Trade them or Drive them.

[dddrees]

I don't want bells, whistles, vibrations or back up cameras. I can also put on the brakes and park myself without sensors. Heck, I don't even like anti-lock brakes which our 4-Runners DO have. I am the one in control of my vehicle and have been for decades. Personally, I will keep it that way. Sorry..not wanting to offend anybody...just different strokes for different folks.

The bells and whistles frankly have just gotten out of hand. Yes back in the day air conditioning was an extra and yes the way things are now and even back then that was a good improvement. I remember power windows and cruise control being in that category as well. Yes the cruise control makes sense but power windows that cost more than $500 to fix for one when it goes bad really adds up. A new key fob which costs over $300 kind of burns my butt as well. But now we have not only heated seats but cooled seats, backup cameras, and self adjusting cruise control when approaching other vehicles. Just like student loans the race to spend out of control has gotten out of control because all of the options are becoming more standard. The problem is even standard options have to be paid for.

I think I read somewhere that in the US the medium car cost over $30,000.

[markiver54]

Agreed Dan,
The reason I mentioned anti locks as well is that we have a steep gravel driveway up at the mountain cabin. Down at the bottom is a drop off on the other side of the road. On more than one occasion, those darn anti-locks started their clicking and almost could not stop in time. Wasn't going fast either. I know if I could lock them up in that situation, I'd be better off and stop sooner. Not overlooking however, the times they might be beneficial to some though.
As to the price of cars these days goes...yes, it's crazy!

[JEBar]

If I didn't have to haul a trailer around, I like the look of the new Jeep pickup.

I did some looking at the new Gladiator and was impressed .... as of right now it only comes with a single engine option that has a 7650-lb towing capacity .... the reality is, for my money its the only pickup that is primarily designed for off-road conditions .... 50 years ago, I drove a Jeep because I needed that capability ..... today, my off-roading is pretty much limited to turning a vehicle around in our back yard .... in 2021 my wife's Camaro will be paid for and I will make a decision as to if I will order what will probably be my last Silverado .... our oldest son wants to buy our current 2011 truck which is a solid performer that by then should have somewhere in the neighborhood of 125,000 miles on it .... since day 1 it has been and will continue to be our emergency vehicle .... for us that means a vehicle capable of being cranked at a moments notice during the winter and driven to South Dakota .... for us today, we need a truck that is designed to deliver a comfortable ride, not one with an off-road suspension

[markiver54]

I thought about this on the way to work this am. Just curious what others might do. So I thought I would post this question to others. Do you keep youre vehicles for a long time or trade them often. I have a mixture of both. But Im getting ready to downsize my fleet as I don't need all these vehicles headed into retirement.

BTW...good thread Al. Enjoyable and enlightening.

[Cofisher]

Mark, I too resent the lack of driver control over braking. And other issues. We are of a generation that learned how our vehicle would react to various conditions. I taught my children to 'drive!' This passive decision making by computer may save the lives of some folk who are basically passengers. It gets in my way. I can assess and react to conditions much better than an algorithm.

I could rant on this longer...but that would be rude.

Peace! Y'all

[Cowboy Gun Fan]

I don't want bells, whistles, vibrations or back up cameras. I can also put on the brakes and park myself without sensors. Heck, I don't even like anti-lock brakes which our 4-Runners DO have. I am the one in control of my vehicle and have been for decades. Personally, I will keep it that way. Sorry..not wanting to offend anybody...just different strokes for different folks.

The bells and whistles frankly have just gotten out of hand. Yes back in the day air conditioning was an extra and yes the way things are now and even back then that was a good improvement. I remember power windows and cruise control being in that category as well. Yes the cruise control makes sense but power windows that cost more than $500 to fix for one when it goes bad really adds up. A new key fob which costs over $300 kind of burns my butt as well. But now we have not only heated seats but cooled seats, backup cameras, and self adjusting cruise control when approaching other vehicles. Just like student loans the race to spend out of control has gotten out of control because all of the options are becoming more standard. The problem is even standard options have to be paid for.

Agree. I don't want half the "stuff" they add on today and they want us to pay for them to boot. Funny though, the way I hear it, if you want a car or truck without a lot of options, they say it will cost "more" !!

Now how crazy is that.

Another reason why I like good used, especially with low miles. I get them cheap enough where I'm not really paying for all that extra stuff. So far so good anyway, lol.

One good example:

One of the cars I bought cost $25,000 brand new. I bought it for $2600 with fairly new paint to boot. We are still driving it, here now 12 years later.

[Old Syko]

I'm definitely a Jeep fan but to anyone considering the JT Gladiator for use as a truck you might want to talk to someone who has one first. They're not at their best as a truck or as an off-roader either one. To end all they certainly aren't at their best as a highway vehicle either and they certainly aren't cheap. Jeep has a reputation of outstanding resale value but I wouldn't be so sure this is going to hold true for the JT. If resale is important to ya.

[Mags]

.
Jeep update above...
http://henryrifleforums.com/viewtopic.p ... 86#p101586

[BrokenolMarine]

I also agree with too many bells and whistles we have to pay for. My pro4x has a lot of extra ...um... Stuff in it. Stuff we don't want or use, but to get what we did want and would use, we had to get the package.

We needed the 4wd because of where we live, and where we fish. We wanted the lift because of the places we take the truck, we actually go off pavement, and we do travel non paved roads during ice and heavy snow.

I needed the cruise control, because of the surgeries to my knee and hip. Cruise lets me set it, the move that right leg around a bit to relieve the pain.

I didn't need the nav system, my garmin is much better. Didn't need the dual usb ports, sirius xm radio, touch screen controls, voice integration. (All disabled.). I rarely play the cd player or the radio, i enjoy the quiet.

The in dash touch screen control in the charger was a dud, that car was in the shop fourteen times in ten months until I was so frustrated I traded it in.

[clovishound]

Well, for my personal car I buy older cars that need some work and run them until the wheels fall off. I have always spent more on family cars which don't get near the number of miles that mine do.

In my entire life the total purchase price of vehicles for me is a little over $6,000. Bought my first car in 1972. I normally average a couple hundred a year in maint costs, although I do nearly all my own work. That's getting harder to do between age and growing complexity of the vehicles.

[RanchRoper]

I bought an '82 F150, 302 V8 new. Best truck I ever had. Put 300k miles on it. Bench seat, single cab, manual everything, AM radio. Only option on it was sliding rear window. Great truck.

[markiver54]

I bought an '82 F150, 302 V8 new. Best truck I ever had. Put 300k miles on it. Bench seat, single cab, manual everything, AM radio. Only option on it was sliding rear window. Great truck.

Have had three F-150's. Never had a major problem. Still own my '99.

[Shakey Jake]

I usually drive them until the wheels fall off. Owned my 4X4 Silverado 2500 for 18 years before giving it to my son. I bought my 2018 Mazda 6 last year and probably may be the last car I own.

[markiver54]

When young, we think about out next car and how we will pay for it; usually happy with what we end up with.
Ya know you're getting old when the first priority upon a vehicle purchase now, is how long it will last, and hope we don't have to worry about it again.
If I have to buy another, that is what I hope for.
Ya never know though. If I live to be 100, then that car would have to last 35 years.
I assume somewhere in there, I would be barred from driving though.

[Mags]

.
Used to be that a car was shot and falling apart as it got to up 100,000 miles. My 2000 Tundra is coming up on 20years old and has about 123,000 on it. It's in great shape and I have no doubt it'll make it another 15 yrs or more. Depending on where one lives and how the vehicle is used, not unreasonable to expect to see newer vehicles last for 35 yrs or more. We'll see.

When young, we think about out next car and how we will pay for it; usually happy with what we end up with.
Ya know you're getting old when the first priority upon a vehicle purchase now, is how long it will last, and hope we don't have to worry about it again.
If I have to buy another, that is what I hope for.
Ya never know though. If I live to be 100, then that car would have to last 35 years.
I assume somewhere in there, I would be barred from driving though.

[Lyman]

I just bought my 45th vehicle that I have owned. Right now I own a 99 Jeep Grand Cherokee. It has 200k miles on it and runs like new. I just retired it from daily use to my weekend vehicle to go to the mountains and desert. I bought a gently used 15 Ford Escape for my work commute. Get about twice the mpg as my Jeep. Over the years my vehicles have been mostly 4x4 trucks or Jeeps with a few Classic cars in the mix. I always have a few cars or trucks at a time. I have owned many motorcycles over the years too. The last few were Harley touring bikes. Oh I didn't even mention the fact that my Wife doesn't drive. She was blind most of her life up until 1996 when she had eye surgery and can now see pretty good though chooses not to try driving.

[BigAl52]

No more cars here at my house if I can help it. I hate the entire car buying experience

[dave77]

In my entire life the total purchase price of vehicles for me is a little over $6,000.

I've seen some big SUV's around here that have tires and wheels that probably cost close to that!