Average US vehicle age hits record 11.5 years

Associated Press ^ | Jul 29, 2015 7:29 AM EDT | Dee-Ann Durbin

[Olog-hai]

In the age of Apple’s CarPlay, a lot of cars on the road still have tape decks.

The average vehicle in the U.S. is now a record 11.5 years old, according to consulting firm IHS Automotive, a sign of the increased reliability of today’s vehicles and the lingering impact of the sharp drop in new car sales during the recession.

Drivers behind the wheel of older cars aren’t enjoying some of the latest advanced safety features or infotainment systems that effectively turn cars into cellphones on wheels. Then again, they don’t have to worry about hackers finding their way in to the car’s computer network through the cassette or CD player.

IHS said U.S. registrations grew to a record 257.9 million cars and trucks, up 2 percent from a year earlier. …

[Olog-hai]

Hmm. I still see plenty of two-decade-old Toyota Camrys and Corollas on the road. Dodge Intrepids, not so much; not even 11½-year-old ones.

[dinodino]

Plenty of 15-year old Hondas on the road...we have two of them...

[Crazieman]

My Camaro will be old enough to vote towards the end of the year.

Has enough miles for a one way trip to the moon.

[exnavy]

‘92 ford ranger, 4 cyl, manual shift, rugged, reliable, economical.

[Olog-hai]

My old 2001 Echo had 261K on it when I sold it; the person I sold it to is still driving it.

[Olog-hai]

BTW, what kind of motor in the Camaro?

[Patton@Bastogne]

slowing becoming Cuba with a declining economy that’s worse than the phony government numbers portray ...

[Crazieman]

LS-1

[ctdonath2]

May be a statistical anomaly due to the Obama’s pogrom against used cars via “Cash for Clunkers”.

[Olog-hai]

I heard that was a decent small block. Just four cubic inches short of 350. Wish I had something like that in my Caprice.

[rstrahan]

Not going to pay $30,000 or more for a new car. A good used car will last me for years.

[from occupied ga]

My Camaro will be old enough to vote towards the end of the year.

Lucky you. My '99 has provided a source of income to the auto parts places (both window regulators, air conditioning compressor, belts, front brake discs, etc) and occasionally repair shops when I can't figure out what's causing the problem.

[Olog-hai]

I judged that stupid program by what makes of cars remained on the road afterwards. It wasn’t even a success in Germany, the country that inspired the US version.

[Bluewater2015]

Hmm. I still see plenty of two-decade-old Toyota Camrys and Corollas on the road. Dodge Intrepids, not so much; not even 11½-year-old ones.

---

Factoring in inflation, cars cost twice as much as they did during the 1960s, but the last far longer than twice as long. And they’re much safer. Far more cars on the road than in late 1960s, yet fewer fatalities. Back in the old days, cars had a notable tendency to suffer fatal body rot, something you don’t see so much now. And after 100,000 miles, they were largely worn out. Only reason I’m not driving my 10 year old camry now is because I passed it on to my daughter who got an out of state DOD job and needed good wheels.

[Slambat]

“The average vehicle in the U.S. is now a record 11.5 years old,”

“Hmm. I still see plenty of two-decade-old Toyota Camrys and Corollas on the road.”

I wonder what the average vehicle age is in Cuba.

[two23]

I bought my Accord, brand new in ‘98 and have never had ANY repairs on it, just oil changes (routine stuff) and tires. It doesn’t leak or smoke, the dashboard knobs aren’t falling off and the power windows still work.
I’m keeping it. They are well engineered.
(it was made in Alabama)

[max americana]

Exactly. Plus, the new systems in place allows any outside force to hack into it, especially with the govt mandated “black box” where the gubmint’ records everything. No thanks. I have an 06 V8 Cherokee which does fine.

[Alberta's Child]

I think there's more to it than that. I see three big factors at work here:

1. Starting in the early 1990s, cars (including Big Three cars that were notoriously bad before that) became more reliable.

2. Compared to your median income, new cars are disproportionately more expensive than they've ever been.

3. Related to #2 ... A big factor in the increasing prices is the regulatory mandate for all kinds of gadgets and equipment that most drivers would never buy if they were optional.

The third point is a big one. I'm actually in the market for two new vehicles (one a work truck), and I've made up my mind that I'll do the following: (A) I'll lease one car, since I don't have any faith in the long-term reliability of all these gadgets; and (B) I'll defer any action on the work truck, since I don't see a value in spending a lot of extra money for things in a vehicle that I don't need and don't want.

[Georgia Girl 2]

My Honda CRV is 9 years old this month. Runs and looks like a champ. 73,000 miles. Just getting broken in. :-)

[Georgia Girl 2]

Bingo!