The average age of a car has increased more or less linearly from about 6.5 years back in the mid-70s to 12 years today. I would attribute this mostly to the improved reliability of modern cars. My 2010 RX450h has been bullet-proof in the four years I've driven it, and now it has about 105K miles. So according to this graph, my car is actually younger than average!
http://www.inventics.com/AutoAge.jpg

Very interesting article that this graph came from:
https://wolfstreet.com/2020/07/31/av...o-1970s-level/

 

My IS350 is 12 years old in September. 155,000, going strong *knocks on wood*

 

My wife and i have 13 and 14 year old cars and are perfectly happy with them.

 

My cars are pretty old now. I’ve had my LS and SC for a long time, so I forget just how old they are. My LS is now 15 years old and the SC is almost 28 years old.

I see a lot of older cars on the road these days. Mainly cars from the late 90’s or newer.

 

I didn’t realize you still had the IS. I remember seeing a picture of it a long time and thinking it was one of the nicest IS’ I’d seen. Does it still have the Vossens like in your signature picture?

 

My wife's ES is coming up on 15 years, whereas I seem to want to change cars every year (but I have intentions of keeping my cars "a long time"). I'm happily married, but admit to having a womdering eye when it comes to cars. My wife won't replace her car yet because it's still running well and will probably go another five years easy, or more. Dang Lexus.

 

It’s interesting. Even I am losing my desire to have new cars all the time. Used to be by this time I am seriously itching to replace my car, and I’ve driven lots of stuff that I like, S Class, 7 Series, A8, X7, Range Rover, and deals are out there on all of those cars and I could make them all work...but I just dint feel the *need* to go and do that like I normally do.

 

Yeah I can't seem to part with her, runs like a top. I don't have the driveway space for a second car but I do consider leasing from time to time a second vehicle (probably an SUV) for my two large Shepherds. But the car has been paid off for many many years. Registration is cheap now, and I average 22mpg combined and 27-29mpg freeway, it's pretty great. No I sold off the Vossen's years ago after I stopped doing shows and went back to the OEM 18" liquid graphite wheels which were bespoke to MY08. The car looks mostly stock but still has F-Sport BBK, sways, strut bar, IS F steering damper, chassis brace, intake, midpipe. It's fun to drive, and stops on a dime. After nine years working with Lexus I made a career decision and now work with BMW and MINI, so an X3 lease might be in my future.

 

I don't care for the way new cars are headed these days so I consider my 2015 GS350 F-sport & my 2000 Boxster our forever cars. They are meticulisly maintained by me so they both should last another 15 years.

 

I guess we fit right in - 4 cars, average age 11.75, average mileage - 139K .

 

this probably should be called the virtue-signaling thread. not that there's anything at all wrong with keeping a car a long time!

i just get bored of driving whatever i'm driving - longest i had a car was 8 years.

i suspect though that people are keeping cars longer because cars are EXPENSIVE, are often financed for 6-8 years (vs 3-4 in the past) and not the highest priority in most people's lives whereas they used to be more of a status symbol.

traitor. no seriously, congrats to you!

 

You know, the one thing I'd really like is to be able to see a 360 view from above. My 2010 RXh can't do that. It would probably come in handy in parking lots.

Oh, also it would be cool to be on the freeway and have the car automatically keep a certain distance from the car in front. That would also be worthwhile.

But my current car is tastefully appointed, runs perfectly, gets great mileage, and no squeaks. And I intensely dislike a contemporary RX front end. No appeal at all, though I guess many like it or don't care.

I've never had a car reach 200K. Might be fun to try as long as the mechanicals hold up.

 

as i get older, I care less about what I drive, and see them more as a transportation tool. It also does not help that driving in LA is mostly not enjoyable, and you can't drive a car as intended.

Porsche 911? where you gonna drive spiritedly?

my cars are 17 and 13 years old.

paint's already peeling. Gonna drive them into the ground.
It's a great feeling not having to worry about paint chips and scratches, or even washing the car that often, cuz I don't give a chit anymore.

I have the urge to drive a supercar, I'll just go rent one

 

All of the posts in the thread so far appear to have at least some truth to them, and I don't disagree with any of them. I will add two things, though. First, some people are simply cheap (I've known people who actually admitted it, and used that term). They can afford a new vehicle (often without going into debt), don't have many, if any, other outstanding issues which would keep them from trading up....but they simply don't want to spend the money on a new vehicle. Second, there is also the factor of states, like mine, who charge a yearly Personal-Property-tax based on the assessed-value of your vehicle(s)....usually from KBB. Although it is not as high now as it was years ago, we have that tax in Fairfax County Virginia, where I live, partly because the State Constitution forbids Local County Income taxes. The Personal-Property taxes, plus real-estate taxes on the value of your home and property, make up for that. The tax, of course, usually lessens each year, with the vehicle's depreciation, so that it is an economic incentive to keep older vehicles....although the PP Tax is deductible on Schedule A of your Federal return.

It is also an incentive for cheating. We have a lot of people who move into Fairfax County and don't bother to re-register their cars in Fairfax county (as required by County law within 30 days)...they keep their vehicles registered in other states. The reason, of course, is so they can live here and freeload without paying the auto-tax. Except for active-duty military, that is illegal......but routinely done, and many do not get caught or dealt with, despite hot-lines for reporting them.

 

Just because you CAN buy a new vehicle and don't doesnt mean you're cheap. Everybody has different things that are important to them, and for many people having a new car all the time just isn't important to them. Why spend money on something that you dont really want just because you can?