I have a paid off 99 Explorer with 111K on it. I consider most American cars with over 100K basic time bombs that anything can go wrong. I can keep them running, but I'm getting close to paying off my 02 Silverado and the trigger finger is getting itchy. I've driven a 84 Toyota pick up and 88 Jeep past 200K in the past but it took plenty of garage time and plenty of AAA calls.

So how long do you keep cars around and what makes you decide to get a new one?

i usually keep a car about ten years. i sold my 84 sunbird and bought a 95 chrysler LHS which i still have.

toby had a 94 cad she just sold to buy a 2005 scion she thought she would like better and she does.

from a philsophical and budget standpoint, when you own the car, it's upkeep for the next 4 or 5 years would not likely cost as much as buyning a new car at 300 to 500 per month for 4 or 5 more years..

I got a 95 Nissan Pickup (long since paid for) with 137,000+ miles on it. Runs like a champ. My wife drives a 2002 Honda Civic EX with 75,000 miles on it, which I just paid off in December. I got a 2004 Infiniti G35 with about 5500 miles on it. It'll be paid off in about 32 more months...

But to answer your question... I keep 'em until the monthly repair bill would equal a car payment, or the wheels fall off. Which takes quite awhile since I am a maintenance freak.

Ya do that... and you'll have plenty each month for cigars.

87 Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe

nuff said

untill i get bored, and quite washen it. i had a nissan frontier for like 2 years, then i saw the new ones and had to get one. awesome truck.

150-2000 thousand miles. mostly Nissans.

That all depends.

My truck is a 65 Chevy 3/4 ton 4x4

My other truck is a 72 Chevy 3/4 ton 4x4

So I plan on keeping at least one for some time, especially since the body on the 65 is being re-done.

But, we had a 99 Chevy Lumina as our family car and traded it off for a 01 Impala. The Impala may be traded off this winter, because the extended warranty runs out.

I've worked on cars and trucks all my life, so the last thing I want to do is work on the family car, plus the wife is real picky about the car. Every little noise or miss and she is on me. So if trading the car in on a new one keeps her happy, then that is what I do. LOL!

In fact, the Impala will be in the dealer's Tuesday for transmission work they screwed up, so we may be looking to trade it off alot sooner.

I usually do the 7 year thing. I've bought 4 trucks since I was 21, 3 new, 1 used. I've never gone over 7 years even though the new trucks had low miles and looked great when I sold them. I'm on my 3rd year with the latest one. I don't put many miles on them, usually between 40-50k for the new ones. I like them to have value when I sell them. This latest one, is a 2002 Silverado, bought it in July 2002, it's got 18,200 miles on it. I'll be keeping this one a little longer than 7 years. My wife wants a new SUV or something. My truck buying days ore over for a long time.

My vehicles,

1964 Ford Custom PU

1969 F250

1970 Hemi Barricuda

1970 VW Karmen Ghia

1970 VW Bus

1997 Silverado

1979 Chevy Monte Carlo

1977 Datsun King cab

I have several others, but I would have to take inventory to remember them all. Most of these are on blocks in the yard.

Yep, call me a redneck.

I have every vehicle I have ever owned, except that old 64 chevy schoolbus, that gave up the ghost, on the way to a dead show in Pittsburg.

Dave (A.K.A. Homebrew)

I never buy new, always a year or so old

Sa far keeping em' goes, I drive em' till they drop

70' Cuda, oooo, ahhhh, schweeeeet,

the best body put out IMO

hemi, bonus BIG bonus

Cuda'

EI: Love 'dem 'Birds!!

Matter of fact, I run Supercoupe fuel injectors in my 1987 Buick Regal T-Type.

Couple of years ago my car was old enough to drive (16 years, in California). Now it's old enough to vote.

I just put a transmission in my 1994 Chevy truck at 215K and the engine is still good $3500 with tune up and other repairs. Mobil one oil every 5K. My 2001 Mustang Bullitt has 39K. Its super charged and blew out a spark plug and they had too pull the head to fix it $2500 brakes and tune up also.Mobil one every 3K. Wife's 1999 Chrysler town N country 48K. Mobil one every 4k. 2002 Ford E450 30' motorhome V10. 8K on it. Mobil one every 4k. CHANGE YOUR OIL! Your cars will love you for it.

Mf wife's Grandparents would get a new car like every 6 months and if her dad did not get the used one we would. They would take our old one as trade in and we would pay the difference of the value. The mini van we have now we paid 20k for with 4K on it 6 months old. they paid 30K. Plus in California the sales tax is 7.75 but since it was a exchange of vehicles between family we paid nothing. But they don't drive any more so those days are gone. So the cars I have now I will keep. Unless I get the bug to get something new but every thing is paid for but the motorhome.

My '96 Saturn has 130,000 miles, and I will likely continue to drive it till she drops. Yes, the mainenance bills are a bit higher now, but I can't afford a new or slightly used car right now. Thankfully, I've had very good luck with Saturns--they are a real workhorse car and will have no problem breaking the 200,000 barrier if given proper care.

1995 BMW 530i with 207k.

Unless it rusts beyond the point of salvage or I wreck it, I want to keep this car for the rest of my life. There is no repair that I won't do to save it. If the engine blows,(at this mileage that could happen any day), I'd lay out the $10K and replace it with a "built" high performance motor. I certainly couldn't find a car that I would love as much for $10K.

The accountants' answer is to buy a new car every 4 years.

THL - please explain why the 'accountants' answer would be to buy new every 4 years?

Aren't accountants supposed to be 'money wise'?

Why would you buy a new one every 4 years? Seems like a huge waste of money to me...

Something about balancing depreciation with value vs. maintenance costs and your payments. Actually, I heard this maybe 20 years ago. Maybe 5 or six years makes more sense now or may be 2.

My point was how long I keep a car is probably more emotional than practical.

I heard that! I had a really bad case of 'Ooooh, I want THAT car' before I finally settled on the G35.

I used to trade trucks every two years. But right now my newest is an 01 and the oldest is a 99.

I'm probably going to buy a new one this year and give the wife the 01.

We'll see 😉

I usually keep one about 2 to 3 years, until this last one, an Acura 3.2TL (99 model) which I bought off of the lease...it was my third Acura in a row, decided it was time to buy one of the damn things! Wife has a 92 BMW 325 and will not part with it!

I wish I had a 50's Cadilac convertable for fun!

Charlie

I usually keep one about 2 to 3 years, until this last one, an Acura 3.2TL (99 model) which I bought off of the lease...it was my third Acura in a row, decided it was time to buy one of the damn things! Wife has a 92 BMW 325 and will not part with it!

I wish I had a 50's Cadilac convertable for fun!

Charlie