How long most of the people keep their cars now adays?

[jsleesi]

I understand that the keeping time of the car has been increasing due to high new car cost.
Is that reason so many people are concerning about the motor oil?
If you go through all the issues, all we are talking about oil, Dino, systhetic and other oil additives.
How about other fluid and parts that related to engine to run ???

 

[scirocco16V]

synthetic lubricants is just another piece of technology that became commercialized after first introduced to military. Look around you, laser finders in hardware stores, night vision scopes,
carbon brakes and panels etc..synthetics are just another hight tech piece that should be included in todays car. every fluid will be synthetic based and that cuts down in maintenance costs. So it doesn't really matter if you keep the car 2 yrs or 20 , synthetics will still save you money.
Europeans are far more into cutting those costs than we are. Check to see how many Euro cars have aluminum based frames or even carbon panels in order to get better mileage thru weight reduction.
the only exception is tires where we still haven't find the ultimate compound that will give max grip and max life.

 

[Patman]

My father gets a new company car every 3 years, but even still he has used synthetics for the last 10-12 years. For him it's simply easier, this way he can push his oil change intervals to 6k. He treats every leased car as if he's going to buy it, because one of these days he will be doing just that. Probably the next company car he leases (in summer 2003) will be the one he keeps after he retires.

 

[digitaldrifter91]

i used to do it every 7500 in my 91 honda accord. i use regular oil..penzoil. now i use mobile drive clean and planning to start changing it every 3000 or so. hehe idiot me

 

[joee12]

quote:

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Originally posted by Patman:
My father gets a new company car every 3 years, but even still he has used synthetics for the last 10-12 years. For him it's simply easier, this way he can push his oil change intervals to 6k. He treats every leased car as if he's going to buy it, because one of these days he will be doing just that. Probably the next company car he leases (in summer 2003) will be the one he keeps after he retires.

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Patman, what happened to him getting a Marauder?

-Joe

 

[Patman]

You must be confusing me with someone else. My dad did say he liked the Caddy CTS though. But chances are good he'll buy a Volvo turbo wagon.

 

[metroplex]

My 81 T-bird was purchased brand new in March of 1981 w/ 16 miles on the odometer.

Since then it's been a daily driver.
It used the cheapest dino 10W-40 up to last october, with Dex-III/Mercon in the AOD up till 2 years ago, with dino 80W-90 gear lube up till 2 years ago.

Now it uses 5W-30 w/ Mercon-V in the ATF, and Pennzoil PAO 75W-90 GL-5 gear lube.

It has 97,000 miles and is still a daily driver.

The engine is a 302 V8 with a Motorcraft 2150 2-bbl carb.

The engine was manufactured in 1979, so its about 22+ years old. I found some traces of sludging inside the engine and instead of a gunmetal/metal color, the inside of the engine is reddish/brown.

I've used ATF to clean out the engine twice, and it has helped with the front/rear main seal leakage. With 5W-30, it no longer leaks (not that I can see) and starts up easier in the colder winters.

I had to change the valve stem seals though, but other than that I think its in decent shape.

The 2000 Crown Vic I factory ordered is a different story. With today's materials, workmanship, and quality of parts I'd say it will last only 10-15 years TOPS.

As you can see I'm not one of those ppl that buy new cars every 4-6 years. I get one only when absolutely necessary.

If I had $25-30k to spend on a new car right this moment, I'd source out a late 60s to mid 70s muscle car and do a full performance restoration.
The reason being new cars are crap, there's more techno babble than substance. Maintenance is getting more expenisve with electronic sensor garbage, and the overall quality is bleh.

 

[joatmon]

My wife's 86 BMW 528e was purchased new and has 191k on it. It's treated very well and continues to be very reliable and comfortable. We've talked about replacing it recently, but figured why spend 40k+ on a replacement. Most replacement candidates fall short in one way or another. In SC, we pay personal property taxes on vehicles. So, a new car means another $600 - 800 in taxes, and another $600 - 800 in increased insurance costs per year.

My 97 4 Runner was purchased new and has 96k. It runs great and I have no plans to replace it. Maybe I'll get 250k+ out of each one?

 

[2533a]

NH has personal property tax on vehicles as well and it is based on book value so it decreases every year until it reaches a minimum. I love the $38 annual tax on my '91 Camry and the $25 tax on my '91 Toyota pickup. Ten years and 200K on the odometer is easy with today's quality.