Do You Treat Your Vehicle As An "Extension" Of Your Family?

[GAC]

I'm amazed at how many people treat (or maybe obsess) over their personal vehicles. They pamper them and treat them like their "favorite child". I take care of them, perform routine maintenance to keep up on them; but for me, they are simply a mode of transportation to get me from point A to point B. Nothing more.

I'm not one who trades his vehicle in, or feels he has to, every 2-3 years. I guess I should be glad that there are a lot out there doing it, since I work for a car manufacturer (Honda); but I sometimes wonder "Who in the heck is buying all of these cars!!!"

My wife and I bought our first new car back in '87, about 5 years after we got married. It was a Mercury Sable. I drove that car for 13 years. In the last few years of it's life I "inherited" it as my work car as we'd buy a new vehicle (usually a mini-van) for the wife and kids. And that has been the "pattern" in this household, so to speak - Once the car has possibly out lived it's usefulness, give it to Dad as a work car.And I don't mind it, because again, I just don't put that much into vehicles.

We just bought a brand new Honda van this past summer. Again, for the wife and kids. Dad is driving an 12 year old Sable (a different one). I've taken care of it, and it's still in pretty good shape. But I two teens starting to drive this spring. They'll be driving the Sable, and Dad is thinking of buying him a new Civic.

Question: How many own a nice, new, loaded pickup truck that has never had anything hauled in the bed. You wouldn't want to scratch it.

[zombie-a-go-go]

*laugh*

I buy a used, beat-up vehicle, run it into the ground until it dies, and then buy another one.

What was the question again?

[Roy Tucker]

Originally Posted by GAC

IOnce the car has possibly out lived it's usefulness, give it to Dad as a work car.And I don't mind it, because again, I just don't put that much into vehicles.

Boy can I can relate to this.

The Tucker fleet is up to 4 cars (3 cars and a van) and Dad drives the oldest car. At least the heater works in this car. My previous vehicle had me driving in a parka and gloves in the winter.

When I was single I used to name my cars and pamper them. Marriage and children rid me of that habit post haste. Cars don't mean nearly as much to me any more as they once did.

[HumnHilghtFreel]

My first car: my dad's used Chevy Lumina with 200,000 miles on it. It's still running just fine

A car's a car to me.

[GIK]

I go through cars too fast to become emotionally attached. The longest time I've owned a car is 22 months. Most I own about a year. I'm under 30 and I'm well over 15 cars. I've only lost $ on one of them, though, and usually make a decent profit. Drives my wife crazy as I'm shopping constantly.

[KittyDuran]

Originally Posted by HumnHilghtFreel

My first car: my dad's used Chevy Lumina with 200,000 miles on it. It's still running just fine

A car's a car to me.

Same here but with a Chevy Prizm with 230,000 miles on it - no AC but runs just fine.

[RFS62]

I look for one to two year old cars with low mileage, preferrably around 20K.

I let you guys pay for that first two years of depreciation.

[GAC]

Originally Posted by GIK

I go through cars too fast to become emotionally attached. The longest time I've owned a car is 22 months. Most I own about a year. I'm under 30 and I'm well over 15 cars. I've only lost $ on one of them, though, and usually make a decent profit. Drives my wife crazy as I'm shopping constantly.

We, in the car industry, thank consumers like you. You put meat on our table and keep my kids in Nikes.

I'm 51, and from 1973 to present I have owned 12 cars.

[gonelong]

My cars are no different than a screwdriver to me.

GL

[paintmered]

Originally Posted by RFS62

I look for one to two year old cars with low mileage, preferrably around 20K.

I let you guys pay for that first two years of depreciation.

Yep, that's the best strategy.

[westofyou]

I'm 51, and from 1973 to present I have owned 12 cars.

I owned 2 in the past 25 years, cars are tools... I take care of my tools. But I don't love em.

[BRM]

I've went through quite a few trucks the last 10 years but I never spent much money on them. I always bought "classic" or "antique" trucks. Cleaned them up, drove them a while and usually sold them for more than I paid for them. I stopped doing that a couple of years ago and now I drive a 2003 F350. I plan on driving this one until it dies.

[GAC]

Originally Posted by westofyou

I owned 2 in the past 25 years, cars are tools... I take care of my tools. But I don't love em.

Same here. And of those 12 I've owned, only five were brand new car purchases. I really don't see how some people can afford new vehicles these days with the prices reaching in the high 30 thousand and up. What? Do they finance them for 10 years?

[GIK]

I rarely buy brand new cars. This is a fun exercise...here's my list, in order:

1978 Jeep Cherokee Chief 4x4
1963 VW Beetle
1987 Honda Accord LX
1991 Jeep Cherokee Limited
1975 Jeep CJ5
1987 Toyota 4Runner SR5 Turbo
2001 Ford Focus SE
2000 Ford F-150 XLT 4x4
2002 VW GTI VR6
2002 Ford SVT Focus
2003 Ford SVT Focus
1977 Jeep Cherokee 4x4
1987 Honda Prelude Si
1994 Ford Ranger XLT 4x4
2000 Ford Explorer XLT 4x4
1994 Mazda Miata
1992 Ford Mustang LX 5.0

I need to find a car I can be happy with for a loooong time.

[westofyou]

Currently I'm driving my Brother in laws car (he's out of town for work) it's a 1973 BMW 2001 TI, windows fog up in the rain (no ac is the culprit) and it's as safe as rowboat in the ocean... but it's fast as hell.

Makes me appreciate my Outback Wagon a lot more then I do.