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I like the old cars!! I myself am the proud owner of a 1971 Chevelle SS Big Block 402
I just had the motor rebuilt and went 30,000 over increased the hp. "My dad bought the car for me just before I went over seas in 71' He told me he wanted me to have a car to come home to. He's gone and I still have the car, after 266,410 miles She was screaming to have some mechanical work done. I will never sell her, even though I am 55 yrs old . Every time I get in that drivers seat I feel like a kid with 510 hp/ what do I do now--- Just have more fun!!!!
This is a great thread, a topic I've been thinking about frequently lately.
My wife and I have two vehicles, a 1995 and a 1997 - and we've owned them both for the vast majority of their lives. They're both getting up there in years and with some recent repair bills we've questioned whether we should keep up with the Jone's and get some newer vehicles, or more importantly if we're risking our lives by driving such old cars.
My conclusion right now is that it is wonderful to not have a payment and that others simply won't give us the value in $ we have assigned to our cars at trade-in. So we're going to sit tight unless we see some sort of fantastic value out there.
Has anyone seen the prices people are paying for new vehicles these days? They're insane. I simple don't understand how someone can pay $30-45k on a sedan and not feel like they've been fleeced... upscale or not.
I also don't understand why I find it so challenging to find newer 4 door cars that get 30+ mpg... it is like technology has been at a standstill since my wife and I bought ours over 10 years ago. I had an 1986 sedan that on the highway could get 30 mpg... that's over 20 years ago and I am disappointed to see that automotive technology hasn't moved forward but instead backwards in a lot of respects to that.
I think overall people are becoming a bit more aware about how they're spending their money. Especially in light of economic uncertainty and inflationary pressures we've all been experiencing.
I don't think that we are keeping cars longer every1 around me has a car that isn't even 3 yrs old yet quality is getting worse with more sensors and more complicated everything they break down more
I wish I had known you were sellng, square peg, I am looking for a rusty Volvo.
Seriously, though I don't own a new car ('94) and have never owned a new car. It seems I am always about 10-12 years beyond the year I am living, but I also don't think that is common in the US.
I'm thinking of a new car, now, but new to me will be newer than '94 and in this neighbourhood, it is so muddy, snowy, and rutted, a new car would be a waste of money for any of my neighbours.
Quote:
Originally Posted by square peg
Is this the thread where I should post that I just traded my daily driver 87 Volvo for a 95? In Vermont, cars get rusty - and that's just what was going on with my 87. Mechanically speaking, it was a gem. The interior was perfect and everything except the AC worked. I buy cars from a bit further south where they don't salt the bejeesus out of the roads.
Never owned a new car, never will. I see now you can even buy what's called gap insurance, and now a car is considered used the moment you sign the papers at the dealer. Sorry, you can't talk a vehicle up to me one moment and then put the wood to me about it's worth the next.
I keep my wife in a good Subraru AWD(we live in snow country) and sell when they hit about 100,000 miles, then privately buy one that's one or two years old with about 30,000 miles showing. Only had one pooch - a change to fuel injection in '88 prompted problems and I spent more time underneath that thing than in the driver's seat. Since then we've followed the program and put a car payment aside every month towards the time when we need a new one. It sits and draws interest and we just cover the car with minimum liability. After several cars, we are to the point where even if one gets totaled we are still money ahead. I know a lot of people who sweat big payments, insurance, and licensing every month - not for me.
That being said, I never had much of a vehicle during my younger days, and am now in the market for a mid-60s Chevelle to re-live some of the youth I didn't have. Or rather, had to live from the passenger seat of friend's cars who were much better financed than I. '66 is the preferred year, and it's gotta be a Marina Blue/black convertible and have an engine/drivetrain/suspension that really means business. Put a little Stevie Ray Vaughn on and go prowlin' for ricers that think there's a substitute for torque....
Polk said the median age of cars on U.S. roads was 9.2 years in 2007.
I don't agree - I think this study is way off base. There are just more cars and drivers on the road. The last two cars (last year at 8 & 9 years old) I sold in the South were to immigrants. My current cars are both under two years old - and the majority of cars I see on the road cannot be more than 5 years old. I just don't see it...
I drive a 1997 Mazda. Paid off for years now and it's glorious. In the shop today...bill was $125! No car payment for years. Bought it used for $19k from CarMax 7 years ago. Worth about $2,000 now. I love it and the occasional repair bill is cheaper than a car payment any day. When I am due to replace it, I'll buy another used car. Something 2-3 years old. Gently used cars are the way to go. Cars are not investments. They're a way to get around. Nothing more, unless you're buying collectibles.
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ha
I still have my first car
