Americans Keeping Cars Longer than Ever Before

[Dashzap]

Does anyone know where you can compare safety features on your current older car to the newer model?

I think you can find out a lot here: https://www.safercar.gov/Vehicle-Shoppers/5–Star-Safety-Ratings

 

[jedijill]

We currently have two car payments, which I hate. DH loves cars. I don't care too much. However, I drive a Toyota Sienna that is pretty crappy in the snow, going up my driveway can be rough. Driving his AWD car is soooooo much easier. I'm a little jealous. We only have one year left to pay on mine and i'd like to keep it til it dies and not have a payment for years. So i'm trying to suck it up for the 4 months of snow/year. When it is really bad we just switch cars for the day anyway.

Buy a set of dedicated snow tires. You would be surprised how much difference it will make. I just bought a set for my Escape and it makes a huge difference over the All weather tires.

Jill in CO

 

[Tattylou]

I think you can find out a lot here: https://www.safercar.gov/Vehicle-Shoppers/5–Star-Safety-Ratings

Thank you

 

[Tattylou]

I think you can find out a lot here: https://www.safercar.gov/Vehicle-Shoppers/5–Star-Safety-Ratings

So I looked up my 07 pilot and then the 16 pilot and both have 4-5 star safety, but it says in 2011 the standards were raised. I wonder if there's a way to see how my 07 would do with the new standards. Anyone know?
I hate the thought of car payments, but secretly I've been wanting a new car. My BFF leases and is always praising the benefits of leasing, but most things I read about that are negative. Any thoughts on lease or past experiences with leasesfrom all you keepers of cars?

Tia

 

[Dashzap]

https://www.kbb.com/car-advice/car-safety/?r=902242169592430100

 

[tvguy]

. My BFF leases and is always praising the benefits of leasing, but most things I read about that are negative. Any thoughts on lease or past experiences with leasesfrom all you keepers of cars?

Tia

ADVANTAGES OF LEASING:
1) You always have a new car under warranty.
2) You can have a more expensive car for the same monthly payment as a purchase.
3) You will probably never has to spend money on anything other than oil changes.

DISADVANTAGES OF LEASING:
1) You will always have a monthly payment.
2) Generally the most expensive option for a car based on cost per mile driven.
3) Read your lease carefully, you could be in for thousands of dollars in "reconditoning" costs at the end of the lease. I have seen leases that required the tires to have more than half their tread, or you have to purchase new tires. And you may be required to purchase the exact same brand and model tire. A co-worker had a scrape in a fender fixed on her BMW by someone other than the dealer. She had to have the work redone even though the body shop she used was actually better than the dealer. She also was told a broken window she had to replaced needed to be replaced again with BMW glass, not aftermarket. She got out of that when her lawyer dad pointed out that there was no BMW glass available.
4) Usually a mileage limit, or you face a charge for every mile over the limit.

GRAY AREA:
Tax advantage if car is used for business. Most people I know that used to lease for the tax advantage stopped because the IRS started disallowing all or part of the write off. But I don't know tax law to know if this is true, but I do know that most of the folks switched from leasing cars for business and keeping them 2 years, to buying cars for business and keeping them 7 years.

 

[Tattylou]

ADVANTAGES OF LEASING:
1) You always have a new car under warranty.
2) You can have a more expensive car for the same monthly payment as a purchase.
3) You will probably never has to spend money on anything other than oil changes.

DISADVANTAGES OF LEASING:
1) You will always have a monthly payment.
2) Generally the most expensive option for a car based on cost per mile driven.
3) Read your lease carefully, you could be in for thousands of dollars in "reconditoning" costs at the end of the lease. I have seen leases that required the tires to have more than half their tread, or you have to purchase new tires. And you may be required to purchase the exact same brand and model tire. A co-worker had a scrape in a fender fixed on her BMW by someone other than the dealer. She had to have the work redone even though the body shop she used was actually better than the dealer. She also was told a broken window she had to replaced needed to be replaced again with BMW glass, not aftermarket. She got out of that when her lawyer dad pointed out that there was no BMW glass available.
4) Usually a mileage limit, or you race a charge for every mile over the limit.

GRAY AREA:
Tax advantage if car is used for business. Most people I know that used to lease for the tax advantage stopped because the IRS started disallowing all or part of the write off. But I don't know tax law to know if this is true, but I do know that most of the folks switched from leasing cars for business and keeping them 2 years, to buying cars for business and keeping them 7 years.

Thank you, very informative. I don't like the stress of the disadvantages, lol.

 

[tvguy]

Okay, THIS guy takes the cake. 800,000 miles. On one car. I've been driving 43+ years, and I figure I have driven about 600,000 miles TOTAL. 153,000 miles total on any one car.