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How old is too old for cars

cleanshaved

I’m stumped
I have had the same car for 12 years now. That is the longest I've ever kept a car.
It's a 2001 year car (brand withheld on purpose) and done 275km / 170miles.
Part of the reason I have not replaced it is I would rather put the money on the mortgage than replace cars every 3 or 4 years as some people do.
On the down side comes a higher annual maintenance bill and the odd thing failing at the worst of times. My alternator spat the dummy at Christmas. :angry:
Even with having to throw the odd new part at the old girl, the cost per year to run it is still better than replacing cars all the time.
This morning was one of those why do I still have this old pig moments. :)
On lowering the drivers window as I drove to work this morning, it wen crack. The window was still up, errrrr. Sounds like the window has just come out of the runners, so a cheap fix and they are wear parts anyway. New plastic window runners ordered and will fix it this weekend. I'm guessing a half hour fix but three days of not being able to use the window. :(
I would like to keep the old girl going for a few more years yet, some days I think that I'm just plumb crazy. Yip today was one of those days.

So how long do you drive your cars for. Age of car? How many K's/miles. Till the ash tray is fill?
Do you think I'm totally bonkers......never mind, don't answer that one, I already know the answer. :)
 
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The window regulator that just went bad on your 2001 could have just as easily went bad on your 2017 new car although warranty wuld pay for the repair. If you drive mostly highway miles I see no reason to replace a perfectly good car. If your happy with it then keep it. Unless you buy a new(er) car with a warranty I see no advantage to replacing one used car with another if it still looks good inside and out. If you've done well with it this long you would be very lucky to buy another and get the same dependability. If you decide for a new car I would buy one a couple years old with a factory warranty remaining and low mileage that smeone else has already taken the depreciation on over one brand spanking new that you lose a minimum of $3000 just by driving it off the lot and thats if you were a shrewd buyer.
My Toyota Highlander is around 145000 and has never had a repair beyond the basic wear items like brakes, tires, filters, and wiper blades. I used to buy new cars every year but it feels good not having a payment and my vehicle is mostly highway miles. I won't be trading it any time soon.
 
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Drive 'em til the wheels fall off. I hate car payments.

Some minor repairs like alternators, etc. are a fraction of the cost of car payments. Even a major repair every once in a while isn't bad, so long as the vehicle stays generally reliable.

My truck is a 1999 model. No plans to replace it for now.
 
Keep driving it. My thoughts mirror what Life2short1971 said.

After a newer car has been paid off, I continue to make the same "payment" except to myself into a savings account. Then after 4 or 5 years, there is cash to buy a nice used car. So you at that point have an 8 yr old car to sell, and replace with one 3-4 yrs old. Rinse and repeat every 4-5 years, but with cash each time. Or keep the car 8-10 years, and use the savings after you have saved what you need for he next car, to pay down any other debt/ become debt free. :)
 
Drive 'em til the wheels fall off. I hate car payments.

Some minor repairs like alternators, etc. are a fraction of the cost of car payments. Even a major repair every once in a while isn't bad, so long as the vehicle stays generally reliable.

My truck is a 1999 model. No plans to replace it for now.

Same here, plus I really don't drive a lot.

My car is a 1996 Taurus with 203,000 miles on it. I live close to work and only drive 6,500 miles per year. Heading into my 3rd summer with no A/C, but that is doable.

Wife drives a 2006 Honda Odyssey with 163,000 miles.

Cars are a depreciating asset and I am not looking to impress anybody, so I try to minimize the cost.
 

oc_in_fw

Fridays are Fishtastic!
My truck is an 04 Ford F-150 with 200k miles. I will drive it until it dies, then pay cash for something used. I hate car payments.
 
If the repair costs are less than a monthly payment and the car is safe, I keep it. The last two were replaced due to transmission issues. Once the car is over ten years old and major components, such as the transmission, start to go, I purchase another used vehicle. I refuse to buy a new one, as I don't see any value in it.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk
 
I had the same dilemma in February. My 2004 Subaru's head gasket went (apparently it's a Subaru thing). $1,700.00 repair on a car that would most likely get my $2k in trade-in value. I tried looking for a suitable replacement, but in the 11 years I owned the car (got it used), the family situation has changed. Everyone I'm interested is pricey, so I fixed it and had the timing belt replaced. I had to have the AC fixed last year for a pretty penny as well.

I think near the end of summer I'll replace the car, but it will be on my terms instead of rushing to find something because the car is broken.
 
In Singapore, you would have had to scrap it and get a new one when it turned 10! There is some scope to have "classic" cars exempted, but generally there are no old cars there.
 
98 VW Jetta with 206000 miles and 2003 Toyota Highlander with 117000 miles here. No real reason to replace them.
 
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I was driving a 2000 Camry until it starting giving fits a year ago. A/C died for the third time which is an expensive fix, the motors on two of the windows needed replaced, and the kicker was it developed a short that kept the turn signals from working, although the brake & tail lights are fine. It still runs solid but those other problems finally became a bit too much for me to deal with fixing. I finally threw in the towel and bought a 2 yr old Tacoma and saved a chunk by buying used. I'll drive the truck until it basically falls apart like the Camry did. 16yrs from a vehicle is getting your money's worth, I'll be happy with 10 from the truck but 15 would be better.

So to answer your question, how old is too old? When you have to push it...
 
My wife just blew the engine on her 04 liberty with 247k on it. So only when the wheels fall off although I have had a couple garbage cars that the repairs definitely where more and too frequent that it made sense to get a new one.
 
On a strictly financial basis, as long as the upkeep costs on an old car are less than the monthly payments on a new car, you are better off with the old car.
 
Age and milage may vary. Typically, you should keep a car to the point where the car starts to nickle and dime you, to the point where having a payment and no repairs makes more sense than spending the money trying to keep an old car on the road.
 
Don't ever buy a used car from me. By the time I get rid of it, there is nothing left.

I am driving a 2004 Nissan Murano with 170k on it. Repairs have not been too bad so far. It does use some oil and I do not like the way it sounds these days. I assume it will strand me on the highway eventually.

But, in the meantime, it is a larger car than I would replace it with, that has excellent bad weather handling. Whatever I get next is sure to be smaller and I am not sure whether I would got with four wheel drive or not. I figure until it blows out completely it is an overall cost savings.

If I disliked it in anyway, however, I would not hesitate to get rid of it and get something I liked. I spend too much time commuting to hate the car I drive. I would also probably never get rid of a car if I had to borrow money to replace it.
 

The Count of Merkur Cristo

B&B's Emperor of Emojis
Drive 'em til the wheels fall off. [...] I hate car payments.
Auk:
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...we sold our 99 VW Beetle in 2013 for a Toyota Tundra (Crew-Max), and it now has 75,000 miles...not looking (and no need either), to replace it anytime soon. :thumbsup:

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"Let's Go Places". Toyota Slogan
 
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