Do you drive cars "into the ground"?

I keep mine until a likely repair is worth a major portion of the value of the car. I sold my 7 year old Grand Cherokee with 165,000K for $4500. A new transmision which notoriously is the first major problem would have run $2500 plus. So basically I saved the $2500 and made $4500, a nice edge off the price of the Prius. My philosophy is maintain it well and sell it before it is a junker, but just before.

 

Hey buddy, speak for yourself. Whenever I take dates back to my condo and show them my Kenmore Elite HE3T washer and HE3 dryer, they start to purr.

"OOOooooo does that front loading washer do BIG loads?"

"Well baby, let's do a load together and find out ..."

As far as my Prius, I rarely have guys ask about it. But lonely bored middle-aged housewives are ALWAYS asking me about the Prius. Like in the office building where I work, before I got the Prius women only casually glanced at me.

Now when I get off the parking garage elevator and walk over the lobby into the tower elevator bank, women sometimes whisper "That guy in the nice suit, isn't he the one with the hybrid car?" "OOOooo yeah I think he is ..."

It's starting to go to my head. But seriously, don't you find that the Prius makes you a bit more "lucky" at least with the lonely bored middle-aged housewife crowd?

 

I appreciate the positive responses to my previous post.

I can't say my Prius is makeing me money, since I don't have any job related travel using my personal vehicle. But I can see how the new federal vehicle reimbursement rates work in favor of the Prius driver.

I too have sentimental value in the vehicle I kept. It got me back and forth between home and college for many years with few issues, other than a fuel pump that died on the way back to school during July in the middle of the night, in the middle of nowhere. But aside from that the old car has never stranded me for lesser issues.

 

there is no smiley icon to describe how hard i laughed when i read this... so

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

Personally I will drive a car until it can no longer drive or cost of maintaince and my feeling safe in the vehicle are gone. I put alot of miles on my vehicle per a year and I don't see anything wrong with checking out the benefits of the next gen Pri compared to my model. By then I bet that you can be in electric mode at speeds great than 42 which would be great for the city as 42 is rather slow to not annoy others in traffic here. Also I'm sure overall MPG technology will have gone up. Plus if you are into the nav...it's already better now with the '06 and should be alot better by the next gen.

On a side note... in a few days I will hit my 1 year anniversary with Electra my '05 Pri. We have travelled over 23,000 miles and I didn't get to drive her for a least a month's worth of time. At present, I assume that I will drive Electra for 5 years or 100,000 miles...but time will tell. When it comes time to sell it will be a private sale if there isn't anything wrong with the car...but it'll be a trade in if the car has issues as I don't want to screw over someone else.

 

I plan on driving my Prius until the extended warranty is just about to expire, then I'll get something new. That will likely end up being a mile mark (100k) rather than a time mark, so we'll se how long that takes. Same with our Volvo (also a 7 year/100k mile warranty). At the rate were putting miles on it though, that'll be in only three years (it's a 2005), so I'm not sure. The Volvo has a lot of expensive electronic gadgets in it, just like the Prius, that would be costly to replace.

 

I have driven my last few cars until they got about 100k then let the kids drive them into the ground. That kept an extra car around so that we would have something to drive when one was in the shop for the day. The kids could take a bus to school, although they usually found someone to ride with. Now we have my old Explorer around as an extra. I have to say it is very nice to have that extra car around. We will drive the Explorer till it dies then get my wife a new car. The kids are winning about the cost of gas I may let them take the Prius off my hands and get the next generation one when it comes out.

 

The primary reason I bought the Prius was that I think it's technology promotes driving it into the ground -- i.e., long life.

Put it this way: what's the primary wear-and-tear on the engine of a car? Throttling the engine down, shifting gears, etc. And what does the Prius (because of the HSD and planetary gears) not do? Ah-Ha!

Sure, it's a gamble -- it could turn out that some hybrid part wears out sooner, or (worst case) compromises the life of the car. But my money's against it. I've always gotten 12 years or more out of any other car I've owned, and the Prius is no different.

 

When money is the only factor (it rarely is, of course), I recall seeing a personal finance show advise that the time to sell a car is when the cost of maintanance and repairs exceeds the depreciation cost. In the early years, the depreciation cost is high, and the servicing cost is low. In the latter years, the depreciation cost is low, and the servicing cost is high. When the two curves cross, it's time to sell.

For example, suppose you buy a car for $28,000 and it depreciates at 10% per year. By the time the car is 7 years old, it is worth $13,392 and has depeciated by $1,488 in the past year. Suppose that you spent $1,600 on maintenance and repairs in the past year. Then the financial indicator says it's time to sell.

Obviously, there are other considerations besides cost. If you need a minivan to haul your kid's soccer team around, you need to sell that roadster.

 

I have owned three cars and pretty much drove them 'into the ground', but didn't get nearly the mileage out of them as most of you posted.

1980 Chevy Chevette - I guess I didn't actually own this one now that I think about it. My dad gave it to me used and then took it back when I moved across country. I drove it from late 1985 through late 1986 (about 14 months) and that darn car left me stranded more times than I can count. I'll have to ask my dad what he did with it. I don't recall the mileage.

1987 Plymouth Colt - Purchased used in late 1987 and drove it until 1997 when it became too unsafe and I could afford a newer car. Major problems and expenses and leaked oil horribly. I don't recall the mileage, but it was less than 100,000 miles...maybe 80,000 or less. I traded it in and they scrapped it.

1995 Toyota Corolla - Purchased used in the summer of 1997. Best car I've ever owned and has had no major problems. It is currently over 120,000 miles. We'll sell it privately or donate it when we decide to purchase our new '06 Prius.

My husband's track record...interesting conversation ensued from this topic...thanks!
1972 Plymouth Duster - Given to DH from family. He sold it in 1989.

1987 VW Fox Wagon - Given to DH from family. He totaled it in a six-car pileup in 1993.

1991 Ford Escort - He purchased it used in 1993 and drove it until he paid it off in 1996.

1997 Pontiac Sunfire GT- He purchased it new in late 1996. It had 70,000 miles on it when we traded it in for his '04 Camry that we purchased new in January 2004. It was costing us too much money in repairs and was a pain with a baby (two doors). We traded it because it had problems and we didn't feel comfortable selling it privately knowing it had problems.

My Corolla wasn't quite big enough for a family with an infant. When the stroller was in the trunk, that was about all that fit. No road trips, no camping trips...even beach trips across town were a hassle with all the infant gear. The Camry has been great!

Our first family car...
2004 Toyota Camry - Purchased new in early 2004. Currently, it has 34,000 miles on it.

Our plan is to keep the Camry until it becomes too expensive to repair. However, technology is really improving and we may change our minds on this. The '06 Prius might be physically replacing my '95 Corolla, but it is giving us a potential family car that is more economical and environmentally-friendly and FUN. That leaves us more open for a replacement/upgrade for the '04 Camry. Our financial position now gives us more flexibility on when we make that change. Who knows what the future holds...

Interesting topic!

 

For me, it's not a matter of driving it into the ground, but driving it until we feel it is no longer a safe and reliable vehicle to drive.

 

My 1996 Camry (my first car)- is at 110,000 and counting. I would wait longer to replace it since it still runs like new, but I plan on going back to school, and I want to make sure I don't have a car loan or an unreliable car for the long trips back and forth to come home. The idea of a breakdown is my worst nightmare....even with a cell I don't feel so great about being a 20-something woman alone on the side of the interstate.

So, I'm counting the days 'til 1/1/06, and from that point on it's either when the weather warms up, or my car gets hit. With DC traffic and driving, getting hit isn't if, it's when. I got rearended last year by a DC cop.

 

Thank you for a very good poll question and thanks to all for very thoughtful (and a few REALLY funny) answers. It got me thinking about my car replacement "style."

I used to say that I drove cars into the ground, but I really drove them until I either didn't enjoy driving them or they began to feel unreliable; i.e., if I had to spend too much energy (mental or physical) worrying about a breakdown or fixing a breakdown, it was time for the car to go.

I drove my ex-wife's '67 Pontiac LeMans OHC6 to about 197K. Next was an '73 MAzda RX2 that went 125K (when most folks' engines blew or wore out by 40-60k.) That one would have lasted longer had I not tried to remove the fan and replace it with an electric. The engine overheated, warped part of the block, and blew oil into the cooling jacket. I sold it at 125K to a guy who desperately needed a short-commute car for a few months, and happily took $200 from him. He understood all of the car's shortcomings, and could deal with 'em for a short time.
My '82 Isuzu I-Mark Diesel sedan never went below 30mpg or so for the 75K or so I drove it. It would have gone much further, but 1) the clutch started slipping and the replacement was of poor quality and very "grabby" until it warmed up. Not acceptable. Plus, I got a good deal on a "company car" the last year they bought fleet Tauruses. In about six years I put a whole 30k on that '97 car, and it started eating ignition switch mechanisms, water pumps, heater cores and the like. I fixed all that and sold it, to get part of the money to buy my '04 Prius.

The Prius got a whopping 4000 miles on it in its first year, possibly a low-mileage record amongst our gang, here... then it pulled my trailer and carried my wife, me and our two dogs 'cross country three times in one season: this past summer. Now it sits at about 18K on the clock, still averaging well under 10K a year, but getting nicely broken in now.

But I hate the NAV system's user interface, covet the side-marker directionals and so on, of the '06's.... so the '04 may not last more than another year or two in my posession. We may hand it down to my stepson's family, if they're interested, though he finds the legroom to limited and his wife loves her "soccer mom" Chrysler minivan with its tons of high-end options and room for their kid's stuff and seating for seven or more....

I offered to buy my wife an '06 Prius when they started delivery, but she refused. Her '98 Camry XLE has only 40K on it and she loves the car. But she has agreed that if she likes the Hybrid Camry, we'll be swapping her wheels asap. I figure I'll be ready for Gen3 (or whatever it is by then) of the Prius in another two or three years.

I drive 'em as long as they're reliable and fun. If either of those meters starts dropping, there's a new car in the garage.

and many blessings on the poster who spelled out that cars are NOTHING but "expenses". Unless you're using them in a business and they directly produce profit for you (delivery vehicle? taxi?), it's just a matter of what they cost to run. (plus, imnsho, are they still fun.)

ps.
My Prius corners much faster than my wife finds comfortable and ALMOST faster than I find comfortable. Wow! Have you gotten your yaw-sensor to beep while cruising an on-ramp at high speeds? I have! Woo-Hoo!

 

im waiting for the next upgrade. i usually drive em till they drop. but my Corolla didnt really die. (at least not when i had it) it was given away...(figured i lost about $50 on that deal)

 

I have had a few cars, but have not run any of them into the ground. Here is the short list of the cars I've had.

1984 Renault Alliance: This was my first car in 1996. My grandmother bought a used Nissan and gave the Renault to me. Great gas mileage, but very fragile. When my grandmother passed her Nissan on to me the Renault had 112K miles. It's still around, but hasn't been started in years. I wonder if it still works? Better question, I wonder how many people have ever heard of a Renault? LOL

1994 Nissan Sentra: This car was great for the short time I had it. Totaled it in 2000, but i can't remember what the mileage was.

1998 Saturn SL1: I bought it used in 2000 with 24K miles. The car had endless problems, but I was able to sell it before I got my 06 Prius. The Saturn had 73K on it when I sold it.

So here's to hoping I get much more out of my new Prius

 

I think I have gone through multiple phases over my life. Chronologically:

1- When I was younger... I would buy a car after it had already been driven into the ground... and then do whatever necessary to barely keep it running.
2- A little older... acquire a reasonable high mileage car... then drive it into the ground.
3- Buy a new car (1979 Toyota Corolla) and then drive it into the ground.
4- Buy a new car... and drive it until the kids needed a car... and then give it to them to drive into the ground while I get a shinny new one.

Which brings me to phase #5... my Prius. I am planning to drive this until I get to about 6 years, or 90K miles and then sell it for a new vehicle. I really like the Prius a lot, but I am skeptical about its life expectancy because of the newer, and riskier technology. If I see tremendous counter evidence to my theory... and the Prii are lasting a long time, then I might keep it much longer. If I remain skeptical... then I will sell it with a year and/or 10K miles of transferable warranty to remove the jitters of a used car buyer.

/Jim

 

I ran my 92 Camry to the ground... we just got rid of it last week. Over 250K miles. (I bought it with 106K miles in 98.)

 

It's funny, when I bought my current car (used) I thought I would trade it for something more luxorious whitin a few years. Now 8 years later and with 123.000 miles on the odometer I just traded it (for peanuts) for a new 06 Prius. My goal with the Prius is to be able to keep it for at least 8 years.

I hope this is the last car with a gasoline engine I buy. I hope that true world 50-100 miles EV becomes available before I buy a new car.

Robert
Still waiting for my 06 Prius.

 

I recall reading an article that said you could retire ten or more years earlier if you drove your cars into the ground rather than replace them every two or three years.

I know people in their 60's who have no savings, make about 1/20th what I make, but drive nicer cars than mine. They'll be working until the day they die to pay for a lifestyle they can't afford. *shakes head*