How many years can you hold on to a particular car model?

[Gerbo]

Let's just say the vehicle serve you well...you like its performance...and its well maintained through the years...enough making a "buddy" out of it..

How many years can you hold on to it? 10,15,20 years...before difficulties set in in finding parts?

When is the best time to let go a car? Btw, not after resale value...

[alwayz_yummy]

1989 nissan auster (local: maxima) 2.0X (carb).. computin mo nalang ilang taon na.

daming hardship, trials and pinagsamahan namin ng kotse na to, parang parte na ng buhay ko.. pero its up to when or me kung kelangan na bitawan siya... pero di ako makaka desisyon nun.....naka-pangalan to sa nanay ko noh! sriuosly, as the owner, alam mo yun...

since nearing its 20th year, siyempre lalabas ulit mga pang 10th year aches...which is due for another major restoration...

plus sa maintenance palang ng kotse vs. resale cost, lugi na....logically ako, i'll just restore nalang, atleast may kotse akong ginagamit(despite boring 5000/year on registration) and baka in the future, well, mag-hold/appreciate na din value nito... may show car pa ako to be admired of...my week-end/holiday car nalang... ba bibihira merong 1989 maxima lalo na ngayon hehehe...

mura lang naman bumili ng donor car, lao na yung un-registered units na kumpleto pa trimmings..

[s_quilicot]

1989 nissan auster (local: maxima) 2.0X (carb).. computin mo nalang ilang taon na.

daming hardship, trials and pinagsamahan namin ng kotse na to, parang parte na ng buhay ko.. pero its up to when or me kung kelangan na bitawan siya... pero di ako makaka desisyon nun.....naka-pangalan to sa nanay ko noh! sriuosly, as the owner, alam mo yun...

since nearing its 20th year, siyempre lalabas ulit mga pang 10th year aches...which is due for another major restoration...

plus sa maintenance palang ng kotse vs. resale cost, lugi na....logically ako, i'll just restore nalang, atleast may kotse akong ginagamit(despite boring 5000/year on registration) and baka in the future, well, mag-hold/appreciate na din value nito... may show car pa ako to be admired of...my week-end/holiday car nalang... ba bibihira merong 1989 maxima lalo na ngayon hehehe...

mura lang naman bumili ng donor car, lao na yung un-registered units na kumpleto pa trimmings..

di mo ata na mention yun 20liters = 100km mo

[Type 100]

1994 Toyota Corolla 1.6 GLi (AE101):
Was with my family for 8 years. Ours was one of the very first units, released October 1993. By the time we sold it its sagging springs needed replacement, and it had already had a clutch change, but every other mechanical component still worked well. I have no doubt it's still running somewhere in QC.

1999 Honda City 1.5EXi (SX8):
Acquired 2001 as a second-hand car. It was with me for 6 years. Mechanically it was still fine; it needed new shocks, but most of the damage on it was cosmetic. Dents and scrapes mostly. I kind of regret not taking better care of it.

2005 Honda Jazz 1.3S (GD1):
Acquired second-hand 2007 and my present ride. Ever since I first saw its photos back in 2002 I was smitten---you could say the Jazz is already my dream car. I plan on keeping it until I have a family of my own. Should be no problem lasting more than 10 years.

[GTi]

1989 Nissan Sentra 1.6SGX: was the family's 1st car, this one had power windows and is never short of power. It actually rides quite nicely, without many major repairs in its time with us. When it was sold, it was still in very good condition (no scratches or dents, clean and nicely kept interior with nothing falling apart) sold only because of its declining fuel efficiency.
1997 Honda Accord 2.2VTi: bought second hand on 2000. Was the family's 1st A/T car. The last owner installed all available options (lucky us!) it had a great performance (Baguio to Manila in 3 hours!!!) once it was accidentally driven in a heavily flooded area, stalled only when the water came in and the flood covered the hood resulting to a transmission change. It was sold in 2003 with only 51k on the clock because we lived in a frequently flooding area, really miss that car.
2002 Isuzu Trooper 4x2 (current car): bought second hand on 2003. As durable as a tank, engine performance is great but handling isn't. It has never belched black smoke since it started here with us. Only a few gripes with ths car: no seatbelt for 2nd row center occupant and the side facing rear seats.
So any car, even if it's 2nd hand, as long it was sold to us in a good condition can last at least 15-20 years with us and sold in an excellent condition.

[Jun aka Pekto]

Let's see......

An old 1976 Trans Am....... 2 years. I kept wearing out the tires every couple of months even though I couldn't afford them back then. $300 each at early 80's prices.

1986 Nissan Pulsar - 5 years. Got rid of it because of it's wimpy 55hp.

1991 Plymouth Laser RS Turbo - 16 years. Loved it especially after the HKS Stage 4 mod which was 281bhp for a 2700 lbs car. Wife didn't like it though. I signed it over to my nephew along with 2 very low-mileage 4G63 turbo engines and other parts.

1995 Ford Contour SE (aka Mondeo V6) - 13 years. We still have it. Wife loves it. But we need a bigger vehicle because of another addition to the family.

1997 Dodge Grand Caravan SE - 8 years. What a hunkajunk (mainly with the 8th year).

2006 Hyundai Sonata 3.3 V6. 3 years so far. Problem-free up to this point besides the dents and scratches caused by our eldest daughter. Hopefully, the Sonata will continue be problem-free and become her first car. He He.

[melrome]

Nice topic

[empy]

if it's a pretty high volume production car, parts will be available indefinitely. there are still plenty of parts available for 70's and 80's BMW, Mercedes, Chevy and Ford, for example. plus with the low cost of labor in the RP it won't break your budget to make major repairs, replace body panels, etc.

so i would say with the proper care you can keep it close to forever. 20 years is definitely very doable. just make sure you educate yourself about proper car care, and your model specifically.

[empy]

doobidoobidoo

[mbeige]

The true definition of a family car, is one that stays in the family, for generations to come. My 1983 300D was my grandma's from 1983 to 2004, and from then on it was mine. Our 1990 300TE, however, was purchased from somebody else, but it's been very good so far considering its mileage, condition and age. We've taken both cars on 1,000 mile trips and not one of them had a single problem, apart from the fact that they still wanted to keep going, but the drivers could not.

I'm willing to bet both cars will stay with us for a very long time.

[ronw123w124]

The true definition of a family car, is one that stays in the family, for generations to come. My 1983 300D was my grandma's from 1983 to 2004, and from then on it was mine. Our 1990 300TE, however, was purchased from somebody else, but it's been very good so far considering its mileage, condition and age. We've taken both cars on 1,000 mile trips and not one of them had a single problem, apart from the fact that they still wanted to keep going, but the drivers could not.

I'm willing to bet both cars will stay with us for a very long time.

As they say:

" You don't own a Mercedes-Benz, you're merely looking after it for the next generations to come"

[coiter]

How many years can you hold on to it? 10,15,20 years...before difficulties set in in finding parts?

When is the best time to let go a car? Btw, not after resale value...

for me, kung wala nang mahanap na parts sa banawe, malabo na. time to let go na. mga bestsellers talaga ang lamang dito. kasi usually though the body changes, the engine remains the same. so most likely more than 10 yrs nang in production. that would translate to around 100k or so units plying the road. imagine the volume of parts available. best examples are the 4afe, 4g63 and old school diesels.

[alainroyce]

For me if your the 1st owner, 5 years is the maximum you can hold the vehicle before you resale again to recover more to you investment or else you will frustrate or loose everything. the 5 years lalabas na mga sira nyan, the maintenance was very high.. also, its defend on your usage. mileage per month or year.. if you always travel better to replace a new one kung may budget kung wala naman... no choice ka love what you have...

[alwayz_yummy]

SQ - omit ko muna yun, kasi nareduce naman kahit paano to 15L/100kms e... hantayin mo, aabot ako sa atleast 7-10L/100km... 5L/100km is overkill for a mid-size car like mine.

usual vehicle life is just 3-years lang. 5 years may lugi na. well, 20 years, sagad na. if i have the capacity to pay for a new car every 3 years, expect that i have a new car every 2.5-3 years. and only 1 keeper classic car.

pero alam nyu ba na dito sa atin, the older the car the cheaper the registration is?

my 1989 maxima has an MVUC of only 1,400 pesos (wala pa ang mga varying cost of: plates/stickers, comp. fee, legal reaseach, insurance, emission at service fees)

ung 1998 kia namin, has a MVUC of 2,xxx pesos, remeber, sub-compact/light category to ha, unlike sa maxima ko na M/mid-size category.

comparing sa mga bago ngayon na mid-size cars w/ 3-year LTO of 12thou--divide mo by 3(since 3 years nga,) pumapatak na 4Thou plus per year.

practically, if your old car is still in a prestine condition, you might want to consider your yearly increase in registration fee if you traded your old one for a new one.

eto di ata napapansin ng pinoy,e.. kaya nga mura ang cost ng mga used vehicles na galing japan, kasi unlike sa atin, sa kanila the older the vehicle the more fees you have to pay. but unlike din sa atin, pinoys dont have the capacity to pay for a new vehicle every 3-5 years.

and to add: maxima ko is really from japan(some research and the VIN plate says it), like the teana, SX4, swift, subarus... di katulad ng most other japanese cars na locally made or from asean member countries. well, i could say na japanese built quality is great, plus a good maintenance, ba di ko akalaing tatagal ng ganito ha.

[niky]

It all depends on how much you love the car. Very few cars are impossible to maintain... maybe certain very short run cars like the Lotus Carlton will have absolutely no spares available (word is, the bespoke ECU is completely irreplaceable...)... but most 20 year old cars can be maintained if you have foreign contacts and a credit card.

It's up to you, as the owner, really, to figure out how much the car is worth to you. One owner's headache is often another enthusiast's treasure. Every time I see a fully-restored Escort, Corolla Sprinter or 70's Lancer, I smile as much as if I'd seen a Ferrari. Old Alfas, Lancia Delta Integrales, the rare Isuzu Bellet GT-R... these cars were not dream cars in their days... just desirable sports cars... but nowadays they're valuable.

For a car, ten years or 150,000 to 200,000 kilometers is the maximum serviceable life for a car you don't particularly love. Because after that, you will have to pour a ton of money into it to refresh it completely... repainting, repairing body joints and welds, replacing under-chassis parts and overhauling the engine... most people would rather pour that 100 - 200k pesos into a downpayment on a new car than to refresh what they've got.

But if you're willing, thanks to aftermarket manufacturers making restoration parts for desirable (and even not-so-desirable) classics, the "resto-modding" trend which allows you to update old cars with modern mechanicals, it's no longer a question of how long you can keep the car running. It's now a question of how long you can keep it looking good, as cosmetic parts like headlights, tail-lights, chrome and rubber trim and original wheels and hubcaps are becoming increasingly rare and expensive.

Personally, I'd love to keep my current car forever. But realistically, it might only be a daily driver for another year or two before I have to supplement it with a newer car.

[tidus1203]

We normally hold on our cars for 8 years... Mga barat kasi kami dito eh hehehehe But since light duties lang naman kami our cars last long. Hell, I still have a 1999 Accord mag 10 years na sa May. We have a Landcruiser also celebrating 10 years this year.

[OTEP]

Nakakamatayan na namin ang mga sasakan dito. I guess that's long enough... But for daily drivers, usually nothing more than 20 years old.

[gwapster]

Kung German cars like Mercedes, BMW, Porsche yan, I'd gladly hold on to it for 10 or more years. There are some cars, no need to mention names, that I'd be selling as soon as the warranty expires.

[badsekktor]

i still have a 1969 VW beetle at the garage, it still runs but needs restoration.

I guess it depends on the model of the ride. there are those who could be considered as keepers like those classics and muscle cars and the bimmers and benz, there are also SUVs that are built like tanks so i do think that there are those that you could keep for a long time.

[galant E SS]

wow! this is a very interesting topic. actually, i have a related thread here entitled "Keep your old car vs. buying a new car?" a certain "Gerbo" commented in said thread referring this one. my current ride and 1st car is 1997 mitsubishi galant. i bought it on sept. 2009. it was already almost junked by the previous owner but i restored it, and until now the restoration process is still ongoing little by little, but it is in very good running condition. it just need some minor repairs and paint jobs.

I love my car and I want to preserve it. Everytime I see old cars which are still running on the road, i am inspired. I know someone who has a 1977 mitsubishi galant, and his car is still running but of course needs some restoration due to rust. So, i am thinking that maybe I can keep my car in good running condition for 20 years or more.

The history of the mitsu galant is that it was created in 1969 as japanese counterpart to the american muscle cars. I love to see muscle cars and vintage cars, so i am thinking that if i can preserve my car for 20 years or more even if i already have a newer car/suv, then, it could be a future vintage car.

a friend of mine has a 1996 hyundai elantra and now he have a new ford everest. he is hesitant to sell his old car because he know that he would surely miss it.