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.
Most people can't afford to dump their older cars as newer cars cost more and harder to get. Inflation is already rocking many people on fix and lower incomes. The government fed and local ain't lowering taxes anytime soon to get middle class to spend $
Most people can't afford to dump their older cars as newer cars cost more and harder to get. Inflation is already rocking many people on fix and lower incomes. The government fed and local ain't lowering taxes anytime soon to get middle class to spend $
That's not at all true. Sales were around 15 million, good amount below 2019 before COVID but also above 2020. Mostly what's limiting sales volume of new cars though really isn't demand. Buyers are if anything strangely desperate to part way with generally thousands over MSRP whereas in 2019 they required thousands below MSRP to sell cars. What's down is supply. Dealer lots are mostly empty.
Personally, I'm not that desperate. I have my first pick which is the F-150 Lightning and I'm fine waiting a year or two to see if I can get that at a small markup. I'm okay with maybe 5-6k dealer markup on it but that's as far as I'll go and I'm only interested in the Pro Model with the 9.6 kwh inverter and indifferent on the tow/tech packages.
Aside from that I'm just not that impressed. The Ioniq 5 is pretty good, test driven it now it's okay. I don't think it's really worth at 52-57k for an SEL/Limited AWD which is what I'd buy. That's a lot of money for a compact crossover thing although it's reasonably nice. But well good luck getting one. There's three within 250 miles of me here, might be a few more if I was willing to go down to LA area. Markups are mostly around 10,000 over MSRP on an already pricey for what you get vehicle. At MSRP I might pull the trigger except I'd rather wait for the F-150. Reality is I have two perfectly good cars as it is which is very sufficient for one person. I would like a new one but I'm not desperate for it.
All my cars have gone to s*** after 80K miles. I think the folks that praise the merits of getting 200K out of a car are those than can do their own repairs.
You do reach a point (unless you are a mechanic) where repairs begin to exceed what payments would be on a comparable vehicle.
I take it you never owned a reliable Japanese car?
All my cars have gone to s*** after 80K miles. I think the folks that praise the merits of getting 200K out of a car are those than can do their own repairs.
You do reach a point (unless you are a mechanic) where repairs begin to exceed what payments would be on a comparable vehicle.
My concern would not be so much cost of repairs vs. new car payments, but the amount of down time an older high-mileage vehicle might involve, especially if is my primary or only vehicle. Can I depend on it if I take it on a road trip? Do I have easy access to alternative transportation in the interim, if needed?
My concern would not be so much cost of repairs vs. new car payments, but the amount of down time an older high-mileage vehicle might involve, especially if is my primary or only vehicle. Can I depend on it if I take it on a road trip? Do I have easy access to alternative transportation in the interim, if needed?
Now this has me wondering if the average motorist were slightly more mechanically inclined to understand the very basics of car maintenance and how a car works, that perhaps the average age vehicle would be even older and people would have more money in their pockets. I see a strong correlation between automotive/financial ignorance with automotive destruction either by breakdown or car accident.
I'm fortunate to have never had a car loan or lease, but it's never been in my calculation that any of my vehicles would cost more in repairs than what a car payment would be.
All my cars have gone to s*** after 80K miles. I think the folks that praise the merits of getting 200K out of a car are those than can do their own repairs.
You do reach a point (unless you are a mechanic) where repairs begin to exceed what payments would be on a comparable vehicle.
Quit beating the crap out of your cars, and keep up with scheduled maintenance, and that won't happen.
Quit making jackrabbit starts, quit slamming on the brakes every time you need to slow down. Slow down and take bumps easily. Don't wind the thing to redline every time you leave a traffic light. Move controls from one position to the next; don't slam every control against the stops as hard as you can every time you use it.
Wash the car regularly, and if you live in salt territory, take it to the you-do-it car wash every spring and hose off the undercarriage real well to clear the salt off.
Vacuum the inside so you don't just grind grit and mud into the carpets. That'll also help keep that grit from working its way into the electronics.
Keep the tires properly inflated. Quit slamming them into curbs or parking barriers.
I believe that one reason cars owned by those who do their own repairs last longer, is that they have an understanding of what it takes to repair the damages caused by rough treatment, so they treat them more carefully.
I take it you never owned a reliable Japanese car?
I've owned many Japanese cars:
1971 Toyota Corolla
1974 Dodge Colt (Mitsubishi)
1985 Honda Accord
1985 Nissan pickup
1986 Honda Accord
1987 Mitsubishi pickup
1989 Toyota pickup
1992 Honda Civic VX
1992 Dodge Stealth R/T Turbo (aka, Mitsubishi 3000GT VR4)
1994 Honda Accord
2005 Honda Odyssey
2005 Toyota Tacoma
2009 Toyota Corolla
2009 Subaru WRX
...and some others I can't remember at the moment.
Even if I were to focus solely on the ones I purchased new (all except the '71 Corolla, '74 Colt, and '87 Mitsubishi pickup), my Japanese cars/trucks haven't been appreciably more trouble free than any of the domestic or Euro cars I've owned. In fact, the Stealth, '89 Toyota pickup, '05 Tacoma, and '09 Corolla were particularly troublesome.
2008 Acura TL purchased new. 14 years old now. Maintained 100% at dealer; all scheduled maintenance. Did not start babying it until it hit around 10 years old. Average yearly maintenance and repairs is $1,400 (nowhere near a car payment). Plan to keep it another 6-8 years 117,000 miles.
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.
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.
