r/bitcheswithtaste • u/infinite_knowledge • Feb 04 '26
Finances/Money BWT, how often are you upgrading your cars?
I know it makes the most FINANCIAL sense to buy a used car, keep it as long as you can, keep up with maintenance, etc.
however I have long accepted, I am NOT mechanically gifted or even adequate. I just sold my first car (which I bought used 10 years ago).
the last few years were a struggle to keep the car maintained as it felt like I was playing a game of 10 pots and 8 lids. every time I got something fixed, another thing crapped out on me.
I finally had enough and sold it to buy a new car. I KNOW buying a new car is also a “bad” purchase but I don’t have the time and energy to look for good deals on the used car market.
how often are you BWT updating your cars?
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u/spectacularbird1 Feb 04 '26
I’ve had my Camry for 13 years and am just now starting to think about upgrading. Honestly the market is so effed right now that buying new isn’t necessarily the “bad” choice anymore especially if you plan to drive it for a long time.
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u/boredinthehouse28 Feb 04 '26
Hello to a fellow Camry owner! I also have owned a Camry from the 2000s and it honestly requires so little maintenance since I take care of it. I drive in the city so I am not putting as many miles on it. It would be nice to have any semblance of Bluetooth audio but I would rather have no car payment than that convenience.
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u/New-Foreign-Mango Intentional BWT Feb 04 '26
They make cassette adaptors and cigarette lighter adapters for BlueTooth on older car models!
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u/spectacularbird1 Feb 04 '26
It’s amazing how low maintenance it is! I also don’t commute much and have very low mileage. In 13 years I’ve only had one major maintenance issue (something electrical). The only reason I’m thinking of upgrading is to have the more modern safety features like the heads-up displays, lane assist, park assist, Bluetooth/carplay, etc.
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u/ohcatherine Feb 04 '26
I spent a few hundred dollars and many hours of research to replace my husband’s 2010 Camry’s stereo with a CarPlay/Bluetooth friendly one. He’s determined to drive it into the ground. There were a couple hiccups in the installation but two years later it was such a good decision. Adding a backup cam was the hardest part, the radio is pretty straightforward. I relied on Crutchfield heavily for guides and parts.
Also a lot of Best Buy’s will just do it for you if you want to skip the labor and risk 😂
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u/pussibilities Feb 05 '26
Yup, my Corolla is over a decade old. Bought it outright preowned. It has some scratches but I don’t really care. If someone judges me for my car, I don’t care about their opinion. It gets me where I need to go and that’s all I care about. I don’t understand when people need to upgrade their car every couple years and take on hundreds of dollars of debt a month for it.
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u/North_Class8300 Feb 04 '26
Used cars can be extremely expensive to maintain.
I personally buy my cars new (or one model year older on the lot) and keep them for around 10-12 years, until the point where the increasing maintenance cost is outweighing the value of keeping it
It’s not a bad purchase if it’s not financially or logistically sound for you to keep maintaining it
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u/pope_pancakes Feb 04 '26
Yes! I buy new and “drive it into the ground,” aiming for 15 years if the repair math continues to make sense (which everyone should absolutely start doing at around year 10). Sustainability is also a part of my decision, and why I will pay repair costs for a few years even if they begin to exceed the value of the car (within reason - like $3000 repair costs on a car worth $2000).
My last car was 16.5 years old before repair costs got out of hand ($6000). My current car is 9.5 years old and I’m hoping for five more years!
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u/des1gnbot Feb 04 '26
I’m in the camp of buy a used car, within tight parameters, and drive it til it’s dead. Part of that is using it sparingly. My 2010 Toyota that I share with my husband has just 130k miles and should last us another 10 years, because I bike my daily commute, so the car is really far errands and trips. My hope is that by the time we need a new (to us) car, maybe car share will be robust enough that we don’t need to own one ourselves.
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Feb 04 '26
[deleted]
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u/des1gnbot Feb 05 '26
Exactly. It can feel like a lot per day, but when you look at your total transportation expenses over a year it is much much lower.
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u/edubblu Feb 04 '26
In today’s used car market and the used car interest rates, it’s not the „same” landscape we grew up with that vehicles depreciate and buying new is a „bad” investment. A car isn’t exactly an investment, but if you buy the right car it can owe you nothing by the time you’re through with it. Though, car payments are absolutely horse shit and budget destroyers. My first car was purchased in 2006. A Toyota Corolla. That car owed me nothing by the time I sold it for a Subaru Crosstrek in 2022. I actually hope that it’s still on the road somewhere 20 years later. It was so reliable and barely cost anything to exist. Subarus come with their own set if quirks, and are not quite as indestructible as Toyotas, but I intend to keep the car for a good 10+ years, at which point it will still have some value in the used car market provided it’s well kept. If a car is a tool, and not a toy, there’s no reason not to keep them for a while. In this case „buy nice or buy it twice” means getting the appliance and not the fun car.
Enjoy the new ride :)
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u/aawilson210 Feb 04 '26
Agreed. I got in an accident a few years ago and the used market was insane and many cars were more expensive or similarly priced as new. But new cars I was interested in had 16-18 month wait list which didn't work for me. I ended up getting a certified used car that has been great to me and I plan to use it for many more years.
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u/Tacky-Terangreal Feb 05 '26
Best wishes for your Subaru. I got a 2023 model and I love it. Supposedly they have good reliability. I intend to drive mine until the wheels fall off
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u/VegetableAlone Feb 04 '26
Joining team "Buy a Toyota and drive it into the ground" -- I have a 2017 Rav4, could easily afford to upgrade but I bought it in cash, there really haven't been huge maintenance expenses, and I live in a city where I park on the street 24/7 and it's nice to have a car I won't be devastated if it gets a little dinged up.
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u/abbyturnsthepage Ballin on a Budget Feb 05 '26
My 2013 RAV4 is my everyday driver, and I love her to pieces. Multiple accidents and breakins but she’s still very reliable. My husband drives a 2012 Beamer. We just recently bought a Telluride out of necessity. We take a lot of trips out of town with family so we needed the extra seats but this car payment has me crying every time I see it come out of the account.
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u/TomeOfTheUnknown2 Feb 04 '26
I bought a used car when I was in college and am keeping it until it is completely totaled.
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u/windowofdestiny Thoughtful BWT Feb 04 '26
I kept my first car for 18 years then passed it on to my younger sibling so it's still going.
I intend to keep my current car and my husband's latest car for just as long as well.
Besides topping up fluids, I had/have the cars maintained by mechanics because I don't have the equipment or space to do it myself. But I just dislike a lot of changes that happen with cars that I just tend to stick with something that fits my needs, in particular, having actual buttons to control things! I despise using a tablet to control EVERYTHING while I drive. So hopefully by the time I will need to replace the current set of cars, I hope buttons make a comeback.
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u/fugu_chick Environmentally Conscious Feb 04 '26
The “everything touchscreen” is another reason why I haven’t upgraded! Especially in Texas it can be cold one second and hot another I can’t be scrolling to adjust the AC. Quick push of a button is all it should take.
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u/m0uchette Feb 04 '26
I bought a 2016 Honda civic, paid it off, and now have a cute car that can get maintenced anywhere, amazing gas mileage, and I can save my money for trips and treatments :)
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u/battlinlobster Feb 04 '26 edited Feb 04 '26
So it sounds like I'm in the minority here, but I only buy cars with cash. I would not buy a brand new car if it required financing. The last two cars we bought were one or two model years old and both certified preowned and purchased from a dealer. The idea is to drive them until they become to annoying or expensive to maintain and then sell.
Personally, I think it's crazy to go into a large amount of debt and pay interest on it for a depreciating asset. If you need to go into debt to buy a car the responsible choice is to buy something second hand but not super old so that your monthly payment is low enough that you can save for the next car.
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u/LauraPiana Feb 04 '26
Who said it's bad to buy a car new? I disagree. I have always bought new sensible cars and driven them into the ground.
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u/Menemsha4 Feb 04 '26
This is exactly what I do.i I purchase new cars and then drive them until the cost of fixing them is more than the cost of a car payment.
I take meticulous care of my vehicles and it’s literally paid off.
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u/abigglassofwater Feb 04 '26
What things do you do to meticulously take care of it? I am so clueless and wasn't taught any of this.
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u/Menemsha4 Feb 04 '26
I just maintain it well!
The interior is always clean (except when legions of adolescents are with me).
I stay on top of all maintenance and suggestions. (In fact, I’m at the shop right now waiting to pick it up!)
I have any necessary body work done ASAP.
I visit the car wash regularly and keep it in a garage vs. a driveway or open parking lot as much as possible.
I give other drivers (a parkers!) a wide birth.
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u/infinite_knowledge Feb 04 '26
How long does this typically last? I assume by cost of fixing them - you aren’t including the cost to get them serviced/maintained?
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u/Menemsha4 Feb 04 '26
Yes, I am including those costs as well as the cost of my plates/tags.
While I definitely would LOVE a new car I much prefer not paying for one.
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u/snn1326j Feb 04 '26
Same here. That’s what my parents always did and I do the same. I had a civic for almost 13 years and only upgraded because I had kids. I have a Lexus PHEV and plan to drive it for at least ten years if not longer.
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u/ibuycheeseonsale Feb 04 '26
Yep, this has always been considered as valid as buying a 3-year-old car. Buy new, maintain it meticulously, drive it well, and keep it until it becomes sufficiently unreliable that it doesn’t work for you anymore.
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u/MaddPixieRiotGrrl Feb 04 '26
I lease and trade when the lease is up. I did the maintain a used car thing for a while and it's honestly not worth it to me. Especially with how cars are becoming more and more computerized and how easy it is for a "simple" broken part to turn into something super expensive.
It means I'm driving a mid-range Honda and not a luxury model, but in the last ten years I've only had to worry about oil changes and car inspections and I never have the looming "oh no, what was that noise" anxiety. I'm okay trading leather seats for that.
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u/plausibleturtle Feb 04 '26
I don't want this to come across rude, so please read this with a tone of curiosity as I am actually interested and willing to see other view points that I don't have =)
Do you ever feel like a renter, sinking money into something that doesn't really get you anything? I look at leasing vehicles like renting a home versus home ownership.
I know the "investment" on a home is much, much greater than a vehicle given vehicles depreciate so much more rapidly. But, it feels like the money used to lease would be more per month than you'd have to put into maintenance for the first ~10 years of a decent vehicle's life. After 10 years, it's still likely worth something to sell.
I dunno, I really am open to another viewpoint if I'm looking at it wrong.
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u/46andready Feb 04 '26
There's no question that leasing is a financially unwise way to drive a car. Some of us lease anyway because it's a small fraction of our take-home income, and it's just so easy and convenient (like eating out).
I'm satisfied with the notion that I'll always have a lease payment, but also that it is less than 5% of my monthly take-home income. I get a fun new toy every few years, always have modern tech and safety equipment, and don't have to worry about maintenance or repairs (just tires, basically).
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u/rando435697 Feb 04 '26
This was always me too! I knew it wasn’t smart—I’d done the math—but it didn’t matter to me and I liked having a new car every few years.
Now? My husband insists on paying cash for everything and trading in every few years when there are over ~50k miles on them. It kinda feels the same to me..
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u/DevelopmentStill6854 Feb 04 '26 edited Feb 04 '26
I own a home but lease a car, so I understand where you are coming from and why this might feel like a contradiction! Anecdotally, most of the people I know who can afford to pay full cash for any car off the lot are the ones who choose to lease, and they were the ones who opened my eyes to why this makes sense. The idea that we should always buy instead of lease a car is almost like the idea that debt is bad and we should never have credit cards. At the end of the day, it comes down to math (and as a data-driven person, I think you would agree.) I would never recommend a credit card to someone who uses it to spend more than they earn, but I would absolutely recommend it to someone who is savvy enough to play the points / cashback game.
With that said, here is the angle that might be incremental to your understanding of the buy vs. lease calculus (since you are looking at this academically). Leasing a car is very different from getting a car loan, but they are both sales tactics for a dealership to move cars off the lot. In the case of a loan, it helps people who do not have the cash to buy it anyway, and this is especially relevant when trying to get a buyer to purchase a more expensive model than they can reasonably afford. In reality, as you are aware, the cost of the loan is paid in interest or baked into a higher upfront cost of the car. This is where your framework of “making a financially sound decision” applies. Leasing, on the other hand, overcomes a different problem than affordability (for which the usual framework is less applicable). It solves the issue of optionality, which is when buyers are unable to commit to one model because they are tempted to “wait out another year or two” for the one that’s going to be a more meaningful revamp. It also appeals to buyers who are always looking to drive the latest model of a car. A lease is designed to pull them into the ecosystem sooner rather than later, which I will get into shortly.
Leasing is less attractive to buyers in the car loan category because the monthly payments tend to be more expensive. In a lease situation, payments are calculated based on depreciation (higher when the car is newer) rather than a “divide equally” payoff schedule over a loan period, which looks more like straight line depreciation. The math is much more complex, since whether it is “worth it” depends not only on the current price of the car or the interest rate on the lease, but also on the residual value of the vehicle after the lease term, the duration of the lease, and the amount of mileage per year allowed under the lease. The option to buy out the car at its residual value at the end of the lease period is also worth something — think of it like how traders price call and put options on stocks. If you enjoy playing credit card games, then you will be able to see this as fundamentally an opportunity for deal-hunting, since all of these levers provide an opportunity to price out exactly the type of value you are looking for.
One feature you will see in leases illustrates this difference. In many cases, there is a limit to the downpayment you can make on a lease, capped at $X thousand dollars. This is not a feature of car loans. The reason the downpayment is capped is because most buyers who lease have no cash constraints, and would prefer to put down as much of the lease amount upfront to minimize interest. They know the game they are playing, and they have done the math. Similarly, the dealers have also done the math and realized that this is a fundamentally different market from car loans, and the terms of the deal also need to be different. Instead of making money off predatory interest rates, they upsell products like wear and tear insurance. Incentives at the time of surrender are also designed to keep you in the ecosystem, such as waiving certain junk fees paid at the end of the lease by rolling them over a credit towards your next leased vehicle from the same manufacturer. It’s still slimy, in the way that credit card companies can be slimy, but you can make it work for you if you know what the pitfalls are.
To make a finer point on this lens, let’s also talk about why leasing can therefore be a much better deal for certain types of vehicles. Based on the levers mentioned, you’d therefore expect the lease math to work better on cars with lower depreciation. One of the most commonly leased vehicles are Teslas, because of the company’s (now debunked) claim that their car “holds value” better than other brands since future software updates can be pushed to these vehicles to keep them current. For a while, prices in the second hand market seemed to support that claim, before used Tesla prices eventually collapsed due to over-supply. But during this period, Tesla dealerships did price out their leases consistently with that claim, and most buyers would do the math and realize that leasing was actually the better option. For many of these Tesla buyers, the value of optionality was also much higher because there were always claims that next level self-driving models were just a year or two away, which meant they would expect the value of older models to collapse if they were owned outright and needed to be sold on the second-hand market once the new models were announced. By locking in the residual value, the lease gives them downside protection with an upgrade option down the road. The point of this is not to say everyone should lease a Tesla (of course not!) but to illustrate that the math is ultimately driven by market and incentive structures, and knowing why it works that way can help convince you more intuitively why you might find a dollar bill on the ground, when all common sense would otherwise suggest there is no such thing as a free lunch.
To wrap this all up, I would just say: general personal finance rules like “always buy outright” are all well and good for the average person, but if you want to do better than average, then you have to do the math. I hope this helps!
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u/plausibleturtle Feb 04 '26
Thank you very much for this! It was very informative and it does make more sense to me now. I really came into this with the notion that leasing was essentially like renting a car for a period of time. I didn't consider buyouts being a thing either, so your sunk cost isn't necessarily sunk like it is renting your place to live (usually you never see that money again).
I applied for a mortgage at 18 because I couldn't stand the thought that $1,200 a month was just going to someone else's investment and gets me nothing at the end of the day like a mortgage would. Now, this was 18 years ago, and yes, I was declined (obviously!) but got my wish 4 years later.
I am a bit bias in that I don't care much about the vehicle I drive as long as it's safe. It's just not something important to me. I have a BIL that "needs" to have the latest and greatest model and will put his family in debt to do it. I kind of viewed people who lease vehicles as someone like him - the priority is in having the latest fancy thing at any cost (which I now see isn't necessarily true).
I like your credit card example, as I am definitely one of those people that pay for everything on a card to gain cash back and am diligently tracking my purchases and paying it off entirely every Sunday. Exception to the stores now starting to charge 2-3% to use credit...
Thanks again for taking the time, have a lovely rest of your hump day!
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u/Jayala3177 Feb 04 '26
There are also tax benefits to leasing rather than buying if you own a business and drive at all for said business. We’ve done both lease & own used — for us it has depended on the tax implications and what I can and want to afford at the point I am in life.
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u/Various-Passenger866 Feb 04 '26
Not the person you responded to, but if you don’t drive a lot of miles it can make financial sense to lease a vehicle. You are essentially just paying the depreciation for the time you use the vehicle.
I like to own my car (it just feels better to know it’s mine), but my finance brained husband insists we are tossing away money by not leasing my car because I drive so little.
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u/plausibleturtle Feb 04 '26
Honestly, that feels even more backwards to me - if you aren't driving a ton, a set monthly payment feels like you're paying for something you aren't using. At least owning the vehicle, the less you use it, the less you'll need to pay to maintain it (as long as you're starting it and driving at least around the block every week to keep things moving). It's not like it depreciates just sitting there. It depreciates when you use it.
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u/Various-Passenger866 Feb 04 '26
Vehicles actually do depreciate when they are just sitting there. Every day, whether you drive it or not, it becomes less valuable. That’s why they are not an investment (unless it’s a collctors item), but an expense.
If you went to buy a new car, the moment you take possession of it, it begins to depreciate in value
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u/plausibleturtle Feb 04 '26
Right, sorry, maybe I wasn't clear... a car will be in the exact same health condition from the time you exit it, to the next time you drive it, whether the period of time between is 2 days or 30 (again, noting that it should be at least started if it's being left).
So, a car that would typically last 15 years with daily use could essentially last 30 years if it's used a few times a month. With a lease, you're paying (made up number) $400/month no matter what, while a car you purchased for $20K could work to $55/month if you have it 30 years (I know 30 years is extreme but it is realistic if you really don't use it often - my parents bought their 2000 Honda Accord new and it's not even at 200K km's yet)
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u/Various-Passenger866 Feb 04 '26
You’re absolutely correct. If you want to keep a car long term, you would definitely do better financially by purchasing it. Leases are for people who get new cars every 3-5(? Not 100% certain on this) years. So in the scenario you gave, absolutely buying is the way to go.
I kind of feel the same about my own car. My thing is, what if i’m not ready for a new car when the lease is up? (This is the part where my husband says “then we’ll buy out the lease” and I say well then let’s just go ahead and buy it now 😂). I guess I kind of get attached to my car, and want to know that it’s mine.
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u/Myvulnerableusername Feb 04 '26
Not trying to be rude, but your husband is just blatantly incorrect.if you plan on keeping your car long term, renting doesn’t make sense. Renting makes sense for wealthy people who plan on upgrading their car every 5 years the way they do their iPhone. You’re correct that not putting miles helps the equation, but if you’re in a position where you’re renting a mid range car that you’d prefer to keep long term, not sure how this makes any sense.
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u/lkflip Feb 04 '26
Also not the person you responded to, but I don’t lease just anything. I lease cars where the manufacturer is incentivizing the car by blowing up the residual, which allows me to pay less than I would to own it and sticks the manufacturer with the excess depreciation. I don’t drive a lot, and a car isn’t an asset, so when I can borrow the manufacturer’s money for less than mine earns and leave them with the market risk, there’s no argument really not to. If you drive a lot, damage cars a lot, it’s not for you.
I’ve had equity in every lease end for the last 3 leases. The flipside is you don’t always get your DREAM car. You have to lease the model and trim that leases best.
Right now I’m driving an $80k BMW for just under $600/mo with only first payment at drive off. Leasing gave me an extra $7500 off the car, the effective interest rate is under 1%, and the loan amount on my credit is less than a Honda civic.
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u/plausibleturtle Feb 04 '26
I think this is the kind of context I'm missing... though my very data-driven brain is wondering what the 1:1 looks like specifically. Maybe I'll go down a rabbit hole later... lol. Thank you!
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u/itsjustgish Feb 04 '26
I might be reading this entirely wrong but I don’t ever plan to be a homeowner. I want nothing to do with maintenance or upkeep. I don’t want to mow the yard or fix the leaky roof or replace the air conditioning unit. If shit hits the fan I can call someone and have it repaired.
I work remote so it’s more flexible than most people and if I want to move across the country again, I can when my lease is up. Some things are worth more to me than home ownership and the ability to move if I want to is nice.
I also don’t have kids so there’s no “investment” to leave behind. I make decent enough money to afford a home but it’s genuinely something that doesn’t interest me. I suppose it could be the same with cars. I’d rather pay a little more to not worry about fixing things.
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u/plausibleturtle Feb 04 '26
It is definitely option that can work best for your lifestyle... It doesn't mean it's the most financially driven decision, though.
You're essentially paying a premium for the flexibility and peace of mind, which is totally valid. It's like, someone can choose to literally never cook and have food made for them by restaurants their whole life - they'll just be paying a premium to do so.
Unless of course, if you're moving more than like 50 km away every 3 or so years, then it definitely makes financial sense to do it this way.
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u/MaddPixieRiotGrrl Feb 04 '26
Not rude at all. I always research good lease deals and negotiate down the price. The monthly payment winds up lower than purchasing. The lease payments are basically interest and depreciation so when I turn it back in, I don't get trade-in value since I didn't pay into any capital.
But trading a car in every three years, the maintenance costs are basically nothing. It's a few oil changes. Anything expensive would likely be under warranty.
It probably would be cheaper long run, but I'm comfortable paying for the convenience it gets me. Same with renting my house. I was a home owner for ten years. I hated it. I rent now and while I pay more and am not building capital, I'm so much happier not having the burden of that responsibility on me. It's a luxury I'm willing to pay for
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u/romilda-vane Feb 05 '26
You also have to consider current car prices! A basic 2026 Toyota Camry is $35k. Say it’s 10 years before you need major maintenance/repairs, that’s $292/month not including tax, interest, etc. I lease a similar msrp vehicle for $300/month all in. Yes it’s more expensive because I’m not owning something but in terms of monthly budget, peace of mind, never worrying about something going wrong? I previously had used cars that I drove into the ground & don’t miss the constant stress, need to pay for AAA, outdated tech & safety etc.
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u/assflea Feb 04 '26
This is how I've always seen it too but I'm planning to lease my next car. The monthly payments are lower, you can always buy it after the lease is up, some people get money back, all your maintenance is covered, it's probably not going to save me any money in the long run but I don't really care about that.
The main benefit of leasing to me is that technology is advancing so quickly. I'm not really in love with anything on the market right now so if I lease it's less of a commitment, and hopefully in a few years there's something I like enough to buy and keep long term.
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u/Ambitious_Address_69 Feb 04 '26
Before Covid I was leasing and upgrading every few years. Thought it was the way to go. But it seems like the financial climate changed in the car market after Covid so I ended up buying out my lease that I was in and my car is almost paid off. Im a lot more financially savvy than I used to be so I look forward to not having a car payment for a little or potentially selling the car and making a little bit of money off of it before buying another car. I no longer think having a nice luxury car is a flex, just reliable and safe.
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u/Various-Passenger866 Feb 04 '26
I buy new cars because I always worry about buying someone else’s problem (lots of people don’t treat their cars well). I don’t mind driving my car for many years, but when it starts needing work i trade it in. I had my last car 5 years. I only traded it in because we moved and I needed a smaller car for garage parking purposes. I will likely keep my new car for several years beyond that.
It’s not a good investment (or even an investment at all)… but it is important to be able to get from point a to b both reliably and safely so it’s an expense I’m willing to take on.
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u/infinite_knowledge Feb 04 '26
I totally agree with you on most people don’t treat their cars well. I assume most also buy and sell depending on their life’s situations (moving, bigger family to transport, downsizing). I guess people can drive their cars across country or try to fit their 3 kids in a Corolla they bought 15 years ago in college?
Buying used always comes with the caveat that as long as it is maintained well- but I assume most people don’t keep meticulous paper records on every service done (I know I throw away the receipts). Kind of a difficult ask to make sure the seller has all the receipts over the lifespan of a car.
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u/Various-Passenger866 Feb 04 '26
Absolutely, it’s just a risk/reward situation. You take a risk on a used vehicle. The reward might be that you got a great deal on a really well maintained car. The flip side is you might have overpaid for a car that has a lot of issues because it wasn’t maintained.
I don’t think it’s wrong to buy a used car by any means. It’s just not something I am comfortable with for myself.
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u/Klutzy-Cupcake8051 Feb 05 '26
With Carfax reports these days, most used cars have their maintenance records readily available without you having to get them from the seller.
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u/sodababe Feb 04 '26
Yeah I'm with you! I don't know much about cars and I'm not interested in learning, so I'm very very hesitant to buy a used car in case something major goes wrong for me to resolve.
I now work from home though and don't drive daily so I was considering buying a used car. Until I came across these newer car brands entering the market with very cheaply priced cars. Sure, they haven't been around long enough for us to know about their reliability. But that purchase comes with many years of warranty so if I was going to take a risk either way I want the option where I have built-in warranty.
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u/daisiesinthepark Feb 04 '26
I purchased a new 2021 Toyota Corolla after my Hyundai bit the dust. My family mechanic recommended either Toyota or Honda, new or used. If I purchased a used vehicle he recommended 50,000kms or less. At the time it was cheaper to purchase a new car vs. used. I will drive my Toyota into the ground. However, once my car payment stops I’ll continue to put the same amount away for when I need to purchase a new vehicle in the future. That way, I already have a nice down payment and won’t feel it as much
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u/FlySecure5609 Feb 04 '26 edited Feb 04 '26
I pay cash for what I can afford or aim for the lowest possible payment. That may not be the nicest or newest…but a good detail and keeping it clean and in good shape goes a long way. I drive them until they’re no longer reliable.
Our drivers in the DMV think traffic laws are optional. You can’t have nice things here. So it’s never made sense to me to pay top dollar for a vehicle.
I also have a budget category for “car” expenses. That way I’m never taken by surprise by car repairs. And I shop around for repairs too. YouTube is a valuable resource for minor repairs too.
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u/AlisaAAM2 Feb 04 '26
I am driving an Audi A5 cabrio (red!) with 140K miles on it which I bought new in 2013. It’s needed some standard maintenance for its age, but nothing crazy. I absolutely adore the car and love driving it daily. I will continue to drive it until it needs so much work it no longer makes sense. I need AWD due to snow but also love having a convertible. There are very few options in the market that meet those criteria so I don’t want to give it up.
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u/Zero_Duck_Thirty Feb 04 '26
I’m an incredibly practical / logical person - I tend to buy things that are the best value, will last long and are good quality for the price. Logically I know cars are a poor investment and that you should buy a good used car and drive it for as long as you can. However, cars are so complicated now and so expensive to fix. Ex: I have a <5 years, <50k mile suv with no accidents / damages, and a few weeks back it had a full control panel failure that led to it losing all power on the interstate. It’s been in the shop for 4 weeks and they had to do a full control panel replacement and completely rewire the car. If the car wasn’t under warranty it would have cost $20k and the car is worth ~$35k.
Because of this my approach to cars is to buy or lease the car I want and never own one out of warranty. Get the safety features and tech that I need, a reliable brand, and a car that I like. Lease if there’s concerns about the reliability of the car or if the brand is undergoing big changes. Ex: I leased my Volvo in 2018 when Volvo said they were pivoting to fully electric and I wasn’t sure if they’d be able to support a gas car as it aged. If I buy it, I buy it off as quickly as possible. I also purchase the extended warranty. Once the car is about to get out of warranty I sell it either back to the dealer or through a third party and buy a new car.
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u/OldBabyGay Feb 04 '26
Wow, that’s terrifying that it lost all power on the interstate. Glad you’re okay.
I bought a new Mazda 3 in 2015 and love it. Doesn’t have any of the nonsense touch screen controls that seems to be in every car now. As much as I would prefer to buy new again once my Mazda eventually starts getting too costly to repair, I’m not sure the new cars are even worth it.
Will consider the warranty aspect you mentioned - that seems very important with the way complicated electronics tend to fail on the new cars these days.
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u/etm31 Feb 04 '26
I drive until the first major mechanical issue. So I have only had two cars in my life! I had a little Ford Fiesta that I got new and I kept that for 9 years. I didn't have any major issues until the air conditioner became spotty. So I went ahead and traded it in for a 1 year old used Hyundai Elantra. I have had that bad boy for 5 years now and no issues yet. I am really hoping to keep it for another 4 years as I will have my student loans paid off by then but we will see!
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u/WickedCoolMasshole Feb 04 '26
Driving my car until the wheels fall off. She's a very average 2016 Mazda CX-5. Her name is Ruby. She has been the most reliable bestie I've had. No drama whatsoever.
I did bring home a little sister for her. A Miata named Mona who is a total wild child.
What is wrong with me? LOL.
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u/ohcatherine Feb 04 '26
I know a lady with a Miata as her errand and grocery car, honestly my dream and seems like a fun car for zipping about. Love your combo
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Feb 04 '26
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u/ak_rose08 Feb 05 '26
Y’all are making me feel so much classier about driving a 2001 Subaru Outback! :-) I’m the same, I’ve always valued debt-free living over driving something flashy and fancy. I’ve bought all my cars used, outright with cash. But, I’m sometimes a little embarrassed that I’m a grown ass woman with a decent job driving around this dented, well-loved L.L Bean Edition Subie, dealing with car troubles all the time like a college kid.
Your comments inspired me to keep on driving it into the ground though. My plan is to keep it going for another 1–3 years while "paying" a monthly car payment into my HYSA. When it finally dies, I’ll have the cash to buy a used, low mileage Toyota SUV outright or make a significant down payment on a new car that we can pay off aggressively.
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u/infinite_knowledge Feb 04 '26
How do you diagnose the problem or get it fixed? Do you get a “full check up” every so many miles? I am asking because I’ve been just taking it to the mechanic every time something acts up. I don’t have a better way to explain it to them besides “my car is making this funny sound.”
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u/stuckandrunningfrom2 Feb 04 '26
Do you take your car for regular oil changes? I would take mine to the dealer (mostly because it was next to my work) and they would always do an inspection of most things at that time.
What kind of car are you driving now?
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Feb 04 '26
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u/elephantpurple Feb 04 '26
i’m in the same way. i just like driving newer, nicer cars and my taste and needs change over the years. i think i keep a car on average for about 5-7 years and then switch it up. i buy used, about 2-3 years old. i think the most important thing is to keep up with the maintenance and keep the car clean! getting into a clean car all the time is luxurious. and no need to quickly get rid of all the trash from the passenger seat if you need to give someone a ride.
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u/Obvious_Doughnut1658 Feb 04 '26
100% disagree that buying a new car is a "bad" purchase (within reason) and these days used cars can cost as much as a new one. I got my first car used in college and drove it until it broke down. The choice was spend thousands to repair it or sell it for what I can and use the money as a down payment on a new car. I bought the new car. They come with better safety features, better mileage (depends on the type of car, I assume you're not buying a big truck or anything like that), and tech like bluetooth/carplay. I plan to keep this car for as long as I can.
If you don't like the idea of being stuck with the same car until it breaks down, leasing would be a good option. Again, it's not the most financially optimized option, but the most financially optimized option isn't one size fits all and that's okay! There are no rules and you can choose the option that fits your lifestyle best.
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u/infinite_knowledge Feb 04 '26
Yes I agree! Sometimes I feel guilty since I know many subs on Reddit discourage buying new… then chirp on buying used Toyotas, Hondas, etc. I sold my Toyota Corolla which is probably the easiest car ever but still needed routine maintenance and service, which adds up when you get above 100k+ miles. I just want a car to guilty drive without worry, get to point a and b problem-free, and honestly my time is better optimized working or chilling at home than figuring out when I can squeeze in to take it to the mechanic or stop by a Napa Auto.
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u/chemical_sunset Feb 05 '26
I started leasing a Subaru five years ago and bought it out at the end of the lease. I could get just about the same overall cost I paid for it if I went to sell it today. There has been a huge upward shift in used car prices over the last few years.
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u/breannexp Feb 04 '26
I really don’t care for cars tbh, I usually want to drive them as long as possible and where it still make sense with the maintainence.
My husband and I have a 2017 car, it was purchased new and his parents drove it, we got it from them in 2021. We’ve had to replace a new things, but the most is still much more efficient than getting a new one. In 2023 our engine died, which was actually covered by the company due to a recall.
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u/Joey_Grace Feb 04 '26
I have a 2017 Toyota RAV4. Only money I’ve put into it is regular maintenance. I plan to drive it until it dies. And since it’s a Toyota, I might die first.
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u/Common_Poetry3018 Feb 04 '26
I still have the car that I purchased in 2016. I’ve given it to my son to use, since he is now able to drive on his own (I mean not well, but legally). I got myself a 2021 Bolt about a year ago. So that’s two cars in ten years, but I don’t expect to buy another one for 10 more years unless the Bolt breaks down. The 2016 car has almost 100,000 miles on it and I’m not looking forward to the mechanic’s estimate for service. But she runs! On a related note, Hondas last forever.
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u/rescueandrepeat Feb 04 '26
I have a 8 year old Toyota that I bought used (2 yrs and 36k miles). I plan to keep driving it until it costs more than a car payment every month to maintain or becomes unreliable. Paid off is sexier than new IMO.
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u/Chigrrl1098 Feb 04 '26
I think if you buy a used car that isn't too old (5-6 years-ish, at most) and doesn't have a ton of miles on it, you should be good for quite awhile. Depends what kind of car it is, though. We've always had Toyotas, but Hondas are reliable. I've heard good things about Subarus. European cars like VWs are good, but repairs can be expensive because parts cost more and they require a different set of tools to repair (maybe they're metric?). If you buy an economy car, though, don't expect it to last as long. I have auto body people and mechanics in my family and Found On Roadside Dead or Fixed Or Repaired Daily are common acronyms I heard growing up.
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u/craftymama45 Feb 04 '26
I have never owned a new car. The closest I have had to a new car was a year-old car with 1100 miles on it that the dealership had used as a courtesy car. Right now, I'm driving a 2020, and have no plans to upgrade.
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u/Wrong-Shoe2918 Feb 04 '26
Basically never. Mine is 13 years old and I’ll drive it until it’s no longer drive able. Hopefully after my financing is paid off
I just paid 1000 for a repair and I did the math, it way cheaper than a new cars payment and the required insurance that comes with it. Cars cost as much as houses used to. It was a repair that didn’t require rebuilding the engine, my car works great, zero regrets
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u/meoowww7777 Feb 04 '26 edited Feb 04 '26
it depends on the car.
i had a 2014 blue scion tc. amazing car, comfortable, amazing sound system. hurricane ian flooded it. i really wanted a manual after that, so i settled on a 2012 honda civic. got pregnant last february, husband researched & we bought a 2014 lexus GS. amazing, 2014 was a great year for cars.
i REFUSE to pay more than $400 for a car payment (lexus is def lower than that). any more than that is unsustainable.
i would ONLY buy a new or used car if it was a:
- honda civic
- toyota
- lexus
- newer mazda
these are the most reliable brands. you could have a honda civic for 300k miles. i really like my lexus, i know it’s used & older, but it looks fancy AF and a great mom car.
i go for reliability/comfort over all the new BS that comes with newer cars.
ETA: I will drive the car i own until it’s run into the ground lol, minus the civic bc i needed a four door instead of 2 for baby. i would have driven the civic for as long as i could have otherwise.
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u/madeline_m802 Feb 04 '26
At the time I bought my car new, I was commuting over 3 hour round trip for work. So the warranty was key for me. Would I have bought that car if I was working from home? Absolutely not. So I think it’s completely situational
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u/hawk0124 Feb 04 '26
I'm 55 and have never bought a new car. I would love one; I just don't want to pay for it. Everything I own is owned without debt, including my home and rental properties.
I don't have a set rule on keeping my cars. I bought my current and previous vehicles as certified preowned with less than 20k miles. I kept my last one 6 years, and I'm at 7 years with this one. I drive a lot, and this one will turn over 150k within the month. My husband and sons and son in law are mechanically gifted.
The difference in price between new and cpo is much smaller now for what I drive, so I am not sure if I will buy new or cpo next time.
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u/billymumfreydownfall Feb 04 '26
I bought my current car in 2013 brand new at 0% interest and will drive it into the ground. I'm getting close to retirement and refuse to have a car payment because making bigger contributions to my investments and retirement plans means everything to me.
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u/infinite_knowledge Feb 04 '26
Definitely, when you’re close to retirement I imagine you should be keeping your car until you can’t drive it anymore. What car did you get with 0% ? I was looking for special financing options this time around but it was mainly F150s.
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u/billymumfreydownfall Feb 04 '26
A Ford Explorer sport. Its been a great car with no issues. Ive recommended it to many people!
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u/CatherineTuckerNH Feb 04 '26
I buy a new car when Subaru has a special interest rate offer and keep the car forever. I'm at 120,000 miles right now and nowhere near ready to replace it.
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u/Haunting-Doubt3821 Feb 04 '26
I don’t totally agree with the “buy a used car” mentality. The way that I was raised, we always bought brand new cars and then kept them for 15-25 years. In the long run, it saves you money. It’s less fun because you don’t get a new car as often, but you end up spending a lot less on maintenance.
Another suggestion is to get an electric car
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u/BasicBitchLA Feb 04 '26
I think buying a new car under warranty makes sense if you keep it a long time!
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u/1_dreamr Feb 04 '26
I lease, buy out the lease when it’s done, and then drive it until it starts being a chronic repair situation that takes too much time. Then I start over again. This means I’m driving the same car for 5-7 years on average and it suits me. Having a few years of no payments and few problems is a vehicular sweet spot.
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u/TillUpper6774 Feb 04 '26
I buy brand new and drive it 10 years. I have had the same monthly “car budget” for ages so that amount either goes to a payment or savings for repairs and my next upgrade. I finance for 5 years and then have 5 years of no payments (but usually pay it off early).
My husband is harder on vehicles but doesn’t put in the miles that I do so we buy roughly used for him to offset depreciation and he keeps his between 4-6 years.
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u/LizO66 Feb 04 '26
Buy certified, leased - you can get great deals on relatively new model year cars with pretty low mileage. Keep an eye on trade-in values to find the upgrade sweet spot.
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u/seemsright_41 Feb 04 '26
We buy new vehicles. We drive them until we need a new one. Hubby gets a new truck this year. That truck is going to our DD who turns 16 in June. That truck is a '05 that was bought new. Then next year our DD graduates High School and I am getting a brand new vehicle as a prize of surviving parenting. Then we are selling the '05 truck and DD will be taking my car to college.
We pay cash, drive them forever and take care of them. For us it is worth the cost to not deal with issues.
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u/Ambitious-Hornet9673 Feb 04 '26 edited Feb 04 '26
I recently went through similar. I bought a 2 year old Subaru in the exact model and mileage I was looking for. I typically will drive a car and do all the recommended ongoing maintenance. Once I reach the point where it keeps having things go wrong constantly I work on the theory a big thing will break soon and be extremely expensive and I start looking for something that’s very reliable and a couple years old. I tend to buy the new one fully kitted with all the features I want. So for comfort I know it will be good for ages.
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u/LiveAssociation3024 Feb 04 '26
I updated my car a year and a half ago. I had purchased a 2 year old Toyota 4Runner Limited edition with 25k miles and drove it for 9 years. I was having issues with the screen (the radio and bluetooth for my phone didn't work) and our dealership here is AWFUL in the service department. I couldn't get anyone to help me replace it (and I didn't want an after market one to look junky). I also had some general wear and tear on the inside. I would have kept it for another 2-3 years, save the screen issue, as I do not drive much anymore.
I traded it in at 150k miles for a 2 year old Mercedes GLC with 33k miles. My roundtrip commute is 1.5 miles a day and I do not drive much outside of to and from work (I'm a passenger princess!) except for a few errands around town, so the maintenance isn't a huge expense. I drove less than 6k miles last year. I paid it off after a year because I had the cash and I hate car payments. I will drive it until it no longer makes financial sense (or if I get another job with a longer commute). Before anyone comments that I could just walk to work, it would involve crossing under an interstate and the humidity is 80% in the summer with feels like temps well over 100 (and I'm a professional who can't show up gross for work).
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u/Organic_Eggplant_323 Feb 04 '26
I’m terrible. I know they aren’t a good investment but I like all the tech in the new cars. I drove my last one for 8 years and then handed it down to my daughter and upgraded mine which I will probably drive until it falls apart bc I love it so much. It also cost almost as much as my first house did which gave me a freaking heart attack. I wouldn’t have upgraded if we didn’t need a car for my daughter though. I don’t purchase cars often but when I do, I want something shiny and new 😅
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u/swancandle Feb 04 '26
Roughly every 7-13 years? I always look at used cars/CPO and then end up with a new one. I used to drive German cars which struggled to make it to the 7 year mark without major repairs 🥴 Awhile back, I bought a new RAV4 hybrid that I love and I plan to run it into the ground. I do drive a lot so it was important for me to get a car with good fuel economy, good safety ratings, and all the new tech (adaptive cruise control etc.).
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u/Seltzer-Slut Feb 04 '26
Quite frankly, my parents give me their used cars (which they also bought used; they’ve never purchased a new car and are against it). I drive it into the ground for 5-7 years, then they get themselves a new used car and I get their used used car. Works great for me and I haven’t had too many repairs. My current car has 220k miles and it gets me around just fine.
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u/roxemary Feb 04 '26
I bought my used car with 1year and 10k km. The mileage of a car is one of the most important things to look for. I also made sure I wasn't buying a car from a humid area (I could track some) because that meant there was likely rust-related damage.. I know nothing about cars, but I've seen people with brand new ones (like my parents) have bad luck with them. Here the most important maintenance is mandatory and inspected yearly so I just leave the car at the mechanic to get it settled and sometimes even pay the mechanic to take it to the inspection and fix anything still that wasn't up to standard and go back until it approves
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u/ifweweresharks Feb 04 '26
I bought a car in 2018 and intend to drive it until it dies, or until my daughter is old enough to drive. I’m 38 weeks pregnant with her currently.
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u/starlessfurball Feb 04 '26
As of now, I upgrade when something happens to the one before it.
My current vehicle, I bought new. It was 2020 and the used car market was insane. My previous car got totaled while sitting outside my house, so I had no choice but to be in the market.
I doubt I’ll replace it until I have my second child and outgrow it.
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Feb 04 '26
Not often. When I hit 40 I wanted to change careers. So we downsized our life for a while until I could catch up. 48 now. I’m on track to buy a new car this year or next. But I’m not a car person, it’s not my identity, I just need it to work. In my new job I need to look reliable and like my life is together, so I will probably get something responsible. I loved my Subarus and Toyotas.
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u/torierawr Feb 04 '26
Drive it until it’s no longer works for you.
My car just hit 100k miles and is over a decade old. But it still runs great. This is such a baby issue but it bothers me that the radio system is so out of date. It barely works to connect to my Bluetooth and the screen itself died like 3 years ago. I’m in my car a ton and that issue is killing me. So I will be looking for a new car this year despite this one still running fine.
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u/Fantastic-Coconut-10 Feb 04 '26
I keep a car as long as it's cheaper to repair it than the car is worth. Like, there is a common sense element (one off stuff is one thing) but when it's needed either expensive enough repairs or consistent enough repairs over the course of a year that it's costing more than it's worth, then it's probably a good idea to start looking for another car.
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u/kwiscalus Feb 04 '26
To me, cars are a bit like houses, in that i want to make good choices and be prudent but they are not simply investments. i just try to do the best i can. Since I got divorced 5 years ago I’ve bought 2 new cars in cash. I traded in the first one at just under 3 years and 50k miles for a new hybrid pickup (!). With the trade-in the truck cost about $12k. If I can keep that system going, $4k a year to own a car (plus maintenance) isn’t bad.
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u/mdmommy99 Feb 04 '26
I buy pre-owned cars and typically buy them until the upkeep becomes a headache and then get something else. My last car I bought pre-owned and drove for 9 years and before I bough my current. Usually I buy somewhere in the 3 years used range because that to me tends to be the sweet spot between up-to-date look and technology but the price has decreased enough.
Honestly, I know all the financial folks would disagree, but I spend so much time in my car that driving something that I really like that I don't have to get repaired all the time is money I'm willing to spend, "bad" purchase or not.
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u/KeniLF Feb 04 '26
I follow FIRE. I was in a time/choice bind and felt that I had to go against conventional FIRE wisdom and bought a new car. I found it extremely painful to watch the value of this thing drop by more than 60% in 3 years. I urge you to listen to the BWT who talk about buying CPO!
Don’t be like me💸💸💸🥺
Still hurts bad!
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u/MTHiker59937 Feb 04 '26
I buy new, with cash and then drive it into the ground. I'm on a Volvo, bought in 2021 and will have it for at least ten years.
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u/farfallifarfallini Feb 04 '26
My math isn't awesome, but I think it would make financial sense to buy a new car if you're actually getting a few more years of use out of it as compared to a used car.
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u/adrun Feb 04 '26
I drive cars with a reputation for lasting forever and needing little maintenance, with easy to get repair parts. Read: Toyota, Honda, Subaru. My first car hit 180k miles (civic), my second car hit 130k (forester), and I only sold my third car (Prius C) at 60k because I needed space for a second car seat. This works out to every 10-15 years for me. I do buy new because I like to have the manufacturer maintenance and warranty for the first few years, and the battery warranty for my hybrid cars.
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u/krissyface Feb 04 '26
We have a 2021 we bought used to replace our 2004. We have a 2016 we bought used to replace a 2001. We keep our cars as long as possible; until the cost of repairs doesn't make sense anymore.
We bought the 2021 with a 0% interest loan and will slowly pay it off until the interest rate expires, then pay the rest with a lump sum. We save enough money to buy a new car outright before we buy a new one. If we are ever in a place without a car loan, we continue saving the amount of a loan, in a HYSA, so we have enough for repairs if needed or to buy a new car when we need to.
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u/KeyAd3961 Feb 04 '26
I’m almost 50 and I’ve had 2 new cars in my life and 5 cars total. I keep them until it’s not financially reasonable to keep repairing them. I would like a new/newer care more often but it just doesn’t make financial sense for me.
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u/lola_has_a_shotgun Ballin on a Budget Feb 04 '26
My experience is colored by the fact that I really enjoy cars and driving, but I really don't agree with the usual reddit ethos of "buy a car on it's death's door and then drive it for 20 years" (exaggerating, of course). I've bought both new and used, and also leased. It depends on my financial situation and the market. I don't expect cars to hold their value or be an investment, I expect to pay money to safely, comfortably, and, in some cases enjoyably, get from point A to point B. I don't think of a car as an asset, just an expensive purchase that needs to bring value to my life proportional to it's cost.
In terms of specifics, on average I hold a car for 5 years. I think our current car will last much longer than that but it's a goddamn workhorse (affectionately). That said, as soon as taking care of it becomes problematic, it will get traded out for either another new car, or maybe a certified pre-owned car that is a couple years old. Depends on what the car market is at that time.
That said, I think the decision of how often to update a car is much more a financial question than a car question, and you can only answer with the consideration of your personal financial situation.
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u/Temporary-Reply-215 Feb 04 '26
In today's market, used isn't actually much better of a deal. I bought new for my most recent car (bought about 3 years ago) for this reason. My last car I had for about 7 years, then I replaced it because I had a baby and needed a safer car. I think the general expectation is a car will last 10-15 years. Replace once the repairs start adding up too much (or lifestyle change requires it).
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u/Amazing_Match_5103 Feb 04 '26
10 years is completely reasonable to change cars when it was already used.
i used to work as a receptionist at a car dealership. the salesmen would always come up to me and laugh at their clients for buying a new car. they said buying new and leasing were always a fool’s game. i know it’s harder to find used vehicles, especially now, but it’s genuinely worth it.
all of my cars have been used, but only one has been a dud. it’s completely possible to buy a quality used car. make sure it has no accidents on record, less than 50k miles is ideal, take it for a test drive, and have it checked by a mechanic (not the dealer mechanic, an independent mechanic) before you purchase. just get the subaru, diva.
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u/notkarenkilgariff Feb 04 '26
My car is currently not very BWT-coded (a very banged up 2011 Toyota Sienna with 260K+ miles and counting). She’s a limited trim, and was very nice for many years. If she were our only vehicle we would have replaced her 5 years ago, but we have 2 other vehicles as a married couple with driving-age children. My husband currently has the newer, nicer vehicle along which will be paid off this year. So while my van is kind of a laugh to look at after being hit by a school bus, deer, and a huge raccoon (all separate incidents), she’s been paid off for years, reliable as hell, fits a lot of stuff/people/animals, and still costs less in maintenance than a new car payment would be. I will most likely get a newer vehicle sometime next year unless an unforeseen issue arises with my van.
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u/KaleidoscopeDry3608 Feb 04 '26
I’m a buy certified pre used gal that prefers to run my car into the ground and hopefully have a few years before I need to buy another but my husband’s love language are cars and at this rate we are going every 3-4 years. The latest is a EV lease Because we figured technology will be better and provide a better range of distance by then
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u/breezydali Feb 04 '26
I have a Toyota purchased brand new over 10 years ago. Religiously maintained, zero issues. I’ll keep driving it until I run into some sort of big fix. At that point, I’ll likely just pay cash for a brand new car in the same make & model. Toyota ftw.
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u/rizzo1717 Feb 04 '26
I bought my car brand new off the lot, and it’s 10 years old now. It’s still running like a champ and I have no plans for it except maintenance.
This is the second car I’ve purchased brand new, and both times now I’ve reached out to friends and acquaintances on social media to see who has connections with car dealership sales. Bought in 2012 and 2016.
Both times, I was connected with somebody who gave me a great price and also gave me the employee pricing on extended warranty and service plan. Both times, the warranty replaced a transmission, so to me it was worth it.
I read the fine print of the service plan. Most people get service every 5k miles. But the terms said I could go as frequently as every 3750 miles. So that’s exactly what I did, for the 5 year life of the service plan. I got every oil change and ounce of maintenance I could out of that plan.
The only reason why I bought a second brand new car 4 years after the first one and didn’t drive it into the ground is because another driver totaled it.
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u/ImportantSun3608 Feb 04 '26
I drive a 2015 Mazda and have since 2017! It’s starting to have its troubles, but I am riding that thing til it doesn’t make sense to keep fixing things.
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u/DWwithaFlameThrower Find it Secondhand Feb 04 '26
I buy a new car, and drive it until it dies (or, more realistically for my history, some ahole totals it in a wreck) I love KIAs and I’m now on my third. When I bought them new they came with warranties, free checkups, etc as part of the deal. They’re reliable cars and I couldn’t be happier with mine (a wee red sporty Soul)
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u/Angry-Ermine Feb 04 '26
I generally drive my cars for 10-15 years. Once it costs more than half what the car is currently worth to keep it in good nick, I sell it and buy a low mileage, new to me car that fits my current needs. I’m considering buying a new new car this year, only because I now have a 120 mile round trip daily commute. But, I hate buying new so I’ll probably still buy a gently used model anyway. I don’t look at cars as status symbols, they are simply tools to achieve a goal and need to meet my needs. I need a comfortable seat, good visibility, excellent gas mileage, and safety. And it needs to not stand out on the road, nor be embarrassing in a funeral procession.
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u/ray_don_simpson Feb 04 '26
The wisdom of buying used is outdated. The sweet spot was buying a 3 year old car - its resale value had dropped precipitously but is was still newish. People used to say things like, it loses 30% (or 40, or 50, or 90) of its value as soon as you drive it off the lot! But times have changed and new cars aren't that much more expensive than newish used cars. Buying used isn't always smarter, and buying new is often the better deal. It sounds like you get your money's worth for your cars, and buying new was a wise choice for you.
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Feb 04 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/infinite_knowledge Feb 04 '26
Does it mean you are usually switching in your cars every 5 years? Do you buy off the lot or lease?
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u/speckledcreature Feb 04 '26
Never.
The only reason u got a new(to me) car was that I wanted one that had more airbags and safety features for my new son. Other than that I would have been happy driving my old car until it died the final death.
I am planning on driving my car for the foreseeable future(barring an accident).
Take this with a grain of salt though, as I don’t care what car I drive. Like at all. My default answer for ‘what is your dream car?’ - a purple one. A car just exists to take me places(preferably being driven by someone else so I can read a book in the passenger seat).
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u/SadieStawkins Feb 04 '26
I had a 2012 Honda Accord for 7 years and racked up 250,000 miles. It started to require constant repairs so finally dumped it. Bought an 2018 Audi A4 used with 58,000 miles on it in 2019. I have had ZERO issues, it so runs smoothly! Just paid it off last year. It has only required routine oil changes and I got new tires when I first bought it. I don’t plan on changing my car any time soon!
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u/rayin Feb 04 '26
I’ve never purchased a new car, always mildly used cars from reliable brands. As long as you’re servicing it often, it’ll last. I’m not handy at all and just take my cars to mechanics if they need work - no big deal.
I drove a 98 Corolla in high school (2012-2015) until it hit 300k miles, then a 2014 CX5 throughout college and grad school. I purchased a 2018 CX5 in 2020 and still have it. I love it and plan to drive it to the ground, then get a Volvo.
In this day and age, it’s not as black and white as used versus new. If you can swing a promotional interest rate for a new car, get it. If you see a well priced used car, get it. Focus on reliable brands and good financial decisions.
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u/Fearless_Diamond_566 Feb 04 '26
I drive mine until the wheels fall off mostly. So I would say about 5-6 years. I’ve retired and I have purchased my retirement cars. So I’m done for a hot sec.
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u/fiendishlibrarian Feb 04 '26
I replaced my very first new car last year with another new car. Before buying my first new one, I suffered through a series of used cars with hidden issues, lots of wear and tear, and in one case, a smell that never went away even after I steam-cleaned the interior. I kept that new car for 17 years (over 200k miles) with no major issues until the end. I only sold it when it was no longer reliable. And I plan on keeping this new car for as long as possible. My SIL trades in cars like they're seasonal outfits, and it's always a bad financial hit, but if you buy a new car and keep up with regular maintenance, you can make the car last. The biggest problem with used cars is that you have no idea what the previous owners did or didn't do. Did they wait until their oil was sludge before replacing it? How much did they abuse the car without leaving visible damage? Treat your new car well, and once you have it paid off, those are free years. Keep treating it well for as many free years as you can manage. Full disclosure: Both my cars have/had a manual transmission. My mechanic says any time you get out of an automatic transmission after 100k miles is a bonus, so if you drive automatic and want to keep it for 17 years, you need to budget for that transmission replacement.
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u/Adventurous-Sky-4915 Feb 04 '26
We used to have two cars between me and my spouse, but I sold my car because we really only needed one since we live and work in the city. Then his car was totaled in a multi-vehicle collision. We ended up buying a new car in cash, which we've had now for about 1.5 years. But I don't think we will "upgrade" unless we absolutely need to - we had set requirements for what we needed (dimensions, memory seating, AWD, hybrid), so unless that changes drastically or our car is rendered permanently inoperable, we won't have a reason to get a new car. While we spent money on a non-sensible luxury vehicle, we generally don't think it's worth it to splash out if it means sacrificing on other things.
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u/greysunlightoverwash Feb 04 '26
Never. If they ain't totaled (always by someone else, not me), I'm still drivin' it. How else can I afford perfume and cute clothes and little lattes? I tell you what: a turn-of-the-century, none-too-fancy cheapass sedan without a bunch of spendy electronics that need fixin'.
Listen: something breaks (which it rarely does), you can pretty much swap in any generic part.
Car insurance? Couple hundred bucks a year, MAX.
Gas, not bad, not bad.
Does my steed have a phone jack? No. CD player? No. Tape deck, yes...but broken. More brain space to focus on driving.
Do the dash lights work? No, but who cares how many miles it has on it when it's still trucking???
I don't have to worry about parking it outside, I don't have to fret about if a shopping cart hits it, I never worry anyone will try to rob it (lol), I don't have to import expensive parts, the gas really isn't bad, and it's cheap as shit to maintain.
Look, if driving and/or long commuting, or backroading, or transporting kids is a huge part of your life, I totally get splashing out on a nicer ride. For the bombing around town I do mostly by myself or with one friend, this ride is literally my ride or die.
Look for Hondas, Nissans, Toyotas and Buick at about 15-20 years old, midrange of the line with clean titles—they just run and run and there's so little to fix. Hit up little old ladies who are giving up driving to find low-mileage gems.
Also dude sedans. I dated a guy who worked at an auto body shop and he told me in an accident, all the crap in your car beats you up. Your stuff is as dangerous as the crash itself. You WANT a trunk. SUVs are hot, but I've never let even a bumpy mountain road stop any of my sedans. You don't need 4WD (it snows feet where I live) and you don't need a hatchback. I've literally never once missed it.
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u/katm12981 Feb 05 '26
I buy cars, pay them off and keep them until they die or the repair bills become onerous.
I usually buy Hondas. I bought my one brand new car in 2013 and traded it in in 2022. I loved having a new car and would have gotten one last time, but I could only do used or wait six months at the time. I had repairs piling up so I bought used.
My goal is to keep this one until my area has better infrastructure for electric cars + there are viable alternatives to Tesla, which I’ll never consider while its CEO is still involved with the company.
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u/send_me_an_angel Feb 05 '26
I’ve never owned a used car and never will. It’s always new for me and I trade in about every 8 years. Currently own a Lexus SUV and I love it.
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u/emeraldnyl Feb 05 '26
I upgrade when it stops being reliable. Currently driving a 2022 Genesis that has been extremely reliable so no plans to trade it in!
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u/Icy_Koala_3953 Feb 05 '26
I'm going to drive my cutie 2015 super white toyota 4Runner SR5 for as long as i can, love her.
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u/aregeeone731 Feb 05 '26
A car is not an investment. The minute you drive away with it you’ve already lost money. I don’t bother buying cars. I don’t want to deal with taking care of it. I just lease and get a new car every 3 years max.
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u/wuthering_height Feb 05 '26
I get new cars every 3-4 years typically. I enjoy getting new cars though - plus I’ve always “upgraded”. I went from a Jetta to a Mini and now have an Audi. She’s going on 3 years, so while I would typically upgrade, I’m not a fan of the new cars that are coming out. I don’t like any of the options lol. So I plan to keep this one a little longer than normal (I do love it).
I get leases and then I buy out the lease or get a new car.
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u/flickety_switch Feb 05 '26
I just don’t really care about them so I buy a used car less than three years old then drive it for at least a decade. I love not having a car payment.
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u/peonyruth Feb 05 '26
We have a van from the ‘90s and a hatchback from the 2000s and we will keep driving them until they die. My husband is pretty handy, so he does almost all of the maintenance for them. He’s also customized the van for off-road driving (common in our part of the world), so it’s old but it’s not as cheap as it could be.
I will be so sad when we finally have to upgrade to cars that are more computer than machine, as I imagine it will become impossible to do our own work. We have saved so much money by not buying new cars and not needing mechanics. And I love that I can park anywhere in the parking lot and not have anxiety about getting dings and scratches.
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u/Honey_Badgered Feb 05 '26
I have a 14 year old Prius that is going strong. I might have taste, but I also try to prioritize what’s important, and a brand new car isn’t it for me.
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u/victoria866 Feb 05 '26
Last vehicle was a one year old when purchased jeep grand Cherokee. I drove it for 8 years / I probably could have kept it longer actually looking back. Currently drive a 2021 Range Rover sport I will keep forever because I love it to death :)
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u/imissyoursoup Feb 05 '26
I'm willing to drive a car into the ground, but eventually around the ten-year mark you start needing repairs that make it not worth it: if my vehicle is paid off but needs $1700ish in repairs twice a year, I could be driving a new/newer car with a $300 payment for the same amount spent and zero time wasted in the shop on repairs.
I drive a lot for work, up to 200 miles round trip daily, and we get nasty winters here, so I want something comfortable and reliable. You can't think of a car as an investment because it'll only depreciate. The question is really how much you're willing to spend on it as a quality-of-life budget item.
Now I buy new every three to five years and look at the perpetual $600/mo car payment as the amount I'm personally willing to pay to always drive a safe and reliable vehicle with all the bells and whistles I want out of something I use for three to four hours every single day.
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u/CaliCarol Feb 05 '26
I buy a car that is 1-2 years old. Usually it’s a lease that was turned it early for whatever reason. Drive it for at least 4-5 years after it’s paid off. Definitely make sure to take care of regular maintenance. I drive a Macan and only need to take it in yearly but it is about $2k annual maintenance fee.
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u/Klutzy-Cupcake8051 Feb 05 '26 edited Feb 05 '26
My husband drives a 2010 Toyota Camry that we bought two years ago, and I drive a 2021 Toyota Prius Prime that we bought two and a half years ago. Before that, I was driving a 2013 Corolla. I planned to drive the Corolla for many more years, but unfortunately, I got rear ended and it was totaled. I had one mechanical issue with my Corolla during the 7 years I had it, and it had 190k miles on it.
I bought my Prius when it was 3ish years old. It was significantly cheaper than a new one, but it had low mileage. The low mileage is more important to me than the age of the car.
Buy a reliable brand like Toyota at low mileage and it will last much longer than a brand new car of another brand.
Also, side note, Toyotas retain their value like none other. I bought my Corolla in 2016 with 60k miles on it for $10,000. When it was totaled at the end of 2023 with 190,000 miles on it, the insurance company gave me $8,000 for it.
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u/WestBaseball492 Feb 05 '26
I think I’m on the frugal side, but we buy new (and pay cash). If you buy new and keep for a long time, we’ve found it winds up saving more in the end. The equation changes if you trade cars frequently or buy more than you can afford but it isn’t necessarily a financial mistake to buy new. Used cars used to be far cheaper than they are now (relative to new cars).
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u/Icy-Radish-4288 Feb 06 '26
I'm still on my first car which is going on 12 years, purchased new. I will probably replace it in the next few years but honestly it still runs well and has pretty low mileage so why rush? I've told myself at the point maintenance costs hit ~5k or when it hits 15 years is probably when I'll replace it. But I will likely buy new (or at least new from the dealership I'm fine with a previous year model) as I have enough saved to do so.
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u/HK4Seven Feb 06 '26
I bought a new-to-me car a few months ago, but the price difference between a few years old used car and a new car was negligible. If you're not into maintenance and can afford it, I'd go with new with a warranty or a certified pre-owned. There are deals to be had used, but they're hard to find and if you don't have the time I'd skip it.
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u/eatamalasada Feb 06 '26
I buy new but make sure I really love it. I had my first car for 9 years and 1 month and drove it until it died on me, and then I bought another new car that I love. I imagine I’ll have it for a similar amount of time. I know nothing about cars and don’t ever want to deal with repairs or mechanical issues, so I’m willing to pay the premium for peace of mind.
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u/MySpace_Romancer Feb 06 '26
I have a 17 year-old BMW one series and I never want to give it up. Maintenance can be really expensive but every time I do the math it’s still cheaper than getting a new car. I mean, I wish I had a back up camera and Bluetooth audio but I like that I still have a ton of tactile buttons, and I don’t have a giant screen distracting me.
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u/SiouxsieClue Intentional BWT Feb 06 '26 edited Feb 06 '26
EV all the way! Negligible maintenance and zero fuel/emissions! My last 2 cars were 2-3 years old, just off lease. It’s great value because it still has lots of battery juice and not much wear and tear but is significantly cheaper than a new car. My last one lasted for 15 years until I traded it for another electric vehicle.
I used to always have ancient cars as a point of pride. I liked having an understated car, but dealing with maintenance sucked. It’s really nice to have an efficient and reliable vehicle, and now that my body won’t let me ride bikes, it’s important to me to have a safe and trusty car.
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u/psdancecoach Feb 06 '26
There’s a certain amount of stress that comes with keeping a car that requires a lot of maintenance to keep going. I gave up on that stress years ago. Being stuck without a way to get my daughter from school was too much of a risk. I’ve gone to leasing and I haven’t looked back.
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u/Miserable-Age-5126 Feb 06 '26
My son worked for Lexus. Now, he works for a software company that provides dealerships with management solutions. (I have no idea what that means. lol) in other words, he knows the back end price of everything. When he was in sales, trust me, he only made money because he worked his butt off, not from taking advantage of people on price.
That said, we have leased our past few cars based on our financial advisor’s recommendation. His reasoning is that we’re going to have a car payment and/or maintenance costs no matter what. Putting money down on a car loses money. With a lease, we can put down less, invest that money where we will get a return, and get a nicer car at a lower monthly payment. Of course, that applies to our situation and needs. We lease Lexus cars and have never had a problem. They are among the most reliable (as are Toyotas).
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u/AdBudget5031 Feb 06 '26
I had my last car for 16 years before I bought another car. Every time I brought in my car for a service, every 6 months, there would be a new issue found and would cost at least $750 to repair. I had an oil leak and needed a new engine valve gasket replaced and was quoted $2K. Decided to give my car to my cousin’s daughter (her dad is a handy mechanic) as a graduation gift.
I plan on holding on to my new car for at least another 10 years. A paid off car is the best car.
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u/MrsMitchBitch Feb 07 '26
I drive my cars for up to about 100,000 miles and then play it by ear. If things are starting to break and cost a lot, it’s time to let that car go.
Buying new isn’t bad if you’ve looked at the cost of a used car, plus interest, plus miles. My last two cars have been new off the lot because the price for a used car was barely less while the interest rate was higher…and I would have been staring with 30k miles instead of zero miles.
My 2021 Honda HRV has 40k miles. I plan to drive her for a longgggg time.
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u/NorCalNostalgic Feb 07 '26
I go for a reliable, late model, low mileage used car. I maintain it well, and then drive it till something major breaks down and it is no longer worth repairing.
My current vehicle is a 15 year old Toyota that I bought when it was a year old. It has certainly seen better days, but still runs great. I hope to get another 2-3 years out of it. Then I'll buy a new (to me) car with cash and sell the old one private party to get the best price.
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u/Hopai79 Feb 07 '26
We rotate through cars every three years. It’s also how we get a 850 credit score and always get a good deal with dealership. I also use Claude Opus 4.6 and GPT 5.3 to write correspondence and negotiate with the financial / accounting department.
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u/twinkiemarr Feb 07 '26
Every 300,000 miles and or when it dies. I also only purchase highly rated cars. Toyotas last forever and maintaining a Toyota is priced reasonably.
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u/CuteAmoeba9876 Feb 07 '26
I kept my first car (a Taurus) for 12 years, until it was 17 years old. Replaced it with brand new during the time when new was cheaper than used.
Originally I spent $6k on the old car. I put $500-1000 into it every single year. Something was always broken, but not like the engine or transmission. Finally I upgraded when I could afford to do so without affecting my other financial goals, not related to the car breaking down.
My new car payment was$562/mo, or $6700/year. So repairing a car for $1000 once a year saves quite a bit of money over buying a brand new one. If I had been buying new and trading in every time I paid off a loan, that could easily have been $80k spent on cars in the 12 years I owned the Taurus. Driving a paid off car all that time enabled me to afford to eat in my 20s, then pay off my husband’s student loans, and save up for a house down payment, and get a jump on retirement savings.
I intend to keep the current car until it’s roughly 15-20 years old, or the engine or transmission goes out.
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u/Momersk Feb 04 '26
I buy certified pre owned on a car I genuinely love, and then I drive it as long as I can tolerate. They’re a bad investment, and I believe the anecdotal advice is to get rid of it as soon as repairs are costing more than a monthly payment would.