How long do you keep your cars?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow you all drive some real junkers. I’m amazed by this. This is not at all representative of what o see driving around town.

Because zero car payments are fantastic.

Cars are a massive waste of money. Even if you pay cash it is stupid. Throwing a huge amount of liquidity into a furnace on a depreciating asset is a terrible way to generate wealth.

We drive a 2016 Mazda 3. Bought it while were poor. We make far more money now, yet keep driving it because it is paid off and it works. I just paid to fix the suspension and did a lot more maintenance. Hope it lasts another 5+ years so we don't have car payments.

The additional $1000 a month in car payments is immaterial to us. We have plenty saved. I’m not driving some crappy car. Do some of you not even have Bluetooth? Back up cameras? These seem like necessities these days.

I've been driving for 36 years and literally just got a car with bluetooth and a back up camera. Um, they're not life changing LOL. The camera is nice but I've never hit anything backing up in the previous 36 years.

Agreed...a backup camera makes life easier but it is not going to save your life. Bluetooth? for music?

It saves pedestrian lives. Especially little kids you can’t normally see when backing up.

[Anonymous]

15+ years usually

[Anonymous]

7, 10, 18, and 13 years.

[Anonymous]

Get a new one every 15 years or so or when another kid starts driving.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow you all drive some real junkers. I’m amazed by this. This is not at all representative of what o see driving around town.

Because zero car payments are fantastic.

Cars are a massive waste of money. Even if you pay cash it is stupid. Throwing a huge amount of liquidity into a furnace on a depreciating asset is a terrible way to generate wealth.

We drive a 2016 Mazda 3. Bought it while were poor. We make far more money now, yet keep driving it because it is paid off and it works. I just paid to fix the suspension and did a lot more maintenance. Hope it lasts another 5+ years so we don't have car payments.

You know what is a more massive waste of money? Not spending it and taking it to your grave.
I have more than enough money and I use some to buy the cars that I enjoy driving. Nobody thinks that people should buy cars to generate wealth. Just like you are not taking a vacation trip to Disneyland is to generate wealth. You are spending money for an enjoyable experience. I drive a Porsche Taycan Turbo. Pure pleasure to drive and a beast on the race track.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow you all drive some real junkers. I’m amazed by this. This is not at all representative of what o see driving around town.

Because zero car payments are fantastic.

Cars are a massive waste of money. Even if you pay cash it is stupid. Throwing a huge amount of liquidity into a furnace on a depreciating asset is a terrible way to generate wealth.

We drive a 2016 Mazda 3. Bought it while were poor. We make far more money now, yet keep driving it because it is paid off and it works. I just paid to fix the suspension and did a lot more maintenance. Hope it lasts another 5+ years so we don't have car payments.

But I look good so who cares!

DP here. You and your Rover look stupid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow you all drive some real junkers. I’m amazed by this. This is not at all representative of what o see driving around town.

Why would a car being older make it a "junker"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is so not what I was expecting to hear. Very impressive DCUM!!

Its not reality though. All one has to do is drive around town and pay attention to realize its totally false. I drive a 10 year old minivan and have the oldest car on my entire street if you don't count cars people have handed down or bought used for their teens. And frankly most of the teens have a newer car than I do. And as I said upthread, I'm not in a particuarly fancy area.

yea, DCUM is an ...interesting crowd. Doesn't match reality of what I see in the DC area.

I live in a nice area (N. Arlington) filled with generally practical, not overly flashy, well-educated people. I don't see a lot of old cars around here. I think that is somewhat of an internet trope, that all the ACTUAL wealthy people are driving 20 year old Camrys. I see a lot of recent model Highlanders, Pilots, MDXs, Acura sedans, Camrys, Accords, CRV, Foresters, CX-5, Ascent, Civics etc. A new mid-range Highlander is still like $45k. And yes there are plenty of MBs, BMWs, etc.

I'm the PP with a (surprisingly) 7 year old Rav4, and it looks just like my neighbor's 6 month old Rav4, except for a detail on the side between the back window and trunk. I think that people moved here from states with extreme weather and are assuming that every car with no dents or different colored panels is under 5 years old. "Old" cars in DC that haven't been in wrecks look largely like newer versions of the same.

How is that possible? Toyota completely changed the body style of the RAV-4 in 2019, and the newer body style looks absolutely nothing like the older body style.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow you all drive some real junkers. I’m amazed by this. This is not at all representative of what o see driving around town.

Because zero car payments are fantastic.

Cars are a massive waste of money. Even if you pay cash it is stupid. Throwing a huge amount of liquidity into a furnace on a depreciating asset is a terrible way to generate wealth.

We drive a 2016 Mazda 3. Bought it while were poor. We make far more money now, yet keep driving it because it is paid off and it works. I just paid to fix the suspension and did a lot more maintenance. Hope it lasts another 5+ years so we don't have car payments.

But I look good so who cares!

DP here. You and your Rover look stupid.

DP here. To you but most women out there disagree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is so not what I was expecting to hear. Very impressive DCUM!!

Its not reality though. All one has to do is drive around town and pay attention to realize its totally false. I drive a 10 year old minivan and have the oldest car on my entire street if you don't count cars people have handed down or bought used for their teens. And frankly most of the teens have a newer car than I do. And as I said upthread, I'm not in a particuarly fancy area.

yea, DCUM is an ...interesting crowd. Doesn't match reality of what I see in the DC area.

I live in a nice area (N. Arlington) filled with generally practical, not overly flashy, well-educated people. I don't see a lot of old cars around here. I think that is somewhat of an internet trope, that all the ACTUAL wealthy people are driving 20 year old Camrys. I see a lot of recent model Highlanders, Pilots, MDXs, Acura sedans, Camrys, Accords, CRV, Foresters, CX-5, Ascent, Civics etc. A new mid-range Highlander is still like $45k. And yes there are plenty of MBs, BMWs, etc.

I'm the PP with a (surprisingly) 7 year old Rav4, and it looks just like my neighbor's 6 month old Rav4, except for a detail on the side between the back window and trunk. I think that people moved here from states with extreme weather and are assuming that every car with no dents or different colored panels is under 5 years old. "Old" cars in DC that haven't been in wrecks look largely like newer versions of the same.

How is that possible? Toyota completely changed the body style of the RAV-4 in 2019, and the newer body style looks absolutely nothing like the older body style.

"Nothing like the older body style" is a stretch. The front end/grille changed a bit; from the side there's an extra black stripe between the top of the back window and trunk. PPP would have to be a car fanatic to recognize tweaks like this for every make and model in her neighborhood in order to assert with such certainty that everyone's driving a new car.

[Anonymous]

Paid cash for a new car and new SUV in 2016. Having no payments for 7 years is great. Both vehicles have under 70k on them, plan to make them last as long as possible or until I can't find the urge to upgrade anymore.

[Anonymous]

I think I set a world record with my first car. A 1963 Dodge Dart. It made it to 163,000 miles before I junked it in running condition. Drove it to junkyard. Was really banged up and rusty and convertible top old.

The amazing part is not a single mechanic visit in 163,000 miles. Not once. Not for an oil change, new tire anything. Car so easy to fix. Myself and prior owner changed own oil. Even mounted our own tires.

In the detailed receipts for 20 years the most expensive repair ever was $19.99dollars.

The $19.99dollar repair was an Earl Scheib paint job!! Yes while car paint job $19.99

I recall once a motor mount went, I bought one $7 dollars and used car Jack to lift engine and replaced.

The car even got hit at 55 miles an hour. I guess a slap tool to pull out dents, around 10 pounds of bondo and a can of spray paint and back on road again. Cost like $7 bucks.

Todays cars are Nancy boy cars. My old dart would have survived an atomic bomb.

The slant six 225 CI engine best engine ever built. When I junked car had not change oil in one year and still was full and clean.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow you all drive some real junkers. I’m amazed by this. This is not at all representative of what o see driving around town.

Because zero car payments are fantastic.

Cars are a massive waste of money. Even if you pay cash it is stupid. Throwing a huge amount of liquidity into a furnace on a depreciating asset is a terrible way to generate wealth.

We drive a 2016 Mazda 3. Bought it while were poor. We make far more money now, yet keep driving it because it is paid off and it works. I just paid to fix the suspension and did a lot more maintenance. Hope it lasts another 5+ years so we don't have car payments.

You know what is a more massive waste of money? Not spending it and taking it to your grave.
I have more than enough money and I use some to buy the cars that I enjoy driving. Nobody thinks that people should buy cars to generate wealth. Just like you are not taking a vacation trip to Disneyland is to generate wealth. You are spending money for an enjoyable experience. I drive a Porsche Taycan Turbo. Pure pleasure to drive and a beast on the race track.

Yeah maybe but your Porsche is stuck in rush hour right next to my 20 yr old minivan. Neither of us going anywhere… talk about going nowhere real fast

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow you all drive some real junkers. I’m amazed by this. This is not at all representative of what o see driving around town.

Because zero car payments are fantastic.

Cars are a massive waste of money. Even if you pay cash it is stupid. Throwing a huge amount of liquidity into a furnace on a depreciating asset is a terrible way to generate wealth.

We drive a 2016 Mazda 3. Bought it while were poor. We make far more money now, yet keep driving it because it is paid off and it works. I just paid to fix the suspension and did a lot more maintenance. Hope it lasts another 5+ years so we don't have car payments.

But I look good so who cares!

DP here. You and your Rover look stupid.

DP here. To you but most women out there disagree.

Only the shallow social media types. But you do you boo!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow you all drive some real junkers. I’m amazed by this. This is not at all representative of what o see driving around town.

Because zero car payments are fantastic.

Cars are a massive waste of money. Even if you pay cash it is stupid. Throwing a huge amount of liquidity into a furnace on a depreciating asset is a terrible way to generate wealth.

We drive a 2016 Mazda 3. Bought it while were poor. We make far more money now, yet keep driving it because it is paid off and it works. I just paid to fix the suspension and did a lot more maintenance. Hope it lasts another 5+ years so we don't have car payments.

The additional $1000 a month in car payments is immaterial to us. We have plenty saved. I’m not driving some crappy car. Do some of you not even have Bluetooth? Back up cameras? These seem like necessities these days.

I've been driving for 36 years and literally just got a car with bluetooth and a back up camera. Um, they're not life changing LOL. The camera is nice but I've never hit anything backing up in the previous 36 years.

Agreed...a backup camera makes life easier but it is not going to save your life. Bluetooth? for music?

It saves pedestrian lives. Especially little kids you can’t normally see when backing up.

Backup cameras have been standard in non luxury cars for 10+ years.