Anyone else own an older vehicle?

[Luanne]

I am thinking I need to start setting money asside in case I need to get my car fixed. I drive a 1995 Buick Regal. I really like the car and can't afford a new one, but it isn't exactly new at 18 years of age. Anyone else driving an older vehicle or am I the only "lucky" one?

[Erin]

That's all we have! :)

 

--1998 Chevy Metro, 170,000 miles (ready to die. Just runs around our place)

--1997 Ford F250 diesel pickup 280,000 miles (It's a Powerstroke. It'll never die! lol)

--2003 Ford Focus 175,000 miles (DH has it with him in ND in the oil patch)

--2003 Ford Focus 108,000 miles (the "new" car, purchased recently so I don't have to keep using the pickup as my daily driver)

 

 

We always call the Foci the "good cars" because they're so new. ;) But of course, they're both 10 years old, and the "older" one is starting to get some actual miles on it...

[mytwomonkeys]

we have:

 

99 toyota camry

2003 buick le sabre

2007 suzuki forenza

 

i hate the suzuki!

[Jennifer3141]

That's all we have! :)

 

1998 Chevy Metro, 170,000 miles (ready to die. Just runs around our place)

 

1997 Ford F250 diesel pickup 280,000 miles (It's a Powerstroke. It'll never die! lol)

 

2003 Ford Focus 175,000 miles (DH has it with him in ND in the oil patch)

 

2003 Ford Focus 108,000 miles (the "new" car, purchased recently so I don't have to keep using the pickup as my daily driver)

 

 

 

We always call the Foci the "good cars" because they're so new. ;) But of course, they're both 10 years old...

 

 

 

Ha! I beat you, Erin! I'm driving a 2000 Ford Focus with 235,000 miles on it. It's my trash car. I don't care if the kids eat in it. I use it to haul hay bales (although I can only get three in it unless one rides shotgun with me. And that's the car that goes to our recyling center because it's located in a mud lot.

 

I've got to do brakes and exhaust work on it in May. Standard stuff but I feel like the car is never going to die. I'm now curious if I could get it to 300.000 miles... But it is fun to drive still since it's a stick and it still gets over 33 MPG.

 

DH and I bought a new luxury SUV last fall though. I prefer driving that one. :laugh:

[FLDebbie]

Our "new" car is our 2004 Honda Pilot. I drive a 2000 Camry. Every once in a while I get an itch for a new car, but ours work perfectly fine and there's no need to spend the money.

[Wabi Sabi]

I drive a 1997 Suburban. It only has 140k miles and was previously owned by a mechanic who babied it. It's a beast of a truck and I fully expect to get at least another 5 years out of it, if not longer.

 

Dh drives the "new" car. It's a 2003 Honda Civic hybrid. One big, spacious gas guzzler and one tiny, cramped yet very fuel efficient vehicle. One is more of a daily driver, the other is used for when we need to haul lots of people, luggage, tow a trailer, move furniture, hay bales, lumber, etc.

[AngieW in Texas]

I was driving a 1998 Chevy van. In October, it got too expensive to keep repairing, so now I have a new car.

[Starr]

We have a 97 Honda with 225,000 that's still running. The *new* car only has 110,000.

[EKS]

1990 Toyota pickup!

[Erin]

I'm now curious if I could get it to 300.000 miles... But it is fun to drive still since it's a stick and it still gets over 33 MPG.

Focus 1 is a standard, too, which makes me wonder if that has anything to do with longevity. The driver has so very little control over an automatic...

Focus 2, which we just got a few weeks ago, is an automatic. (I haven't driven an automatic in over 10 years! Do you have any idea how many times I'd hit the brake, trying to downshift? lol)

 

But we've put almost no work into Focus 1 and we've been driving it for 125,000 miles. Tires, oil changes and a new fan, and that's about it! 175,000 and it still runs like new (well, except that exhaust leak off the manifold. It sounds bad, but doesn't run bad) It still gets 34 mpg, too.

I have high hopes for Focus 2. :D (though I can't get it above 31 mpg. Must be the automatic)

[Mandamom]

I drive a 1998 Olds Aurora which we bought for $1K about 5 years ago at 146,000 mi. It now has 260,000 and is still driving pretty well. I have a leak in the rack which is causing me to lose power steering fluid so that repair will have to be done sooner or later.

 

Our old car is a 1995 Ford Windstar that my dad gave us. I think it has around 180,000 mi. Dh just had to completely rebuild the engine in the driveway because it threw a rod and broke a piston among several other important parts.

 

As long as we can afford the parts dh will keep piecing them back together. .

[MommaOfalotta]

I still think of my 01 Chevy Blazer as a "new" car... :( and the thing is... we bought it in 06!

[Halftime Hope]

We've got a 1991 Nissan baby pickup that was FIL's; it only has 130K on it because he bought it with almost nothing on it, not even power steering. Gaah! Not a good car for a retiree, but he was like that. It hasn't had anything done to it to repair, except for tightening a belt that made it sound like someone was committing murder.

 

We've also got a 1999 suburban with 140K on it, which is the carryall for the family, and a 2003 small sedan with 180K on it. Dh has the one "young" (2008) car, a tiny, fuel efficient car that has way too many miles since his commute is looooong. Sigh!

 

Dd just bought her first car, at 76K it's the baby in the family!

 

Old cars R Us.

 

ETA: to answer your question. The smart money is on socking away funds for repairs.

[Element]

I :001_wub: my 1998 Camry with 145k (mostly city!) miles. My dad has a newish Camry and, while it's really pretty, I'd probably be afraid to take it anywhere around here. Dh's Malibu is a 2003 but he has a long commute so his car will probably need to be replaced before mine.

[Erin]

Actually, it probably depends on what the repairs ARE if it's worth socking away the money for repairs vs. just saving up for another good, used car!

I mean, are we talking something like major transmission work, or just replacing a clutch? Is it something that you/DH can do, or do you have to pay someone?

[Miss Marple]

1993 , 1987, 2002, 2003, 1996

 

We've had great 'luck' with these vehicles. Also it helps that dh is quite handy in the automotive department :)

[peachskittles]

Six years ago, our old car was a 1993 Dodge Shadow (I miss this car and will buy another one if I can find one in good shape). It eventually was sold once we got the 1999 Ford Windstar. It racked up a lot of miles with no problems until this year when it got hit by some stupid person. We ended up getting a 2002 Dodge Ram for our family vehicle and a 1969 Volkswagen Beetle for work after the accident. The Beetle decided to be nice and catch on fire while people were in the car so it was totaled out this month (it's not practical to repair apparently). We agreed that we needed a dependable work vehicle so we bought a 2008 Smart Fortwo. Now I feel all fancy driving a "new" vehicle.

[Erin]

An '08... Wow. That IS new! :D

[happypamama]

We have two 2001s and a 2004. They all have just under 200,000 miles on them; the 2004 is a small car, and it just got a new-to-us engine.

[Lady Florida.]

Older cars here too. We prefer to buy used. As hybrids become more common and more affordable though, I'd consider buying new in order to get a decent hybrid. Finding used hybrids is not easy, at least not in my area.

 

Dh drives a 1998 Honda Accord, which has well over 200,000 miles on it. Our "newer" vehicle, which we bought 2 years ago, is a 2004 Toyota Sienna. It has almost 125,000 miles. We plan to replace the Honda with something a bit newer in the next 6-12 months.

 

But it is fun to drive still since it's a stick

 

 

I love driving a stick; it's such fun. It's probably something ds will never do, and that makes me sad.

[Jaz]

Our 1998 Saturn with 200,000 miles was just totaled by insurance after an accident. We paid $2100 for it 8 years ago and got $2800 for it from insurance. :) We replaced it with a new Scion xB which we plan to drive for at least 10 years.

 

Our 1998 Corolla has almost 250,000 miles. We're driving it until it dies.

[GSOchristie]

I'm impressed that some of these cars have that many years and that few miles. Our Sienna is an '09 and already has 119,000. We put 30,000 miles on it from the inspection last year to this year.

[skeeterbug]

1995 Volvo station wagon. We've had it about 3.5 years, it has been a great car for us. We are currently shopping for something 'new' since we've got a baby on the way and we'll need to fit another carseat. 'New' meaning something with cupholders! I'll be so glad to have cupholders! I'll be surprised if we end up with anything newer than about 2006. We've done the new car thing, not spending the money for that again.

[Remudamom]

We've got three ancient mini vans. Dh holds on to vehicles until he has to push them down the road himself.

[Annabel Lee]

I am thinking I need to start setting money asside in case I need to get my car fixed. I drive a 1995 Buick Regal. I really like the car and can't afford a new one, but it isn't exactly new at 18 years of age. Anyone else driving an older vehicle or am I the only "lucky" one?

 

 

Right there with you! A little budgeting tip I learned early on is to make a regular "car payment" to yourself every month to build up a cushion for car repairs & maintenance. There's not much room in the budget for that anymore, but I need to start doing it again because a surprise large repair bill could really make life hard.

 

My immediate family has vehicles ranging from '92 - '08. My parents still own vehicles from when I was little - old '70's trucks.

[StaceyinLA]

I have a 2003 Dodge Grand Caravan. Of course everyone else in the family has newer cars (dh has a 2013 4-door Ford truck that is MAXED with features - his company bought it, 20yodd has a 2011 Mazda 3 she got last year after someone hit and totaled her other vehicle, 17yods has a 2008 Hyundai Accent).

 

Dh wants me to get a new car this summer so badly, but I refuse. I have driven everything on my short list of likes, and nothing rides any better than my van, nor comes close to having the space. Besides, I am anal about keeping vehicles clean and the interior of my van is like new - not a stain on any upholstery and barely any discoloration on the carpets (I keep plastic mats over them).

[gardenmom5]

Mine's a 2000. we bought it new - and since it only has 125k miles on it, I'll be driving it for awhile longer. I like it - but dh only replacing his cars when they've been totaled is making me think about what I'd want to replace it with - just in case.

 

up until january, dh had been driving a 1990, that we bought used when it was 8 years old. (he'd actually bought two of the same model and year of car, and the 2nd to replace the first when it was totaled.) we bought him a "new" used car, that is a different model, but is 10 years old with <80K miles. (so, 2003 loaded) a fraction of what it would cost new.

 

our kid car is a 1992 - we bought it new as a commuter car for dh.

 

1dd also bought the same model car as dh, and it was also 10 years old at the time. (1998 - loaded) she's had it for five years. now she can afford to buy whatever car she wants - she wants a house. and a grand piano to go in it.

 

for us, it's less about age, and more about miles and condition.

[LibraryLover]

Yep.

[flyingiguana]

1995-- our problem is that they tend to rust out around here. If it weren't for that, my husband would probably still be driving his 1983 pick up. But it was set to break into 2 pieces.

[Heather in Neverland]

We have one car. It is a 2004 Suzuki ERV. It is horribly ugly. Looks like a toaster on wheels. Did I mention it is this weird silver/lavender color?

 

But it is paid for and only has a little over 50k miles on it. We live on a small island and our entire lives are within a few miles from our house so it does the trick.

 

But still. I miss my Town and Country.

[nevergiveup]

My husband and I drive:

93 Suburban

96 Nissan

2003 Suburban

 

My son drives:

1970 International pickup

1981 VW rabbit

[Melissa in Australia]

all from the early 90's

[Pawz4me]

DH and I drive newer vehicles, but the car we let oldest DS drive is a 2001 (or maybe 2000--I can't remember) Honda CRV. We bought it new, and it now has 185,000+ miles on it. It's had exactly one problem, which was very minor--a failed sensor made the brake warning light stay on. Other than that it's been problem free all these years. We do, however, firmly believe in regular preventative maintenance.

[Donna]

My ds drives my old 1994 Honda Accord. We also have two Sienna minivans, a 2001 with over 240,000 miles and a 2002 with over 150,000 miles.

[Lizzie in Ma]

I drive a 93 Ford Taurus so, yes.

[NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too]

1989 Accord with 239K miles on it. We bought it used in 1992 with 40K. Hubby commuted in it for 19 years. Now that he has a company car, it's my daily driver.

1992 Honda Civic with 130K that I was our first new car we bought. Was my daily drive (kid taxi) for many years.

1993 Honda Civic with 112K that was my mom's. She finally bought a new car last summer and gave it to us for oldest to drive.

 

We bought a 2013 Pilot, but it just stays in the garage. We hardly need seating for more than 4, but it's nice to have when we do.

 

Hubby has done all the maintenance on our Hondas, including high-cost maintenance such as timing belts and clutches. He's one of those people that can fix anything.

[lailasmum]

We always have older vehicles because we never have the money for anything vaguely new. The newest I've had was 8 years and the oldest about 16yrs. My current car is 11 years old but In good condition because it was owned by a friend for most of it's life who keeps everything immaculate and didn't actually use it much. My husband is driving a car that is 15 yrs old.

 

My friend had a Toyota that got to about 18 years and the engine was fine but the body work just got too difficult to repair. The rust was in a really awkward place.

 

I like that we can do alot of maintenance ourselves on older cars.

[MomtoCandJ]

2002 ford tuarus with 180,000 miles and a 2000 silverado z71 with 98,000 miles. We have had the Taurus for 8 years now, we got the truck in March. I love my car... It has its issues, right now waiting to replace an ac compressor but she still goes :) Dh's previous truck was a 1993 Mazda b2300, it didn't have any major issues when we sold it.

[Luanne]

Actually, it probably depends on what the repairs ARE if it's worth socking away the money for repairs vs. just saving up for another good, used car!

I mean, are we talking something like major transmission work, or just replacing a clutch? Is it something that you/DH can do, or do you have to pay someone?

 

 

 

I can't fix a car and I don't have a DH. My father can sometimes figure out minor stuff, but for the most part, I have to take it in somewhere to get it fixed. We do have a pretty good mechanic we use that isn't too expensive (comparative with other mechanics).

[Pippen]

We got rid of our 1987 Buick LeSabre a few years ago but we still see it around town. It was in the family for 23 years, first inlaws, then us, then our oldest teen.

[Wendi]

I have a 1999 Camry. It's still in good shape mechanically, although it has a few quirks (windows don't always roll up or down when you try). It's pretty run-down looking, unfortunately, having taken the brunt of ds's scraping it with his bike when he was younger, etc.

 

I'd like to save up for something newer. I'd love a Toyota FJ Cruiser. We'll see. We are making payments on dh's car still; we'd need to pay that one off first. I'm thankful he has a newer car now so we can take that on trips.

[KungFuPanda]

We have a 98 Plymouth Breeze and a 99 Saturn. They're both going strong, but we live in a flat area and have very short commutes. A tank of gas last me about three weeks and I go somewhere almost every day; that's how close everything is. We're considering getting a Ford Transit because we need an accessible van.

[Lisa in SC]

I drive our "new" car which is an '06 Chevy Trailblazer w/140,000 miles.

Dh drives an '01 Ford Explorer w/303,000 miles.

Dd20 drives an '01 Chevy Venture w/180,000 miles.

Dd17 drives a '98 Pontiac Grand Prix w/230,000 miles.

Fil drives a '97 Nissan Altima w/80,000 miles (totally a grocery getter lol).

 

My car was a new purchase but that was because of a car allowance through dh's employer, which had to be used on a vehicle purchase. Otherwise, cars just aren't a big deal to us. We look hard for cars that are mechanically solid with good bodies and decent interiors. We pay around $2,500. Dh makes repairs that make sense. When repairs stop making sense, we sell and start over. So far, a $2,500 car has never lasted fewer than 5 years. Sometimes it takes a long time to find a decent vehicle at that price, but they're out there. I know our philosophy isn't for everyone, but it works for us.

[LibraryLover]

dp

[Forget-Me-Not]

1996 Honda Civic with 270K on it!

[JBJones]

It's all we have, too!

 

1987 Chevy Pickup-totally redone--165,000 miles

 

1997 Ford F150--105,000 miles

 

2000 Pontiac Grand Am GT--150,000 miles

 

2007 Mercury Mountaineer--51,000 miles

[Chelle in MO]

We own 3 older vehicles: a 1995 Camry wagon, a 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee, and a 2001 Honda Odyssey.

 

Dh would love to have another Camry wagon--his is getting pretty rusty. Unfortunately, they haven't been manufactured for a number of years, so there aren't many in good shape.

[Luanne]

Either two people don't like this topic I chose or two people don't like me. ... not that I really care about either one since I am getting a lot of responses anyway. Some people clearly need to get a life.

[LibraryLover]

Either two people don't like this topic I chose or two people don't like me. ... not that I really care about either one since I am getting a lot of responses anyway. Some people clearly need to get a life.

 

 

 

I am so confusion. lol

[Erin]

Me too...