Keeping cars longer??

[jllarson3]

I'm 74, and brought our first house in 1971 for $24,000.

I usually say that it pains me to pay more for a car than I did for my house!

We usually buy used and drive them a long time.

Our oldest is a 1984 Ford Crown Vic Intercepter.

Next is a 1996 Ford Ranger XL.

Our daily car is a 2002 Mercedes E430 we got 12 years ago for $11,000.

We're probably going to give the Cop Car to a grandkid, and trade or sell the Mercedes and get a 3-5 year old SUV.

The Ranger is our farm truck.

When someone asks if $xyz is worth it to repair, I ask how much of a used car would that buy? If it is not as good as the fixer, then fix it.

Drive On!

[picker]

You already have your money's worth out of it.


If it's comfy.....keep it.


It it ain't.....replace it.


....sounds simple to me......

[pduggs]

Originally Posted by OlJB

My 2008 Honda Accord has 289,000 miles on it. Original engine, transmission (manual), clutch and A/C. A/C needs new expansion valve, since it doesn't cool well in hot weather, but other than that, no reason to get rid of it any time soon.


Even if you have to have the automatic transmission rebuilt, keep it. Should easily last another 100,000 miles.


My experience is that Toyota and Honda vehicles are the only ones that can last 200,000 miles without major work. My experience is that they easily last 250,000 t0 300,000 miles without excessive repair costs.

They are great cars. I had a Camry go over 200k, when I sold it. However my son had an 2001 Audi A8 he bought used after he completed college. It had 100k on it and he put another 100k on it, before transmission went out. A neighbor bought for $500 and fixed it five years ago. It was still going last I heard.

[GrittyGGoose]

I typically get over 250,000 on my vehicles. Current Sonata has 230,000 and going strong. I’m looking at an older Class C. I’m warm to real wood and the MH’s I’ve viewed are solid.

[Pickelhead]

My wife and I got married in 1992. We also bought a new 1992 Jeep Cherokee. The Jeep currently has 279,056 miles on it and is still going strong. We decided to keep it until it dies, then we are going to keep it as yard art!

[Useitagain]

The daughter had a couple different years of the Honda Odyssey, the last one was a 2014. The previous Odyssey was around a 2008 I recall. The point being is that model had some issues with bad motor mounts. She had to have hers replaced. Just a FYI.



As far as keeping vehicles I think a lot of it is the access to new safety features and can you afford new cars.



I just sold a 2006 Highlander Hybrid Limited wit 170000 miles on it and it was going strong. But once I had to replaced the radiator that was it I was done making repairs. The SUV had been demoted to a visitors car anyway and was just taking up room in the driveway.



I have owned a lot of different cars and trucks over the years both new and pre owned. I am at the age where I do not plan to buy anymore pre owned cars. I can afford just about any vehicle I want and would prefer just to start out with a new.

[Rorytug]

Originally Posted by GlenB

I have a 2008 Honda Odyssey Van. It has 175000 miles on it. I have never kept a car this long. But with retirement and the cost on new ones I am more open to it. The Honda has had all service kept up and it drives great. Your thoughts on driving older cars..tks GlenB

Both purchased new. My wife drives a 2000 Acura TL. I drive a 2001 Acura MDX, which I also use as a toad. I have pulled this car 76,000 miles and driven it 156,000 miles. Neither has left us stranded - ever. Routine maintenance never missed. Biggest repairs have been rebuilding The rack and pinion on both. To this day I will have no trouble getting in my MDX turning the key and driving it to anywhere in the continental United States. Registration, insurance, and lack of payments far outweigh any convenience new cars might provide. Until such time as I cannot get parts to repair or the vehicles reliability becomes an issue, we’ll keep them, especially at today’s prices. I don’t foresee getting a new car in the near future.

[RM Art]

Prorated over a decade extended time [two vehicles we've had for over two decades]... including original purchase cost, maintenance, repairs and insurance. Fuel cost not included.

I figure our road vehicles each cost us $200 +/- per month, Sooo - we have five nice condition vehicles. That = $1,000 monthly or - $12,000 +/- annually.

Imagine the total cost if all five were new! Wow.... ......

[careh]

2 years ago my 2000 Avalon had a radiator fan blade come loose - flying right through the radiator - and by the time I looked at the temperature gauge - it was into the full red. I was in a construction zone so I had nowhere to turn off. A few blocks later I was able to pull off - I thought well that is it for that car - what with her having 380,000 km (236,000 miles) on her. I had it towed to the garage I use - the garage added water -it started.... he said - well you can buy another vehicle...with $500 a month payments ... or pay $500 for a new radiator, new fan - and take the chance that the engine does not have hidden overheat damage that ...could... appear in a day, week, month, or never. Its been two years - and the car is still running....

[Our05Winneba]

Spent my career in the auto business - from being a mechanic to owning my own shop to dealership work to an Exec with several different OEMs. From the time I bought my 1st new car in 1972 I have seen the average price of new cars skyrocket - much more than inflation. BUT - I also know that they are MUCH better built than ever, which means that if they are properly maintained they will last a lot longer than they used to. From compliance with safety regs to having to comply with tight emission controls I know that engines are built to much tighter specs than ever, and that warranty costs are of great concern to manufacturers, so most really have tried much harder to build quality cars. Also know that there are now so many computerized controls that if things do go wrong these will often quickly warn the driver, or force the vehicle to stop so no further damage can be done.
So - take care of your car and there should be no problem with driving an older vehicle for a long time. Besides - you are driving a Honda, which makes some of the best vehicles out there - of any brand.

[Hit_the_Rhod]

Originally Posted by Steve N Sal

We have an 05 pt Cruiser with 102K and for now that's what we'll be driving. I've had my eye out looking for another used vehicle at the right price but nothing yet. We're in no hurry and like mentioned at the price of the new ones, we'll never see another one of those in the driveway. I transported cars for 8 years to the auctions and believe me their isn't a new car on the road worth what they're asking for them.

If you haven't replaced the timing belt in your PT Cruiser, it's overdue, and $$$ expensive to repair if it breaks!

[RayJo]

Most anyone can buy a new (even high-end) vehicle, but can they afford the maintenance? The maintenance, or lack thereof, is more often the obstacle for keeping a vehicle. What I cannot comprehend is the frequency of trading an RV—particularly a diesel. Early model diesel RVs were built for 1 million miles, at 100k miles (unlike a gas vehicle) only 1/10 of its life has been used. I can’t grasp the idea of trading away something that is still relatively new at a premium financial loss.

I welcome responses as I truly want to understand the reasoning for frequent trading a diesel coach. Is it the car mentality of trading every 3-years?

[IC2]

Originally Posted by RayJo

Most anyone can buy a new (even high-end) vehicle, but can they afford the maintenance? The maintenance, or lack thereof, is more often the obstacle for keeping a vehicle. What I cannot comprehend is the frequency of trading an RV—particularly a diesel. Early model diesel RVs were built for 1 million miles, at 100k miles (unlike a gas vehicle) only 1/10 of its life has been used. I can’t grasp the idea of trading away something that is still relatively new at a premium financial loss.

I welcome responses as I truly want to understand the reasoning for frequent trading a diesel coach. Is it the car mentality of trading every 3-years?

es
It's called "keeping up with the Jones" (or in some cases, being the Jones)

[dieselclacker]

Wear and tear on a coach is not limited by mileage on the engine. Age and the care the coach has received plays a big part in replacing a unit with a newer one. Lots of unkempt broken down pig pens driving down the byways with low mileage engines.