I’m smack dab in the middle of this trend (for a change — I’m usually lost in any trend’s wake):
Americans Delay Buying New Cars As Long As Possible To Avoid High Prices
The average age of cars and light-duty trucks on American roads has reached 12.5 years, according to a report from S&P Global, a phenomenon that comes as bottlenecked supply chains and elevated inflation continue their toll on households.
The financial analytics firm noted that 2023 marked the sixth consecutive year of increased average vehicle ages. The three-month rise between 2022 and 2023 constituted the largest year-over-year increase since the recession which struck the United States between 2008 and 2009, during which consumers likewise tightened their budgets in response to economic turmoil.
It’s looking increasingly like the Tiguan is going to be the last car I’ll ever have bought, unless some miracle occurs. What sucks is that doing Uber (not an option at the time, by the way) made me put just over 100,000 miles on the car, which means it has a limited shelf life. That 100,000 miles, in terms of my normal driving, was about 12 years’ life. As things stand, the next few years are going to be a lot more tenuous.
Still, I’d rather just pay to get it fixed when things break than get a new car — see the post immediately below for reasons.
My ’19 Pile-it should last til my dirt nap. 66 and counting. Bought some biltong online, tastes like jerky so mebbe not real biltong?
On the plus side of the ledger, cars these days are built far better than in the past. So if they are maintained properly, you can get hundreds of thousands of miles. I’ve had more than a few Toyotas go 200k before serious issues started showing up. They all acted and looked, for the most part, no different than they did at 50k.
Another part of that is that you can pick up a decent, 5-8 year old car with under 100k and it’ll last as long as you want it to. That’s my metric – around 5 years around 50k on the clock.
I been THERE since sometime in the mid-’70s.
Three vehicles, average age 19 years. Not looking to get a “new” one (unless one gets totally in a collision) and even then I would buy something used. Being retired (and a misanthropic recluse), I don’t have a daily commute to wear out my vehicles.
And then there’s this to consider. Car companies are manufacturing far more of their highest-level trim vehicles (i.e. the ones with the most profit), as a means of underwriting the massive costs needed to convert their factories to produce electric cars in their foreign socialist markets (e.g. Europe, Commiefornia, et al).
Used cars are holding their value at an astronimical level. I’m looking for a 3 or 4 YO Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, and they’re still in the mid-$40k range.
My ’06 Trail Blazer is at just over 98K and still going. Any maintenance is way below the monthly cost of a new vehicle, especially with the Biden Economy interest rates.
Since being on disability retirement, I put an average of 10 miles a week with occasional 20+ mile trips, so I can keep going like this for a long time.
And, there really isn’t anything offered by the newer vehicles that I’m interested in. Certainly not enough to go through the ordeal of car shopping, and then moving my radio gear etc. over to a new one.