How long do you keep your cars?

[SeaConquest]

1 minute ago, Arctic Mama said:

(Six and me, but I’m pretty juvenile on occasion ?)

 

I do know families down in San Diego with six kids.  And more.  But it is very, very tough.  And they don’t live downtown.  Out in the burbs is even tough.  That was a big consideration for us when we moved for work.  Not the chaos, but the cost of living and how far salaries go compare to housing.

I realized my mistake with the kids after I posted. Didn't mean to call you a child. ? I'm sure there are large families in SD; I just don't know any in my (mostly secular or Jewish) circles here. And I cannot fathom how they make it. Providing for the needs of so many would literally give me a panic attack!

[KarenNC]

31 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 collar 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.

It's not just those with large families--we only have one kid, but it's still making a virtue out of necessity since we've been a one mid-level income for the last 18 years, and are trying to help our daughter through college. It was a voluntary choice, but does have certain consequences. Frugality is the only thing that's made it at all possible.

[Serenade]

We usually buy new and keep them as long as we can.  Right now I'm driving a 9 year old vehicle.  DH's is 4 or 5 years old, but his previous vehicle was 14.   There is so much money to save by driving a vehicle as long as you can, provided the vehicle is safe and in good working order.

[Lawana]

First car purchase: 1974 Dodge Colt, purchased for $1600 in 1980, sold in 1986 for $800. 

Next car, new 1986 Toyota Camry.  New 1989 Toyota Camry driven until 220k miles. 2004 Ford Windstar van purchased at 90k, driven until 240k. 2006 Toyota Sienna purchased at 160k, driven until 260k. 2009 Toyota Highlander purchased at 60k, currently at 140k, planning on another 100k?

No major repairs on any of the above. No rebuilt engines, no transmissions. 

Wow. Since 1980 I have only owned 6 cars. The Camrys were overlapping and involved a divorce and remarriage. 

 

Edited October 10, 2018 by Lawana
ETA correction

[LMD]

We keep cars until it's less expensive to get a new car payment than to continue paying to fix the old one.

My car is a good 20 years old and is hanging in there. Dh's car is 14 years old and still good. We look after them with regular servicing. We will probably replace mine in the next few years.

[Ausmumof3]

9 hours ago, SeaConquest said:

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.

I’m guessing that’s to do with the mainly one income population due to homeschool

[Ausmumof3]

Mine is 15 but has some mechanical issues that are more expensive to repair than replacement value.  It was supposed to die anytime as of Jan but so far we still have wheels.  We’ve been lucky.  

Dh has been through more cars but due to change in circumstance mostly.  He had a cheap car that died, then we bought a sensible car.  Back in pre kid days his dream car came up as a good second hand buy and we did buy that.  While it might have seemed like a splurge it held value really well so when we needed a family friendly car we didn’t lose much at all from the few years of fun.  The family car is the one I’m still driving.  Since then he’s had a very old almost vintage four wheel drive that he ended up replacing as it didn’t fit the image for the job he had at the time and he was paid a car allowance and they basically told him he needed an upgrade! So then it was a sedan then due to a role change and us taking up caravanning it was back to a 4wd but newer.  So we’ve had one very constant car then one that’s had a lot of changeover but mostly due to life circumstances.  

[RootAnn]

My first car, a '96 Mercury Tracer, is still DH's daily driver. I was the second owner. No A/C, heat is on pretty much all the time, auto seat belt doesn't work anymore in the driver's seat (so DH has it locked at the proper place and we just clip & unclip when we get in & out), and most of the interior trim is in our garage since DH puts less and less of it back together each time he fixes it.

I drive the 2005 Toyota Sienna (purchased new!) replaced the '98 Ford Contour (outgrown when we had the third kid) that DH bought when his (?? Not sure of the year) Ford Topaz was totalled by a distracted driver.

DD drives the newest car in the fleet: a '06 Ford Focus. 

Counting DH's first vehicle, a truck (also totalled), he's on his 4th vehicle since the 90s and I still have my first  (although he drives it). We wouldn't still have the Tracer but DH keeps nickle & diming it vs picking out a replacement. When the tires go bald, he might get a new one. (Or, he'll just buy new tires again. They are usually worth more than the car, but not right now,  because they need replaced.) He said he was holding onto it until dd#2 could learn to drive in it. Mission accomplished. I think he's holding out until he can't fix it anymore. (The most recent repair was the water pump, I think.) He takes pride in driving it, I think, especially when the guys at work give him a tough time about not getting a replacement.

Edited to add: we'd still have the Contour if we would have had garage space for it. I loved that car.

Edited October 10, 2018 by RootAnn

[madteaparty]

We haven’t had cars for long enough to brag re high six digits mileage, because I just learned to drive in my mid thirties. DH has driven since 16 but we lived in cities where the only driving during the week was alternate side parking so we sold that one car.

anyway because I’m still a fairly “new” driver I need a completely safe car that does well in snow and ice. I really can’t deal with quirks. My subaru has 140k miles on it but is only a few years old. That goes to dS I guess in a couple of years and I will probably get a new car then. I want another Subaru, DH wants a Volvo suv. 

[alewife]

20 hours ago, mommyoffive said:

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.  

We replace our cars when they have over 200,000 miles on them and no longer trust to take them on long road trips.  We drive Hondas and the only expenses we have had have been routine maintenance sfuff: replacing worn tires, brakes, oil changes, etc.  

[Garga]

I love using things up, including cars. I read in a book about different personality quirks/types.  The author talked about people who love brand new things vs people who like to use things up.  To be able to tell what kind you are, she said to picture a tube of toothpaste, then ask yourself, what gives you the biggest thrill:  The moment when you open the brand new tube?  Or the moment when you squeeze out the very last drop of toothpaste and then throw it away?  For me, it’s the squeezing out the last drop.  I love that feeling of using something up completely.

So, for me, I like to use up cars to the last bit.  I don’t care much for the thrill/joy of a new car as much as I do knowing that I’m in the process of using up the old car.  DH is on the same page as me, so we will keep our cars until the repairs cost more than it would to buy a newer used car.  We rarely buy brand new.  My dh bought a brand new commuter car a few years ago, because the technology was such that the newer car would cost him less in gas over its lifetime than an older used car would—buying new would actually be cheaper than new, when we factored in gas.  He drives 80 miles a day, so gas costs are a big factor when pricing a car.

[mommyoffive]

12 hours ago, Janeway said:

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. 

Honda van

Nissan car

[mommyoffive]

58 minutes ago, Garga said:

I love using things up, including cars. I read in a book about different personality quirks/types.  The author talked about people who love brand new things vs people who like to use things up.  To be able to tell what kind you are, she said to picture a tube of toothpaste, then ask yourself, what gives you the biggest thrill:  The moment when you open the brand new tube?  Or the moment when you squeeze out the very last drop of toothpaste and then throw it away?  For me, it’s the squeezing out the last drop.  I love that feeling of using something up completely.

So, for me, I like to use up cars to the last bit.  I don’t care much for the thrill/joy of a new car as much as I do knowing that I’m in the process of using up the old car.  DH is on the same page as me, so we will keep our cars until the repairs cost more than it would to buy a newer used car.  We rarely buy brand new.  My dh bought a brand new commuter car a few years ago, because the technology was such that the newer car would cost him less in gas over its lifetime than an older used car would—buying new would actually be cheaper than new, when we factored in gas.  He drives 80 miles a day, so gas costs are a big factor when pricing a car.

 

Interesting.  I don't think I like using the last drop, but I feel like I need to.   A little of my grandma in me.   We buy new cars or have the last 4 cars and we haven't kept them long.  One got changed because an 8 seater van was better for us than a 7.   But we like getting the new safety features on cars.  I love my cameras and it makes it so much safer driving.   

[sweet2ndchance]

23 hours ago, Ottakee said:

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.

 

And property tax and tags. The 06 SportTrack just had tags put on it and property tax around here on vehicles is due when you re-tag each year. It cost over $1k once taxes and tags were paid. The 99 Mountaineer costs about $75 altogether. When we get the 86 1 ton truck, we plan to put antique tags on it. Private use vehicles over 25 years old qualify for antique tags here. It's a one time $25 fee for the tag and exempt from property tax.

[lynn]

Until I'm bored with it or in the case of my sienna, we n o longer needed a mini van. We drove it off the lot brand new and kept it 13 years.  Dh got me a cute sporty car but dd hated the back seat and it was hard getting her in and out of the car seat so we traded that for a sedan i really liked.  Drove that off the showroom floor.  We plan to keep it for dd since we had it from brand new and know everything about it. 

[mommyoffive]

1 hour ago, sweet2ndchance said:

 

And property tax and tags. The 06 SportTrack just had tags put on it and property tax around here on vehicles is due when you re-tag each year. It cost over $1k once taxes and tags were paid. The 99 Mountaineer costs about $75 altogether. When we get the 86 1 ton truck, we plan to put antique tags on it. Private use vehicles over 25 years old qualify for antique tags here. It's a one time $25 fee for the tag and exempt from property tax.

 

Our tags are the same price for new or old cars here.  Property tax on your car? 

[KarenNC]

2 hours ago, mommyoffive said:

 

Our tags are the same price for new or old cars here.  Property tax on your car? 

The property tax is in addition to the tag fee and in NC is paid to the DMV along with your registration renewal. In NC, we also have to pay personal property tax on boats, motors for boats, jet skis, motor homes, campers, RVs, unregistered vehicles and motorcycles, planes, hot air balloons, helicopters, mobile homes that don't count as real property, trailers (tagged and untagged), and blimps. https://www.mecknc.gov/AssessorsOffice/Pages/Individual-Personal-Property.aspx

Looks like an antique tag wouldn't necessarily get one out of property taxes in NC https://www.dmv.com/nc/north-carolina/custom-vehicle-registration

 

Edited October 10, 2018 by KarenNC

[sweet2ndchance]

I've lived in NC too and in addition to property tax and tag fees, there is also a fee to have your vehicle inspected before you can get or renew tags. It adds up quick and that doesn't even count any repairs that need to be made to pass inspection. Even if your car runs fine but the computer has a code stored in it saying that something is amiss, you won't pass inspection. That is how I learned to how replace a mass airflow sensor myself when I was eight months pregnant because it was too expensive to have a shop repair it so my car would pass inspection. The car ran fine and didn't have the check engine light on or anything but the code was in the computer that the mass airflow sensor was going bad so it had to be fixed before they would pass it for the inspection to get new tags. Oh and the particular place we went to to have the inspection done charged you when you came in to get it inspected and if you didn't get the repairs done within 3 days I think it was, you had to pay again to get re-inspected. It was a huge hassle above and beyond the expense.

Where we live now(AR), we don't have inspections but we do have personal property tax on vehicles, boats, cargo trailers, even ATVs if you make them street legal and get them tagged. We have to go to the court house to the assessor's office to pay the tax and then to the DMV, with the receipt that you have paid the property tax, to get the tags.

[Pam in CT]

Until ~200K-230K miles or so.  Until this set, my husband's car accrued WAY more miles way faster on his (between commute and long trips) than mine.  It's evened out more over the last few years; he'll probably replace before me. 

[catz]

It's a delicate balance.  Until their upkeep becomes overwhelming over getting a new car.  We've paid cash for our last several new vehicles as well so having cash readily available helps.  One of our vehicles got totalled last year and we got a check from the guy who hit us insurance for the value of that vehicle.  Well we got a new vehicle and had to pitch in to do that but we haven't had the best luck with anything but very lightly used vehicles in terms of longevity.  I have to assume most people don't take maintance and upkeep seriously.  One of my relatives has car problems all the time and I think he's really hard on the break, gas, and shifting.  I wouldn't want to buy one of his used cars.  If find it scary riding with him.  LOL.  

[mommyoffive]

19 hours ago, KarenNC said:

The property tax is in addition to the tag fee and in NC is paid to the DMV along with your registration renewal. In NC, we also have to pay personal property tax on boats, motors for boats, jet skis, motor homes, campers, RVs, unregistered vehicles and motorcycles, planes, hot air balloons, helicopters, mobile homes that don't count as real property, trailers (tagged and untagged), and blimps. https://www.mecknc.gov/AssessorsOffice/Pages/Individual-Personal-Property.aspx

Looks like an antique tag wouldn't necessarily get one out of property taxes in NC https://www.dmv.com/nc/north-carolina/custom-vehicle-registration

 

 

Wow.  That is always something to think about before moving.  Our tags are all the same price, no property tax on vehicles, and no inspections. 

[Mommyof1]

We keep them until they stop working and its cheaper to just get another then fix it.

[Soror]

On 10/9/2018 at 9:41 PM, KarenNC said:

It's not just those with large families--we only have one kid, but it's still making a virtue out of necessity since we've been a one mid-level income for the last 18 years, and are trying to help our daughter through college. It was a voluntary choice, but does have certain consequences. Frugality is the only thing that's made it at all possible.

 

On 10/9/2018 at 8:59 PM, 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 collar 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!

 

Some people are natural savers, like my spouse’s family.  They all are, regardless of income.  And I know some gals on this board are. But the overwhelming numbers you see on here, especially in the under-40 crowd? That’s utility at work as much as choice.

Yep, I'd have a hard time stomaching the depreciation of a brand new car regardless of our income but if we had more money we wouldn't wait quite as long for a newer vehicle. But newer nicer vehicles is one of the sacrifices for me being at home with the kids. 

[GoodGrief]

We always buy new and keep them until it doesn't make sense anymore. Currently have a 2002 Saturn sedan, a 2006 Expedition, and a 2017 Subaru (that replaced a 2013 VW; we gave that one up during the big recall and took the settlement, which made financial sense.) Three vehicles right now because of teen drivers and varied terrain (sometimes want the large, high clearance vehicle in our climate/location.)

[Shellydon]

We keep ours about 10 years and 180,000 miles

[AngieW in Texas]

We drive cars until they cost too much to keep repairing. 

[Xahm]

We just got our first car as a married couple this week. We have been driving a 2002 Saturn sedan and a 1998 Buick sedan with three car seats in the back of the Buick. My parents got the Saturn for me in college; dh bought the Buick off his Grandma when he got out of active duty military and she needed to stop driving. We got an eight passenger 2012-Chevy Traverse. I'm due with baby four in December, so it was time. We hope this vehicle will last at least seven years, but would like it to last longer, of course.

[Rachel]

On 10/9/2018 at 1:29 PM, 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!

My parents have a couple Scouts!  One is my mom’s toy the other is my dad’s daily driver (when he doesn’t ride his bike). 

My husband tried to talk me into buying one that needed some work recently. I said I wasn’t interested in a vehicle that either requires him to manufacture parts or owning a second vehicle the same make to use for parts. He laughed because he knew it was true. 

[SamanthaCarter]

Roughly 10-12 years old, near 200k mileage or shortly before cost of repairs is too much to justify for the car. We do try to time it well, but last car, the Sienna, we could not sell in good conscience. The roof leaked a bit in heavy downpour, the interior was a wreck, the doors had issues, and it was noisy. We called it the “get-away vehicle.” We traded it in on my used CR-V. 

My only real issue with Toyota and Honda is that they don’t put care into making the trim and interiors to last as long as the car will. 

Edited October 13, 2018 by SamanthaCarter

[Sneezyone]

Generally 10 years. We don’t like to do major repairs and DH would not be comfy worrying about the reliability of our vehicles while he’s away. Mine is a ‘13 w/less than 50K miles so it will be five years or so before I buy again. DH has a ‘15 which was SUPPOSED to be in storage while we were overseas (instead it was driven to the tune of 20k miles) so he’s about to trade it in for a ‘17/‘18 truck. I’m actually fine w/that b/c the truck is more useful and will cost less than his car. I expect we’ll be adding a vehicle for DD before DH and I get anything else tho. She’ll probably get a small, two year old hatchback to get her through high school and college.

[Pickle Dust]

I have a 2004 Honda CRV which is never gonna die. It is in excellent condition, so I'll keep it until it needs too go to the big junkyard in the sky.

DH loves his car, so he feels the same way about it. It's about 10 years old.

My mother just bought a brand new car, and I do like all the whiz bang safety and technological features it has. I was shocked at how much new cars cost, and will just trundle along with my fairly ancient vehicle because it reliably gets me where I'm going.

[katilac]

On 10/9/2018 at 9:50 AM, mommyoffive said:

I don't want to have 2 car payments at the same time   

 

 

Simply start making a "car payment" into a special account right now and you should have a substantial amount of money by the time you need to replace a car. That means you can pay it off quickly and likely before the next one needs replacing. 

Even if they need replacing on the exact same day, putting down such a substantial down payment will lower the total monthly notes considerably. 

Replacing one before its time to avoid two payments will be costly. 

[katilac]

On 10/10/2018 at 8:22 AM, mommyoffive said:

Honda van

Nissan car

 

Great brands in general. Look up the reliability ratings on your particular models. I would expect Hondas and Nissans to go for a very long time, so if you start saving the amount of a car note into a special account now, you should be saving for longer than the usual five-year note before you have to buy. 

My mom has had her Nissan Sentra for at least fifteen years, I'm not sure how much longer. I traded my Nissan Quest in at eleven years during the Cash for Clunkers program, it was definitely still running but we did have trouble getting the a/c reliably fixed those last couple of years. 

It's a rare Honda that doesn't last well over 10 years or 200,000 miles. 

Stay on top of your maintenance, save the car note, and you will have a lot of money saved for the next round of cars. Setting up the separate account is an important part of this for most people. 

[SereneHome]

It used to be such a heated topic on another board I used to belong to.  Some people always bought new.  Some always bought used and bragged about how  really old their cars were.  Some were in the middle.

But at the end of the day...coming from someone has done budgets for a living and someone who is super cheap but also bought new cars the last two times.....buying cars and how long to keep them can very largely depend on people's circumstances.

Financially speaking, it is hardly ever a good idea to buy a new car.  There are times when buying new is smart.  Sometimes it depends on the type of car.  Sometimes it depends on where you live.   It also hugely depends on how mechanically inclined you are or if you have a trusted mechanic.  It might also depend on what kind of support system you have around you.

There is truly not one answer, but I think in majority of cases, buying new is not financially savvy.

Oh and paying cash for new cars is not always such a good idea either.  Especially in the last few years.