When do you decide to get a new car?

[LivingAlmostLarge]

OMG I want a new or new to me car. Okay so it hit this week. I started a girl scouts troop and now I'm feeling the crimp of wanting something that carries more girls. Tell me I am crazy. I am going to look at used minivans or suvs. Recommendations? UGH. This was supposed to be next years discussion.

[Nutria]

OMG I want a new or new to me car. Okay so it hit this week. I started a girl scouts troop and now I'm feeling the crimp of wanting something that carries more girls. Tell me I am crazy. I am going to look at used minivans or suvs. Recommendations? UGH. This was supposed to be next years discussion.

My wife loves our 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan.

Rear 70/30 bench and center "Captain" seats all of which fold flat and two sliding side doors make it great for carrying kids.

[Gailete]

I would also go with a Dodge/Chrysler mini van, but try to find a used one with an extended length as if you are carying extra kids, the need for carrying those extra kids stuff whether bookbags or cookies will go up.

[Thrif-t]

I apparently have no life.

Or maybe just too many at-home hobbies.

I seem to be running about 1500 to 1700 miles a year right now.

Oh my gosh I want to buy your car!! You are the kind of owner we look for to buy our used cars from. We're in the market for another good used car but haven't come across any lower mileage cars.

[myrdale]

I have 260,000 miles on my 2002 Nissan Frontier which we bought new December 2001. I am officially saving for a new Tacoma. I am budgeting $35k. I only have about $18k saved so far. I'd be a lot closer if I hadn't just replaced the siding on my house ($17k and paid cash). Hopefully I am looking at the new truck around 2019.

That said, if I had $45k sitting in my bank account today, I do no think I would run out and purchase the new truck. Mine runs great. I still budget about $1k per year for maintenance issues, but that is a heck of a lot cheaper than a new car payment.

Honestly, if you do not have a car payment, start slowly tucking money back if you can. Keep saving until the wheels fall off.

Another way to look at it is what else could you do with that money. $20k would fund an IRA for 4 years and would be worth many many times more in 40 years than a new car you purchase today.

[Nutria]

Honestly, if you do not have a car payment, start slowly tucking money back if you can.

As soon as we finished paying off the van, we simply directed that same amount of money to the Car Fund for repairs, maintenance and eventual replacement.

Keep saving until the wheels fall off.

Absolutely not. Buy your "new" vehicle before the wheels fall of so that you aren't desperate (since desperate people need something now, and will over-pay) for a new vehicle.

Another way to look at it is what else could you do with that money. $20k would fund an IRA for 4 years and would be worth many many times more in 40 years than a new car you purchase today.

In 40 years, I'll be dead, and so (probably) will my wife.

We're already saving a metric trainload of money (including more than 15% for retirement), so buying a new car every 7-8 years won't destroy our finances.

[terri77]

The decision was made for me when the insurance company decided to total out my car after I was hit for the 3rd time.

[buscarpersonas1]

When you can oafford it

When your current car is 5+ years old, and when you can get a good deal on a car(it's used)

[disneysteve]

When your current car is 5+ years old,

Well my current car was 6 (almost 7) years old when I bought it so obviously I would have to disagree with that.

[greenskeeper]

When your current car is 5+ years old

Our vehicles are 20 and 18 years old, both have over 200k miles on them. Paid cash for both of them over a decade ago. Plan to drive both another 10 years.

[Encinoman45]

Here in Ohio, rust is probably one of the main reasons to get rid of a car due to all the salt they dump on the road in the winter months.

[disneysteve]

Here in Ohio, rust is probably one of the main reasons to get rid of a car due to all the salt they dump on the road in the winter months.

That's a good point. How long a car lasts is party influenced by location. It is much more common to see much older cars out west in the dry climates than it is in the northern states, especially along the coasts where not only do you get winter weather but you also get salt air. That combo eats through cars much faster. We are far enough inland (about 60 miles) that the salt air isn't an issue but the winters certainly are. I've already got some rust on my roof and the car is only 11 years old.

[greenskeeper]

That's a good point. How long a car lasts is party influenced by location. It is much more common to see much older cars out west in the dry climates than it is in the northern states, especially along the coasts where not only do you get winter weather but you also get salt air. That combo eats through cars much faster. We are far enough inland (about 60 miles) that the salt air isn't an issue but the winters certainly are. I've already got some rust on my roof and the car is only 11 years old.

car washes and fluidfilm application is your friend (speaking from SEPA)

[Nutria]

So you average about 4 miles a day?

I'll say it again: "average" is a horrible statistic!!

[Gailete]

I've already got some rust on my roof and the car is only 11 years old.

We have noticed that every van that not only looks like ours (never positive about the year of the car) but has the same color of paint, all of us have rust in the same spots under the passenger doors. We have already had to some of the that area replaced. Ours is 11-13 years old, we aren't sure without looking at the paperwork. I would guess though that someone was skipping something during its the manufacture.

But, and this is the important part. It is paid for - no payments. At the end of 2016 the odometer read 76286. We average around 5000 miles a year. I'd like to hope that we can run it for another good 10 years or more.