How long can you realistically expect a new car to last?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My last BMW went after about 10 years but only 50k miles. The car was dealer maintained and everything seemed to go at once. Our Subaru is still going strong after 15 years

At 50k? Crap.

[Anonymous]

Hoping ours holds out for 12 years. I believe that's the average on the road right now. Toyotas with regular maintenance can probably go 15-20, depending on mileage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree that the more electronics, the worse they age. The new electric vehicles have even more problems: usually the engine is designed to not be opened post-sale, or only with great difficulty. So having an electric battery or an engine problem (whatever it might be) essentially means you need to buy a new vehicle. It would be very costly to repair.

My basic petrol Japanese cars are 19 and 14 years old. They've been sitting out in my driveway, exposed to the elements, all this time. We drive them mainly for short distances, so they don't have a ton of mileage. Repairs have been minor so far.

I love the idea of "clean" energy, but not the omnipresence of electronics in a vehicle, or the reality that current battery technology is actually quite polluting. Not to mention that electric battery fires are much harder to put out than a regular fire. Plus the repair issues...

Don't know what to buy when our cars finally pass on.

There aren't really engines in electric cars, so it's not totally clear what this means. Current battery technology becomes, in the aggregate, less polluting than gas cars are within a very short period of time. But the greenest option is usually to do what you're doing -- just not buying new cars -- so thanks for that!

[Anonymous]

We always keep ours for at least 14 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hoping ours holds out for 12 years. I believe that's the average on the road right now. Toyotas with regular maintenance can probably go 15-20, depending on mileage.

Yes, 12 years is average in US.

European luxury cars have had finicky electronics for decades. Many brands have been really expensive to fix for decades. No new news here.

The BMW that had trouble at 10 years probably could have been repaired to working order. But it would have been spendy.

[Anonymous]

My current Honda is 10 years old with about 90k miles, lower due to Covid years. We have only done tires, battery and brakes. Will probably do the timing belt soon but these are all scheduled things/routine maintenance. After that I think the car will go a lot longer. I'm not sure how much longer WE will keep it because we can afford to replace it and would like something updated, but whoever buys my car will get many more good years out of it. I plan to keep the next new car another 8-10 years too. DH's car is 4 years old and still feels brand new.

[Anonymous]

I looks up my 2011 Cadillac and did research mechanics and data state if car properly maintained last to 150k miles but will start needed more maint and repairs at 120k

If very well maintained, garaged etc. 200k miles.

It is not it does at 150k or 200k but by then you may need major engine, transmission, suspension work that does not make sense to do on a car with that many miles.

My 2011 Cadillac is still doing trips to Philly and Delaware which today seems normal but 40 years ago taking a 13 year old car on 200 mile road trips was risky

[Anonymous]

My Subaru Outback is 12 years old but has very low mileage (65K). It has been outside the whole time, too.

[Anonymous]

15 years at least for a Japanese car. I have a 5-year old Honda with only 18k on it. I don't see why it wouldn't last longer. Getting rid of it though. I want a faster and lower suv.

[Anonymous]

If a vehicle is well cared for it should last at least 10 years but you could probably get alot more out of it, My bronco is 30 years old and would still trust it on a cross country trip.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If a vehicle is well cared for it should last at least 10 years but you could probably get alot more out of it, My bronco is 30 years old and would still trust it on a cross country trip.

Did you buy your Bronco from OJ?

[Anonymous]

My Acura is 17 years old and has 260K miles. Still kicking’. We’ve had to replace some parts due to normal wear but still cheaper than buying a new car.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If a vehicle is well cared for it should last at least 10 years but you could probably get alot more out of it, My bronco is 30 years old and would still trust it on a cross country trip.

Did you buy your Bronco from OJ?

It's not even the same color as OJ's.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree that the more electronics, the worse they age. The new electric vehicles have even more problems: usually the engine is designed to not be opened post-sale, or only with great difficulty. So having an electric battery or an engine problem (whatever it might be) essentially means you need to buy a new vehicle. It would be very costly to repair.

My basic petrol Japanese cars are 19 and 14 years old. They've been sitting out in my driveway, exposed to the elements, all this time. We drive them mainly for short distances, so they don't have a ton of mileage. Repairs have been minor so far.

I love the idea of "clean" energy, but not the omnipresence of electronics in a vehicle, or the reality that current battery technology is actually quite polluting. Not to mention that electric battery fires are much harder to put out than a regular fire. Plus the repair issues...

Don't know what to buy when our cars finally pass on.

You don't know much about cars. Electric cars are actually easier to maintain. Fewer mechanical moving parts. The electric motors are simple. No oil needed. No transmission. These electric engines last forever with no maintenance needed.

I'm driving a 2013 Tesla Model S. The car is 11yo. Other than replacing the tires, I haven't needed to replace anything else.
My reliable 10yo Toyota Rav4 didn't need much repairs but there was definitely more scheduled maintenance work and more things to replace with each service. Now at 110k miles, it's recommended to replace the driving belts etc... That's one expensive service.
Electric cars have none of these things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is always going to be someone who says their 15 year old Toyota Camry has gone 280,000 miles with only oil changes. But for luxury brands, following scheduled maintenance, not driving like a maniac, and garaging, how long can you expect a car to go before things start breaking, especially with all the electronics on today's vehicles?

10 years on average.