[2ndDivisionVet]

Let me guess....

[Mr Ramsbotham]

Cars last longer, particularly Japanese models. I've got a 2000 Mazda sedan and a 2002 Mazda truck that are in fantastic shape, and I expect to get another 80,000 miles out of the one and over 100,000 on the other.

When I was young and couldn't afford new vehicles, I bought them new. Now that I'm older and can afford new, I buy used, and keep them as long as I can.

[gotribe]

Interesting that the prevailing context of the story is that normal is a new car. Just like houses are supposed to be the American Dream.

Perhaps we are finally shaking those Santa Claus-like fantasies, and refusing to give banksters our hard-earned dollars.

[Second Amendment First]

I would rather put my money into repairs as needed instead of endless payments, higher property taxes and insurance. Our vehicles are eight and eleven years old and are well maintained.

My F-350 has just over 100k miles and the TrailBlazer SS has about 110k. The truck needs only an oil change now and clean the K&N filter. The SS is in the shop for a wheel bearing and transfer case seals. While gas mileage is not good (8-12 and 14 mpg), I’d rather pay at the pump and keep my known quantities. We like the power too: 400 hp is just plain fun.

[DaxtonBrown]

Average age of my two cars = 51 tears old.

[stylin19a]

no black box in the older cars ?

[Izzy Dunne]

Can you guess why Americans keep older cars longer?

Duh. if you have an older car, it's certain that you've kept it longer than a newer car.

[IbJensen]

I have two fairly new cars and at my age these will be the last I’ll purchase.

2008 Mercedes E-320 Bluetec

2012 Volkswagen Jetta TDI

[muir_redwoods]

Had to replace the 05 Honda CR-V last month after my wife put it hard into a tree. No one hurt but the car was totaled. We bought a Toyota RAV-4. The other cars are a 2000 Volvo, still running strong and a 2002 Audi also running well. Other than collisions, I don’t expect to buy more.

[zencycler]

Buying a used car and keeping it going has several advantages over buying a new car, say every three years, as some do:

1) In addition to the significantly higher up-front costs, a new car buyer must either incur and additional monthly expense of additional collision and theft insurance, or face the risk of a significant loss without it.

2) The market values of new cars decline at a significantly higher rate over the first three years.

3) New car buyers like to claim "peace of mind" - referring to not needing to bring the car in for repairs. However, that argument fall flat when you consider the following: Bird crap, dents, scratches, monthly costs (mentioned above), forgetting where you parked and wondering if your car was stolen, avoiding any contact with other cars when parking (for fear of a dent or scratch), giving way to my older car on the road (for the same reason).

4) For many, it's an unhealthy state of mind (only owning the newest and the best) which guides many other purchasing decisions and leads to folks living beyond their means.

[RedStateGuyTrappedinCT]

200K , ad a new engine on my '02 Tacoma , but hey, at least it's paid for.
The last thing I need is a $400.00/mo car payment.

[RedStateGuyTrappedinCT]

Here in the Demokratic Republic of Connecticut we get taxed every year based on the value of our vehicle (car, truck , MC ,boat etc). The newer your vehicle, the more you pay. They don't take condition or mileage into account either, it's strictly based on the mil-rate for the year times the Kelly Blue Book value.

The thing I've noticed the last 2 years is that even though the value of my truck is decreasing (as is the value of my condo) they keep raising the mil-rate so I'm paying more. When I get a new car I'm really going to be socked.

[SECURE AMERICA]

We have 3 clear title vehicles.
Honda 1300 MC
Kia Rio
Ford Windstar Van
The MC and Kia get great gas mileage and we have the van for long trips or if we need to haul anything.
No vehicle payments is nice.
We just put aside about half of a new car payment each month for inspections and any repairs/ tires/oil changes etc.

[from occupied ga]

Due to the vast wealth brought on by 0bamanomics?

[RJS1950]

All of the above plus I live in Nebraska where you’re hit with auto taxes every year; is the reason why I still drive my 99 Ford Escort.

[Constitutionalist Conservative]

My ‘95 Honda Civic is still going strong.

[Gay State Conservative]

It's clearly because folks are awash with job opportunities,are making fantastic money and see the future as one gentle sunlit upland (I think that's how Churchill once put it).

[GenXteacher]

1. It is only good sense to drive a car a number of years after you pay for it, because those are years you are not making payments.
2. The days of ordinary people being affluent enough to have a regular car trade-in are gone.
3. Godawful gas prices mean less driving and less wear and tear on cars, so they last longer.

[chrisser]

For me, the Pull-A-Part franchise has been a godsend.

All those formerly dealer-only parts can be had in decent condition for pennies on the dollar.

You really need a 10+ year old car to find parts there, but that isn’t a problem for us.

Interestingly, there are plenty of parts for my 02 Chrysler, but in four years, I’ve only seen two trucks in the yard for parts for my 00 Sierra, and both were so abused and rusted that nothing was really usable.

Our 94 Nissan is unfortunately unsaveable regardless of parts availbility. Asian cars from that era don’t survive the salt here like the domestics did. They all rust, but the asian cars seem to rust structurally while the domestics rust cosmetically. There’s only so much you can patch and replace before the whole unitized body shell needs to be scrapped.

[Crazieman]

My “Newest” vehicle is 14 years old.

[old and tired]

You know, here in the Northeast, where our roads are salted pretty much all winter long, it's tough to keep a car for more than 15 years or so. And that's really pushing it. I suppose if you're really diligent about taking it to the car wash, you can keep the rust at bay.

We once had an 11 year old car that had rusted so much you could literally sit in the back seat and stare down at the black top under your feet. Thank God we can afford decent vehicles these days.