How long do you keep your car?

[hc5duke]

I and my family lease cars, so we have them for 2 years. Right now, my car is "The Boss", a 2007 Hummer H3 (before you all gang up on me, it gets fairly good mileage for an SUV - 15 city, 18-19 hwy). We usually get cars/SUVs based on the best deal. Hopefully by the time I have to turn in The Boss next summer, I will be able to get the new Cadillac CTS...but if something else comes along in the GM family, I will take it.

Sacrilege! There is only one type of car that *can* be called The Boss:


Back on topic, any reason why you lease for 2 years? Corporate deal? New car feel/look? GM cars don't run after 2 years? I mean I guess if you get a new car every 2 years a lease is better than taking a hit on the initial depreciation, but gees, that's a lot of money you're spending...

[Highlander]

First car was a '98 Altima, new. Always wanted a new car, and felt like I got a good deal. Planned to run the wheels off of it, but ran into the back end of a pickup and did $4K worth of damage to a car with 130K miles, so it was done. Bought a very similar '07 Accord, new, and plan to run the wheels off of it if I can.

My wife had a '93 Camry that she tried to run the wheels off of, but failed. The only reason we traded it was that we needed a bigger car b/c there were kids on the way. We ended up with an '03 Highlander, new. We looked at used, but it seemed like for every year older it was, you added at least 15K miles and the price dropped $3K. It seemed to me that if a car will last X number of years, than buying used gets you X-the age of the car. In the case of Toyotas, it seemed like I was getting $3K off the price, but losing a year's worth of use out of the car.

That being said, we've paid off two cars so far, and are on our third. By the time the Accord is paid off, the Highlander will be ~10 years old and ~$150-175K miles. If I can get an extra year or two out of it before it dies, I'll be happy. We've managed to only have one car payment at a time, which has been nice, so I guess you could say we try to keep them 10 years.

[devil84]

It's not 100% accurate, as no generalizations are, but I have found that with pretty much everybody I've talked to or heard about (from friends, family, and neighbors and their stories of others, to famous people and cars in movies and television), men typically have female cars and women typically have male cars. I'm sure Freud, were he still around, would have something to say about it.

I fit the generalization! Since I'm a "she," my car is a "he."

[blublood]

I despise making car payments, and I despise the payments my husband has to make on his car, so I'm going to keep mine until it is D-E-D, dead. It's a 98 Ford Escort, 2 door, which I also use to transport a baby. While I resent how inconvenient that arrangement is, the $40 a month insurance payment is terrific and I own it free and clear.

[allenmurray]

We drive so little in StL that I expect the Prius to last over 20 years if I get tenure and we get to stay there.

I'm curious what the effect of age will be on the batteries (as opposed to mileage). I fully admit I know nothing about this stuff - but are the batteries as heavily impacted by age as by useage? If so, will a hybird last longer if driven less, or is age as much a factor as mileage?

[Bluedawg]

I'm curious what the effect of age will be on the batteries (as opposed to mileage). I fully admit I know nothing about this stuff - but are the batteries as heavily impacted by age as by useage? If so, will a hybird last longer if driven less, or is age as much a factor as mileage?

A car battery will die if you don't drive it. It has to be charged.

[Turk]

I despise making car payments, and I despise the payments my husband has to make on his car, so I'm going to keep mine until it is D-E-D, dead. It's a 98 Ford Escort, 2 door, which I also use to transport a baby. While I resent how inconvenient that arrangement is, the $40 a month insurance payment is terrific and I own it free and clear.

Life without car payments is a very good thing. We are of the school where one writes a check for something 3-5 yrs old with less than 50K, and then aims for 200K miles or until it dies, whichever comes first. It has worked well - we've never had a car for less than 6 yrs and 100K of our own miles, and just 3 yrs of car payments in more than 20 yrs of owning cars. (even the piece-of-crap econoboxes when we were just starting out with no money but more debt...)

Although the kids hate the minivan - it's a 96 Windstar with 140K miles, but it doesn't have DVD or game outlets like all their friends' vans and SUVs do. So when they complain, I get to tell them, "Hah - at least you have air conditioning - back in my day if we wanted AC we had to open the window and tell Dad to drive fast, and even then you had to roll the windows down yourself with a HANDLE!!" (I love that. It will be even better if I can make it last until my oldest goes off to college - it will be a constant source of chagrin during the high school years, not to mention pulling up to the dorm to unload during freshman year... heh heh heh)

[allenmurray]

A car battery will die if you don't drive it. It has to be charged.

Yes, that part is obvious.

However, the batteries in a hybird are of a very different type, serve a different function,and are far more numerous that the one in a traditional car (turn the starter motor is its only real purpose).

I was referring to the impact of age on these newer type of batteries.

[DevilAlumna]

This is an interesting conversation -- I'm contemplating upgrading from my '00 Nissan Altima in the next year, to something more mom-mobile-ish. But, I'm really happy not having a car payment, and although I don't get great gas mileage for a small sedan (17/21), driving my current car is still greener than getting a new car entirely. I'm somehow trying to balance my new car lust (my dad traded up every 5-7 years, it rubbed off) with practicality. So far, new car smell is winning out.

As for names, my husband names every vehicle, some female name. Right now, we have Jorja, Josie, Liv, and Reba. My Altima is a rather nondescript, grey little thing, so his name is "Ned."

[hc5duke]

As for names, my husband names every vehicle, some female name. Right now, we have Jorja, Josie, Liv, and Reba. My Altima is a rather nondescript, grey little thing, so his name is "Ned."

This is drifting off-topic but that's why we have this board, right? My two cars were both female - Sandy (got stuck in sand and had to get towed out the first week I got it) and Sally (after Boomhauer's first car, which in turn is named after a song I've never heard before (scratch that, I just listened to it online)).

[gvtucker]

My oldest car is an 1985, my newest is a 2000. The one in the middle might die the earliest, my '97 Saturn. This is mostly because the Saturn is getting the lion's share of the driving these days with its superior gasoline mileage. The 2000 is a Land Cruiser, so it gets crappy mileage, but for long trips, it still has to be the car of choice because it can carry the whole family plus a decent load of cargo. It's got 125K on it right now, I fully expect it to get above 200K. The Saturn might make it to 150K, but I'm not sure it has much more than that in it.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

My first car was a '66 3-speed Mustang. Her name was Gertrude.

Now it's fully restored and in basically a vault at my brother's. The Boon family (that's my last name) has owned that car since the mid-70s.

So I guess you could say the car is at Boon's Farm?

My cars have always been "it"s. Never named one other than calling it mine and yours (referring to my wife's vehicle).

[allenmurray]

My oldest car is an 1985, my newest is a 2000. The one in the middle might die the earliest, my '97 Saturn. This is mostly because the Saturn is getting the lion's share of the driving these days with its superior gasoline mileage. The 2000 is a Land Cruiser, so it gets crappy mileage, but for long trips, it still has to be the car of choice because it can carry the whole family plus a decent load of cargo. It's got 125K on it right now, I fully expect it to get above 200K. The Saturn might make it to 150K, but I'm not sure it has much more than that in it.

Probably not a 97 Saturn - but I am as comfortable with my newer ones (I drive a 2006, my wife a 2004) as I was with my 290k+ Camry Wagon. I think Saturns are underappreciated.

[throatybeard]

I'm curious what the effect of age will be on the batteries (as opposed to mileage). I fully admit I know nothing about this stuff - but are the batteries as heavily impacted by age as by useage? If so, will a hybird last longer if driven less, or is age as much a factor as mileage?

I don't know yet. It has 103K on it. Shalay drives it about 6 miles to work. It currently gets like 100 miles on it a week. A 12 gallon tank of gas lasts us more than a month unless we go out of town.

[allenmurray]

I don't know yet. It has 103K on it. Shalay drives it about 6 miles to work. It currently gets like 100 miles on it a week. A 12 gallon tank of gas lasts us more than a month unless we go out of town.

I've had one twice as a rental car and really liked it.

I helped my mother buy a used car a while back - it had very, very low mileage for its age (10 years old, 6000 actual miles). The mechanic I took it to (who I've used regularly for years) pointed out to me that age can be as hard on some components of a car as mileage. That got me to thnking about the battery issue for hybrids that don't get driven a lot. On the other hand, give how difficult they are to get, and that there is currently a price premium, they probably are not a wise (economic) choice for someone who doesn't drive a lot anyway.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

From Toyota's web site:

Hybrid-Related Component Coverage Hybrid-related components for hybrid vehicles are covered for 8 years/100,000 miles. The HV battery may have longer coverage under emissions warranty. Refer to applicable Owner's Warranty Information booklet for details.

Fron Honda's web site:

Its IMA battery pack comes with an 8-year/80,000-mile warranty, or a 10-year/150,000-mile warranty in CA,CT, MA, ME, NY or VT.* See your dealer for details.

I think when it comes time to replace the hybrid batteries, most people will find it cheaper to trade the vehicle back to the dealer rather than plunk down big bucks for replacement batteries. I'd be very leary of buying a high mileage or 7 year old Prius or Civic.

[Indoor66]

From Toyota's web site:



Fron Honda's web site:



I think when it comes time to replace the hybrid batteries, most people will find it cheaper to trade the vehicle back to the dealer rather than plunk down big bucks for replacement batteries. I'd be very leary of buying a high mileage or 7 year old Prius or Civic.

Does that mean that one would be prudent to think of the depreciable life to $nominal value of the vehicle is 7-8 years? That would severly alter the real cost of the vehicle, wouldn't it?

[hurleyfor3]

Until she hits 50. Then they usually start to go downhill.

Oh wait, this isn't the cougar thread.

[AtlBluRew]

I also keep my cars until they don't run. In fact, before the present car, I had a Jeep for 12 years, though it had about 11 years of actual running time, what with all the time it spent in the shop! That experience made me see the importance of proper maintenance. I've had my Saab now for 10 years.

[carolinekoala]

I've had everything from from a '55 Chevy to a VW Bug to a 3/4 ton Ford Econoline Van but the best was a '92 Jeep Cherokee. I drove it for 11 years & then traded it to my lawn maintenance people for 3 years of free yard work.