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10-15 sometimes longer. Right now I have a 2008 Buick that I bought 4 years ago with 9800 miles on it and it just turned 30,200 yesterday. I also have a 2002 Toyota (bought used with 16,000 on it) and it just turned 48,000. Don't drive much. As long as they are in good shape and don't give me problems, I keep 'em. I do make sure they are maintained according to schedule.
I used to keep my cars 4-5 years, but I kept my last car for 8 years. I have had my current car for 5 years now, and I intend to keep it a while longer, probably 3 more years.
I am at the extremes. I tend to flip my daily driver every few years, 3 on average (have kept some a little longer, some shorter if I was highly dissatisfied such as one which had 12 service visits in a 12 month period).
On the flip side I tend to have a second fun/hobby car, and have kept those 10+ years at times and up to very high mileage.
I have only had 5 cars. I believe 2 made it to around 7 years, one made it to 2.5 because it was having major issues already, and the third made it to 10. I chose 7 to 10, since I prefer to keep cars that long. The current one is in its 4th year and I hope to keep it to around 10 because it’s just coming up on 40K miles.
I used to turn over cars fairly quickly with a few exceptions. I had a 1968 Barracuda, 383, Formula S. I was the first owner and sold it about 15 years ago I guess, so it’s got the record. I’m retired now and my two oldest cars, next to the cuda, are the two I have now, a 2008 Audi S4 Avant bought new and a 1999 Panoz AIV roadster I bought used about 15(?) years ago. I will probably sell the Panoz sometime soon but the Audi I might have until it’s wheels fall off or mine do...hard to say right now.
The low gas prices will prolong many car ownerships. A couple of years ago people were dumping their gas inefficient cars but now people don't mind as long as it works.
I usually drive my cars till they die. I haven't had too many cars in my life but my last car was totaled in a crash then got a Honda Accord in 2008 which I'm still driving today. I do all of my own maintenance and repairs on it so I expect to keep it till it dies. There's no point of trading it in because I won't get much for it. If the time comes that we need to upgrade to an SUV I'll sell it on my own. I don't like the idea of leasing and prefer to buy a car all cash so that I don't need to make any payments.
3 cars 1986-2017 = 10+ years on average.
But I would have kept the last one longer if not for a long distance move. It was still "new," only 6 years old.
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