Average car age in America at 11.4 years!

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Looks like people are keeping their cars and trucks on the road longer then ever before.
And it doesn't look like the trend is about to stop any time soon.


Quote:
The age of the American car and light truck fleet is the oldest it’s ever been, according to data firm R.L. Polk. Polk said in 2012 the average age all light vehicles on U.S. roads was 11.4 years, up from 11.2 years in 2011, and 10.9 years in 2010, the eleventh straight annual increase.


Heartland-Advisors-Average-Age-of-Cars-in-US.jpg


http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2013/08...s-old-a-record/
 
It's two things: (1) people keep cars longer due to the shaky economic situation, and (2) cars are built very well these days and can easily turn 100-200k without needing major teardowns.
 
The BEST car is the one that's "Paid" for. IMO an oldie that's paid for is better than a new car w/ payments.


Absolutely True: I laugh every time when dealer try to sell me extended warranty.

Quote: "(2) cars are built very well these days and can easily turn 100-200k without needing major teardowns"
 
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I can't speak for anyone else but the unrealistic prices have kept me from shopping for a new car. A recent thread on here where a forum member was looking at trucks was a perfect example. A 2-wheel drive pickup truck that stickered for $38,000 is just ridiculous.
 
Originally Posted By: FowVay
I can't speak for anyone else but the unrealistic prices have kept me from shopping for a new car. A recent thread on here where a forum member was looking at trucks was a perfect example. A 2-wheel drive pickup truck that stickered for $38,000 is just ridiculous.


I'll say the same thing as you. Prices are unrealistic. My truck is 13 years old, bought it new for 21k. Even accounting for inflation you can't come close to that anymore.

As long as the frame is sound it'll keep going.
 
Originally Posted By: AandPDan
Originally Posted By: FowVay
I can't speak for anyone else but the unrealistic prices have kept me from shopping for a new car. A recent thread on here where a forum member was looking at trucks was a perfect example. A 2-wheel drive pickup truck that stickered for $38,000 is just ridiculous.


I'll say the same thing as you. Prices are unrealistic. My truck is 13 years old, bought it new for 21k. Even accounting for inflation you can't come close to that anymore.

As long as the frame is sound it'll keep going.


^^Same here. I absolutely LOVE my 17 year old car!
 
Originally Posted By: FowVay
I can't speak for anyone else but the unrealistic prices have kept me from shopping for a new car. A recent thread on here where a forum member was looking at trucks was a perfect example. A 2-wheel drive pickup truck that stickered for $38,000 is just ridiculous.


This is exactly it. Some car brands that we used to think of as lower end start near $30,000!

Yes cars last longer. But I don't think suddenly people smartened up about maintenance and making things last just to be frugal to save money for real things in life.....it's more like: "$40K for THAT? I'll get a few more years out of old Betsy"
 
Gotta shop "last year's model". I got quite a bit off of the focus for that ...


Originally Posted By: SigQAEngineer
The BEST car is the one that's "Paid" for. IMO an oldie that's paid for is better than a new car w/ payments.


Absolutely True: I laugh every time when dealer try to sell me extended warranty.

Quote: "(2) cars are built very well these days and can easily turn 100-200k without needing major teardowns"


I'm learning that one! Once this one is paid for I'm not financing one. Ever.
 
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Curious if it's the same here in Canada. I attended a presentation offered by GM on the Volt last year. During the Q&A at the end of the presentation a guest asked what the life expectancy of the battery would be. The presenter answered "The life of the vehicle, 8 years". I thought to myself, WOW!
 
Originally Posted By: GSCJR
Curious if it's the same here in Canada. I attended a presentation offered by GM on the Volt last year. During the Q&A at the end of the presentation a guest asked what the life expectancy of the battery would be. The presenter answered "The life of the vehicle, 8 years". I thought to myself, WOW!

Im going to assume you can get a new battery, at a very prohibitive cost. Disposable car!
 
Car prices go up over time, obviously, but some cars are moving upmarket. The Taurus, for example, used to be a moderately-priced midsize family sedan. It's now a full-size sedan with a TON of high-end features in it.
 
Originally Posted By: GSCJR
Curious if it's the same here in Canada. I attended a presentation offered by GM on the Volt last year. During the Q&A at the end of the presentation a guest asked what the life expectancy of the battery would be. The presenter answered "The life of the vehicle, 8 years". I thought to myself, WOW!


Being that new cars cost more in Canada I'll bet that we keep them on the road longer than our southern neighbours.
We have less government regs that condemn alot of older vehicles such as smog testing is only in densely populated areas and some provinces don't require a safety when ownership exchanges hands(like Saskatchewan).
I routinely see 70's and 80's models being driven as daily driver transport here. No salt so no rust. No smog. So unless its got glaring violations such as holes through the body into cab or broken windshield its a get in and go type deal.
 
My Honda Civic will hit 30 years old in a few months. It has A/C but manual windows, 5-speed manual transmission and no power breaks, no cruise control or ABS. I bought the car new and paid cash, never had a car payment. The biggest expenses so far are a steering rack, lower control arm and bushings, a radiator, bearings in the transmission and wear and tear parts. Also I just rebuilt the engine at 421K miles because the oil rings failed and it would not pass California smog. Up until that, the head was never off. The car is a wagon and is very handy. It drives just fine, gets 37-40 mpg and in the San Diego area we don't have any weather do the body is in great condition. The only problem I see is no air bags and at about 2,200 pounds if I get hit on the freeway I'm Spam in a can. I have no plans to ever sell it. I hope to be able to drive it to my own funeral.
 
Not only are cars much higher quality than they were 20 or so years ago, I think that people are finally realizing that it's stupid to be making years of payments on a depreciating asset.

Back in the late 90's and early 2000's financing was available for anyone with a pulse, and it got a lot of people in deep trouble. Quite a few people (at least the smart ones) realized that perpetual vehicle debt was extremely stupid, and more and more people started saving up and paying cash, or simply held on to their 5-6 year old car and kept that monthly payment for themselves.
 
Around here, folks are keeping cars for longer, or until something major fails that is the final straw for that particular car. For example, my mom had a 1998 Subaru Legacy , purchased in 2001, that overheated in 85+*F weather for the past 3-4 years. She kept driving it until 2 months ago when the brake booster and a brake line let go. That was in addition to a recurring CEL that would go out just long enough to pass inspection, but her mechanic told her would be a few hours of labor to determine the cause of, plus the cost of whatever fix it needed.

In short, the car had a lot of expensive to fix problems, and she was better served by a new car when the latest problem cropped up.
 
For me its price and I try to not be an over user of the earth's resources. Each year I can keep my vehicle running saves all the resources required to build a new one which I assume are substantial.

So, it has to run well and not be embarrassing.

And having slightly older vehicles and no payments allows me to have two.

How much is a decently equipped Jeep Grand Cherokee (2014)?
 
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I grew with idea of never getting rid of a car from parents and grandparents. Buy a nice car barely used or brand new. My parents drive 14 year old cars. Me no plans on dumping ours either if we can help it. They are paid for.
 
Originally Posted By: FowVay
I can't speak for anyone else but the unrealistic prices have kept me from shopping for a new car. A recent thread on here where a forum member was looking at trucks was a perfect example. A 2-wheel drive pickup truck that stickered for $38,000 is just ridiculous.


Its not only ridiculous its not true. My bare-bones full size 2012 pickup truck cost $21.5. Bare bones ain't what it used to be, as vehicle had radio AT AC cloth seats considerable interior storage space and 300hp. There are plenty of vehicles in the 22K or less price range (real world, not msrp) with high powered engines, better than average interiors, 6 or more speed transmissions or sporty suspensions. You pay up the minute you option up, but that's a function of the PT Barnum effect.
 
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