2005 Camry last year and intend to have it 8-10 years or so. So I guess I am with your husband on this. We buy cars with reliable reputations. The Corolla was fine when we donated it- only non-wear and tear repair was less than $200. For me, a three year old car is just getting warmed up. :) We don't need two cars so we got rid of the Corolla when we got the Camry.

I am averse to debt enough that we will never buy a car we don't have cash for again (the Corolla had a payment for awhile, the Camry was owned free and clear from day 1), so that is why we buy a slightly used car and stick to a very reliable brand. Pretty much nothing is worth a car payment to me.

[MarisaSF]

DH and I are of the mindset of your DH. We need cars that can carry us around safely, no matter what the age.

He is currently driving a 10+ (12?) yo Camry with over 100K miles and on its first transmission. I have a fairly new van, but it replaced a 10 yo van. I only got a new van because the ac in the old one went out and the emergency brake went out; that was as close to "dying" as we needed. To us, it wasn't worth the cost of repairs to fix.

I don't think 7.5 years is too old, but it doesn't seem like you feel safe driving it. I would replace a car that wasn't safe, no matter what the age.

[BeachBum]

My parents keep their cars for 8 yrs. Their strategy is to only have one car payment at a time (they usually buy cars that are 1-2yrs old). So mom gets a new car and drives it for 4 yrs while they pay for it, then dad gets a new car and pays for 4 yrs, then it's mom's turn again.

With my husband and I, we don't have a real system. We have more disposable income than my parents and are more inclined to buy more often. We realize that financially, we would do better to keep them. But we have made choices to replace pretty new cars because we just weren't happy with them anymore.

In your situation I think your car is probably just fine. I absolutely would not call 7.5 years driving it into the ground. Sorry. :) Maybe you could try a new angle of simply wanting a van with another kid on the way?

[MontrealMum]

We keep our cars as long as they are safe to drive, and the repairs don't outweigh the savings of keeping them. We try to buy cars with good reputations. So, I am driving a 95 Corolla wagon with 100+ miles and (knock wood) only minor, expected repairs. This is the reason we went with Toyota in the first place. DH is driving a 98 Jetta which is, basically, trashed. He started looking around for a replacement last year but takes forever to make up his mind about anything. For my own car I'm hoping that another more affordable wagon comes on the market by the time I need it. Otherwise, it's a Suburu or a Volvo for me, and probably another VW for DH, though diesel this time. In your case, I don't think you've had it very long by our standards, but if you feel unsafe, and if Jeep reputations warrant feeling it's unsafe (I wouldn't know) then I'd look into something else.

[brittone2]

We've replaced cars after a few years in the past. In one case, I decided to go with a small SUV (Honda CR-V) rather than my sportier Saturn coupe, but that was because I worked in early intervention and had to haul around a balance ball, long pieces of wood for a portable balance beam, etc. and a SUV was nice in that regard. Before DH started grad school we opted to trade that in even though it was only a few years old, because with moving out of state, I knew it would be a tight fit in the CR-V with our large dog, a c carseat with DS, and we were fairly sure we'd try to have another child while he was in school. We upgraded to a mini van to help with long trips back home (9+ hours) and we often carpool with my parents places (they live near us). We thought it made more sense to maximize the trade in on the CR-V and get the van since we were fairly sure 2 kids plus the dog, luggage, etc. would be tough for long trips. We bought my Ody new in 05 with the plan to drive it into the ground, unless some *major* new safety features came out, etc.

DH had a newer vehicle and sold it when he started grad school. It freed up cash, and he opted for a used Corolla (mid 90s) for around 2K. It is also more fuel efficient for his half hour commute. He parks at a park and ride lot (takes a bus from there to his lab), and it is nice to not have to worry as much about scratches and dings on an older car.

I remember this interesting CNN article on repairs vs. replacing. The numbers were quite interesting and different than what most people assume in terms of repair vs. replacement.

http://money.cnn.com/2007/08/30/autos/cr_drive_200k/index.htm

[KBecks]

We run them as long as they are reliable. We get them fixed. And if it's an older car I'd carry a prepaid cell phone.

I like to get at least 10 years out of a car. I did trade a car earlier because the air conditioning went out and the car wasn't worth all that much. Our oldest car is an 01 with 120k miles (Acura), it's a little beat up, but it's still got tons of miles to go. I think you need to have a decent mechanic and pay attention to how it sounds, etc. Get things checked out and pay attention to maintenance.

[JTsMom]

We're drive em into the ground people here. We both drive Camrys. His is..... I wasnt to say a 96, so 12 years old. Mine is our "new" car at 4 yrs old. The key is picking something that lasts, then keeping up with maintenence. His car still looks great and is really reliable- you'd never guess it is as old as it is.

I just can't see sinking a lot of money into buying cars every few years. Financially, it makes no sense. You start losing money the second you drive a new car off the lot. I don't care about having a brand new car, or even a particular type, as long as it is safe and reliable, and not sending us to the poorhouse. LOL When you get to the point where you no longer feel safe though, I do think it's time to start car shopping, but maybe consider picking something that will last longer next time. That way you can meet in the middle with your DH.

[trales]

It depends on the car and condition. We have an 11 year old Accord with 160,000 miles that costs about 200-300 a year in repairs, it is reliable an has no major problems, we will keep as long as it is cheap to repair and reliable. We also have a brand new Subaru wagon.

If the car costs a lot to repair and you don't feel safe in it, them it is time to get a new one.

[wellyes]

I keep them as long as they are safe - my expectation is at least 10 yrs / 100K. I'm 33 and I'm on my second car right now. I could afford to buy more frequently. But I think the *reason* I can afford to do so is that I'm frugal, KWIM?

To me, a broken lock mechanism certainly wouldn't be a reason to ditch a vehicle... $2000 in repairs vs $25,000+ for a new vehicle is a no-brainer.

Having said that, everyone has something they splurge on (for us, it's international travel) so if it wouldn't be a strain, and if you're genuinely unhappy with the car, then maybe getting a newer car will be your splurge.

[neeter]

We have two cars -- one is old (like almost 15 years, when you think about it) and one is about 5 years old. The older one is reserved for my DH to drive to local places, like the metro. I wouldn't put my kids in that car -- the kids only go in the newer car. Its more convenient to have two cars, but we basically only use the newer one.

[nrp]

DH and I have two 2000 Chevys (a Tahoe and a Blazer). The Tahoe has significantly more miles (100K+), but the blazer (with only 50-60K) has been giving us more trouble. So, we're about to sell the blazer and buy something new (or slightly used). We plan to keep the Tahoe for at least another couple of years so we can stagger our new car purchases. I would say we generally fall into the "drive it until the wheels fall off" category, too, and to me that usually means 8-10 years. For DH, probably a little more.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I am torn on this. We are still driving our first and only car- a 99 Civic. We bought a Honda so it would last forever but some days I would like a newer car (esp. one with side air bags). I bet the decision to get a new car will somewhat hinge on private or charter school next year. Honestly though we will most likely keep it as our only car unless maintenance gets to be too much and it makes more sense to get a new one.

We will never be ones that replace every 3 years. I don't need to have a new car. I kind of like my old car because I'm not freaked about about kid mess. :) Love no car payment too. :) As soon as the car was paid off I started diverting our normal car payment into savings every month.

Beth

[sarahsthreads]

We have a 2000 Jetta and a 2005 Subaru wagon. We don't plan to buy another new car until one of them literally dies (i.e. the engine falls out of the car type of dying) or if we have a third child before that happens we might upgrade the Jetta to a bigger car (minivan?) and DH would drive the wagon to & from work while I used the bigger car to ferry three kids around daily.

We had gone through a succession of cars before these two, but all of them were rather well-used before we bought them (3-5 years old when they were new to us) and less-than-reliable brands, but all we could afford at the time (college years and early marriage).

For our family, if we're going to buy a brand new car, we'll be driving it until it no longer passes inspection and costs more than several new car payments to get it to pass.

Sarah :)

[o_mom]

In general, we keep cars until they die or around 8-10 years. Our current cars are a 2003 Odyssey and a 2006 Accord. Both were bought certified used so we have a warranty to 10 years/100K on the powertrain. The Odyssey we bought 3 years ago when DS2 was born, the Accord was last year when our previous car died after 10 years (very, very sad - spent $4500 on repairs over 4 months before calling it quits and only getting $2000 back).

$2000 in 12 months is not a huge sinkhole. How much of that was maintainace, though? Things like brakes, mufflers, tires, etc. I don't really consider repairs as any car will have those expenses. The locking may be an easy fix, but you do want to be realistic on the amount of money you spend on it. The nickel and dime stuff can add up, but it is really hard to make that call sometimes. I would at the least have a good cell phone and AAA coverage, but realistically, most cars don't go by dying on the side of the road. Usually you have some warning, so as long as you don't ignore anything and get the regular maintanence checks you will most likely be fine for a few more years.

[GeekLady]

We're a drive the car into the ground, fix it if it's something simple, drive it into the ground again, and then maybe retire it type of family. We also name them, and worse, refer to them by name in conversation.

Right now, we have 2 vehicles, the 2000 Chevy Silverado that was my husband's 'graduation present' (in quotations because we don't actually own it and my inlaws refuse sign the title over to him, gah) and the 2008 Honda Civic that we bought under 6 months ago. We used to have a 1980 Oldsmobile Omega that was my grandmother's, but you had to drive it at 30 mph for a while before it would stop stalling when you reached 0mph, so we donated it.

The Chevy is in immaculate condition, except for the huge dent someone put in the side in the parking garage at work (!!). It's 8 years old and could last another 10. We'll keep it around, especially since we only have to pay for its gas (bad enough), because it's extremely useful for moving large things. But it is a little old, and not particularly useful for carrying kids.

So we bought the Honda, Revenge. Named Revenge because the one thing my husband asked for in his truck was a manual transmission and his parents said no, so we got stick in the Civic and he loves it. I've never really driven stick before, but I'm pretty comfortable now after 6 months. This is the husband's primary vehicle (I walk most places, including work and the OB). It's a good family car, and because of the good gas mileage, we've already put 7.5k miles on it.

We'll probably buy another car anywhere between now through 4 years from now, depending on our location and necessary travel between jobs, home, and daycare. And only because the truck just isn't good for kids and has crappy gas mileage. If it was a car in that good of condition, we wouldn't consider buying another car until we've paid off the Civic.

[mickminmom]

In my single days, I was a leaser with a new car every three years. But, met and married a keeper of cars so have now been converted to the other side. We bought an 04 CRV to replace my last leased car and an 05 Accord to replace his 10 yr old 2 door Civic when DD was born. He squished himself into the back seat to get her into the carseat for 4 months before reluctantly giving in and getting a bigger car.

Overall, you save so much money when you keep a car and drive it as long as possible. I don't expect to get another car for at least 6 more years. The only change would be if we decide to trade mine in for a minivan in a few years for carpooling and the ability to easily drive places together with the grandparents.

[WatchingThemGrow]

I loooove cars, but I'm fairly frugal as well. I understand where you are coming from. In the past, my car purchases have been out of a little bit of need and a lot of want. When they get to the 70-80K mile mark and have need of major repairs, I start looking to see if something else would fit my life better. Old Accord to shiny new Acura to shiny new Cabrio to family car (used 1 yr. old CR-V). DH really loves the idea of a van, but I'm halfway inclined to get 3 across in the CR-V if we get to that point. But then again, a van would make a lot of things in our life easier - transporting more friends/kids/relatives, having more room on weekend trips (which we will be doing lots in the coming years), and having the easy loading/unloading of DC. Right now a van would be too soon IMO (for us) because we are not over capacity, the gas mileage is good, and our double stroller, a single, groceries, 2 carseats, a kayak, and everything else fits fine. I also really like the way it drives/rides.

So, for your situation, if you are unsure about the reliability of your car, I would get it totally checked out and fix anything that could go. I'd do some googling to see if your model has any fluke things that go wrong in the next couple years. If you know which double stroller you want and know that it fits easily with easy in/out of the car, and you'll be able to fit groceries in there w/o too much hassle, I'd maybe keep it. Now, if you don't love the way it drives, rides, fits gear, guzzles gas, or fits your life for the next year or so, I'd make a pro/con list and try to decide from there financially. You did promise to drive it to the ground... You can always make the decision later if you have problems and feel unsafe.

How long? Average of 6.5 years once I started buying my own carsl

[egoldber]

Generally, we keep our cars until they become more expensive to fix than to replace. We just replaced DH's car, which we had had for 11 years. His "new" car was a car that had been driven for a year by a company exec, so we got a very good deal.

Right now I drive an 02 Dodge Grand Caravan. I will have had it 6 years in August. I plan to drive it for several more years and be able to replace it (at that point) with something smaller like a wagon. Before that I had a smaller Volvo wagon (a V40, not the larger V70), and that was a mistake. It was just too small of a vehicle for what we needed, so I traded that in when we bought the minivan. I'd only had it for 2 years, so we took a hit on that car and it pained me greatly since I am typically very cheap LOL!

[missym]

We keep our cars 10 years, so that we can alternate getting a new (barely used) vehicle every 5 years and only have 1 car payment at a time. It's worked well so far.

[lovin2shop]

Another drive til it dies family. But, safety is my biggest concern and we both drive Volvos as a result. I traded my last car in early because I was in a pretty major wreck and the car probably should have been totaled out in hindsight. It was only 3 years old, but it just wasn't reliable after the wreck and I was always worried that it was no longer as safe. I now have a 6yr old wagon that has 125k miles on it (long commute), and I hope to keep it for at least one more year, maybe 2. However, I just had to get a new keypad because my other one broke and it cost $275. Annoys me to no end, but it is worth not having a car payment. I do look forward to the day of owning a shiny new car, but it is fun to scope out potential new cars in the mean time.

[Piglet]

We are drive the car into the ground people, but our dirty little secret is that we have never actually done that for one reason or another. It all started with my first car, that was 10 old but had super low mileage. I would have driven it for a long long time, but it was a 2-door and the day we moved DS1 into a convertible, we couldn't make it work with getting him into the backseat. That car gave way to a 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe. The Santa Fe was fine until we started planning for 3 carseats and discovered that it was a major problem getting them to fit. That have way to a 2006 Toyota Sienna. DH's first real car was a 2000 Mazda Protege. Both the Mazda and the Toyota are going strong and we have no plans to get rid of them before they die.

[momtoonegirl]

DH and I are also drive the car until it dies people. DH and I had cars 9+ years before we bought new ones. The only exception was when DD was 6 months old, I traded my 2 door sports car that I had for almost 4 years for a SUV (I don't think the Marathon would have fit in it ;) ). I plan on drving the SUV to the ground, at least 10 years.

[daniele_ut]

We are in the drive-it-into-the-ground camp - as long as the car is safe. We just recently junked my 1988 VW Jetta that had over 240,000 miles on it. I had driven it for the last 10 years and it had been fabulously reliable. Unfortunately the brakes and rear wheel bearings went out and the repair was more than the value of the car, so we had to get rid of it. We had been saving for a couple of years with the intention of replacing the car so we were able to pay cash for the replacement. We bought a 2005 Chevy sedan with just 33,000 miles on it. It has side air bags and room for everything we need right now. The best part about it is the lack of a car payment, though! Our other car is a 2001 wagon that was purchased 1 year old with 15,000 miles on it. We did have a loan when we bought it, but it has been paid off for years and we hope to pay cash for our next vehicle as well. We will keep driving it as long as it is safe and reliable.

[maestramommy]

We tend to drive them until either a) they die, or b) they don't fit our family anymore. So, my '94 Geo Prizm had 200k+ miles on it before we got an 05 Accord. I passed the Prizm on to my lil bro. Dh had a 88 Pathfinder with 200k+ miles on it before he sold it to a guy who wanted to tote construction supplies and bought a slightly used 01 Pathfinder. Unless we end up with 4 kids we are planning on sticking to these cars until they die. I think Dh mentioned hearing on Cartalk once that after a while the depreciation of a vehicle ends, and it will continue to be less expensive (usually) to fix the car than get one that is comparable.

However, I would get that locking feature fixed. Maybe I didn't read your Op carefully, but I would say if your car has a tendency to break down on you I would definitely replace it. That's something you don't need at any time, but certainly not if you are driving your kids around.

[Momof3Labs]

To the OP: Can you just switch cars with your hubby? What does he drive?

We are more towards the 10 year range on how long we plan to keep our cars. When I bought my car (Passat wagon) 6.5 years ago, it replaced an Accord that I could have driven for many, many more miles. That wasn't a smart financial move, but we had the expendible income at the time. Then, we replaced DH's old Suburban with an Odyssey a year later. We planned to get at least 10 years out of both, but in reality, my car may not last that long mechanically, plus if we have a third child, it would be a tight squeeze in my back seat. On the flip side, the Odyssey should last for a lot more than 10 years as long as we maintain it properly.

We have spent more money than I'd like on my car for maintenance and repairs in the last 12-18 months, but it was a lot less than we'd spend on a car payment, so we did it. Now that both cars are finally paid off, we're putting the car payment into savings so that we can pay cash for our next car purchase.

I only drive about 10,000 miles per year and DH drives 25,000 per year, so we did just switch cars for a while to try to ease up the mileage his van is accumulating since we want that one to last a lot longer! The van is at 80k and my Passat is at 60k.

I grew up in a family that replaced cars every 3-4 years, but it just doesn't make financial sense for our family. There are so many things we'd rather do with that money - live in a nice house in a great school district, take an annual family vacation, etc.

[vonfirmath]

My car is 9 years old and nowhere near being "run into the ground" -- so we are donating it when we leave the state at the end of the year. I expect another family to get a year or two out of it if they take care of it. (It eats oil so needs a little babying)

[ritacheetah]

Generally I drive it until it dies and then DH drives it a few more years after that LOL. We don't like car payments and only have one if we have to have one. We have a 2003 Chevy Malibu and that is our new car. We also have a 1998 Isuzu Rodeo and a 1998 GMC pickup truck that is DH's "beater" that he drives to work in - it is far and not in a great neighborhood.

Fortunately, DH has been working on cars his whole life so he can fix a lot of what breaks. Eventually, I'd like to trade the 2 '98's for a minivan (probably used) but we'll see.

[niccig]

I'm torn on this issue too. My parents never ever replace their cars. Their Ford is 28 years old, and unfortunately it always broke down and Dad does the repairs. We have been stranded so many times when I was a kid. Part of that is Dad's maintenance, he'll keep the battery on a recharger as it's still got some life left until it finally stalls at a traffic light. When this happened he only replaced the battery because I was a new driver, if it was just him and mum driving the car, he would have kept recharging the old one.

So, from these experiences I have a fear of cars breaking down, and if my car doesn't start (normally because an interior light was left on), I panic. AAA has only taken 30 mins to get to me, but I still panic and find it very stressful.

DH leased cars and I was happy with that because of my fear of being stranded somewhere. But it doesn't make financial sense to have 2 car payments, especially now with a house and DS. We bought DH's Prius and it's paid off next month. My car lease is up and we're buying again and we're downsizing - we're going to save a lot per month. The plan is to drive both cars 8 -10 years and have regular maintenance.

If you're car is working fine, no major repairs and not breaking down all the time, I would keep driving it until you do need a new car. But I would save a car payment a month, so when you do buy you have a good chunk of money to put towards it.

[Joolsplus2]

My van (2003 Honda Ody) is 5 years old now, been paid off for a year or so, and it's about the longest I've had a car (4 years for a CR-V before that)... I kind of want something with more/side curtain airbags soon, since my kids are going to be out of boosters before I know it and I won't be able to get side impact protection for their noggins without boosters..so we have maybe another year before we need a newer car that meets my safety requirements ;)

[tmarie]

I have been pouring over all of your responses! :) On the one hand I guess I really should just fix the lcoking mechanism issue, and wait. On the other hand, I don't know that I feel comfortable with it safety wise, in part b/c my dh (who is the "car" guy in our family--up until now I've let him make all decisions regarding repairs and upkeep) has done a responsible job at keeping up on the maintainence. As a result, I know the car is not in as good a condition as it should be. I have already decided with my next vehicle I am going to keep up on the maintainence myself.

In addition to the lock issue, the car battery just died (no lights left on, etc....) out of the blue last week. It also has reocurring issues with break pads and alignment, that it feels like we are constantly bringing back for adjustments or replacements. My dh travels frequently for work, we have no family around to call in case of emergency, and we just moved to a new town so I don't yet have friends/neighbors I can call if I'm stuck. I'm also pregnant with #2 and feel even more insecure about what a nuissance it will be if I have car problems while dh is out of town. Honestly, if we lived near family or friends who I could rely on in a pinch, I would be less anxious about the car situation.

Dh drives a small Acura that is way too small for the kiddos and carseats, so unfortunately--I love his car!--trading with him is not an option. :)

I really appreciate all the input. The advice has been so helpful!

tmarie

[khm]

Have you thought about getting AAA? Even if you do get a new car, things go wrong, batteries die and tires go flat. It is great peace of mind when you live in an area with no family to come bail you out.

[Momof3Labs]

In addition to the lock issue, the car battery just died (no lights left on, etc....) out of the blue last week.

Batteries don't last forever - they do have to be replaced periodically. So that's really a routine maintenance item, not necessarily an indication that the car is going to die at the side of the road next week.

[kijip]

Brake pads, alignment and batteries are all wear and tear items. It occurs to me that if you are used to new cars every 3 or so years, there are some wear and tear items that you may not be accustomed to dealing with, like brake pads and resurfacing rotors and getting new batteries. Heck a car does not even always need new tires after three years. So by observing your parents getting new cars so often, you missed learning about the routine costs of maintaining a car.

How about getting it inspected by a trusted mechanic? Ask them if it is a car they would recommend buying used. It costs about an 1/2 - 1 hours labor for a complete inspection.

I frankly doubt the car is unsafe based on what you describe. You almost always have warning signs that need to go unheeded for a long time before you break down on the side of the road.

If you want a new car, that is a-ok, but I don't think it can be established on the safety card. It's ok to just want a new car. But you have to want it more than the other stuff the money would buy. :)

[Neatfreak]

I sold my 1993 Ford Tempo last summer. It was in great shape, but we were moving overseas so I couldn't keep it. It was the only car that I've ever owned. I'd wanted something cooler for the last ten years, but that car just wouldn't give up!

[egoldber]

In addition to the lock issue, the car battery just died (no lights left on, etc....) out of the blue last week. It also has reocurring issues with break pads and alignment, that it feels like we are constantly bringing back for adjustments or replacements.

Like Katie said, batteries and brakes (and their components like rotors) only last so long and need replacing. Also, some vehicles (and some drivers ;) ) are harder on brakes than others. My van seems to need brakes every 15K miles or so, while DH's old car could go twice as long before needing new brakes. But his brakes were twice as expensive LOL, so there you go.... My DH used to be an auto mechanic for a few years before he went to college, so fortunately he does all our major auto repairs.


My dh travels frequently for work, we have no family around to call in case of emergency, and we just moved to a new town so I don't yet have friends/neighbors I can call if I'm stuck. I'm also pregnant with #2 and feel even more insecure about what a nuissance it will be if I have car problems while dh is out of town. Honestly, if we lived near family or friends who I could rely on in a pinch, I would be less anxious about the car situation.

My DH travels a lot too, and I also have no family within a several hours drive, so I feel your pain. If you don't have AAA or some sort of roadside assistance, I would get it. AAA pays for itself for us every year in hotel discounts alone, so its well worth it IMO.

[tmarie]

I just renewed my membership with AAA...so that is covered. This post has been such a learning experience for me...I feel like all of our friends lease and trade in cars every 3-5 yrs, so I assumed maybe dh was the one being unreasonable. But I'm overwhelmed at how the majority of posters keep cars 8-10 years. I will try to hang in there and keep this car awhile longer...! :)

tmarie

[kijip]

One thought that might help is the much larger cost of replacing cars every few years.

Example:

We paid $14,000 for our car. If we drive it 10 years, the cost is $1400 per year plus gas and routine maintenance. We budget about $500 a year for car maintenance (we do none of the work ourselves, do nothing for the car except check the tire pressure and fill the tank). So over ten years that is $5,000 (for things like tires, brake pads, batteries, oil changes and the 30,000 mile tune-ups). We usually do brakes every 25-30,000 miles, tires every 4 years, oil every 5000 miles. In the time we owned our Corolla we had a less than $200 repair for the starter and one new battery.

If we spent $14,000 on a new car every 3 years, in 10 years we would spend $42,000 on just the vehicle (with 2 years left to go on the last one). So $3500 per year on the car assuming we were just buying a modest, gently used sedan each time. Certainly we would spend less on repairs, since we would be getting rid of the car before it needed any wear and tear items. But I would have to spend $28,000 over ten years on repairs to make getting a new car every few years worth it. The math gets harsher with vehicles in the $20,000+range.

Most lease payments are in the $300-400 range, which puts the cost of leasing very much on par with buying new every few years.

This is money that if saved, will be a HUGE sum later on to use however you like.

That is what I remind myself of when I see a cooler car than mine. :boogie:

[ChunkyNicksChunkyMom]

Drive them til they absolutely fall to bits, always will!

[niccig]

One thought that might help is the much larger cost of replacing cars every few years.

Example:

We paid $14,000 for our car. If we drive it 10 years, the cost is $1400 per year plus gas and routine maintenance. We budget about $500 a year for car maintenance (we do none of the work ourselves, do nothing for the car except check the tire pressure and fill the tank). So over ten years that is $5,000 (for things like tires, brake pads, batteries, oil changes and the 30,000 mile tune-ups). We usually do brakes every 25-30,000 miles, tires every 4 years, oil every 5000 miles. In the time we owned our Corolla we had a less than $200 repair for the starter and one new battery.

If we spent $14,000 on a new car every 3 years, in 10 years we would spend $42,000 on just the vehicle (with 2 years left to go on the last one). So $3500 per year on the car assuming we were just buying a modest, gently used sedan each time. Certainly we would spend less on repairs, since we would be getting rid of the car before it needed any wear and tear items. But I would have to spend $28,000 over ten years on repairs to make getting a new car every few years worth it. The math gets harsher with vehicles in the $20,000+range.

Most lease payments are in the $300-400 range, which puts the cost of leasing very much on par with buying new every few years.

This is money that if saved, will be a HUGE sum later on to use however you like.

That is what I remind myself of when I see a cooler car than mine. :boogie:

And this is why we've bought one car and will buy the next. I just wished we had worked this out a few years ago. Oh well, live and learn.

To the OP, if you know you'll be replacing in a couple of years, I would start to put some money away now, so you'll have less car payment then. Again, I wished we had done this, but we will in the future.

[s7714]

We don't replace our cars based on milage or age really. When a car gets to the point that we are spending more money a month on repairs than what payments on a new car would be, we start shopping for a new one. Because usually at that point the old car is not reliable. My "first" car had almost 300,000 miles on it (bought it used with 198,000 already on it) and I literally had it in the shop on a monthly basis before I got rid of it. The entire transmission needed to be replaced and because it was an older car the cost of a new transmission was literally more than the $ value of the car! We bought a new car and donated my old one.

The only exception has been our Odyssey, and I pushed that purchase through because we needed the cargo space. (DH's commuting car was starting to get repair prone though, so it probably would have only had another year or so before we needed to start shopping anyway.)

[o_mom]

Our personal feelings is that new "safety" features do not make it less likely that we will be in an accident.



Welcome to the board!

I really appreciate your outlook on the financial side, but I do want to point out that there are numerous studys and loads of data that show many of the new safety features do, in fact, prevent accident and reduce injuries.

[o_mom]

I would love to have ESC, but I was talking about things like side curtain air bags, etc. Having them will not make it more or less likely that we would have a car accident. The risk of having one remains the same is all I meant.

I weight all the risks and having no car payments outweigh them ATM. KWIM?

Thanks for the welcome btw.

I do know what you mean. ESC is a big one for accident prevention and will be standard on all new cars within a few years, anti-lock brakes and traction control can hlep if you know how to use them. Side curtain airbags, seatbelt pretensioners, etc. won't prevent accidents but they will prevent injuries. You never know when some drunk moron is going to run a red light and T-bone you, KWIM?

[HIU8]

We drive our cars until they die basically. DH had a leased car when we got married and could not get out of the lease. Once we got out we bought a new car that is now 2 yrs old. We plan on driving it for at least the next 10 years. We also have a 2002 Camry with 120,000 miles on it. DH figures he will drive it to 250,000 miles unless something major happens that is just too expensive to fix. I grew up in a family where we drove cars until we just couldn't anymore. DH's mother just got rid of a 1990 Pymouth Voyager last year also. My sister and brother also drive cars until they can't be driven any longer.

[kcandz]

We are definitely on a Bargains Board! :) I am enjoying reading how many keep their cars a long time. My last car was 11 years, my current is at 6 years, both bought new. The safety features jumped hugely from the last car to the newest. I was thinking I would keep this car at least 2 more years. Do safety features advance so much these days? Or more features become standard, maybe.