Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Statistics say that Amers replace their cars every 3 years,but I want to hear real stories from real people...
So,how often do u replace your car ?
Do u buy new or used ?
What method of payment do u personally prefer..?
The shortest period of time I've ever kept a car was 2 years. And that was because we bought a car and then had an additional family memeber come along (whoops)....hence making the car not such a good choice. So we got a mini-van to replace it.
But my policy otherwise for daily-driver cars has been to keep them for about 6 years....but I think I'm going to start keeping them longer than that now if possible. Daily driver cars are a sucky way to spend money. It's just a means for me to get back and forth to work and the van is a means of transporting my family around. Beyond that I get no joy out of them.
If I can spend as little as $5-7k (in cash) on my work daily drivers and make them last in excess of 4 years....it's a big win. Because prior to that I was sinking nearly $30k (after interest and all) and only getting 4-6 yrs out of them before I got jumpy and decided to swap. Spending $30k on something and then not getting to keep it for the long haul hurts! Screw that.
At least 10 years. It used to be more often when cars weren't as reliable. We keep them until the cost to maintain is higher than a new car payment (which we estimate since we rarely have a payment).
My last trade was a 1995 Maxima that I traded in October, 2008 at 123K. My wife is driving a 2003 Maxima which we figure we will trade no sooner than 2016 and it might last longer since we rarely drive it. It has about 55K on it now.
If it is not for marriage,the affair lasts 3 to 5 years max.
If it deserves " marriage ",u keep it through its useful life ( 10 years)...
This new (2010) gen of cars with 5 star crash ratings & 10 airbags ( including front passenger's knee a/b) is state of the art.
If u buy one new,it will be competitive till 2020.
Then,u can buy an all-electric car,which will be perfected by that time ( 2020).
Rich people ( by Obama definition - ind at 150K,couples at 200K ) should change cars every year...
Every four years or so I like to trade up and get something new. I've owned 8 vehicles in 15 years of driving but I usually own two at any given time.
Out of the 8 vehicles, only 3 of them were purchased new, the ones were all pre-owned. I enjoy having a new vehicle but it's not a necessity if my pocketbook can't stomach the price tag.
I'd say 3-4 years is average for a large percentage of Americans.
'93 Dodge Dakota Sport (purchased in '95 totaled in '98)
'94 Dodge Shadow ES (purchased in '98 traded in '02)
'95 Ford Thunderbird (purchased '02 traded in after a year--rear wheel drive = bad on ice!)
'02 Suzuki Vitara (purchased in '03 traded in '07)
'08 Scion Xb (purchased in '07 traded in '09)
2010 Scion XB (purchased Nov 09)
Scions really keep their value--I hadn't planned on getting rid of my 08 but I was able to trade it in on a 2010 and only increase my payoff time by 6 months and $20 a month as to what I had left on the '08 (and restart the warranty as I had 40k on my '08 and the warrenty is only till 36k)
There's three in the fleet, always three. One for me, one for the wife and one for a spare. Right now all are 16 years old or older with miles ranging from 17k to 136k. They're all presentable, all drive well and all are paid for with the most expensive one costing me about $2500 cash. Upkeep costs are low as I do most work myself.
So, when would I replace one of them? Under two circumstances. The first would be a combination of major engine issues and severe rust. An engine replacement alone isn't that troubling to me as a used engine can be easily found for what I drive, yards are full of them. But add in severe rust and the end is near. The second would be if I found a good deal on something and I'd bag the worst of the three in the fleet. Maybe not though, I could always have four cars.
We rarely keep a car longer than 2 yrs. Most times less than that. We always buy new...and the idea is to aspire to something better, more fun. In fact....we just sold a car today...barely 8 months old. But were offered a deal we basically would have been foolish to turn down. We are a family who believe vehicles are just not for transportation.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.