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My nephew's Chevy Avalanche is newer than my van, and he's got 270k on it (yeah, I'm jealous). He drives it all over and has towed a lot with it. He's not buying another one until this one dies.
That's reasonable. However, at 173,000 (by the time he returns to the UP) Host Steve is in that large grey area between 150,000-250,000. At 173,000 the condition of the vehicle, the reputation of the model for reliability (Yugo vs. Camry, to cite extremes), the owner's financial situation and how much the owner likes the vehicle vs. the desire for a different one, are among the factors to consider in deciding whether to spend as much as the value of the vehicle on a single major repair. Other factors include an owner's risk tolerance and patience, ability to perform repairs and how the vehicle will be used in the future. Since some factors are quantifiable, while others are subjective, conclusions about what to do and how much to spend will vary a lot in the 150,000-250,000 mileage range.
Circling back to an earlier question, about whether 150,000 or 200,000 is the new 100,000, I think the risk of a vehicle dying a premature death due to an accident is not relevant, even though accident risk is mileage related.
Lots of cars...LOTS of cars, get wiped out every year by accident. Your odds of at least getting smacked are pretty good actually.
Since most people wouldn't be carrying collision insurance on a 10 year old car with 175k on it and worth $2000--$3000 bucks, it's kind of a heart-breaker to have a perfectly good running car suddenly with a bashed in tailgate, smashed in unworkable door, etc.
It changes the entire equation of one's lifetime goal for the vehicle.
I'm thankful I still had full coverage on my 2000 Intrepid when it got wrecked. Even though I only got $2,000 for it, the full coverage was only adding about $100 per year to the insurance policy, so I figured it was worth it.
Actually, in my case, my car might have been covered even if I didn't have full coverage. It was a victim of hit and run, which in Maryland is covered under the Uninsured Motorist portion of your insurance coverage. My '69 Dart, which just had liability, was covered by that when I got run off the road and ended up playing pole-vault with a traffic light post.
And, it looks like I'm in line to average totaling roughly one car every 10 years. I've been driving for 25 years now (got my license in December 1986, and Mom's old car in January 1987). Totaled the Dart in 1992. Got T-boned delivering pizzas in my '86 Monte Carlo in 1998. And in 2009, my Intrepid got hit-and-runned. Actually, that's three cars in 25 years...hope that doesn't mean I'm gonna average one every EIGHT years! :surprise:
I wonder if it's changed over the years? Back in 1992, I wasn't able to identify the truck that ran me off the road, beyond it being a dark blue 1987-91 Ford F-series. I couldn't get a license number, as it all happened too quickly. The policeman wrote up the accident as hit and run, and the insurance company paid me.
Unfortunately, I also had the state of Maryland trying to come after me for about 4 years, in an attempt to pay for that traffic light. Even though the accident wasn't my fault, was classified as hit and run, they didn't want to hear it. Eventually they dropped it though, once they finally saw the police report.
I guess it's possible that I just lucked out in that case, though?
I think the full coverage portion of my insurance is actually a little cheaper on my Park Ave, so I'm probably going to keep it, for the forseeable future, at least.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
I wasn't so lucky with my '96 Outback. Even though I was run off the road as well and ended up with a totaled vehicle, I got nothing for it. The insurance companies wouldn't touch it through, essentially, plausible deniability. I managed to avoid contacting the other vehicle, but not keeping it on the road, so even though I tracked the other driver down and he admitted to involvement, there was no physical proof that the vehicle was involved.
I learned my lesson on that one. If ever a situation arises again where a crash is likely inevitable, I'll take the contact first, then crash. I won't let another one go down without a fight.
Sloppy reply. :-) I agree with you (or, rather the article I guess) that 200k is the new 100k.
We like our van but if it croaks that's okay too. Certainly got out money's worth out of it. No plans to trade until we have to make that decision. Even then we may just deal with the Outback for a while.
I would like being in a newer car with more airbags though.
Just get a few more airbags in your current minivan. The cast from "The View" called. They need you to pick 'em up and drive them to the studio. :P
That was a clip from "Family Guy". And admittedly, my "airbag" comment could be taken a bit mysoginistically, so I apologize for that!
I think an older version of that type of joke was "My car has an automatic starter. It doesn't need a crank!"
Oh oh.
Ignored it, kept going. No more lights on the way to the put-in nor on the way back home. No easy access to a (free) code puller so I think I'll keep ignoring it until it flashes again.
The van may be irritated with me because in addition to new shoes a while back, the Subaru got a 4 wheel brake job done a couple of weeks ago.
When is the last time you put new plug wires (or plugs, for that matter) on it, Steve? If it is otherwise running well, it could just be a symptom that it might be time to check those things to make sure they aren't going to cause more frequent issues in the near future.
I almost don't even want to dig into it because I'll be thinking the whole time, "while I'm in here, I might as well do this, and that, and this, and the other, and...." The engine generally runs great aside from it continually losing power little by little. While I ran the test, there was a substantial amount of air flow from the crankcase (coming out the hose that goes (or used to go, anyway) to the PCV). All four cylinders were within a couple percent of 20% loss, according to the gauge. So, that indicates that while wear is fairly consistent, it is at the point where something needs to be done.
I was thinking I would get a rebuilt head (save me quite a bit of time and not really cost much more considering the incremental cost of all the parts that go in there) and focus on just going in, replacing the rings, and re-hone the cylinder walls, while only replacing the gaskets, seals, etc., that need to be done as part of that process.
I'm sure I could go overboard and replace every little piece and part in there along the way, but I am planning to move on to a new car in the not-too-distant future. If I can keep myself to a $1000 (or under) project, this seems like a reasonable course of action to me.
Thoughts?
while I'm in here, I might as well do this
Sounds like home remodeling. At least when you change out the plugs, that doesn't make the battery look dingy or the air filter housing look outdated.
Just my .02.
2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Ram 1500 Bighorn, Built to Serve
2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Ram 1500 Bighorn, Built to Serve
Sorry for the slow reply; had a bit of an emergency last week that put me way behind on everything, including visiting Edmunds!
Just m2C.
Bioman
It's an oblique way of interpreting what "going green" means---it's the "conservation" angle IMO.
Reduce, reuse, recycle and repair.
For the classic car crowd, add restore and rebuild.
If you a geeky tinkerer, then convert it to CNG and reinvent it.
If you're a gardener, then substitute rot for repair (which is what your old car will do in your yard if you don't keep it running )
Okay, 8 Rs of recycling.
At best, we can mitigate the downward spiral by conservation.
Ford 6.02 years
Infiniti 6.1 years
Lincoln 6.79 years
Mitsubishi/Buick 6.92 years (tie)
Jaguar 7.0 years
Volvo 7.05 years
"Recent data from Edmunds.com show which car brands Americans drive the longest before they exchange them for new vehicles."
Which Cars Do Owners Keep Longest? (Wall St Journal)
I need a pair of black scrubs. Cardiopulmonary employees have two scrub color choices: maroon or black. Need me a dark, black pair of scrubs. There's a strip mall with a scrub store located between Las Cruces and El Paso on the way south to El Paso I'll check out. And I'll open up those 4 cylinders on the Mitsu, too.
That's what I'm talkin' about!
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
Smashed U.S. cars get a second chance in Afghanistan (LA Times)
Rebuilt wrecks are a touchy subject. Many fear them and with good reason, as you never know the quality of the repair, and it destroys resale value, so one better be prepared to drive it til it dies. I wouldn't be scared of the right rebuild, but I would want all the history.
I think this represents a record, and proof that more people are driving their cars into the ground. Maybe the increasing average age of cars on the road is due more to improvements in car design, materials and assembly than to the soft economy and greater income disparity. Just a guess. Also, people are driving less, on average, thereby decreasing wear.
Any guesses as to what the average age will be in 10 years?
Why? Well, we are in a transitional time, I think. Emissions and fuel economy standards are pushing technology to new levels, and cabin tech is also changing at an increasing pace. Interactive technology in cars will also lead people away from their current vehicles as it ages and their dissatisfaction/frustration grows, and the time it takes for that to happen is going to drop.
I think the average car age will be closer to 7 years in 10 years, perhaps moderated a bit by those second/third/fourth vehicles on the registration rolls (even if rarely used or not used at all), so let's say ~9.
Also, cars are much easier to total in an accident than in days gone by. I know someone who recently totaled a fairly new Passat CC, or whatever they call that good looking "pillared hardtop" looking thing, in a rear end collision. I saw pics of it, and it didn't look *that* bad. But it was enough to total it.
My uncle hit a deer with his 2003 Corolla a few years back, and it did about $4800 worth of damage. Also left him stranded, as all the coolant leaked out, and it pushed the fender back into the tire. Also pushed the fender back into the door so it wouldn't open!
Dunno if the deer thing is really an indication of how flimsy cars are these days. Back in the 1990's, one of my neighbors hit a deer with a '65 Impala, and it did a pretty good number on that car. And I'm sure that if, in the late 70's you hit a deer with something like a Pinto, Vega, Civic, Corolla, etc, the results wouldn't have been pretty, either.
I know my actions would never be enough to sway the averages, but I've been thinking about trading more often. I've been toying with the idea of trading my 2012 Ram right around the time it turns 5 years old and the warranty runs out. But, to offset that, I also have a '57, '67, '76, two '79's, an '85, and an '00 that get another notch added to their bedposts every year they stay registered, titled, and out of the junkyard!
Yes, it will put more cars in the junk yard, but people are walking away from accidents that might have killed them in years gone by. What we need now are fewer accidents, but that would require real driver training, and that ain't gonna happen.
Back to the original topic: My belief is that the average age of cars on the road will continue to go up, although not by much. Cars do last longer (leaving aside collisions), and the ever widening income gap means that fewer and fewer people will be able to afford a new car.
While build and reliability of todays cars has a lot to do with that average age of a car the economy has a lot to do with it to. Not many people today can afford either to get a new car every 4 or 5 years or a new car at all. I cannot see that changing in the next 4 or 5 years. We may never see a sizable true middle class again for quite some time.
My guess is that over the next ten years the average age of a car will increase by 0.1 to 0.2 years per year. So in ten years look at the average age to be around 13 years.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
However, even that is nothing new. One reason that 5 mph bumpers were enacted in the first place back in the 1970's was that it was getting too easy to run up big repair bills in minor impacts. It was mainly the safety aspects of the car they were looking to protect...lights and such. But, I remember Consumer Reports running some vehicle into a wall at only 2.5 mph or so, and it was enough to disable it! I think it was a Chevy LUV, and the impact punctured the radiator.
And, crumple zones aside, sometimes cars are just designed stupidly. My 2000 Intrepid was totaled when someone pulled a hit and run on it in a restaurant parking lot. The damage actually looked fairly minor, but the wiring harness was routed in a bad spot, passing just behind the headlight, and ended up getting ripped. I think that was the straw that broke the camel's back. Anyway, here's all it took, to total that car...
Before I bought my 2000 Park Avenue, I made sure to check the location of the wiring harness. Even though they say lightning never strikes twice in the same spot, I was a bit paranoid at the time...