Why Did You Replace Your Last Car(s)

fezo

Good point on tires! I remember when I replaced the original tires on our 00 Accord. The OEMs were designed primarily for tread life. Once I put on tires that were performance and comfort tires with traded life as the lowest concern it was an entirely different car and lots better to drive.

andre1969

Part of the problem might simply be that many modern cars sit really low to the ground, so once you get more than a few inches of snow, they seem to start pushing it along, piling it up in front, and end up "snowbanking" themselves. And with FWD it's actually worse than RWD, because as the front raises up and takes weight off the drive wheels, you end up losing traction. RWD, at least, will (usually) start to dig in, and keep pushing you along.

I remember when I first bought my 2000 Intrepid, I hated driving the thing in the snow. I actually preferred my '89 Gran Fury and grandmother's '85 LeSabre. They had much better ground clearance, and seemed to be able to get around better. The Intrepid's only advantage was that it would take off more easily, and less likely to get stuck if you had to stop on an icy/slick patch. But, once the snow got more than a few inches deep that became a moot point. And, once you got going, the LeSabre or Gran Fury were no less likely to lose traction or give me fits when braking than the Intrepid was.

A few years back, when we had a few back-to-back blizzards, I had replaced the Intrepid with a 2000 Park Ave. But, I just left it parked until the snow melted down some, and used my '85 Silverado to get around. Even though it's only RWD, no ABS, etc, it seemed to get around pretty well. And it could also bash through snowbanks that, if you tried that with a modern car, you'd end up losing your fascia in the process! :shades:

stever

The automakers are counting on it.

"New-car sales, which collapsed to less than 11 million in 2009, are expected to surpass 14 million this year. And forecasters believe that they will increase by around a million annually for the next couple of years. In 2015, we could eclipse 16 million vehicles sold, which is near the precrisis peak.

The industry’s buoyancy comes largely from pent-up demand. Many Americans are driving really, really old cars. The average passenger vehicle is now 11 years old — making this the oldest fleet ever — and the percentage being junked has been at near record lows."

The Dinged-Up, Broken-Down, Fender-Bended Economic Recovery Plan (NY Times)

roadburner

Not new, but almost certainly another CPO Bimmer- or perhaps a Cayman S. My son commandeered my wife's X3 so she bought a CPO 328i. I plan to drive my 2007 Mazdaspeed 3 as my work beater until my semi-retirement becomes a full retirement. Once that happens(in @3 years) the Mazda is gone and the hunt begins for something that is actually fast(as well as RWD and under 3500 pounds).

stever

Sounds like current lease deals are being structured for some makes (cheap, in other words) to ensure a lot of good three year old "previously owned" cars by 2015 to help meet the demand.

roadburner

Exactly; my wife's CPO had just came in off a 36 month business lease. And the dealer had several 2011 3 Series that came from BMW's corporate offices or were short-term private leases.