How long do you typically keep your cars?

I like new toys and the latest tech, so I lease, beat, return, repeat. I have a nice hook, so I get some sweet deals. I drag and road race my 13 Charger RT/BT and don't care what happens to it. My 13 Shelby GT500 is paid for and is for spirited driving and shows only. You only live once and you can't take it with you so I spend it on what I love.
 
I only put on about 10,000 miles a year so I like to lease my cars. I tend to get bored with them pretty quickly and I switch up every 2-3 years on average. On my 5th vehicle in the last 9 years. :redface:
 
baby50- Welcome to Autopia!

IMO that's a really nice stable of cars you have there, each one a great choice in its category. Your mechanical abilities undoubtedly factor in, but even a guy like me who farms out most of the work can do OK keeping a no-payment car for a good long time.

4u2nvinmtl- Wonder why you go through so many transmissions?!? Especially that '89 626- my wife had a 626 turbo of that vintage, and despite some hard use when she traded it at >100K even all the synchros and the oe clutch were just fine. I was really surprised to see it on your blown-tranny list!
 

I'm not sure I have been driving long enough to establish a pattern yet.


1. In '98 I started with a '88 Chevy Pickup (Hand -me-down)
2. In '99 I got a '97 Cavalier Z24 as a graduation gift. (I paid for 1/2)
3. In '02 I bought a brand new Cavalier Z24. (0% financing and the '97 trans was starting to have issues)
4. In '04 I bought my current RSX S. (It is now 10+ years old and still going.)​


 
baby50 said:
I despise car payments so on average I keep a car at least 10 years. I believe I read from a financial analyst ( I believe Suzzie Orman) that if you keep a car 10 years and replace everything on it including engine and transmission you would save 30k+ dollars during that time span compared to leasing/buying a car every 3 years. I have turned wrenches my whole life so outsourcing a low mileage engine/trany through shop is advantageous and makes even more sense to keep cars longer for me. I own the following and couldn't be happier with these cars and the money saved over the years.

* 87 CRX SI BI6 Swap
* 88 CIVIC DX D16 S/C
* 93 Maxima GXE
* 00 VW Golf GTI GT28
* 01 Audi A4 Quattro
Click to expand...

Welcome to Autopia and thanks for the info. Nice list too.
 
rlmccarty2000 said:
You could call me trader Bob. I keep cars until I see something I like better. Right now I'm stuck on 370z roadsters. I bought a used 2011, kept it a year, found a 2012, kept it a little longer and found a cherry 2014 with 8000 miles with the sport pkg. and I have been driving it for almost a year. I keep a spare car for bad weather, a 1993 Cadillac Deville that I bought from my uncle with56,000 miles on it. The Caddy has been acting up lately so it may be time for another spare. My wife drives a 2013 NissanJuke that she wrecked on Christmas Eve and has been repaired, but needs to go back in the shop to be realigned. When I was in the military I traded yearly and have had so many different cars it is difficult to remember all of them, but my favs are the convertibles. A Spitfire, MG Midget, Corvette, and the 3 Z's.
Click to expand...

Very cool. I've been seeing nice 370's around lately. Love the wheels on them and the white interior with red exterior.
 
baby50 said:
I despise car payments so on average I keep a car at least 10 years. I believe I read from a financial analyst ( I believe Suzzie Orman) that if you keep a car 10 years and replace everything on it including engine and transmission you would save 30k+ dollars during that time span compared to leasing/buying a car every 3 years. I have turned wrenches my whole life so outsourcing a low mileage engine/trany through shop is advantageous and makes even more sense to keep cars longer for me. I own the following and couldn't be happier with these cars and the money saved over the years.

* 87 CRX SI BI6 Swap
* 88 CIVIC DX D16 S/C
* 93 Maxima GXE
* 00 VW Golf GTI GT28
* 01 Audi A4 Quattro
Click to expand...

I really think this depends on the vehicle. I am not sure what car these numbers where run on but I am sure it is true for some vehicles. I try to my depreciation at 200 a month for a 30K car. I had an '11 Mustang GT. I owned it for 39 months and drove it 29K miles. It cost me 6K for a '14 Mustang GT. Or a depreciation of 153 a month. If I am able to keep this up trading a car every 3 years, it will cost me about 18K over ten years. On top of that I will have a driven a newer car over the years.
Now if I held that same Mustang for 10 years and put 10K a year on it maybe I could get 5K as a trade in. My depreciation would be about 25K over 10 years or about 200 a month.
I had a '12 Accord I drove for 21 months I traded for a '14 Fusion, the Accord (worst car I ever owned) depreciated around $230 a month. I hated the car and just wanted to get out of it, I would have preferred to hold it a little longer and get the number closer to 200 and month.
New cars and older cars have different cost associated with them. I figure all the different costs end up being a wash. Insurance for me is almost the same for what ever I drive. An older car isn't more that a 100 bucks a year cheaper than a new car. I do pay a higher excise tax on the new vehicles. Sales tax in my state is calculated on the money that exchanges hands not the price of the new car (new car price - trade-in). A older car will have repairs, new cars are covered under warranty. New cars typically get better gas mileage.
Bottom line - I personally like to drive new cars, so I trade when the numbers work for the vehicle.
 
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