While makes and models may vary, how old do you think is too old to be using as a daily driver?
I once owned a 1984 Corolla I bought for $1100 with 179K, did a tune up, drove it to 235K as a daily and sold it for $800. They are bullet proof
That’s what Scotty calls - make out like bandits..
holy post revival, Batman! I guess it was worth it. Well done on the Corolla.
You can keep a car going a very long time if you have a mind to. Heck, I know people still daily driving Ramblers and Studebakers. My own daily driver though is "only" 24 years old with about 360,000 miles on the odometer - just about broken in. 🙂
Agreed Im currently driving 1998 Camry, 217,000 miles, for my 6-days a week daily commute (20 miles).
It depends where you live. In some places the body/chassis rusts apart long before the drivetrain.
It also depends on how much you earn, and how you buy your cars. Do you buy them outright, or on a payment plan, or you lease... Is it an economy or expensive luxury car... It depends HOW you drive them. Your repair skills. City commuter or out in the bush. So many variables
The answer is really going to depend on your particular situation.
8 to 10 years or 150,000 miles sounds like a a good ballpark figure to the average person.
IMO there’s never a car that’s too old as long as it’s maintained properly.
It really depends on the condition of the vehicle. However, as a blanket ballpark, I’d say 15yrs. Especially if you don’t know the history of the vehicle.
Totally agree. Forget mechanically but after more than 20 years the car is not that safe it is sort of a risk for a daily even if it is a Toyota it could have issues because maintaining would cost a lot more than it is worth.
Saying a car is unsafe is like saying spoons make people fat and pencils make spelling errors. Your logic with that statement just doesn't exist. It's the person operating the spoon or the pencil or vehicle that makes it unsafe.
They are never too old if properly maintained. My daily driver is an '81 Toyota 4x4 pickup which I have seriously taken care of. I get offers for it every day.
How many miles do you have on that baby?
218947
Everyone will have a different answer to this question because the answer depends on your needs and wants. If you have to have the latest and greatest of everything then your answer might be five years. Some people will refuse to have a car payment and keep their 20 year old vehicle until it has turned to dust. For me, if I like the vehicle I will do everything to keep repairing what needs repaired and maintain it to the best of my ability as long as I'm not throwing so much money at it every year that it would make more sense to buy new and cover it under warranty. a few months ago I actually thought about trading my 2008 Suburban on a truck until the market did what it did this year. I love my Sub, but it needs some TLC. After seeing new and used vehicle prices jump through the roof in an already inflated pricing market, I figure I can throw $10k at my Sub to make it as reliable as anything new for the next 3-5 years/50k miles. For me it is not what the market says the value is, it is how I value the car. If I can trust it to tow my camper 100 miles and take me on 400 mile round trips to my daughter's college, that's what I need it for. Right now for me it makes more sense to repair what needs done rather than pay $6-700/month in car payments for the next 5-6 years and be way behind financially by the time it is paid off. Your outlook may differ.
There isn’t really a single answer to your question. It depends on whether you can get parts easily, whether a local mechanic knows the model, and how much you are capable of servicing it yourself.
An 83 Mercedes diesel could be a fine driver in, say, Connecticut or Santa Monica, where you can find shops that service them, but completely impractical in most places. And I used to know a guy who dailied a 64 Jag, but he had his own shop and tools.
If you want a straight, simplistic answer, maybe 25 years old.
How old is too old for a car to daily drive? I found a Toyota Corolla for sale in the parking lot of my apartment. I don’t know what year it is but it’s a 6th generation Corolla (1989-1992) that’s going for $1200. I could not find the mileage and I could not take pics of it but on the outside, the paint is faded a little bit but according to the for sale sticker, it says it’s in good condition. Any thoughts?
Buy it, those were solid cars. Plus at $1,200.00 you should have no problem getting your money back.
There were still a few of those knocking around here in use as taxis up until 5 years ago or so, upwards of 400,000 on the odometer and still ticking along nicely
Use the search bar for this one. This question has been asked before, if I’m not mistaken, by @kaizen
As long as you are able to repair it, AGE DOES NOT MATTER.
Everyone here has an opinion and that's mine.
Which would you rather have, a 15 year old , ho hum, see them everywhere, jap car or a 25 year old American made survivor that turns heads?
Sure, that old 79 Pontiac may not be the most dependable car ever made, but it will draw attention in a town full of Toyota's and Honda's.
There's and old saying that goes like this"
"you can walk with the Turkeys or fly with the Eagles"
In my opinion, the sweet older cars are all "Eagles"
if all those older cars are unsafe, why aren't we all dead?
This varies a lot but my opinion is after a car is 15 years old it is coming to the point that sometimes repairs are more common, maintainance costs more than the value of the car, and the vehicle isn't as safe. Even if it was a Toyota, if I were to buy a daily drive that is 2 or 3 years old, I would sell it before it is 20 years old. My 2009 Kia is doing very well and it is actually built very well mechanically compared to the junkier newer ones, but my older 1997 Corolla was falling apart with 170k miles so I got rid of it for a 7 year old Honda.
You can't even drive, how can you own these cars?
@MountainManJoe Oooooooh. I didn't know It was from december, it was just on the top of the list so I wanted to check out the chat. hahaha. lol.....