Can you guess why Americans keep older cars longer?

The Los Angeles Daily News / The Associated Press ^ | August 6, 2013 | Tom Krisher

[2ndDivisionVet]

Americans are keeping their cars and trucks longer than ever, and even with new car sales increasing, the average age will continue to rise, an industry research firm says.

The average age of the 247 million cars and trucks on U.S. roads hit a record of 11.4 years in January, the latest figures available from state registration data gathered by the Polk research firm.

That's up from 11.2 years in 2012, and nearly two full years older than in 2007, before the start of the Great Recession, Polk said Tuesday....

[stylin19a]

geeze...you’re slowing down...took 37 posts before you posted the hundo car.

[IbJensen]

I have two fairly new cars and at my age these will be the last I’ll purchase.

2008 Mercedes E-320 Bluetec

2012 Volkswagen Jetta TDI

[muir_redwoods]

Had to replace the 05 Honda CR-V last month after my wife put it hard into a tree. No one hurt but the car was totaled. We bought a Toyota RAV-4. The other cars are a 2000 Volvo, still running strong and a 2002 Audi also running well. Other than collisions, I don’t expect to buy more.

[zencycler]

Buying a used car and keeping it going has several advantages over buying a new car, say every three years, as some do:

1) In addition to the significantly higher up-front costs, a new car buyer must either incur and additional monthly expense of additional collision and theft insurance, or face the risk of a significant loss without it.

2) The market values of new cars decline at a significantly higher rate over the first three years.

3) New car buyers like to claim "peace of mind" - referring to not needing to bring the car in for repairs. However, that argument fall flat when you consider the following: Bird crap, dents, scratches, monthly costs (mentioned above), forgetting where you parked and wondering if your car was stolen, avoiding any contact with other cars when parking (for fear of a dent or scratch), giving way to my older car on the road (for the same reason).

4) For many, it's an unhealthy state of mind (only owning the newest and the best) which guides many other purchasing decisions and leads to folks living beyond their means.

[central_va]

My teenage son destroyed my fleet.....

[RedStateGuyTrappedinCT]

200K , ad a new engine on my '02 Tacoma , but hey, at least it's paid for.
The last thing I need is a $400.00/mo car payment.

[randita]

Now, if you could only figure out how to park ‘er straight - :)

[TurboZamboni]

Americans saw wealth plummet 40 percent from 2007 to 2010, Federal Reserve says
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/fed-americans-wealth-dropped-40-percent/2012/06/11/gJQAlIsCVV_story.html

U.S. poverty heads toward highest level in 50 years
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-us-poverty-heads-toward-highest-level-in-50-years-20120723,0,5437495.story

New jobs disproportionately low-pay or part-time
http://news.yahoo.com/jobs-disproportionately-low-pay-part-time-162103614.html

heckuvajob, Barry!

[luvbach1]

Because of Marvel Mystery Oil.

Love that stuff. I used it on my 1992 Toyota Camry since new. It had 330,000 miles on it when I sold it in 2006. Didn't smoke; didn't burn oil; ran smoothly. Of course, the Camry deserves some credit.

[Average Al]

People are retiring or getting older and they don’t drive as much.

[TurboZamboni]

Quality helps Americans keep old cars longer
BY TOM KRISHER AP Auto Writer

http://www.twincities.com/ci_23803621/quality-helps-americans-keep-old-cars-longer

Administration Propaganda says it’s because we just cannot break our cars.

[Average Al]

People are retiring or getting older and they don’t drive as much.

[Carriage Hill]

The Gremlin & Matador were very close second/third. LOL.

[Iron Munro]

That's part of the reason, but it doesn't explain the spike in the age of the average car, from 9 years to 11, since 2007, the last year of Bush's term in office.

The average might be even higher but for President O'Bozo's $3 Billion Dollar "War On Clunkers" that took almost 700,000 cars out of the used car pipeline.

Obama's 'Cash For Clunkers' Unleashed 'Environmental Nightmare'

"In a classic tale illustrating the “law of unintended consequences,” a new report concludes that President Barack Obama’s $3 billion “Cash for Clunkers” taxpayer-funded boondoggle artificially drove car prices up, not down, and unleashed an “environmental nightmare” through shredding, not recycling, many of the 690,000 cars people traded in for an up to $4,500 car credit."

A study conducted by Resources for the Future further underscored the program’s failure economically and environmentally:

"Approximately 45 percent of the spending went to consumers who would have purchased a new vehicle anyway. Our results suggest no gain in sales beyond 2009 and hence no meaningful stimulus to the economy. In addition, the program will reduce CO2 emissions by only 9 to 28.4 million tons, implying a cost per ton ranging from $91 to $288 even after accounting for reduced criteria pollutants."

As the Washington Post even conceded, Mr. Obama’s Cash for Clunkers scheme was an economic and environmental failure: “So were the naysayers right?” asked the Post. “It seems so.”

[RedStateGuyTrappedinCT]

Here in the Demokratic Republic of Connecticut we get taxed every year based on the value of our vehicle (car, truck , MC ,boat etc). The newer your vehicle, the more you pay. They don't take condition or mileage into account either, it's strictly based on the mil-rate for the year times the Kelly Blue Book value.

The thing I've noticed the last 2 years is that even though the value of my truck is decreasing (as is the value of my condo) they keep raising the mil-rate so I'm paying more. When I get a new car I'm really going to be socked.

[SoothingDave]

In addition to the significantly higher up-front costs, a new car buyer must either incur and additional monthly expense of additional collision and theft insurance, or face the risk of a significant loss without it.

You would be surprised. I replaced a 2006 with a 2013 and the insurance went up a minuscule amount. A couple dollars a month. And that is for car with more than twice the blue book value to insure.

[mdmathis6]

“Mrs. Principled wanted a new car but I wouldn’t bite... got her a 5 yr old toyota and it purrs like a swedish bikini model”

I trust the “Mrs.” didn’t growl at you like Corbin Dallas’ mother(from the Fifth Element)!

[Carriage Hill]

I used Moly-Kote for years, and it lowered temps, lubed everything well and extended engine life amazingly:

http://www.dowcorning.com/content/auto/automaterial/specialty-lubricants.aspx

Only problem was that oil pan gaskets leaked a few drops. Kitty litter absorbent solved that, plus torquing gaskets.

[LibLieSlayer]

True enough!

[Iron Munro]

no black box in the older cars ?

Just the one made out of black cardboard that formed the "glove compartment".