Cars that we keep forever

[spasm3]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
I particularly enjoy how it's invisible to cops.

My 4 door ciera looks slow even at 75, cops don't notice it.

 

[exranger06]

I never get sick of driving the same car year after year. I've had my Accord for about 9 years, and before that it was my parent's car. They bought it way back in 1995 and I grew up riding around in it since I was 7 years old. I'm not sick of it yet, and I have no problem driving it another 15 years. And if/when it finally does die, I already have a replacement vehicle lined up: My grandmother's identical 1992 Accord, same year, same color and everything. 56k original miles, mint condition. Currently not being driven, stored in a climate controlled garage. That'll get me another 20 years of driving the same vehicle and I'm content with that.

I've had my Ranger for 8 1/2 years now, and I also plan on keeping that forever. I'm definitely not sick of it, it's extremely practical, and I couldn't buy an equivalent new truck today even if I wanted to. All the new trucks are too big.

 

[wander2039]

^Wish I had the capability! I've only kept vehicles 2-3 years up till the Focus/Escape. The odds are similar year Corolla to Focus overall would of been more reliable but I didn't make the purchase. The Escape has been as reliable as any Toyota in the family. I grew up in a family that traded every 3-5 years so it's hard not to get the new car bug, plus all the guys are buying them at work. Would like to keep both another 10-15 years till the kids move out.. save some money for full-time RVing instead. Time will tell.

 

[Benzadmiral]

Originally Posted By: stchman
I don't see how people can keep a car for over 10 years. Me personally I get sick of looking at the same car for that long. I could not imagine driving the same minivan for 10+ years.

Me either. The closest I ever came, the record holder among my cars (6.75 years), was the '84 Ford Escort. And that was because I had no other choice. Once I was earning more money, it went. The Buick Park Avenue I kept for 6.25 years for an opposite reason: I couldn't find anything I liked enough to switch.

 

[Andrew1972]

Originally Posted By: stchman
Originally Posted By: madRiver
Originally Posted By: stchman
I don't see how people can keep a car for over 10 years. Me personally I get sick of looking at the same car for that long. I could not imagine driving the same minivan for 10+ years.


The primary reason is financial sense/wealth building however that is clearly lacking with the US auto buying public.

The folks I know who have financial worth tend to keep vehicles a long time. My parents drive/drove vehicles into the ground(tow truck typically hauls off property). I cannot do there typical 15years and stick with 10-12 years.

However that is logical and the other emotional part of the equation kicks in and we run out and buy a new car.


This assumes that the car you keep for 20 years does not need maintenance(highly unlikely). I personally buy a vehicle new and keep my vehicles about 7 years(after that I get sick of looking at them). In those 7 years I perform routine maintenance (tires, oil changes, brakes, etc.), I then get rid of the vehicle while it still has value. A vehicle that is 15 years old with 250K+ miles on it is going to be next to worthless(maybe $1000) and the odds are that it will have cost you a few bucks to maintain it. My way works for me, but other folks can do what makes them feel comfortable.


It is what folks are comfortable with.

What it transpires to is I personally spent a lot less then 2 vehicles/potential loan-trade in using one vehicle paid cash+repairs+selling off for $1000. The hard part is getting something that is a balance of reliable, enjoyable, and fits your use case over such a period.

 

[hattaresguy]

I have no interest in any vehicle past the 10 year mark, to much age and rust stuff starts to show up.

I really don't get the love affair with Toyota's, they have never done a thing for me. Also they seem to break as often as anything else.

 

[CBR.worm]

I used to buy new cars every couple of years, then I had kids. Since having kids I've only bought one car - so we would have something bigger to drive them around with all their junk. Our cars are now 7, 10 and 10 years old, I have no plans to replace any of them until they will roll no more.

Realistically the BMW will probably be replaced in a few years, but that would be from reliability concerns if they arise.

If my G35 makes it to 250k, my first kid could learn to drive in it.

 

[sciphi]

We're trying to keep our two for a good long while. I figure by the time they hit 200-250k miles is when we'll start looking at replacements. That will work out to about 10-12 years, or long enough to develop rust that's not worth repairing.

 

[dareo]

We just bought a 1987 Corolla SR5 from the original owner. He had put 155k miles on since then.

 

[Jetronic]

I've just heard on the radio what our govrnment is planning with the annual car tax, and the additional tax when you buy a vehicle.µ

the same car I have now and bought new in 2013 would cost me about 3600 euro just to get the title in my name if bought in 2016. I paid 400 euro in 2016... Same engine as a current cruze diesel.

the annual tax would increase substantially aswell, it's another 400 euro right now.

Luckly nothing changes as long as I keep what I got. So this is likely the car I will have forever as they'd force me to downsize to a 1 litre petrol...

 

[Alfred_B]

@Jetronic, How is the Giuletta as a car? My wife wants to get one when they start selling it in the US.

 

[KrisZ]

The Mazda in my signature is the longest kept car for me so far. But it was also the first and only car I bought brand new. My wife and I still like the way it looks and drives, it gets pretty good gas mileage, still meets our needs and so far is very reliable. There is no reason to get rid of it just for the sake of change.
Plus I drove fairly recent compact offerings and aside from some gadgets, they offer no improvement over my current ride.

 

[Malo83]

1983 Silverado with 230K on the clock, she's still my Daily Driver, bought new in June 83

"Like a Rock"

 

[Jetronic]

Originally Posted By: Alfred_B
@Jetronic, How is the Giuletta as a car? My wife wants to get one when they start selling it in the US.


I didn't know they were going to sell it in the US.

I get excellent mileage with mine, and it's got morepower than I can use. 170 bhp diesel engine. On a run I can get 80 Mpg (uk).

So far the car has been reliable aswell, no dpf issues or fuel contamination although I drive mostly short runs. When I bought it my commute was 30+ miles, now it's 2.

the rear space isn't very big, but comparable to ther hatchbacks of the same size (i30/golf/focus etc).

noise is well insulated, especially engine noise and environmental noise but tyre noise does intrude. But this is dependant on the fitted tyres. I have Pirelli P7 but another G I drove had goodyear efficientgrip and was much quieter. the P7 are hardwearing though, unusual for a Pirelli.

The plastics used on the door cards is hard, the older alfas had soft upholstery so don't know why they did this. I don't really mind, this might be healthier though.

The radio I have has been replaced by Uconnect, but the Bose extra is good. You can crank up the volume to incredible levels without distortion. 10 speaker setup. there's also an 8 and 6 speaker setup.

The suspension is on the stiff side, but I got the dynamic chassis so to be expected. the standard setup is softer but I suspect the Dart might be softer still.

I doubt the giulietta will come to the US in the current form though... My bet is the next giulietta will come, based on the Giulia chassis and thus RWD.

 

[Alfred_B]

Thanks. You probably are right about which model will be sold here. FIAT has been reluctant to aggressively bring its cars, so far only FIAT 500 is available. But I have seen reviews for Alfa Romeo models (4C most recently) so I am hopeful.

 

[Bladecutter]

Originally Posted By: Alfred_B
Thanks. You probably are right about which model will be sold here. FIAT has been reluctant to aggressively bring its cars, so far only FIAT 500 is available. But I have seen reviews for Alfa Romeo models (4C most recently) so I am hopeful.


Ummn, not just the Fiat 500 is available.

Sold in the US Market:

Fiat 500 Pop, Sport, Lounge
Fiat 500 Turbo
Fiat 500 Abarth
Fiat 500L
Fiat 500X

Alfa Romeo 4C Coupe
Alfa Romeo 4C Spyder

Coming soon:

Fiat 124 (built on 2016 Mazda Miata platform)
Alfa Romeo Gulia - https://www.alfaromeousa.com/cars/alfa-romeo-giulia (built on a modified Maserati Ghibli platform)

BC.

 

[Win]

I've had my Xj12 two decades; I'll probably keep it forever.

Probably I will keep the Solstice forever, if for no other reason than to give it to my three year old when he's old enough to drive.

I'm afraid I'll be stuck with my wife's old Caddy forever.

I would have liked to have kept the S-10 forever, unfortunately, I am involuntarily separated from it at the moment ( as well as a complete car shop full of tools, compressors, etc.) I think there is little chance of seeing it again.

 

[Jetronic]

Originally Posted By: Jetronic
I've just heard on the radio what our govrnment is planning with the annual car tax, and the additional tax when you buy a vehicle.µ

the same car I have now and bought new in 2013 would cost me about 3600 euro just to get the title in my name if bought in 2016. I paid 400 euro in 2016... Same engine as a current cruze diesel.

the annual tax would increase substantially aswell, it's another 400 euro right now.

Luckly nothing changes as long as I keep what I got. So this is likely the car I will have forever as they'd force me to downsize to a 1 litre petrol...


And today the gov't announced a tax increase on diesel fuel making it even harder to sell my car for a decent price.

Yes, I'm married to it, till death do us part...

 

[ls1mike]

Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
I have no interest in any vehicle past the 10 year mark, to much age and rust stuff starts to show up.


Disagree, we don't have rust here. My daily driver is an 11 year old car with 67,000 miles on it. My truck is an 02 with 42,000 miles on it. No rust.

You need to move.