*If* you buy new vehicles, how long do you drive them?

[BamaTanya]

I've been researching new cars and reading consumer reviews.

I was surprise by the number of cars some reviewers had owned. One mentioned he has bought a new car every year since 1991. Does that surprise anyone else?

I know people have widely-varying budgets and that plays a big role! But I wondered what is typical.

We typically drive our new cars longer than 10 years. Our Windstar is 14 and we're keeping it for 2 reasons: 1) it doesn't have significant $ value and 2) it's less expensive for insuring our younger drivers. I wonder how long it will last. 15? 20 years?

What do you consider a car's lifespan?

[Jenny in Florida]

I just bought my second new car. I've been driving for 30 years, and in that time I've owned -- oh my goodness -- nine cars.

 

That's an average of a little more than three years per car, but it's not really fair. All but two were acquired used, sometimes VERY used, and three of them died while I owned them.

 

These days, I drive a lot. For example, I put over 80,000 miles on my last car, which I had for only two and a half years. Nonetheless, I would have kept that one forever if we hadn't simply outgrown it.

 

I think the answer to this question has to do at least a bit with the kind of driving you do. I tend to do a fair number of road trips by myself or with one of the kids along for the ride. And, as I said, we put a lot of miles on a car pretty quickly. So, once a car gets to be more than five years old and develop little issues, we start to get nervous.

 

I bought my second new car last month, and the plan is to keep this one until it dies or I give it to a child.

Edited April 20, 2011 by Jenny in Florida

[OLG]

When buying a new car, we keep them for between 12- 20 years. Paying up front for a car that lasts mechanically, is the objective. Not concerned about driving an 'old' car at all.

[fhjmom]

My family or origin (by that I mean my mom and dad and I) typically buys new and drives them into the ground. They get passed down to be work vehicles after about 100,000 miles sometimes, but my last new car was a 1992 that my DH drives now. We don't let go of vehicles easily, LOL!

 

I knew a man that bought a new Cadillac every other year, but he was in a financial position to pay for it out right. He also used to pass down the car he was replacing to other family members rather than trade it in.

[snickelfritz]

Well, previously, lifestyle changes have precipitated vehicle changes. dh driving 1 1/2 hours to work. Then not. Then kids.

 

Recently, I had a 5 1/2 year old Sienna that was totaled by someone passing improperly. However, it still ran perfectly (before accident) and we had no plans to replace it. I would say we wouldn't keep a vehicle having problems, whatever mileage/age that meant.

[Ann@thebeach]

My grandparents bought a car each yr but that's because my grandfather's brother was a car dealer ;) And frankly, they had the money to spare.

 

We've bought 2 brand new cars since we've been married (almost 20 yrs). Rest have been used. The first one we kept about 5 yrs and the other is a Honda Odyssey that we bought in 2004 and still driving. I anticipate having it a few more years since it only has 105K miles on it.

[Down_the_Rabbit_Hole]

We bought our Toyota Corolla new and drove it till it died 14 yrs later. I bought my Sienna van new and it is going on 5 yrs now. Plans are to drive this into the ground also, but I doubt it will last as long as my Corolla did. I buy new because we take care of our cars and they will last. The 2 used cars we purchased only lasted 3 years each. Not worth it.

[LidiyaDawn]

We used to change vehicles every year or two because all we could afford were old junkers that shed bits of themselves everywhere. They had fairly short lifespans. :tongue_smilie:

 

Life changes = we're currently driving our very first "bought new off the lot" vehicle - we bought it last year and wow, what a dream. It runs.. ALL THE TIME. Nothing falls off. Everything works, even the heat. Squee. :D

 

No idea how long we'll keep it… that's up to dh in the long run.

[Dad 4 Boys]

Our current vehicles are as follows:

 

2001 Honda Odyssey - bought new and currently closing in on 150K miles with very little trouble. Fingers crossed for transmission trouble to stay away. Odysseys from that period are notorious for it.

 

1995 Toyota Camry wagon - bought with 70K on it to replace 2003 Camry we bought new, but was totalled in a wreck. If the wreck hadn't happened, I would still be driving the 2003, and it would probably have over 200K.

 

Before that we had a Ford Ranger I bought when I graduated college in 1986 and a Ford Escort we bought when we bought when we got married in 1988. Both were purchased new and were fairly reliable as well.

 

Before the Odyssey, there was a 96 Plymouth Grand Voyager we bought used. We try to not to think about that dark period. Fortunately, it came with an extended warranty that transferred to us. Without the warranty, we probably would have declared bankruptcy due to repair costs.

 

Our neighbors on the other hand are about the polar opposite of us in regards to cars. In the 13 years we've lived next to them, they've each had at least 5 or 6 cars and possibly 7 or 8 for him. I'm not sure I could remember them all if I had to count.

 

As you can see, we generally buy cars to drive for the long haul. That's lead us to lean toward Honda and Toyota.

[momofsbandeg]

we will drive it until if costs more to fix than it is worth. Ours is 6 years old and we have put about 106,000 miles on it.

 

That being said....we won't be buying new again. We will look for a used one with little miles and let someone else eat that huge depreciation that happens the second you drive it off the lot.:001_smile:

[Carrie12345]

My" new" car is about to turn 8. Dh's is 4. I intend to keep mine another 2 years (90;000 miles now). We hope his lasts 2 more (200,000 miles now), but realize it might not.

 

My next purchase will probably be used, since the price for new on what I want is crazy. Dh's will probably be new.

[C_l_e_0..Q_c]

we're aiming for 15 yrs. Our current car is 13yo. Same age as my eldest. We bought the car when I was 8 months pregnant. He will learn to drive on that car!

[Julie in CA]

Our teens and my dh have old cars--very old. They break down often, and get terrible gas mileage.

 

Our main family vehicles have always been new. We drive them until they have about 160,000 miles on them, which usually takes us about 4-5 years. We live in a rural area, and it's about a 55 mile round-trip to go to the grocery store. I try to combine all of my errands and go about once/twice a week, but with a busy family we still put a lot of miles on our car.

 

In our case, it's my dh who's particularly opposed to having me drive older cars. He views it as a safety issue, but in a very emotional way. He seems to think it's ok for our teenage boys and him to break down next to the road, but he has this knee-jerk reaction to the idea of me breaking down next to the road. I expect that when my girls begin driving, he'll lean towards the idea of new or newer vehicles for them too. In his words, "we live too far out in the boonies to have you sitting next to the road, and newer cars break down less than older ones." I've given up trying to convince him otherwise. :001_smile:

 

ETA: I don't mean that all older cars break down often and get terrible gas mileage, just the ones my guys have.

[Faithseed]

We have bought new three times. 12 years ago we bought 2 new vehicles. I drove my van until it was worth nothing and started having problems. I bought a new Suburban about 6 months ago. The other vehicle is a truck and it still runs, so we still drive it. However, I think the starter is going out on it...so we'll see how much longer. I'll drive the 'Burban until either I can't anymore, or we outgrow it and for some reason it doesn't fit into family (meaning another driver can't use it).

 

Even when we did have the money to have a new car every year, it just didn't make since *for our family* to spend money on that. I do care about a consistently running vehicle. I do not care about a new one.

[LifeLovePassion]

We're going on 11 years, 7 years and 5 years (bought it 1 year old though) DH does his own maintaining and likes to know things have been done right.

[gingersmom]

I drove my Subaru till 110,000 miles. Then it was not worth fixing (it failed inspection and needed major repairs).

 

I have a Honda CRV now that I will probably drive to around 75,000 miles and then trade in for another Subaru. :001_smile:

[linders]

We buy new (after learning a hard lesson early on) but keep them forever. My current car (a Subaru Forester) is going on 12 years and I have no intention of replacing anytime soon. DH's last car (Accord) had 260,000 miles on it before it bit the dust and he bought a new car - another Accord.

[Wabi Sabi]

I've only purchased one brand-new car in my lifetime thus far, but I drove that sucker for 10 years until it got totaled. If it hadn't been for the accident I probably would've continued to drive it for several more years.

[Twilight Woods]

I have always bought new cars.....and have also had the dreaded car payment to go with it since I was 16.

 

It sucks.

 

I swear I hit 35 and my brain suddenly re-wired itself. I bought my honda [van] new in 2006. I love it. It will be paid off June of next year and I will drive this car until it will drive no more because I refuse to have another car payment ever. I also will never buy new again because they depreciate as soon as you drive off the lot. It's insane.

 

My new motto: I can't pay for it in cash then I don't drive it.

 

I am expecting my van to last me a long time.

[RanchGirl]

We bought 2 used Hondas during the first ten years of our marriage, and two new American cars since then. Both the new cars were discounted as they were last year's models and new ones were already arriving at the dealership. One is ten years old now with 120k, and the other one is 5 years old. Both have been incredibly reliable with absolutely no repairs other than regular maintenance and several fender bender fixes. We will drive them into the ground or until the kids need cars and we can justify buying something else for ourselves.

 

I have several friends that get a new car every 2 years, but they usually lease. That seems like a waste of money to me but if that's what they want their money to go to, more power to them!

[Running the race]

We bought both our vehicles new. Our Windstar is 12.5 years old. Our Camry is 9.5 years old. We plan to drive them into the ground. We don't go into debt to buy vehicles.

[ciyates]

We drive it until it dies! My current 2003 Hyundia has over 215k miles and the DH thinks we should be able to get at least 75k more. Wish us luck!

[myfunnybunch]

Before he met me, dh drove each vehicle for about 2-3 years then sold it to buy new. It was just normal where he lived and worked. We still know many families for whom a car is "old" and needs to be replaced after 4-5 years.

 

We bought both of our current vehicles new. They are 10 and 14 years old. Dh's SUV has needed some repair work; mine has needed mostly maintenance and replacement of a few parts, but so far no major work, and it still gets decent gas mileage.

 

Cat

[melissel]

We bought my minivan new, and it's 8 years old now. It still only has 70,000 miles on it, because I've always either taken the train to work or worked from home. It's scraped and dented and beat up, and it's a gas guzzler, but it's reliable and safe, and its paid off. I'll be driving this thing forever!

[nukeswife]

Since getting married we've bought 4 vehicles "brand new off the lot" and had one lease. We hated the lease, but at the time my car suddenly lost a part of the exhaust (some pipe) that would have cost more to replace than the car was worth, so because we weren't prepared for that we ended up with a lease because the payment was cheaper. We'll NEVER do that again. We kept that car until the lease was up and then gave it back. We owned a Ford windstar that we bought when we went from 1 to two kids and I was having back problems that made it difficult to get the baby seat into the explorer. It was an Ok van and I drove it for about 3 years, but it handled horribly in snow (I would have had more control in a plastic sled) so we traded it in and bought a Subaru Forrester. I love that car, I mean really loved it and would have kept it until it fell apart but about 18 months after getting it I had our 3rd child and we just didn't fit in it anymore because we needed 2 carseats and a booster, they just didn't fit in the backseat properly. So in 2005 we bought a Chrysler Town and Country with Stow n go. It was nice for the first year and then all kinds of little things kept breaking and once we drove it off the lot the darn thing was worth virtually nothing compared to what we'd paid and were upside down on it. I hated that van by the time we got rid of it last Nov. Luckily my dh got a bonus and we were able to pay the T&C the summer before we traded it in. This past Nov, when we traded in that darn T&C, I talked my dh into a used Ford Expedtion. I have always wanted one, but there was no way we could handle a payment on a new one. I didn't want to take the huge loss in value just for driving it home and my dh agreed it was a better way to go. I love my truck and have no plans of getting rid of it until it gives up the ghost.

My dh also bought a brand new Honda Civic Hybrid in 2005 but that we used that years bonus on to pay for about 1/3 of it and then used the next years bonus to pay it off. He loves that car and I've often wondered if he'll ask to be buried in it.

 

So although we've always bought brand new cars, my dh is coming around to buying a quality used car instead, and I think we'll probably do that again next time we need to replace a car.

[DarlaS]

Since getting married and getting my first new car 4 years later, we've bought (including that one) 3 new cars for me + one for dh. He had bought a new truck just before I met him and drove it until it had over 200k miles on it. We did the same with that first new car (a 96 Taurus we drove for 12 years and 220+k and it literally fell apart).

 

My second new car was the first one we traded in before it died. It was a minivan (2000 Ford Windstar--not known for it's longevity) and we figured we'd get rid of it before it became high maintenance. It was 9 years old.

 

My current car is an 09 Traverse and I plan to drive it a very long time. We like to get 10 years out of cars whenever possible.

 

ETA: 92 F150 (bought when dh was single), 96 Taurus, 2000 Windstar, 2008 Mercury Sable and the 2009 Chevy Traverse have all been bought new. We drive them into the ground. Dh commutes 1 hr each way to work and takes part time college classes.

Edited April 20, 2011 by darlasowders

[prairiewindmomma]

We drive them into the ground.

 

I have some relatives that buy new and then sell when the warranty expires, but they have money to spare.

[specialmama]

We have bought 3 vehicles, all Hondas. 2 we bought new, 1 was 4 years old. The used one conked out after 6 years (Honda Odyssey transmission) and the 91 Acura is still going strong and as good as new (my BIL took custody of it when we moved across the country) and our 2009 Fit is still a gem. Our plan is to run it as long as the Acura. Hoping anyhow. From a financial standpoint, I know it is best to purchase gently used, but my dh is no mechanic, so he prefers to buy quality so it will last.

[SailorMom]

We have bought two new vehicles, and plan to run them both into the ground. We have had our truck for 7 years, and my car for about 18 months now....

No plan to buy another vehicle unless one takes a dive.

[DawnM]

We have 3 cars right now, all were purchased new by us.

 

1996 Saturn Station Wagon- 150K miles, having some issues now

 

2002 Saturn VUE- 95K miles, still running strong

 

2004 Toyota Sequoia- 95K miles, running great

 

We will drive them until it becomes too costly to fix them. We figure a year or two on the Saturn at this point.

 

Dawn

[LizzyBee]

Average 10 years. My dh is an ex-mechanic, so that helps keep down the cost of owning an older car.

[Mejane]

My van (a Mercury Villager) lasted twelve years, and would have lasted longer but dh didn't want to fix the brakes. I have a Rav-4 now that I've had for four years and plan to keep until it dies. :)

[Tap]

I haven't ever bought brand new, but I have bought 2 Hondas that were 1yr old when I got them.

 

My first lasted me over 10 years (200,000 miles) and I am on year 7 with my 2003.

 

 

When we lived in Oregon, dh used to get an almost new car, every year. He would buy cheap, drive it for a year and then sell it for what he paid for it. Oregon doesn't have sales tax, but Washington does (where we live now). He stopped this when we moved here because it was too expensive to pay $1-2,000 in sales tax each year.

[Denisemomof4]

I'm on my 5th new car in almost 22 years. The only one kept longer than a few years was the Suburban, which was an absolute money pit. It kept needing repairs!

 

I admist we've wasted money turning a car over every 3 years, but my new Pilot, a 2011, is my favorite vehicle I've owned BY FAR. I am hoping that this will be the first vehicle I own for 10 years. I've also never had a car hit 100,000k miles and I'm wanting to see this one do so!

 

We never buy my dh a new car. We're considering a gently used Prius or the likes because I told dh we may as well spend money on payments for a newer car than gas on an older one!

[rafiki]

.

[nono]

8 years. Pay them off in 3 or less, and drive 'em for 5 more is our motto. By then, we're ready for something new. We know that they depreciate terribly as soon as you drive them off the lot, but in our two used car buying experiences, we've not had the best of luck. So for us, new is good. Plus we enjoy the whole new car buying experience. :D

 

Since we drive less than 20,000 miles per year across 2 vehicles, we get good resale from them when we're done with them, and someone else gets an affordable, well-maintained vehicle. (I imagine in the not too distant future, that "someone" will be our kids!)

[Ginevra]

We drive them for ages.

 

2 of the 5 cars I've bought were bought because I needed more room for people.

 

My dh just bought a new work truck to replace his work truck that he bought in 1998, which had a few hundred thousand miles on it.

 

We still have the 1992 Taurus that I was driving (and bought used) until I was pregnant with my 3rd child. We are keeping it for dd; it's still a good car, though older. We bought a van to replace the Taurus, which we still have and drive regularly. We did buy a Cadillac; that was our most frivolous car purchase ever...though I don't regret it!

[bettyandbob]

current vehicles purchased new

caravan 1999

forester 2001

 

don't expect to replace anytime soon, both have given us no problems

 

previous vehicle

taurus 1990-2001 (transmission went, didn't have any major repairs prior to that though).

[Nestof3]

We bought a new Honda Odyssey. This thing should last us a long time because we don't drive much and take good care of the vehicles. We plan to keep it as long as it's not a money pit.

 

I love, love, love this car.

[Amy loves Bud]

We buy used, but with as low mileage as possible. Mine was purchased at 23,000 miles, and currently has over 100K. I hope to make it to 200K.

 

I hate spending money on a car. Makes me crazy.

[Evergreen State Sue]

Bought new in 1980, sold in 1994. (14 years)

Bought new in 1982, sold in 1996. (14 years)

Bought new in 1994; sold in 2006. (12 years)

Bought new in 1996; sold in 2009. (13 years)

Bought new in 2006; still driving it. (5+ years)

[OrganicAnn]

Had family hand me down cars when younger.

Bought new in 1996 still driving it.

[Mommyof4ks]

We have had our van for 8 years, and it will remain a part of our family until it starts to get expensive to fix it. Our previous truck was 11, but it was not new when we bought it. We got rid of it because it was too expensive to fix and did not hold all of us (we were a family of 3 when we bought the 3 seater lol).

[joannqn]

Let's see...

 

The only new car we've purchased was an 2003, which DH still drives. All of the other cars we've owned have been used and have been replaced for good reasons like being totaled, being a piece of carp that needed major repairs one too many times, or being outgrown by having more kids.

[Jennifer in MI]

i've only owned ONE new car. I bought it in 2000. My car is 11 years old. It has 125,000 miles on it.

 

My next car will be a used car with low mileage.

[lllll]

...

[lynn]

Well, my Sienna is 11 years old and still going strong. I plan to keep it until it absolutely sputters out. Other brand new cars we have kept for 3-7 years and have had to trade or sell due to issues with the car itself or needing more room as children came along.

[KidsHappen]

Until they die and can't be revived. We bought our last van new and it died right at 100,000 miles and maybe 6 years aold. I was not happy. The vehicle we had before that was a 1996 Ford Taurus Station wagon that got passed down to one brother and then to another. It is still running although just about every single part has been replaced at this point. Our current vehicle was bought at about 25,000 miles and two years old from one of those people that replace their cars every other year. It was still under warranty. It is a 2005 I think. It has about 90,000 miles on it and working, praise be. I hope it will last at least 15 years.

[Anne Rittenhouse]

I am 47 years old. I have only owned new cars. I have only owned two cars. My car is currently a 2006 model. I still consider it "brand new".

[melmichigan]

My first new car was an Eagle Summit, purchased right after we got married 18 years ago, my SIL broke it for good about 12 years later.

Then we bought a new 1998 Dodge Caravan with the birth of our first child, my DH took the Summit.

I drove a new 2004 Town and Country, my DH took the Caravan.

We traded in the Town and Country and upgraded to a new 2006 Suburban, it only has 43,000 miles on it now and I still have 3 years left on the extended warranty, so it should be around a while.

Since my DH had driven my "leftovers" for years and the Caravan was done we sold it. This last year I bought him a 2011 Jeep Liberty with a skyslider, which in all honesty we both drive whenever we don't have all DC with us.

We still drive the 1996 Dodge Ram diesel that was gifted from parents when they upgraded, diesels run forever.

 

We buy new and drive them into the ground. :)