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It's so odd that I always see a new car on the street before I even hear about it online! I live in Queens, NY which has a fair share of older cars, but when I venture out into New Jersey and the Philly metro area, it seems like almost 75% of all cars are from 2010 or newer.
Why do Americans always trade-in their cars? When I went to the UK, north/south Germany, Austria, and northern France, it was quite common to see cars from as early as the late 90's. However, this is not the case in most American metro areas.
It just seems like so many people in America are leasing brand new Hondas and trading them in once the lease is over.
Where did this culture come about? Why do a lot of Europeans drive their cars for as long as a decade while we throw away cars after 4 years?
I like the smell of a new car. I've bought 21 new cars and 6 used cars over my 78 years.
I would love to trade my car in every few years but it's so hard to find the one I truly want.. I like a comfy car with a manual transmission that still feels agile and stable on the road. I've kept the same car for 8 years simply because I can't give it up! Lol
All the manual transmissions here in America are either pick up trucks, uncomfy economy cars, or really hardcore/tiny sports cars like Miatas.. not my thing
I guess most people are less picky about cars, hence why they tend to trade theirs in much more often than I ever would think of doing
I'm not saying that.. I'm just making comparisons between two countries. For example, France vs. the USA. Why do a majority of French people keep their older cars while a majority of American cars I see are less than 5 years old?
Meanwhile the average age of cars on the road in the US is 11.4 years.
Incentives and rebates knocking the price down well below MSRP, low interest rates with good credit, longer loan terms if wanted, affordable leases, etc.. all making newer cars affordable for many here. I don't know about Europe but in many Latin American country's cars are priced high, it is difficult to get credit and when you can it is at higher rates. And people don't have the incomes to afford a new car.
Also miles driven. Personally, I drive about 25,000 to 30,000 miles a year and I usually work only 5 miles from my house. Yes, not everybody puts that many miles on their cars in a year. However there are many who put even more on then that.
It's so odd that I always see a new car on the street before I even hear about it online! I live in Queens, NY which has a fair share of older cars, but when I venture out into New Jersey and the Philly metro area, it seems like almost 75% of all cars are from 2010 or newer.
Why do Americans always trade-in their cars? When I went to the UK, north/south Germany, Austria, and northern France, it was quite common to see cars from as early as the late 90's. However, this is not the case in most American metro areas.
It just seems like so many people in America are leasing brand new Hondas and trading them in once the lease is over.
Where did this culture come about? Why do a lot of Europeans drive their cars for as long as a decade while we throw away cars after 4 years?
Just curious!
The US is a much bigger country than the European countries you named. Cars get driven longer distances and wear out earlier. That is part of the reason, certainly not all of it. You should be comparing miles on a car, not its chronological age.
Some people turn over cars once the warranty is close to ending. They do not want to pay for more than routine maintenance. Someone told me this pretty much verbatim, and he is not alone in that sentiment, and these people are willing to take the tradeoff between depreciation and peace of mind.
I am not in that group, viewing it as a poor way to spend my money. That said, I want to have a vehicle that is up to long road trips in areas with little to no services, and that means turning them over before they get past middle age. To me, a vehicle is new up to about 60000 miles, then middle-aged up to about 120000 miles, and old after that. Others may set these points differently.
hmm I'm French and I have lived in the USA and I wouldn't say Americans have newer cars than French people. maybe a little bit I don't know but I'm sure the average car age is very similar.
Something I've noticed however is that American cars tend to be quieter than European cars, probably because American cars are not manual ... don't know, I feel that cars are more of a nuisance in Paris than NYC
I don't like new cars at all. Though there are some that are really nice. I prefer a car that only includes "needs",
not "wants". These "needs" include things that you need to keep the car running. The "wants" are heated seats and steering assist. The problem with all these features is that they're (for the most part) very expensive to fix. I like basic cars that are easy to take care of. I enjoyed it when it was actually fun to fix your car. For most people now it's difficult to fix a car because you need expensive diagnosis equipment and a labtop.
As for your post. I think consumerism has taught us that we must have the newest and coolest thing on the market. We're taught in school to be consumers. Really really smart marketing is also what drives us to getting a new car. I worked in the marketing field for awhile and it's really not too hard to persuade people into buying things. The thing with advertising today is that companies take humans most social urges such as sexuality and status and link it to the product.
This video is a perfect example of what I just talked about. It's trying to show that women love Aston Martins and that if you buy this car then women will come after you.
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