How long do you keep your cars?

[mommyoffive]

Just wondering what you do.

Thinking into the future dh has a 2014 and I have a 2015.   I don't want to have 2 car payments at the same time, but having 2 cars almost the same age it seems like it could happen.  Do you keep cars until the run into the ground?  Or do you replace cars after so many years? 

I hate also being in the special place where you have to decide is it worth it to keep sinking money in or just buy a new car.  

[Pawz4me]

It just depends. Sometimes we've gotten rid of a vehicle at a relatively low mileage/age because it no longer fit our needs (changing lifestyle, growing kids, etc.). Generally we keep them until somewhere around the 200,000 mile mark. We always drive Hondas and our experience is that they're totally reliable for at least that long. And right now one of ours is at around 230,000. 

[marbel]

We keep them till they are unreliable and/or the money to repair is too great. We generally end up donating them because there's no point in selling them.

At one point we had two cars the same age:  1997 models. The Suburban was costing us $$ to keep going, but when the head gasket failed and it was leaking coolant all over the place, that was the end. That was in 2015.  The other 1997 model, an Escort, is still going, though at the last state inspection our mechanic put us on notice that most likely next year he won't be able to pass it because of rust.  We definitely got our money's worth out of those cars.

Answers are going to vary depending on how much a person is able/willing to do their own repairs, have family members who will repair, etc. We need the services of a mechanic, and we have a good one, but they still have to charge us for labor.  :-)

[lailasmum]

I tend to buy them at around 8 yrs old and keep them until they fall apart. If I had more money to spend I'd likely buy something a couple of years old and keep it until it fell apart. I've had most of my cars until they are around 14 or 15 yrs old and develop major problems. Luckily I've not had to give up on younger cars because of massive bills, it's always felt like I got good value out of them. 

[Martha in GA]

Actually, we tend to drive our cars until we hand them down to the next driving child when he/she is a sophomore in college. My oldest ds has the 2008? Toyota Corolla we gave him a few years back. My dd has the 2010 Hyundai Sonata. I am driving the 2012 Toyota Corolla while my dd is a freshman in college, then will hand it over to her next year. My ds has a learner's permit. He will probably inherit the car my dh is driving (2013? Toyota Corolla) when the time comes. We have bought all of these cars as used and less than $11.000. I have a 2008 Honda Odyssey, but I only drive it when I have to -- I am so done with driving a van : ). Fortunately, we haven't had to sink large amounts of money into repairs for any of the cars. Also, we are blessed to be able to buy cars with cash when the need arises.

[itsheresomewhere]

Until the wheels fall off.  We do most of our own repairs and keep them until repairs are not worth it.  I will replace an engine/transmission if I like the car.  Our newest one is 2009.  

[Lady Florida.]

Until repair bills start outweighing the cost of a new car, but before it gets to the point that it's not worth anything as a trade-in.

Our older vehicle right now is our van. It's a 2004 Toyota Sienna and runs so well that I often forget it's 14 years old. We no longer need a van but it's paid for and running well so it doesn't make sense to get rid of it. 

Before the van we kept our other vehicles for many years -

-a 1990 Honda Civic (mine before I met dh) for 11 years
-a 1995 Chevy Blazer for 13 years
-a 1998 Honda Accord (it replaced the Civic) for 10 years

We go between buying used and new. The Civic and Blazer were new. The Accord, our previous van (which I didn't mention because it was totaled after only 2 years) and our current Toyota van were used. We also have a 2016 Camry which we bought new in 2015.

[Lady Florida.]

16 minutes ago, Pawz4me said:

IWe always drive Hondas and our experience is that they're totally reliable for at least that long. And right now one of ours is at around 230,000. 

We've had Hondas and Toyotas and that's our experience with both brands. 

[sweet2ndchance]

Until it is no longer feasible to keep servicing the vehicle. We bought a new car once, never again. We buy used and pay cash. I won't do car payments ever again.

We are getting ready to buy a 1986 1 ton truck. It will have a new engine, new paint job and new transmission shortly after we buy it. Dh is into cars and has lots of friends who do car work. We have a 2002 Toyota Tundra that still runs great (on its second engine and will need a transmission in the next few years but for now it runs just fine) and we have use of a 2006 Ford SportTrac. It's not ours, it's dh's Grandma's but we can use it whenever we want. It seats more than 2 adults more comfortably than the Tundra does. I had a 1999 Mercury Mountaineer until I gave it to his Grandma to use as her work vehicle, she's a rural mail carrier. It still runs great even on her mail route which consists of mostly dirt roads that are only partially maintained. In fact it gives her fewer problems than the 2004 Explorer she had as her work vehicle before I gave her the Mountaineer.

[Soror]

Same as the ladies above until (1) they are unreliable, (2) repairs become too much, and/or (3) we need a different type of vehicle. My van is 13 yrs old but only has 130k miles b/c we bought it low mileage. We are hoping to keep it another 5 yrs or so until we no longer need a van and can go back to a car or small SUV. We've tried to spend more money for used cars from more reliable brands so we can get more out of them. 

[Tap]

When we lived in Oregon, we bought and sold our cars quite often. There is no sales tax, so aside from registration fees. there is no money loss.  We used to buy below market and sell at market so we drove them for a year or two and then sold them at a  break even point or for profit.  

When we moved to a state with sales tax, that changed.  I generally keep a car for 200,000 miles or more.   I had a Subaru Outback that I traded in when it was only 18 months old because they did a total redesign with several key features that I felt was worth the price difference. I lost $1000 in the deal but figured it meant that I would have the features I wanted for 10 years, so it was worth $100 per year to have those.  Plus when I sell it, it will be worth more (2 years newer) so I won't even lose that much in the long run. 

[lavender's green]

We keep ours for a good long time, but we're also open to trading in to fit our family's needs. Like the year we had to get a larger car just to legally and safely fit everyone.

DH just got new-to-us car, and it's really nice to not have a money pit sitting in the driveway! He'd had it for ten years and it was 4 or 5 years old when he got it. I know other people who drive hondas around forever, but the thing always acting up in some way. Also, it was a manual, which I guess I could drive if my life depended on it, but having an automatic really opens up our transportation options.

[Soror]

6 minutes ago, Lady Florida. said:

Until repair bills start outweighing the cost of a new car, but before it gets to the point that it's not worth anything as a trade-in.

Our older vehicle right now is our van. It's a 2004 Toyota Sienna and runs so well that I often forget it's 14 years old. We no longer need a van but it's paid for and running well so it doesn't make sense to get rid of it. 

Before the van we kept our other vehicles for many years -

-a 1990 Honda Civic (mine before I met dh) for 11 years
-a 1995 Chevy Blazer for 13 years
-a 1998 Honda Accord (it replaced the Civic) for 10 years

We go between buying used and new. The Civic and Blazer were new. The Accord, our previous van (which I didn't mention because it was totaled after only 2 years) and our current Toyota van were used. We also have a 2016 Camry which we bought new in 2015.

We have a Toyota Sienna too and it has been great, doesn't look the best but runs like a champ.

[fairfarmhand]

Until it falls apart and is too unreliable and costly to repair. We’ve never traded in a car. We sell it to a junkyard or someone who likes to fix things up. Most of our vehicles we’ve driven past the 200k mark. The farm truck has over300k on it and still runs well. 

[bethben]

We have a 1996 honda with 200,000k miles on it that my ds drives.  Runs great!  We'll keep it until it needs a repair that's worth more than the car.  I have a 2010 odyssey and will drive it until the same thing happens.  My dh has a newer car - 2014.  We also will drive cars until the repairs outweigh the benefit.  I would love to have a different car, but my car has less than 60K miles on it and it will probably last another 10 years.  Oh well...  I tell my kids that a car is to get you from point A to point B.  If it looks nice and is fun to drive, that's just gravy.

[historically accurate]

We buy old, cheap cars (under $4K) and drive them until they leave us by the side of the road, usually 3-7 years. 

Current cars are 2001 Explorer (235K miles) and 2001 Taurus (165K miles). I am hoping the explorer lasts another year; it still runs well, but the mileage is getting pretty high. 

 

[EmseB]

We have a 2003 Toyota truck and are debating selling it before our next x-country move while it's still good enough to sell. It runs great, looks horrible. We bought it used in 2006.

My van is a 2012 Odyssey that we bought new. I plan on keeping it until it breaks down beyond repair.

Both are paid off so we put our "car payment" in savings so that we can pay mostly cash if we need a new vehicle.

[alisoncooks]

DH currently drives a 2000 Silverado. We are hoping it'll last another year (has transmission issues that are going to be pricey). At that point, my car (a 2012) will be paid off and we can pick up another car payment. (Planning on giving him my Toyota and getting a  lower mileage minivan for me.)

[SKL]

I too tend to keep a car until the unreliability gets to the point where I just don't want to deal with it.  As a single mom, there are not many things more unsettling than turning the key and hearing nothing.  Especially when it's recently been in the shop to have the same issue "fixed."

I'm on my third car which I bought new.  The first two each lasted about 10 years.  I might buy another one when my kids are ready to drive independently, so they can have my old car, which will then be at least 8+ years old.

[mom@shiloh]

We keep them until they die, which means until fixing them is more expensive than replacing them.  But, we've never had a car payment.  We always pay cash for vehicles.  Currently, there are five in our driveway.  We look like a used car lot.  ?

[regentrude]

Until the car needs repairs that far exceeds its value.

Our 12 y/o car is now at that stage, with 180k miles on it.

Edited October 9, 2018 by regentrude

[Ottakee]

Another thing to consider is car insurance.  Sometimes newer cars with more safety features are cheaper to insure but often the older cars are much cheaper to insure and over months and years that difference can really add up.

[73349]

DH's car is a 2001, bought new the week before 9/11, and we've been expecting it to fall apart for ~5 years now because it wasn't a great car in the first place.

Mine is the new car, a 2005. :) Bought used when it was about a year old.

We're going to be so disappointed when we have to deal with power locks and windows. Hate 'em. I'll be pushing for a Honda Fit, maybe ~2014.

[Moonhawk]

My first car was a 2000 Kia, my DH had a 1996 Buick LeSabre. We were the second owners on both so didn't has as much control with some of the issues they came with. Both broke down to the point of no return on the same Thanksgiving weekend of 2012. That was a hard pill to swallow, lol, so I don't blame you for wanting to deal with 2 car payments at once. 

We replaced the cars with a 2012 Prius C and a 2006 Dodge caravan. So, one new car and one used; we paid for the van outright. Both are still doing well. The van has 184k miles on it now, it's actually going in for a general checkup today but has been a trooper. The Prius has 65k on it and is currently in storage -- we are trying to see if we can handle being a 1 car family in this new area. Where we were before was too rural to work that well, but so far so good on just a 1-vehicle family. The plan is to keep both of these cars until we run them into the ground like the last ones -or- sell the Prius while it has a still a higher value but not replace it. But, basically, keep these two cars and only get a new(er) car when these are beyond the gates. 

I will say I have loved the Prius because as the new car it has not given us any trouble and minimal maintenance costs; we keep to the schedule in the owners manual religiously and know what expenses will cost at the next check up. The car payment was not fun though and on the whole we will not buy new again unless its a mega deal. 

[Teacher Mom]

Between 7 and 10 years. After 7 years, it depends on which dealership is having a 0% interest deal. For the farm truck, we replaced it when the cost of repair becomes too much.

[Liz CA]

I drive until the bottom nearly falls out and dh screams: "I told you we have to replace it."

[shawthorne44]

Until either the mechanic makes fun of my car because of how decrepit it looks, or it is unreliable and they can't figure out the problem, or it is in a wreck and it isn't worth fixing.  
I love my '96 Cadillac and I'll happily spend money to fix it.  In fact, next year the state inspection will be super cheap and quick because of its age.  Woohooo.   Car spent most of its life in a garage driven by the stereo-typical old lady so it looks great.   

eta: On the mechanic comment.  At one time I had a CRX.  They were built with the exterior panels glued on.   Which is fine unless the car spends 10+ years in Texas heat.  Then bumpers and fenders just start to fall off.  I took the car to the mechanic for mechanical work, and a fender and front bumper were in the trunk.  The mechanic said, "Usually people bring in the entire car."   I said, "The rest of it is in the trunk."  But to myself I said, "Maybe I need a new car."

 

Edited October 9, 2018 by shawthorne44

[Sharpie]

We keep them until they no longer pass inspection or they fall apart.  Our farm truck is so old it still has the dimmer switch for the headlights on the floorboards. ? 

[Lady Florida.]

1 hour ago, Liz CA said:

I drive until the bottom nearly falls out and dh screams: "I told you we have to replace it."

LOL! It's just the opposite in our household. I'm always the one screaming that we have to replace a vehicle. He's gotten better over the years though and I don't have to scream as loudly anymore. 

[Annie G]

We try to stagger car purchases- we live 1000 miles from our folks and we always want to have one car that can make that drive without hesitation. (we’ve had to do that numerous times over the years when our parents had medical emergencies). 

So currently that ‘trip’ car is a 2015 Camry and I drive it around town. DS has inherited the car we were driving before we bought the Camry, which is an 8 year old Malibu with years of life left. Dh is driving the beater car, a 2004 Malibu, because his commute is 3 miles and the beater is fine for that. Dh also has a fun car, a 2011 Corvette, that is our weekend fun car. 

We drive cars for a looong time. The 2004 Malibu had an issue for two years where it wouldn’t start for a few minutes after gas was put in it. But since it isn’t driven much, we just filled it up about 9 times and year and dealt with it. Recently Dh had that problem fixed. But we keep the car because other than that’s it’s been super reliable. 

[marbel]

21 minutes ago, Lady Florida. said:

LOL! It's just the opposite in our household. I'm always the one screaming that we have to replace a vehicle. He's gotten better over the years though and I don't have to scream as loudly anymore. 

That's how it is in our house too.  My husband is not generally clueless at all, but he really hard a hard time understanding why I was so anxious to replace our suburban that was leaking coolant constantly.  Well, Honey, I am the one driving the kids and their friends around, not you, right?  That summer I had two trips to make to take kids to camp - not far, but you know, not just around town. I was actually happy when the suburban had a catastrophic leak in the street in front of our house; that meant it wasn't going to happen on the PA turnpike on the way to camp.  

[KarenNC]

We replaced my husband's 2005 Matrix this year at about 260K because, in addition to a/c that couldn't seem to be repaired, lots of bad body dings, and bits held on literally with zip ties, it started leaking exhaust into the passenger compartment. We bought a six year old Prius V, as he has a long commute daily. We now use this one for any trips out of town.

My car is a 16 yo Camry with a bit over 230K. It's running (knock on wood!), though the headliner is falling down, the paint is failing, and only one speaker still works. 
 

[Suzanne in ABQ]

Our cars are 1992, 1997, 2003, 2007, and 2010 (there are four drivers in our family).  We bought most of them new, and we pay cash.  No car payments, ever.  We maintain them really well, and they generally last 20 years or longer, unless they got totaled along the way.  They all have over 250,000 miles on them, but they keep going with minimal repairs, so we just keep driving them, while we save for a new one.  The college kids will soon end up with two of them permanently, so we'll each have one, plus a spare for when one is in the shop.  We figure within the next 10 years, we'll be down to two new cars, which we'll probably keep until we're too old to drive anymore.  :)

[DawnM]

Depends.

We had our 1996 Saturn until 2014

We kept our 2002 Saturn until 2016 and then sold it to a friend who still drives it.

Our current cars are 2004, 2010, 2014, and 2014.

[mom2scouts]

We keep our cars until they're ready to go to the scrap yard. DH drives a 2004 and we're hoping to get more years out of it. It gets a lot of use and abuse on Boy Scout trips and while pulling the troop trailer, but we also need to keep it running well for those trips. My vehicle is 4 years old and we still think of it as the new car.

[Carrie12345]

I can't say until they die, because we're not really in positions to do that, but we do try to get a much as we reasonably can out of them!  My previous minivan was about 12 years old and... maybe somewhere between 120 and 140k miles? It's slipping my mind.  Dh usually has company cars. We did buy a Prius when he was with one employer, and he went past 300k miles.  We would have put a new battery in it if he hadn't changed jobs and gone back to a company car.

I am looking into switching things up. We'd like to get a travel trailer, and we'd need something to pull it. So, more of a change in usage than just wanting something new or different. 

[gardenmom5]

we tend to drive them to death.  or when they get totaled.  whichever comes first.  I hate buying on the fly, but we've got some very good used cars on the fly.  mine is 18 years old - bought new.

[Bluegoat]

Well, most of our cars we don't buy new.  I think the car I have now is about 10 years old, which is not unusual for us.  Dh's car is more like 15 but is very much a secondary vehicle.  Pretty much we keep them going as long as we can justify it.

[BakersDozen]

Our goal is 10 years minimum. That gives us 3 years to pay off any loan (we don't take the full 5 years) then we continue paying ourselves until we have enough saved to pay cash for the next vehicle. So we can spread that amount over a much longer span of time if we can keep each vehicle for 10 years, if that makes sense.

[Sharpie]

1 hour ago, Margaret in CO said:

You have a dimmer switch--pretty up town!

We have a '64 Scout. You have to double clutch on every shift--synchro wasn't invented yet. It has a little button you pull out so the vacuum runs the wipers. However, the driver's side is on a Y so if you run the passenger side, the driver's side barely runs. It has a spotlight wired in for checking the cattle during calving season. The dump truck is from the 40's, but currently the brakes are out. My dh's Ranger has 350,000+ miles on it. The Ford diesel has 280,000+ on it, but we did buy a newer Ram about a month ago. The Ford has a strap keeping the hood on, and it no longer uses a key--the entire ignition assembly turns, IF you can push the clutch through the floorboards to engage it. I can't. We have a 40's armed weapons carrier that was the feedtruck for years--it has a start and stop button as the kids couldn't reach the brake or the clutch. They learned at 5yo just to put it in 2nd gear and lug the engine to feed the cows. When they needed to stop, they hit the kill switch. It was recently converted to a log saw. Dd's car is a 1983 Buick. All of our tractors are from the 40's and 50's. We DID buy a newer baler this year!

Love this!  I'm nodding my head and smiling big time.  I can relate in many ways.  Our "newer" diesel pickup has nearly 400,000 miles on it.  Running a farm makes you tough.  Ha!  You learn to live with less and make do with what you have.  And you're grateful when things run and don't need more fixin'.  ?

I could tell you the story of taking the ole farm truck (you know just how beat up these things are) into a posh neighborhood miles away to look at a used refrigerator.  I literally was laughing out loud as just how redneck we were and completely out of place.  Unbeknownst to us we were dragging a long string of baler twine out the back, and various tools and parts are a permanent fixture in the back of the bed..  ?

[ScoutTN]

Until right before they die. 

We cannot afford car payments. We buy decent used cars for cash and drive them until they cost too much (in time and hassle, as well as dollars) to repair. Usually this point arrives near 250K or 20 yrs old. 

I drive a 2003 Odyssey with almost 200K miles on it.

Dh recently upgraded from a 1998 Avalon with 240K to a 2010 Rogue with 60K. 

[KrissiK]

We keep them until it seems like we are pouring too much $ into them. We had to replace DH’s Honda about 4 years ago. It had over 200k miles. We bought a new Corolla. My Sienna has 137k. I am hoping to keep driving it until I don’t have to haul 5 kids around, which will be another 3-4 years, i’m Thinking. It’s still in good shape.

[KungFuPanda]

I would not consider getting rid of a working/fixable vehicle just to stagger future payments. Starting to save for that inevitability makes more sense. It’s not fun, but it’s smart. 

[rebcoola]

We pretty much keep until they die or are to expensive to repair anymore.  Where that threshold is can vary a lot we put a lot more time and money into keeping our 99 suburban running than any of our older sedans.  It would cost a lot more to replace it with something similar.  We also have the luxury of having 3 vehicles so if one is out of commission until DH can fix it its not a huge problem.  

[Annie G]

1 hour ago, KungFuPanda said:

I would not consider getting rid of a working/fixable vehicle just to stagger future payments. Starting to save for that inevitability makes more sense. It’s not fun, but it’s smart. 

 

Oh yeah I agree. We stagger but don’t take loans. But there are people who do need to take loans and I guess one car payment is better than two at a time.

I think most people I know hold cars a lot longer now than they used to. I can remember when most of my friends got new cars every 2-4 years.  Leasing contributed a lot to people replacing cars more often. 

[cjzimmer1]

I'd like to say we keep them till they die but reality is that most times we've opted for a different vehicle sooner than that.  First car was a compact car and was upgraded to a station wagon when we had two in car seats and then upgraded to a mini van when we had 3 in car seats. We acquired a second minivan super cheap from an elderly relative who could no longer drive.  But first minivan started having transmission issues (the 02 odyssey's were known for having this defect - known long after we purchased ours of course) so was downgraded to a civic since it was a cheap commuter car and we needed something reliable.  Used mini-van was working van but after 3 years of transport 8 people in a van that only seats 7 we finally upgraded to a 8 person minivan and I got to sit in a seat again ? .   So on average we've kept vehicles about 6-8 years.  Eldest is finally driving on his own so I'm hopeful we have finally reached the point where we no longer need to upgrade for more space.

[Janeway]

My cars are way older than yours. What brand are yours? Our Honda is 2004 and I think it will last longer than our 2010 Toyota. Can't say for sure though. 

[Janeway]

9 hours ago, Lady Florida. said:

We've had Hondas and Toyotas and that's our experience with both brands. 

Can you please tell me how many miles your Sienna has on it? Mine shows almost 200K. But, the odometer is wrong. I know it is more like 175K. We are looking at trading it in. Wondering if we are trading in too soon. 

[SeaConquest]

The frugality of this board never ceases to impress me. 

I will be the outlier and say that we keep cars until we want (and can afford) something different.

1st car: 1990 Acura Integra (gently used, parents purchased for me when I was 16. Went to my sister when I left for the Army and she promptly crash it.)

2nd car: 1993 Honda Civic (purchased new when I was 17 -- longest I have ever owned a car, drove it for 10 years and about 125k miles. It was in great condition when I donated it.)

3rd car: 2003 BMW Z4 (new)

4th car: 2007 Porsche Cayman S (new)

DH car 1: vintage (I think 1969?) VW Karmann Ghia

5th car: 2004 Ford Explorer (used, got rid of the Porsche because I got pregnant)

DH car 2: Ford Focus Wagon (used, not sure of the year, but likely mid-2000s, got rid of the Ghia after baby #1 came)

6th car: Acura TL (gently used, inherited from my grandmother, not sure of the year -- late 2000s?)

7th car: 2016 Ford Mustang (new -- we still own it, but my husband drives it mostly)

DH car 3: 2016 Dodge Ram 3500 (new -- we still own it, but my husband mostly uses it for business)

8th car: 2017 Chevy Volt (new, we get free electricity where we live, so this seemed a no-brainer)

I am 43, and have had 8 cars in 27 years. No plans for a new car at the moment.

[SeaConquest]

13 minutes ago, Arctic Mama said:

You say it’s frugality like it’s a voluntary virtue - almost every homeschooler I know, including us, is a single income working class or mid level white color family with average to larger than average numbers of kids.  This is probably somewhat self selecting by region and religious affiliation, but the fact is that just by having a family member opting to stay home you tend to eliminate some of the poorest families, but also the wealthier, because the earning potential of one partner is usually sacrificed for at least a good handful of years.

 

I’d love another commuter vehicle that wasn’t an enormous van, for example. Or even to afford to detail the one I have.  But the fact is we just can’t swing it with seven dependents and one breadwinner, even on a professional level salary.  That dog just won’t hunt - we are lucky I don’t have to keep a grocery budget down to the penny most months!

 

You're right. I do see it as virtuous. But, you re also right in that I don't know anyone with more than 4 kids IRL, so that certainly would play a role. I can't imagine anyone trying to live in our HCOL area with that large of a family. 3 is certainly the new 2 here, and even that seems like expensive chaos to me! ?

Edited October 10, 2018 by SeaConquest