How long do you think you will keep your car?
 

You can never anticipate accidents and total engine failure, but do you see yourself driving your current car for the next 2 years, 5 years, 10 years? Would you buy a new car, truck, or SUV? Would it be different from what type of car you have today?

My car is 14 years old, and while I need to spend a weekend fixing it up and waxing it, it still works great with almost no problems. I could probably still have this car 10 years from now, although I hope that it is just a long distance highway car for about 1 trip a month by then. Hopefully I will have an electric truck to drive around town.

I also have one 14 year old car, my '95 Supra, and mine also still works virtually as good as new, except with a couple hundred extra horsepower from mods I've done...this one I plan to keep a very long time, maybe forever. While it was my daily driver when I got it, now I only drive it on nice days or at roadcourse track day events.

For my daily driver, I have an '07 RAV4 LTD which I like a lot, it's very nice and as long as it keep working normally and baring no major accidents, I'll probably keep this until about 150k miles...maybe more if it's still working well.

My wife drives an '04 Acura TSX which she seems to really like...I like it too, it's a pretty nice car and has been very reliable. But I think she'll replace this within the next two years or so just because she's been eyeing up other cars she likes.

I just put $2800 into engine work for my 14 yr old del sol. i will probably keep this car until the day i die or until i get too short to see over the steering wheel.

I drive a '94 Volvo 940 station wagon with about 193K miles on it. I will probably drive it until it dies, or until my parents decide to get rid of their current vehicle (a '96 Volvo 960 sedan) as they might give it to me. We won't buy a new car for years yet. We've got to get out of school and join the workforce before we'll be able to afford it. Even then, it's not our first priority (unless we moved to Central Oregon, then the priority of a new, snow-capable vehicle is much higher).

2001 Neon, I hope to drive it into the ground or trade up into a sport car within 5 years.

Otherwise I'm loving the no car payment, practically no maintenance since I'm under 45k miles for an almost 9 year old car.

My 01 PT was bought new; my last two new cars were driven right into the ground, the first for 11 years, the second, which the spouse got after the PT was bought, lasted 15 years.
I can see me driving this car at least another 6 years. Then, I don't know what I'll do-probably have it completely refurbished!
I've had only 3 new cars(and one used POS that lasted me 3 years) since I got my first one at 18.

I drive a 2002 BMW 528iT wagon. I like the car well. It suits most of my needs. I can easily see myself putting another 100-150K miles on it, which would equate to 10 years minimum. It is both the newest and the most expensive car I've ever owned.

We currently have just the one car in our family. I also have a motorcycle that I usually commute to work with, leaving the car at home for my wife and baby if they need it. We have considered off and on adding another car or truck, but find that pretty wasteful since it would be used so seldom.

I'll probably keep my car for another 2-5 years or so. I may have to get an AWD vehicle when I'm in vet school, though, as I intend to be a mobile vet making farm calls.

I plan to keep my NSX for the indefinite future. There's nothing I want (that I can afford) that I would rather have.

Since there is no room in the budget for a CTS right now, and not much else on the market appeals to me, I'll be keeping my '98 Malibu for the next 4-5 years I imagine. Its paid for, although I do need to dump around $1200 into some maintenance and repairs in the next month or two. Once that is done though the car will be in like new condition.

My car is a '99 Jetta TDI with over 200,000 miles and a bunch of stuff on and into it. 50 mpg, no BS driving normal, which I can't do, 47-48 avg., 43 flogging it. It's good for another decade. My wife's is an '09 Hyundai Sonata, 4 cyl 5 speed, nice car but soulless. We'll trade it in about 5 years from now. it won't be worth anything. My car is already worthless, as a trade in, but I wouldn't trade it anyways.

I rarely keep a car for more than a 3-4 years. My Acura is coming up on 2 years old now but I don't have any plans on getting rid of it anytime soon.
Next year might be a different story though.

Driving a 14 year old Saturn that I have had for almost seven years that is approaching equilibrium in repair costs compared to what I paid for it. New clutch, head gaskets, window motors, etc, etc.
We also have a 12 year old windstar that we are keeping, and possibly adding a 30 year old truck - the type you buy for the hauling space not the fuel economy.

I get my money out of every vehicle I've owned. I maintain them fairly well, and as a result, I usually get good service in return.

Presently I have a '99 Expedition bought new, a '99 Ranger bought used in 2000 and a 2006 RX8 i bought new in '07.

Because the kids are grown, the Expedition is rarely used anymore other than occasional towing or when we have a family outing with all the kids and their lovely ladies. I just had to repair the air suspension (broken wire), seat heater (another broken wire), the ABS system (20 dollar sensor) and the cause of a CEL (loose vacuum hose). A few hundred dollars saved by being able to do it myself. This truck still has less than 100k miles and I can see it lasting me quite some time and have no plans to replace it at this time.

The Ranger was bought for the boys to drive while in HS and before they bought their own vehicles. As a result it is the raggiedest of the bunch, but is my daily driver due to the good gas mileage. Because this truck gives me little or no trouble and my drive to and from work is not far, I will keep this vehicle until it is no longer usable.

The RX8 is a weekend driver, damn fun, gets lots of looks and the wife and I both enjoy it. I'll keep it for 10 or 12 years and move into a Corvette unless my wife is working on her PHD. In that case, I'm sure it will still be going strong and I'll just have to wait.

Vehicles are machines and as long as they are maintained will last a very long time.

my 07 nissan will last me forever! muahahahahaha!

well i hope. I just hit 15k miles so i hope to own it till about 200k AT LEAST!

if this broke down, i would get a corvette, and slowly fix the nissan. and have both.

Right now I have a 2006 Subaru wrx wagon and given my extremely short commute length, I will likely keep it for at least another 7 years (I bought it new in 2006).

Previously I had a 1997 Mazda B2300 pickup truck. There was nothing wrong with it, however there was a specific reason that made me upgrade to the Subaru that I haven't seen anyone on this thread discuss. And that reason was safety. As you can imagine the pickup had no side airbags, was RWD, and had no ABS. The crash ratings were abysmal. When I purchased the truck safety was extremely low on my list, but after few close calls due to inclement weather and other drivers who think the laws of physics do not apply to them, I wanted something with a little more protection.

Which leads me to my next point. I'm sure there are others like me out there (though I'm sure we are quite a minority) that will in the future base our decisions to purchase a vehicle based on new safety innovations. Already many vehicles are being made with some form of electronic stability control and other safety features like airbags for the knee area. If enough safety improvements occur within the next 7 years it would be worth it to me to purchase a new vehicle.

I'll keep it through nursing school (3 more years), and then maybe a year more after that. Then I'll trade it in and get myself a 2 door with leather seats and a sunroof, something I've always wanted! Oh, I have an 07 Altima btw. Four door version.

ZOhh. my. Freakin'. GOD.

Iz all I can say for my hatred of the chevvy variety. I just spent $1025 after dumping another $500 on it for maintenance. It's rattly, has no stability, veers to the right .... ZOMFG!!! As soon as I can buy myself the z4, I am either selling or giving away my 2001 Chevrolet Malibu!!!

This feels like more of a census than a discussion. 2001 Jetta, I plan on driving it until it dies, but that's based on the assumption that an electric city car won't be available in the US over the next 10 years. If we get a decent electric car, I might sell the Jetta to a college kid for really cheap and take the plunge. Otherwise, I'm really happy with what I've got now, and I see no reason to think about changing.

We ended up buying a 1985 F-150 for a very reasonable amount, and like the other two cars will likely keep it quite a long time barring any kind of accident or such.
No interest in new vehicles or changing every 2-3 years personally.

Maybe I should have added, is this part of the reason why the US car makers are in trouble? They built cars that last and were reliable to compete against the imports, but now they don't really need replacement. At the same time, they need to support more and more retirees/pensioners.

And, I'm pretty sure they are worried about electric cars, because you could make one last 50 years if you made it out of aluminum, carbon fiber, stainless steel and other durable materials. The only hope is to sell it cheap and charge a monthly fee for the life of the car.

I must have missed the memo on that one.

OH. Yo comprendo.

I'm very interested in purchasing a Chevy Volt assuming they live up to the hype. It's certainly an attempt to try and change public perception about GM, but the motive really isn't as important to me. 40 miles on pure electricity followed by hybrid is perfect for my needs, especially considering it's supposed to have a total range of about 640 miles. I barely drive 10 miles a day on average, but travel occasionally. It seems like a way better option than what's currently available (a 45 mpg Prius or 150 mile range Tesla).
If they're smart (jury's still out on that one) they'll decide to jump on the bandwagon instead of just bucking against it like they've been doing. The Volt seems a step in the right direction, but I'm practicing skepticism considering the claims GM has made in the past.

1982 Toyota 4x4 my dad bought it new and I got it when I was 16 it has over 205000 and hauls my mowing stuff around every summer. I have a 1994 daily driver 4Runner with over 210000 and plan on keeping both until they are no longer drivable but with regular maintenance they should outlast me.

I figure three years. Find an old beater, fix it up to my performance standards, rip around the streets, get bored with it, sell it and move on to the next ride. Helps keep the wrench turning skills fresh and give me the chance to drive all the cool cars that I wanted when I was younger.

got me a 2000 elantra that i plan on driving until the wheels fall off. its got 120k+ miles on it and its running strong still. getting 30+ mpg in the summer. being paid off, there isnt much more i could ask for from a car.

I would still be driving my 2002 Protege today if my sister could afford to buy a car.

I sold her the Protege for cheap back in October and got myself a 2006 9-3. I will be driving it until it is either a) undriveable or b) I can afford something better/newer.

Considering that I've had my Protege for 3 years, I see myself driving the 9-3 for at least as long, if not longer.

I had a 92 325i that I drove to 262k and sold it to a friend - it's still running.

I purchased a 01 325Ci three years ago, it currently has 101k - I'm shooting for 250k. Get rid of all the fancy gadgets and make sure it's a manual - the E46 should last a long time.

'83 Mercedes diesel 300k+ still going and I will keep it going indefinitely. It just makes sense as a car for me. It is comfortable and reliable. I know it well. It gets great mileage, will burn anything liquid, and can actually haul a lot more that any sane person would put in/on it. (I may not fit into the sane category) Even if I come into infinite money somehow, I would still keep it... likely modify it a lot, but still keep it.

'84 F250 diesel... similar to above but bigger and a little worse mileage but it is my offroad and hauling pig. Currently a huge work in progress but when finished it will be able to take me just about anywhere connected by land, sustain me nearly indefinitely, and will be able to haul all the junk I could ever want to at the same time. It too will be kept basically no matter what.

I also have a few motorcycles. These I can actually see getting rid of a few.. tailoring these to my riding style.

My wife's car is a 2009 model we purchased to be a commuter car. It will be replaced as soon as it's no longer reliable.

My vehicle - my baby, really - is a 1980 Ford Bronco. It's a nice rig and I plan on keeping it for the rest of my life (assuming it doesn't get stolen or wrecked).

Americans keeping their cars on the road longer than ever

I saw this article yesterday. It looks like there needs to be some big change to get people to need to spend money on cars. Yet, with uncertainity and no confidence in the market, you need to protect your finacial well being and not take on any big debt.

My car I plan to keep as long as possible. Taking good care of it I think I can (accidents and other complications aside). Maybe my kid will be driving it in 15 years?

My girlfriend's car, she loves. She wants to keep as long as possible too. Her's guzzles more gas than mine. If I could convince her to drop that thing and get a Mini that would be the next car we purchase. Until then, we're fine with what we have. If nothing else I might get a new (to me) motorcycle, but in the meantime I'm planning to fix mine up even though it will do absolutely nothing for resale value. It still runs great and there is no reason for me to upgrade (if anything I need to buy more protective gear).

I drive a 2000 BMW and I love that car so much, the way it drives, the features it has, everything, even how the gas mileage is. I used to plan on getting another one, a newer one before, but honestly with everything considered, it's the best car I ever owned and I plan on keeping it til the wheels fall off, and hell if that happens I'll probably get new wheels for it and drive it until it can never be driven again (catastrophic accident that totals it). I hope to pass that car down to my son or daughter when I have kids as their first car when they get their license, it's such a nice car and very practical too, I couldn't ask for more (except heated seats in the cold, the only option it didn't come with) and I wouldn't trade it for anything, even a new one now.

Thank you. We're all refreshed and challenged by your unique point of view.