how many years do you keep a car? - Page 4

holland_patrick · 07-03-05, 12:02

Well I have had a few cars now a but the first one I bought my self will always hold a place in my heart. that would be my 95 Jeep cherokee. I had her for 11 years and 200,000 miles before i got rid of her and got the Baja and I hope to keep that just as long.

tabinha · 07-03-05, 12:49

It seems to me your question relates to econmics. If you can aford it, why not get a new car every three years.?Why drive an old car?If one has other use for their money then it does not make sense to turn over car quickly.
When I was a younger man with family to take care of I averaged five years on a car. Now I do not even make the three years. I like to have the newest car and most expense I can buy. When I retire, I will likey go back to 5 years and by an Avalon, instead of a BMW.

Mr. Clean · 07-03-05, 01:49

We typically buy our vehicles new and keep them on the road for 7 years and @ 100-150K miles. Though our current '96 Volvo 850 GLT is in its 9th year and has only 150K miles. I also kept a '78 Datsun King Cab p/u from '78 (new) - '03 and it only had @ 100k miles.

The Wife's VW NB Turbo S has yet to hit 20K miles. I hope it can maintain the family tradition.

Accumulator · 07-03-05, 02:20

Mr. Clean- Heh heh, maybe Volvo 850s are something *else* you and I won't see eye to eye on

But then we had a really awful one so maybe I shouldn't generalize too much.

Quote:

Originally Posted by loco

Well, so far, so good. ..By the way, I envy you for having a 3rd gen! What a gorgeous car that was! What color was yours?

Glad to hear things are going well with your RX-8. The first gen ones seemed to have the same apex seal problems as the turbo ones. Mine never did, but then I was a fanatic about the oil level/changes.

The 3rd gen was my wife's daily driver, despite having the track package (memory fails me, was it "R1"?). Silver, red interior. She really liked it but I just couldn't get remotely comfortable enough in it to drive it. I was physically incapable of doing heel & toe in that car. Bought it sight-unseen so that's what I get

I think she still sorta misses it and that was the only time I sold a car that she would've liked to keep. Lucky for me that she fell head over heels for the Audi I got her as a replacement!

Quote:

Originally Posted by tabinha

It seems to me your question relates to econmics. If you can aford it, why not get a new car every three years.?Why drive an old car?

Realizing that I'm, uhm, "different"

With me it's that I actively dislike the direction many carmakers are going. I'd buy a new S8 today if I could get one just like my '01, but a) they quit making them, and b) the new A8, while better in many ways, has some changes that deviate from "how I think Audis oughta be" and a lot of "features" that I'll never use and don't want to be distracted by. The new S8, if they ever come out, just might have so many "improvements" that I won't like it as well as my old one.

And I find it sorta satisfying to keep "old" stuff in service indefinitely. Having a "history", an extended period of ownership, sorta makes things become a part of my life. When a something has "been and done" with *and for* me, I'm reluctant to part with it.

And FWIW, the wealthiest woman I know still drives a '92 Audi V8 even though she could buy a new Rolls whenever the old one needed an oil change.

Mr. Clean · 07-03-05, 05:19

Accumulator, I guess so

I would rate it as one of my favorite vehicles. From the quality of the paint, to the complete fit and finish and quality of materials internal and external. The handling and ride at highway speeds to the in-town manuevering are first rate. I can easily see watching 200k roll over on this one.

I will say one problem we had was the air conditioner system. A/Cs in Texas do get tested.

Just curious...what were some of your issues and when (yr/mileage) did they present?

termigator · 07-03-05, 05:49

I'm on my third year with my 02' TL-S. Planning on going at least ten years with it. Had a 92' Prelude Si for ten years before I got the TL-S. Then I started missing it, so I just recently picked up a 96' Prelude VTEC. That's going to be my project car. Now all I have to do is learn how to drive stick!!

ericsscion · 07-03-05, 08:36

My first car i had for about a year or so..Then i got a 240sx i owned for 2 years....i had my civic for about about 3 1/2 years and now i have my scion tc i had for 10 months now

BigAl3 · 07-03-05, 09:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by ericsscion

My first car i had for about a year or so..Then i got a 240sx i owned for 2 years....i had my civic for about about 3 1/2 years and now i have my scion tc i had for 10 months now

i want to trade in my vic for a scion tc, but... i'm half way through paying for it (probably sell it as soon as it's paid off). hopefully, the tc will be around in 08!

ps. was curious.... any regrets on purchasing the tc (likes/dislikes)?

ericsscion · 07-04-05, 06:31

imacarnut- i have no regrets on buying my tc...i love this car...i mean at first i missed my civic because i had wheels on it and a body kit and all that stuff but once i started driving my tc harder (after 1000 miles) i quickly forgot about the civic. I really dont have anything negative to say about the car.

DaGonz · 07-04-05, 06:54

I keep a vehicle an average of 7 to 8 years. My F-150 will be an exception, as my next vehicle will be a "toy". I am thinking of either a sports sedan or a 2005 Mustang ragtop. The truck is paid for, and I have had no other expenses other than maintenance, minor repairs other than the expendables ( brakes, battery, tires, ball joint replacements etc.) The truck will be the daily driver and winter vehicle, the toy will be garaged in the winter months.

Sullybob · 07-04-05, 07:17

I have a 1998 Ford Expedition with about 97,000 miles on the odometer. I picked it up used in mid 2001.
We also have a Toyota Corolla that we bought new in 1994 with 130,000 miles on it. At this point I cant afford to replace it due to the fact that I only have about $500 worth of extra repairs in it, maybe $600. As long as the cars are reliable we keep them.

Accumulator · 07-04-05, 07:25

Gonzo0903- So you're gonna keep the F150 indefinitely? That should work OK, I hear they last forever.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Clean

Just curious...what were some of your [Volvo 850] issues and when (yr/mileage) did they present?

IIRC it was a '91 wagon, not certain about the year; it was my father's and I only drove it when I had to. I can honestly say that I greatly preferred the driving characteristics of his wife's '84 Volvo 240 wagon. When they were both gone I sold the 950 ASAP and kept the 240!

Besides my usual issues with FWD cars (crappy steering feel, torque steer, heavy understeer) it had two issues that drove me nuts on the rare occasions I drove it. They didn't bother him so I didn't waste my breath/time very much. The more important was a problem with the brakes, which I first noticed when the car was several weeks old. I had to "pump them up" to have a firm pedal! Virtually no way to exaggerate the severity of this, there were times when I'd try to trigger the anti-lock at high speed on a wet road and I couldn't get sufficient brake force to do it! The stopping distances during a "hard stop" were just awful and I got in the habit of doing the "pumping" thing all the time. The first time I drove it I thoght "catastrophic failure" and took it straight to the dealer, who pronounced it "normal". I had a number of shops look at it and they either couldn't get it to act that way (huh? whenever *I* drove it....) or they said "that's how they are". I'd have them bleed the fluid, replace the fluid, check for leaks in the vacuum assist, you name it. Never did find the problem and my father didn't notice/acknowledge/car so I finally just

The second problem was merely irritating- whenever it was used in wet weather (heh heh, not a huge issue if in Texas I bet!) the interior would smell like onions! As in, *really* strong, embarrassingly bad. You'd worry about your clothes picking it up and people would smell it when you opened the doors. Just happened to be a smell I couldn't stand, I can imagine some people wouldn't mind. A car magazine had the exact same issue with a long-term 850 so I suspect something used in the interior construction for a limited part of the production run.

Reading the above, I suppose it sounds like I'm sorta harsh towards the 850, but having had wagons I really *loved* (VW Quantum Synchro, Audi S6, Buick Roadmaster) and ones I sorta liked (Subaru Outback and WRX and the 240, which I modified heavily), the 850 was probably my least favorite car ever, at least of the stuff in our family.

The build quality was OK other than the above, and it did have a nice paintjob. The charcoal colored plastic trim was something to keep polishes off of, though! The interior was OK but my wife and I didn't like the seats. But again, consider that we're used to a very different type of car.