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I'm another who (so far anyway) has replaced my cars because of some change in my needs or a practical aspect that no longer worked for me. Size, cargo capacity, capability of design, etc. One was totaled in a head on collision in a snowstorm. I usually keep and maintain my cars for a very long time without getting tired or bored with them. My last car switch was due to the transmission. I'd driven a manual for 22 years and in an ideal world would have kept driving it. Advancing arthritis made shifting an issue so I caved and bought an automatic from the same manufacturer. Never given up on a car that had increasing maintenance troubles or as a "reward".
The last car was bought was a used 2013 Tesla Model S 85. The sole purpose in buying it was for the solo-HOV decals since the white decals on our used 2013 Fiat 500e expired. My wife's 55-mile commute from Newport Beach to Century City can be anywhere from 10%-25% longer in the general lanes. We got the car a year and a half before the pandemic and she was only driving up to the office 2 or 3 times a week then.
I've never had a car go kaput on me. We tend to gift away our old cars, though I still have my 2001 VW Golf TDI from my college days. 320K miles on the odometer and it's been sitting on jack stands in my garage for 5 years. I fire it up sometimes when I miss driving a stick-shift, but our EVs are so darn efficient and virtually zero maintenance.
My car is 27 years old and has about 135,000 miles on it and runs like a champ. It does everything I need to have car do for me and I have no intention of trading it in until the wheels fall off. In fact, the engine is about the size of a hamster wheel and I will price a new engine if the engine blows up. I may not give up the car even then.
I am driving a 2008 Toyota Corolla with 67k miles. It’s probably my last car but if I started having a lot of problems then I might buy a different car.
I think the answer is “it depends on the situation.”
My most recent vehicle is a 2016 RAM 1500 I bought in 2016. While my previous Toyota Tacoma wasn’t giving me any problems, I wanted something that was more comfortable for towing.
So, in that regard, had nothing to do with reliability of the Tacoma or even something like the amount of space. Just wanted something more comfortable. The technology packages on the RAM were also a selling point for me.
Edited to add: GENERALLY I keep my vehicles for a long time, but I kept the Tacoma for only 3 years.
I bought a 15 Ram MegaCab brand new..........owned it 10K miles, 6 months and 1 day. Truck was a turd, traded, lost $4500 and I couldn't write the check fast enough. Transmission knob would fail 5-10 times a day (I started the truck 15-25 times a day), wouldn't recognize gear selected. Whole dash/power windows died at once (radio worked but you couldn't see it/change the station and a/c was frozen on whatever speed it was on). Dumped it the next morning.
Rode nice but if you put any weight in it the bumper would be dragging down the street.
Just wondering what motivates people to buy a new car. If your current car is lacking in some respect -- reliability, features, etc? Changed lifestyle? Just tired of it?
If not now looking, what motivated you last time you did trade up? Me, generally I don't start looking around until trips to the repair shop shart killing me.
I'll buy a new car as soon as the car business is more normal (the lots are full of cars, prices are negotiable, options can be ordered).
The reason I need a new car is that my current one doesn't suit my needs. I bought it during the Japanese Tsunami as a last resort, when my car @ that time needed expensive repairs. I opted not to repair that older car (it was 14 yrs old, so I figured there would be more expensive repairs needed down the road). I was forced to buy what was left on the market, which was almost nothing. I located the only white Honda Fit for sale in the city of Dallas and bought that, to replace my Subaru Forester. My intention was to keep the Fit for a year or two, then get a "real" new car that served my needs. I got too busy and didn't do that.
Fast forward 11 yrs later, and I still have that Honda Fit. It was great as a commuter for Dallas, but now in the deep south with a subtropical climate, frequent heavy rains, my little car that has only 3" or so clearance isn't practical (or safe). Insurance here for it is astronomical. It won't carry enough...I couldn't buy a bicycle and easily "fit" it into my "Fit." It's been a great little car and has a high resale value, for good reason.
I'll be buying a smallish SUV, when I can. Maybe a Honda CRV, which looks like a big Honda Fit. I don't have to decide now. I have to wait for more availability. It's important to me that I get what I need and want, since I keep my cars for so long. (But I put few miles on them. My 1998 Forester had about 68k miles when I replaced it in 2011 because of expensive repairs. My 2011 Honda Fit is about 11.5 years old and has 39k miles on it.)
Historically I/we start looking now when something is around ten years old (that wasn't true back in the 70's when I traded a '76 Grand Prix for a '79 because the '76 was starting to rust. That '79 was traded for an '84 Cavalier which I ended up putting 300,000 miles on).
By that time the vehicle will have 150,000+ miles on it (that's going to change now that we're both retired). It has to be said that we keep cars until they die, usually with over 250,000 miles on them or are wrecked (each of the four kids have totaled at least one vehicle).
The 2021 Forester was bought in July 2021 (ordered) to replace, although it was kept, the 2010 Forester bought in summer of 2009 with 170,000 miles on it.
My 2014 F150 has 85,000 on it, I've had almost exactly nine years and I'm starting to think I'll likely order a Maverick in a couple years when the F150 will have about 100,000 miles on it. It will be kept, just like I kept the 2003 F150, which was wrecked with 250,000+ miles on it.
Just wondering what motivates people to buy a new car. If your current car is lacking in some respect -- reliability, features, etc? Changed lifestyle? Just tired of it?
If not now looking, what motivated you last time you did trade up? Me, generally I don't start looking around until trips to the repair shop shart killing me.
I like new cars. I'm 85 and I want to buy one more, probably will be my last.
I'll buy a new car as soon as the car business is more normal (the lots are full of cars, prices are negotiable, options can be ordered).
The reason I need a new car is that my current one doesn't suit my needs. I bought it during the Japanese Tsunami as a last resort, when my car @ that time needed expensive repairs. I opted not to repair that older car (it was 14 yrs old, so I figured there would be more expensive repairs needed down the road). I was forced to buy what was left on the market, which was almost nothing. I located the only white Honda Fit for sale in the city of Dallas and bought that, to replace my Subaru Forester. My intention was to keep the Fit for a year or two, then get a "real" new car that served my needs. I got too busy and didn't do that.
Fast forward 11 yrs later, and I still have that Honda Fit. It was great as a commuter for Dallas, but now in the deep south with a subtropical climate, frequent heavy rains, my little car that has only 3" or so clearance isn't practical (or safe). Insurance here for it is astronomical. It won't carry enough...I couldn't buy a bicycle and easily "fit" it into my "Fit." It's been a great little car and has a high resale value, for good reason.
I'll be buying a smallish SUV, when I can. Maybe a Honda CRV, which looks like a big Honda Fit. I don't have to decide now. I have to wait for more availability. It's important to me that I get what I need and want, since I keep my cars for so long. (But I put few miles on them. My 1998 Forester had about 68k miles when I replaced it in 2011 because of expensive repairs. My 2011 Honda Fit is about 11.5 years old and has 39k miles on it.)
Normal may be a thing of the past. Just like with houses where they now don't sell them 6 months in advance where you can have equity when you move in... Auto manufacturers are making more profits on less cars. When will they want that to change?
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