Posted on 01/19/2012 4:14:00 PM PST by matt04
Americans are holding onto cars and trucks longer, pushing the average age of a vehicle to a record 10.8 years.
The Polk research firm said Tuesday that the average age of a car last July was 11.1 years, while the truck average was 10.4.
Unemployment and the sour economy have caused people to put off buying cars and trucks.
Polk says the average vehicle age has been rising since 2008.
But the firm says a sales rebound last year is likely to slow the aging rate.
Car companies sold 12.8 million vehicles in the U.S. last year, up from 11.6 million in 2010.
In 2010 the average vehicle on U.S. roads was 10.6 years old, up from 10 years in 2008.
Polk gets its numbers from national auto registration data.
I have an ‘01 F150 step-side with 160k miles. still runs like new. have no desire to buy another vehicle.
I own a 1998 Volvo, a 2000 Volvo and a 2001 Kia. My wife drives a 2005 Honda. I don’t see any changes to that unless the ‘98 goes toes up.
We have two cars. One is six years old. One is twelve years old. We’re pretty close to the average with an average at nine years. We’ll be replacing the oldest this fall. Then our average will be less than three and a half years.
We try to take care of our vehicles. The oldest has about 78,000 miles on it. The younger has about 28,500 miles on it.
The younger one looks brand new.
Two Jeep Cherokees here, 16 years old and 14 years old, and an 8 year old Durango. We use the oldest Jeep to plow with, it has 286,000 miles and I just replaced the floors and rocker panels. Good for another 5 years methinks.
Hmmmm that must explain my 1986 Ford F250 / 460 Granny that has yet to be bested by any Chevy Made
She may not be speedy but i can drag a comparable chevy past the competition line and further !
And no Bailouts required !
My guess is that the average age of cars in 1946 was probably more than 10 years. Other than that, yeah, cars averaging 11 years old is strange.. Cruising the drive-in restaurants would have been very different in the early 1960’s if over half of the cars at the Drive-in restaurants were older than 1952 models.
I have 94 jeep wrangler with 220,000 miles and She runs like a champ. I make small deliveries all over Austin with it
The Jeep has no a/c and I live in Texas which means I stay quite thin during the summer!
Four vehicles here: Newest is a 2000 Ford Exploder, then a ‘99 mercury villager minivan, then my “new” 1996 RHD jeep, and a 1991 Ford 15 passenger van. So I’m averaging 15 year-old vehicles.
I’m still driving my 1988 Ford F150.
Next year it will officially be an “antique”.
‘07 Chevy crew cab 4x4 and a ‘76 Jeep CJ5.
“...1986 Ford F250 / 460 Granny...”
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So what’ll ya’ take for it?
A Wrangler is my next project. I am going to buy an old beater and rebuild from ground up for grandkids.
02 Chevy TrailBlazer with approx 116K. Only routine/minor maintenance.
Still runs like a champ and has yet to let me down. I see no need to replace it.
Those are some lucky grandkids!
nobama and his Cash for Clunkers POS program has really screwed the used car market.
Another reason people are holding on longer.
Cars for Clunkers must have been a success then.
The 2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid is probably approaching 70,000 miles by now. Again, half of that was 1800 mile round trips from San Diego to Pocatello.
Some of those 80s/early 90s Ford Trucks were lasting beasts. I still have a 91 that survived 18 trips from Dallas to Lubbock. Replace tires and hoses, and the thing keeps going.
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