I didn't think it was appropriate to hijack a thread so I started a
new one.

I am 26 years old and when I was 16, my dad gave me a 1985 Ford
Tempo. I drove that until it died and being 16, a lot of it was
stupid stuff I did. Anyway, then a few years later I got a 1991 Ford
Tempo. Again, drove it until it started to have shop visits every
week costing $400 or more each time.

Fast forward to 2005 and I bought a USED 2002 Toyota Corolla CE.
Couldn't be happier with the car. Other than minor maintenance, a
tensioner pulley replacement, a new cat (thanks to me using gas
cleaner all the time), a new oxygen sensor, and brakes -- nothing
MAJOR has gone wrong. It consumes no noticeable amount of oil that I
am aware of. It gets great gas mileage. Really, not a problem car at
all... and I have driven it from Medford, OR to Fresno, CA and back
more times than I can count. That's a 7 hour, 500 mile drive ONE WAY.

Any way... my question is:

Why don't people tend to drive vehicles into the ground? I sure as
hell don't want another car payment. I have 2 years on this and I
plan on KEEPING the car until the damn thing keels over. Or possibly
-- sell it in 2 years for $3-5k or whatever and then hopefully have
some money saved and pay cash and finance very little if at all on a
newer model Toyota something or other.

Just curious why most trade them in as opposed to keeping them until
they die. Perhaps it's a cost thing. I would think it's more
economical to drive it until it dies and/or starts costing an arm and
a leg. So far, 147,000 miles and mine still runs like a champ...
knock on wood.

TIA,

Steve

"mrsteveo" <mrsteveo@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:127736f8-c955-47e8-9425-8a0e149d8bdf@d19g2000prm.googlegroups.com...
>I didn't think it was appropriate to hijack a thread so I started a
> new one.
>
> I am 26 years old and when I was 16, my dad gave me a 1985 Ford
> Tempo. I drove that until it died and being 16, a lot of it was
> stupid stuff I did. Anyway, then a few years later I got a 1991 Ford
> Tempo. Again, drove it until it started to have shop visits every
> week costing $400 or more each time.
>
> Fast forward to 2005 and I bought a USED 2002 Toyota Corolla CE.
> Couldn't be happier with the car. Other than minor maintenance, a
> tensioner pulley replacement, a new cat (thanks to me using gas
> cleaner all the time), a new oxygen sensor, and brakes -- nothing
> MAJOR has gone wrong. It consumes no noticeable amount of oil that I
> am aware of. It gets great gas mileage. Really, not a problem car at
> all... and I have driven it from Medford, OR to Fresno, CA and back
> more times than I can count. That's a 7 hour, 500 mile drive ONE WAY.
>
> Any way... my question is:
>
> Why don't people tend to drive vehicles into the ground? I sure as
> hell don't want another car payment. I have 2 years on this and I
> plan on KEEPING the car until the damn thing keels over. Or possibly
> -- sell it in 2 years for $3-5k or whatever and then hopefully have
> some money saved and pay cash and finance very little if at all on a
> newer model Toyota something or other.
>
> Just curious why most trade them in as opposed to keeping them until
> they die. Perhaps it's a cost thing. I would think it's more
> economical to drive it until it dies and/or starts costing an arm and
> a leg. So far, 147,000 miles and mine still runs like a champ...
> knock on wood.
>
> TIA,
>
> Steve

Steve, most people don't drive their cars into the ground because they
apparently, even if they are in debt or lease, have more MONEY than brains.
We bought our 99 camry 6 cyl. brand new in May/99 and plan to keep it at
least until 2016 even though we could buy practically any vehicle under
100K.

The way the market use to work and probablly still does was a teir system.
Those who could afford to get a new car every 3 years would. The rest bought
used.

Also, the longer you drive your car outside of your capability of getting a
new one... the trade in value nose dives...


many answers could go for this one i guess... vanity, capability of
affording a newer model, etc

"Mark A" <nobody@nowhere.com> wrote in message
news:Ks8Xj.10120$Xv3.9535@bignews4.bellsouth.net.. .
> "mrsteveo" <mrsteveo@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:127736f8-c955-47e8-9425-8a0e149d8bdf@d19g2000prm.googlegroups.com...
>>I didn't think it was appropriate to hijack a thread so I started a
>> new one.
>>
>> I am 26 years old and when I was 16, my dad gave me a 1985 Ford
>> Tempo. I drove that until it died and being 16, a lot of it was
>> stupid stuff I did. Anyway, then a few years later I got a 1991 Ford
>> Tempo. Again, drove it until it started to have shop visits every
>> week costing $400 or more each time.
>>
>> Fast forward to 2005 and I bought a USED 2002 Toyota Corolla CE.
>> Couldn't be happier with the car. Other than minor maintenance, a
>> tensioner pulley replacement, a new cat (thanks to me using gas
>> cleaner all the time), a new oxygen sensor, and brakes -- nothing
>> MAJOR has gone wrong. It consumes no noticeable amount of oil that I
>> am aware of. It gets great gas mileage. Really, not a problem car at
>> all... and I have driven it from Medford, OR to Fresno, CA and back
>> more times than I can count. That's a 7 hour, 500 mile drive ONE WAY.
>>
>> Any way... my question is:
>>
>> Why don't people tend to drive vehicles into the ground? I sure as
>> hell don't want another car payment. I have 2 years on this and I
>> plan on KEEPING the car until the damn thing keels over. Or possibly
>> -- sell it in 2 years for $3-5k or whatever and then hopefully have
>> some money saved and pay cash and finance very little if at all on a
>> newer model Toyota something or other.
>>
>> Just curious why most trade them in as opposed to keeping them until
>> they die. Perhaps it's a cost thing. I would think it's more
>> economical to drive it until it dies and/or starts costing an arm and
>> a leg. So far, 147,000 miles and mine still runs like a champ...
>> knock on wood.
>>
>> TIA,
>>
>> Steve
>
> 1. A lot of people can afford to buy a new car every 3-4 years.
>
> 2. Even though repairing a car is using cheaper than buying a new one, it
> takes time to get a car repaired. Even going to a dealer for a warranty
> repair is a hassle for busy people. For many people who make a good
> living, time is money and it is not worth the trouble. I have a 1998 Camry
> in excellent condition, but now I am having brake light problems, I am
> having some regrets about keeping it this long. I have replaced all the
> bulbs, the fuses, and there still is a problem (apparently in the wiring).
> I work 50-60 hours a week, make a very good living, and I don't have time
> to mess with these problems. Considering how hard I work, I want to relax
> during my time off.

Delegate it to your wife.

>
>

"Don't Taze Me, Bro!" <NoOne183@NoWhere.com> wrote in message
news:jX8Xj.18619$%X1.1697@trnddc08...
> The way the market use to work and probablly still does was a teir system.
> Those who could afford to get a new car every 3 years would. The rest
> bought used.
>
> Also, the longer you drive your car outside of your capability of getting
> a new one... the trade in value nose dives...
>
>
> many answers could go for this one i guess... vanity, capability of
> affording a newer model, etc

Being able to AFFORD something..rather THINKING that you can afford
something is one very common reason why so many end up in bankruptcy. Just
because I can AFFORD something is a very feeble excuse for BUYING something.
I buy, usually, because I NEED something, not because I necessarily simply
WANT something. I could afford to buy new EVERY year..but unlike some people
here I have both brains AND money, choosing to buy my 99 Camry NEW and to
keep it at least 15 or so years. It still looks 98% new, BTW.




>
>

"Sharx35" <sharx35@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:fwaXj.2441$Yp.505@edtnps92...
> Being able to AFFORD something..rather THINKING that you can afford
> something is one very common reason why so many end up in bankruptcy. Just
> because I can AFFORD something is a very feeble excuse for BUYING
> something. I buy, usually, because I NEED something, not because I
> necessarily simply WANT something. I could afford to buy new EVERY
> year..but unlike some people here I have both brains AND money, choosing
> to buy my 99 Camry NEW and to keep it at least 15 or so years. It still
> looks 98% new, BTW.

unfortunately people like to get in debt....

On May 15, 9:07 pm, mrsteveo <mrste...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Just curious why most trade them in as opposed to keeping them until
> they die.

Because people like new cars. It's boring for some people to drive the
same car for 15 years.

In article
<127736f8-c955-47e8-9425-8a0e149d8bdf@d19g2000prm.googlegroups.com>,
mrsteveo <mrsteveo@gmail.com> wrote:

> Any way... my question is:
>
> Why don't people tend to drive vehicles into the ground?

Marketing.

People feel good thinking that they can afford to buy the newest car.

My dad went to lunch yesterday with a guy who buys two new Chevy
vehicles per year, one for him and one for his wife. He keeps the cars
a year and trades them in for new ones. Every year.

Figure those Chevies lose $6K in value the moment they're driven off the
lot. This guy is paying $12K/year for the privilege of getting a new
car every year.

This is his entertainment or something. It makes him feel good.

On Thu, 15 May 2008 21:07:04 -0700 (PDT), mrsteveo
<mrsteveo@gmail.com> wrote:

They have more dollars then sense.

>I didn't think it was appropriate to hijack a thread so I started a
>new one.
>
>I am 26 years old and when I was 16, my dad gave me a 1985 Ford
>Tempo. I drove that until it died and being 16, a lot of it was
>stupid stuff I did. Anyway, then a few years later I got a 1991 Ford
>Tempo. Again, drove it until it started to have shop visits every
>week costing $400 or more each time.
>
>Fast forward to 2005 and I bought a USED 2002 Toyota Corolla CE.
>Couldn't be happier with the car. Other than minor maintenance, a
>tensioner pulley replacement, a new cat (thanks to me using gas
>cleaner all the time), a new oxygen sensor, and brakes -- nothing
>MAJOR has gone wrong. It consumes no noticeable amount of oil that I
>am aware of. It gets great gas mileage. Really, not a problem car at
>all... and I have driven it from Medford, OR to Fresno, CA and back
>more times than I can count. That's a 7 hour, 500 mile drive ONE WAY.
>
>Any way... my question is:
>
>Why don't people tend to drive vehicles into the ground? I sure as
>hell don't want another car payment. I have 2 years on this and I
>plan on KEEPING the car until the damn thing keels over. Or possibly
>-- sell it in 2 years for $3-5k or whatever and then hopefully have
>some money saved and pay cash and finance very little if at all on a
>newer model Toyota something or other.
>
>Just curious why most trade them in as opposed to keeping them until
>they die. Perhaps it's a cost thing. I would think it's more
>economical to drive it until it dies and/or starts costing an arm and
>a leg. So far, 147,000 miles and mine still runs like a champ...
>knock on wood.
>
>TIA,
>
>Steve

mrsteveo <mrsteveo@gmail.com> wrote:

: ...

Most people do what they do, but I agree with you, we should not tie up
our self-image in new cars.

They are utility items, expensive ones at that. So buy a good one, take
care of it, and get the most out of it.