How old is your car?
 

With talk of the poor economy, I always look for signs of improvement or stress. For example, I think restaurants are one signal -- and restaurants seem to be quite full. Air traffic is another -- and I see full flights everywhere. A big one, though, is new vs. old cars. So, how old is your car, and are you currently looking to buy a new one soon? And how many miles do you have on your car?

5 1/2 years old with 100,740 miles on it. I keep my cars for 10 years regardless of whether I can afford a new one but since I'm putting 500+ miles a week on my medium-sized SUV, I'm thinking of breaking the 10-year rule and getting something much more fuel-efficient. Problem is I often have 3 or 4 kids, a dog, several backpacks and sometimes a spouse. Can anyone suggest something with enough room but also fuel-efficient?

2002 120K
2004 70K
2006 20K

Am planning on buying a 4th vehicle, probably in the spring of '09.

BTW, the flights are full because the routes have been cut by 40%, not because more people are flying. Used to be you had several options between any major Point A and Point B in the US, now you have to plan carefully to make sure you don't miss the 1 flight of the afternoon out.

We are a Mopar family....

1997 Dodge Intrepid - 190K (and still running strong) (it's my winter beatah)
2005 Chrysler T&C - 35K (the mom taxi)
2006 Jeep Liberty - 40K (Argie's commuter vehicle to Bristol)

2 car fam...
 

2002 Dodge Grand Caravan
and
2008 Saturn Vue

14 years old - 1994 Toyota Camry V6 XLE - - 149,000 miles - -change oil & filter each 3,000 miles, rotate tires each 5,000 miles.
On interstate get 30-30.5 mpg - - around town 19 - 20 mpg.
Am thinking about a new Camry - - either Prius or a Camry hybrid or just another Camry V6 XLE.
An outstanding car and it's a love, too.
Now is surely the time to buy a new car if someone needs it.

Car and cart
 

Have a 2002 Mercury with 58K...lasting well...but about to buy our third golf cart in 10 years, tomorrow. Miles racking up in those!

99 F250 diesel, 6 speed, 155K- semi retired (15 K a year)
04 tahoe, 88K primary work car now
07 Maxima, wife's wheels, 29K

I will put 150K or so on the Tahoe before it is ready to be passed on to my son. My wife gets a new car every 3-4 years, generally I take her old one and drive it into the ground.

The pickup should hit 300K easy. We started a little business moving bikes to motorcylce rallies- it pulls 8 bikes in an aluminum enclosed trailer like a dream.

Cars are an expense, not an investment-IMHO

I am currently driving a 1998 Ford Ranger pickup purchased used 2 years ago with 124,000 miles on it. It currently has 138,000 miles and going strong. I have no plans to purchase a newer car, I am hoping to keep this one 'til it dies. I'll put new tires on it this fall and hope for several more years of driving.

I agree with Cee65...changing the oil every 3000 miles adds years to the life of a car.

Wife drives a 99 Yukon just turned 30,000
Tow with a 99 F350 PSD and daily beater for a few years 89,000
I now drive an '00 Jeep Cherokee as my daily beater about to turn 99,000 and considering getting an '08 Trailblazer.
And last but not least one of my toys. A 75 Corvette convertible with 86k original:cool:

New Vette Or New Boat?
 

1974 Firebird retired drag racer. 2 gal.per mile Only driven 1/4 mile at a time.
2000 Corvette 123827 miles driven year round on good days. 24-28 miles per gal.
2005 GMC Sierra 52280 driven year round on bad days. 18 miles per gal.
I need a new plastic toy. Vette or Boat

my collection
 

2008 Prius (commuter)
2004 Passat Wagon (family car)
2002 Dodge Ram 4x4 (tow vehicle)
1992 Miata (wife's toy)
1956 Chevy Pickup (undergoing restoration)

Well good golly....talk about a personal question. I've been driving a '99 Ford Contour w/ a 4cyl-5speed that I bought from a NH seacoast police officer on craigslist last January for $1500...and it now has about 134k miles. Removed the Clarion compact disk player-radio and replaced it with a real radio....one that plays tape cassettes and has an old fashioned analog am-fm tuner...ala 1973!

Other vehicle is a '97 Ford f150 manual with 205k miles which has been placed into mothball status for over a year now. Is waiting for some money to show up for a few needed repairs to pass inspection. Plus, it's a gas guzzler, and I'm in no rush to get it fixed so it doubles as a storage shed what with the fiberglass cap..

As I understand it, Town of Meredith ordinance allows for storage of one unregistered motor vehicle on your property.

While it can be ok to drive an older car, what's not too cool is to drive any car without some good insurance coverage.....accidents can happen! Why do I mention this? Because, here in New Hampshire it is legal (but very risky) to drive with no insurance coverage.

In case you were wondering....if Barack Obama was asked this question....he would probably say that his wife Michelle and him & two daughters share a late model Ford Escape hybrid suv which supposedly gets about 34mpg-highway.

John McCain likes to drive that Arizona golden road in a Cadillac, and wife, Cyndi, has a Lexus.

And, for working the ranch down in Crawford, Texas, George W Bush drives a Ford f250, 4-door club cab, pickup truck.

2006 Jeep Commander
 

Traveling Salesguy -- 99,373 in 25 months.. (Glad to have the car allowance and a company gas card! :eek:)

2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee 61,000 - The bosses car... ALSO KNOWN AS - "She who must be obeyed" (55 month's old and all paid for.:))

Lot's o miles
 

I have a 1993 Infiniti G20 5 speed. It has 220,000 miles on it; I am trying to make the moon club. This is the distance from the earth to the moon (237,674 miles).

I find that as I get older and can afford a nice new car, I actually become more and more attached to my existing car. Go figure. :D

Jetskier:cool:

age of vehicle
 

I have a 1986 Colt Vista wagon with 58k miles and I love this vehicle. It is the perfect 2nd car for all sorts of around town missions. It is the minimum in cost for registering and insurance and has never let us down.

Buy American
 

Buy American save the American auto industry.
Or don't cry when this country goes broke!

2000 Olds Intrigue 121K and going strong. Just put brakes and tires on it so I am set for a while. Now putting 25 to 30K/year on it too. 24 to 28 MPG on a V6!

1992 Toyota 4Runner 4X4 3.0L V6 5 Speed Limited Ed. Just rolled 250K, owned for 10 years.

1998 Toyota T100 XCab 4X4 3.4L V6 5 Speed 189K, owned for 8 years.

1996 Toyota Camry LE 4 cyl Auto 185K, owned for 4 years.

Love 'em, all in MINT showroom condition and have no desire to sell any of them. All these vehicles represent Toyota in their prime, the newer ones are not made nearly as well and far as I'm concerned are ugly and full of expensive gadgets I have no interest in.

'02 Ford SUV...84,000 (mine) Wife leases an '07 Maxima.

05 Hummer H2- 77k miles
08 Volvo XC90 V8- 14k miles
Powerwheels 12 volt Kawasaki 4 wheeler
Powerwheels 6 volt Police motorcycle

The gas prices these day are certainly helping since we have 2 V8 guzzlers. The market on the Hummers has completely bottomed out. I have been looking into trading it towards a new Suburban (we need the space) but the trade value is so bad compared to payoff I will probably keep it until the wheels fall off. I'd probably take a $10k hit if I wanted out right now, and that is not in the cards...

The XC90 is nice but the boss misses her Cayenne S. I think when her lease is up we will probably pick up an 04 or 05 Cayenne.

The other two are great on gas :D

05 Toyota Matrix, 75,000 miles or so
99 Dodge Durango 117,000 miles or so
01 Kawasaki ZX9R 69,000 miles or so (I know, not a car, but it is my primary transport, weather permitting).

Bought the Matrix is 2006 when I sold my 92 Jetta with 185,000 miles. I tend to keep stuff a long time.

2004 Chevy Trailblazer, 55k miles. Wifes daily driver, my tow vehicle
2007 Nissan Altima, 44k miles. My daily driver (100 mile RT commute).
1990 Yamaha Virago, 24k miles. Currently off the road, as it won't start. :(

That long commute (I average 25k+ miles/year) not only wears out my cars fast, but it makes me dislike my cars just as fast. The Trailblazer is paid for, but I make the monthly payments on the Altima. It ain't cheap, but for me is a necessary evil.

We just purchased a 2009 Toyota Corolla to replace my husband's 2001 Corolla that had about 155,000 miles on it. We took advantage of Toyota's zero percent financing loan.

We also have a 2007 Toyota Camry that has about 30,000 miles on it.


Nicole

1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 201,000 mi.
In need of replacement but fixed incomes will not allow. So we drive and fix to get to our appointments and shopping, It has been good to us, though.

Buy American
 

2001 Lincoln Continental 104K

Bought it in 2003 used at half the new price. Its been a terrific car except for needing high test gasoline.

2001 Dodge Ram 1500 with 31,000 miles bought new in 2001
2001 Dodge Grande Caravan 119,000 bougt in 2002 with 46,000 miles
2001 Buick Century with 78,000-bought this summer when the 1996 Sable would not pass inspection.
1998 Toyota Carolla witn 186,000 miles

No plans to replace any at this time. We use the Carolla as much as possible as with the stanadard transmission, I average between 42-44 mpg traveling from western MA to Meredith.

cars
 

2001 S10 Crew Cab 4x4 125,000 Miles
2004 S10 Blazer XTREME 74,000 Miles

They both run well.

Toying with buying a new Camaro since I cannot afford a Z-06 Vette.

2002 Jeep Liberty that rolled off the assembly line on 9-11-2001. 161k miles so far and still going strong.

Ken

3 or 4 kids? Do you lose one evey once in a while? Lol!!

I'm in the same boat. I had a Dodge Ram Quad Cab but with three kids and the recent addition of two puppies I had to go even bigger and get a 2007 Chevy Suburban. It's actually better on gas than my Dodge was. It has a FlexFuel engine that shifts from eight cylinders down to four when the RPM's are low enough. I average 20 mpg on the highway. Not bad.

Plus it has room for all of us (luggage included). Not so sure about ski season though (with four of us snowboarding plus boots and helmets, not sure if we'll be able to fit everything). I guess I could use the roof rack but those things make me nervous. I'm always afraid something will blow off as we're driving down the highway.

Hey Cal...
 

...if you're ever looking to get rid of that Vette, keep me in mind. After all, we both love Chevy's and Winni; what more do you need to have in common.

That car is sweet!!!

1996 Subaru Outback wagon. 146k and still going strong.

"saved by zero, saved by zero" now i have that song stuck in my head...:laugh:

07 Toyota 4Runner - 25K

2006 Vette 3000 miles (my toy) 27 - 30 mpg
2005 Honda Pilot 30,000 25 mpg
2004 Chevy Avalanche 33,000 16 mpg
2002 Toyota MR2 20,000 (wife's toy) 30+mpg
2001 HD Sportster 6,500 lots of mpg
1962 Vette 150 miles (shared toy) don't care about mpg

works for us...
 

...3 vehicles, each serving a different need (or want):

2000 Toyota Tacoma (68,000 miles). Bought when 5 years old. Our utility vehicle at the Lake for trips to the dump, hauling bulky or dirty stuff, towing boats, etc.

2001 Toyota Highlander (96,000 miles). Bought new. Spouse's primary car, and the one we take when we need a comfortable vehicle that carries a good deal of stuff (ski trips, vacations to FL, etc.).

2004 BMW 330CI drop top (25,000 miles). Bought when 2 years old with 8K miles on it. Obviously, the "fun" car for nice weather. Doesn't hurt that we can nurse it up to 35 mpg (premium, though) on the highway.

All get oil changed frequently. All get waxed twice a year. No plans to replace any of 'em.

We do miss "Helga," though. Our 1991 Toyota Previa minivan. Good for 13 years and 231,585 miles. Great family car when the kids were growing up, and reliable as a rock.

Still going with GM
 

Present vehicle will be 5 years old on 11/18:

2004 Chevy Malibu - 67,000 miles Gets 30-32 mpg on my 300 mile trek to the lake. Commuting from May to Oct. from NJ to Lake Winni. accounts for at least 5,000 miles each year. I think I'll keep it for a while, it's got lots of bells and whistles, and the seats are so comfy I can drive the 5 hours to the lake and hop out without any aches and pains.

2004 Toyota Highlander
 

Not sure of the mileage.. 65-70k maybe. I will drive this car for 10 years. Nothing has ever gone wrong on it. Drives like a car, but can tow and haul lots of stuff. The splurge was the Navigation system, which saves me all the time. I can get 23-25 mpg going to the lake from MA.

IG

03 Buick Century, 40,000 miles. My commuting car.
01 Ford Mustang convertible, 80,000 miles, the fun car
02 Dodge Ram quad Cab 4x4, 80,000 miles, the hauling, towing, bad-weather truck

Mb
 

'04 Mercedes Benz E320 4Matic (for all that snow) with 48,000. Love it.

Keep 'em 'till they die
 

Let's see Mee's luxocruiser A6 is a 2000 and about 105K I think. My Mini is a 2002 with about 70K. I don't anticipate a new car arriving anytime soon.