So to the folks who really like cars. If your current ride is fine mech. when do you switch to a newer model? (F150, vehicle)

[Hemlock140]

Originally Posted by txfriend

Unless you have it insured with Hagerty or other such company for $40K at about $1K annually it is worth squat if you should have an accident.

I was recently in the market for a classic muscle car and discovered that even State Farm will do "Stated Value" insurance, but yes, you will pay higher premiums for it. Hagerty and the like are more reasonable but have very specific requirements for garaging, no commuting, and other restrictions.

[SOON2BNSURPRISE]

The truth is that with a well maintained car or truck, just like a woman, it is cheaper to keep her. We have a 2003 Chevy Astro Van and it is well maintained. Now that the kids are older I plan on having some fun with it. Dropping it, shaving the outside, installing a full roof opening with a sliding cover. redo the inside, and keep her for a very long time.

Similar to something like below:

[trbstang]

Originally Posted by d2mini

Nice! Back when Toyota still had some balls! Such a shame.

You are right Dennis! Take care of it, and it will last. My 03 Vibe GT has the same 180hp 2ZZ-GE engine as your Celica GTS and currently has over 226K miles. Still runs very well, hits lift at 6,200 and redlines at 8,200! It could use a paint job on the roof and hood, but it still looks decent for a 13 yr old car.

Good luck with it animalcrazy!

[notnamed]

Yeah I took my 2000 Celica to 200k before I sold it. Didn't need anything but basic maintenance.

I used Zaino to keep it pretty too. Paint still looked like new minus a couple rock chips.

[headingtoDenver]

Originally Posted by SOON2BNSURPRISE

The truth is that with a well maintained car or truck, just like a woman, it is cheaper to keep her. We have a 2003 Chevy Astro Van and it is well maintained. Now that the kids are older I plan on having some fun with it. Dropping it, shaving the outside, installing a full roof opening with a sliding cover. redo the inside, and keep her for a very long time.

Similar to something like below:

holy balls that thing is hideous and awesome at the same time!!!!

[azsportpilot]

Originally Posted by notnamed

Are Montana registration fees high? I'm just used to paying <$40/year for registration so can't imagine that driving a purchase decision.

try Arizona, its almost as bad as CA

they have a nominal registration fee and an annual VLT (vehicle license tax) which is based on the cars original MSRP.... NOT THE VALUE

and how long the car has been in AZ... so you try not to buy cars from out of state

60% of base MSRP depreciated by 16.25% every year since it was first registered in AZ (not manufactured or purchased)

so the reg. gets cheaper every year as the car ages in AZ.... even for the next owner

In other words it is much cheaper to register a 15 year old Ferrari or Rolls Royce or McLaren that has always been in the state than a brand new Honda Civic LX

lets say you buy a 2007 Toyota Yaris on ebay and the seller is out of state (this is bad) you will pay based on the MSRP as if it was new

remember it is NOT based on value. some cars depreciate much faster than others

I had a friend who bought a used Jaguar that had an original MSRP of $80k, he paid under $20k and drove it back from texas... he was in shock what it cost to register in AZ

here a fun link to confuse you further

How are my AZ vehicle registration fees calculated?

[notnamed]

Aren't red states supposed to be all about low taxes? Heh

Certainly another strong reason to never move to AZ if the weather and the border/drug crime wasn't enough.

[ipaper]

Originally Posted by Hemlock140

In the past, I would trade in at about 120-130k miles. I will drive my 2007 Ranger 4x4 until it dies, since they are not made any more and it only has 62,000 miles. My 2013 Challenger has everything I need as far as power, technology and safety, with the retro look of the 1970. At only 20,000 miles and a short commute now I expect to keep it a long time too, especially since the 2015 and 2016 have had design changes making them less true to the original. My wife's 2014 Escape will most likely get replaced at 5-6 years old or 120k miles.

I hardly see any major difference between those model years, especially from a distance. I read that the 2015 used design cues from the 1971 front grill and split tail lights. Overall, the car is still pretty much the same since they brought it back. The interior is much better in the 2015 and 2016, that's where the major changes took place.

[Jan Alaska]

In the past its been a necessity to buy bigger cars as the family grew (a mini won't hold 4 children) until eventually they all started leaving home (YaY!) so I was able to sell the 7 seater volvo behemoth and again have a regular family sedan.
I always promised myself a 2 seater sports car so I got one but its not very practical to drive in the winter. Then along came house renovation so once again I found myself behind the wheel of a 8 seater suburban that would carry home rediculous amounts of drywall, siding and various other supplies. The renovation is all but done the suburban was lent out to family members who returned it broken so it now sits in the garage awaiting repair.

I now find myself driving a fun Audi A4 Avant, I can still carry 'stuff', I can still transport others, it will under no circumstances be lent to family members (they have their own victim err vehicle to break now) and to be honest I can't see myself replacing it in quite a while.

.......... unless .... that A7 hmmmmmmmmmm

[Magnatomicflux]

All my vehicles are between 14 and 25 years old. So.........................not very often. lol



This "eligible for permanent registration" thing, or renewing a registration some of you are talking about is strange to me. When I register a vehicle here in Ontario, that's it. It's mine until I sell the vehicle.