Categories of ownership

[jphanna]

Have you noticed in your life that there a varying categories of private car ownership. Ones that hold onto a GOOD car for years, and others that change every year or even more often than that, but buy older cheaper cars.

This dawned on me the other day, when I rolled up to see my teenage sons (they live with their mum), and the one that drives (17) had bought the day before, a 1983 BMW 318i Motorsport. 6 month earlier, he bought a 3 cyl 1985 charade to replace the EA falcon which I gave him to learn on. 3 cars and he is only turned 17 in march!!!

My brother is the same, he cant hold onto the same car more than 12 months. Since the 70’s he maybe just a few times, kept a car for 2 years or so.

My dad used to buy a new car and run it till it stops. My other brother will buy a car, and keep it till it stops . I have only changed cars, if smashed one (VL Calais), or been smashed into (VK valiant), or my life circumstances determine that my current car is not sufficient. (ie: a 1000kg 4cyl corolla is not gonna tow a 550kg jet ski + trailer, legally or safely).

Do you buy one good car, and keep it for years, or do you turn over many cars, old or new? (This doesn’t include company cars, just privately owned)

[Simple6]

I'm 21 and I've gone through 5 cars since buying my first a month before my 18th birthday.

So in 3.5 years I've gone through 5 cars = 1 car every 8.4 months

[R1XSTA]

I'm 20, have been through 5 also.

17 years old - 1997 VS Commodore, Written Off.
17 years old - 1994 Toyota Celica, Sold for profit.
18 years old - 1986 Toyota Celica, blew engine.
18/19 years old - 1993 VR Commodore, sold for profit.
19/20 years old - 2003 BA XR6, still own.

If you notice most of the cars that get bought and sold so often, don't actually have any influencial meaning to them. If the VR i owned, was a Clubsport/GTS instead of just a normal Commodore. i would still have it to this day.

alus my dad, has a XA (i think) Interceptor for close to 15 years, until my mum let it roll down a hill and hit a pole

[Psi-Pop]

I'm one to buy a car and hang onto it, they mean too much to me. I got my Ef when I was 17 and now I'm 24 it's still my daily driver. I purchased my Ed off a mate 3 years ago then spent 2 years fixing it up. I won't be getting rid of either of these cars, I'll drive em till they stop then fix them.

[XR_Strider_GuY]

I am 31 and have only owned a few cars. Guess I am a keeper. Last 2 cars I still have.

1997 - 2002 Drive and eventually owned dads 1994 EF Wagon
2002 - 2006 AUII XR6 HP
2006 - now BA MKII XR8
2010 - now 1990 Chevy

[DJL351]

34 years old and I've only had 5 cars total.

1980 Datsun Sunny - given to sister and then killed
1992 EB XR6 - Bought it when I was 20 had it until it was written off a couple of years ago
2005 GT - Still have
2005 XR6 - Replaced the EB XR and Still have.
1978 F100 - Project that still remains largely untouched. :(

[au2000]

im in the long haul category,
1st was a 68 xt which i had for 7 years until it was written off, (parents had it from new)
wife had a 82 sigma which i changed for a 82 xe fairmont which my family owned since new,
replaced xt in 1997 for a 89 ea fairmont which i owned for 5 years, father in law now has it,
swapped the ea for an eb s pack which i had until 18mths ago, sold the eb, ( major hit & dead motor) for a ba xr6
in o4 sold the xe for an au ghia so all up since 1993 between me & the mrs we have had 7 cars.
our next car won't be till the little one gets his p's in about 5 years...

[Ford_The_Win]

I dare say I will be milking every last drop of life I can get out of my current car (EL) and although I will probably be upgrading at some point in the future, I would never sell it, I'd never get back the money spent on it and when the powertrain does eventually die, it wouldn't be difficult to drop a new one in.

[Powdered Toast Man]

It depends, I'm a bit of both. I'm 32 and have had 8 cars since I was 18. The first couple only lasted 18 months and 12 months respectively because of their condition (i'e clapped out and rusty)

Then I had my EA for 4 years and decided to upgrade when I spotted by dream car, a 5.0L EF.

I had the EF for 3 years and only bought my BA because I was bored.
I've had the BA for 5 years. I've considered selling numerous times but for financial reasons it's never happened. I will probably have it another couple of years. It's too good a car to get rid of, bad finacial decision.

The other 3 cars were bought as projects. A GXL that lasted 6 months in my parents back yard before I re-sold it, a ZA Fairlane that lasted 6 months in my front yard before I re-sold it, and now the EB Ghia that lives in my garage.

[MAD]

I'm a keeper of cars.
I'm 30 and have only had 2 since getting my license at 19 (late starter).
I had my XF for about 8 years, I'm in my third year with the EL and see no reason in the near future to get rid of it.

[munners]

I get a new car every 5 or so years. I work for myself and the business pays for it. I could keep them longer but really like new cars. because of the new features you get each upgrade.

Munners

[ghostwhowalks]

If you find a good car stick with it! I owned a 1995 XG falcon ute in 1997 and kept it until 2010! The best car i have owned! I only sold it because i couldn't fit my kids in it( 5 Speed Manual ) I now own a 2005 Ba Futura wagon and wouldn't part with it either as i am a tradesman and can fit my gear in the back no problem as well as being a family run about.

[conordec]

i'm 37

hq monaro at 17
then no car for 6 years as overseas
then a gti polo at 27
then no car for a few more years
then some malaysian junk thing for a bit
then i started with gt's
xa gt for a year
then xwgt still have it
then a hilux in cape town for about a year
then a xwgt fairmont still have
then a xygt fairmont still have
then another xygt fairmont still have
then a ht gts monaro still have
and the latest is a zc fairlane still have

must buy no more, must buy no more.

but realistically, i'd buy a prado or something similar when i'm back as i'd like to tow a boat and cruise on fraser island from time to time, have property in wide bay.

i've got 6 classics now and no daily driver but it's because i'm still in hong kong.

i'd never buy a brand new car, i'd rather get something low miles and 8 years old say 100,000k's for 12-15k and then run it into the ground ;)

everyones different though i guess as mentioned above!

[au2000]

forgot to mention have a brother in law whos 40 who still has his first car as his daily , brought an xf fairmont ghia when they were a few years old, had it for 22 yrs now & won't consider getting rid of it for anything...
same with his mrs el fairmont....

[pauljh74]

I'm 37 and have owned only 2 cars

1994 - got an '83 XE S Pak
2000 - got a '98 EL XR6

I was planning on a newer car next year, but due to loss of job last year, waiting for, having and recovering from a relatively minor hernia operation while unemployed and the new job not paying as much, there isn't much spare cash. Might be another 2 or 3 years.

[SEZ213]

Originally Posted by MAD

I'm a keeper of cars.
I'm 30 and have only had 2 since getting my license at 19 (late starter).
I had my XF for about 8 years, I'm in my third year with the EL and see no reason in the near future to get rid of it.

Yep, that's me too! Except I'm not quite 30 yet...through lack of (and the cost of) maintenance I need to get a new car, the repair bill has increased dramatically over the last couple of years...and it's time for something 'shiny'...

[PHANTMXR6]

34 and up to car number 8, but htis ones a keeper.

First was a HJ 1 Tonner when I was young and dumb.
I swapped it for an XB Fairmont coupe.
Then came the XD wagon. Very quick with an angry 351 Cleveland, toploader and 9 inch.
Got sick of breaking old school stuff on that so upgraded to a 97 EL XR8.
Traded that on a new BA XR6 in 2003.
Sold that and bought a new 2006 PT Cruiser Classic in the hope of better fuel economy. That one back fired as it used more than the Falcon.
Only had the Cruiser for 6 months then traded it on a new old stock 2005 TS Territory. The missus has that car still so i get the pleasure of changing the oil every year.

And finally 'my' car. Bought new, 2008 FG XR6T.

[Reaper8]

always keep for a long time, havnt got enough coin to change all the time. my XF i had for 20yrs and went through a lot of mods and dare say the AU XR8 will be in my drive for a long time, unless lotto comes my way then there will be a new GT and a XB coupe.

[madwag]

if i had it my way i would have kept my 93 Mitsubishi Verada Wagon for many more years to come. Was just a well built car, hard to come by. I only had it in my ownership for 6 months but family owned since new. :( sad day when the engine decided to pack it in. since then i have owned a Honda Civic sport (current model) for 6 months now a BF Wagon for 3 months and hope to keep this for at least 10 years.

[TheInterceptor]

18, own the subie wagon and ford dual cab.

Subie might go since my money is being put into the truck and cant afford to continually keep it roadworthy. If it still lives and sister (its driver) keeps it RW, after my truck project is done it shall become the next project car.

So if the motor packs it in or something major buggers up by then, time to say goodbye.

I dont plan to sell this truck ever. Especially if the fact that its an oiler pee's off those brainwashed moronic greenie's.

[Franco Cozzo]

I've had three cars:

2009 WS Fiesta
2010 LV TDCI Focus
2010 LV TDCI Focus

I bought the WS Fiesta in 2009 when I was 17, sold it late last year still within the family, bought a 2010 LV TDCI Focus early this year, totalled it with under 1000km on the clock, got written off and insurance bought me another one.

There we go, 3 cars, 3 years

I might buy another car when I get off my Ps in 2014 a nice Fridays/Weekender car.

[Olbucko]

I have been driving for 48 years and have had about 25 different cars, 5 of them new, rangeing from a poverty model Escort 1100 van to an AWD Territoy Ghia. Most of them seem to be around for 4 0r 5 years with the exception of a 1979 4WD Isusu KB40 ute puchased 1985 which lives in the rain and only gets fixed if something breaks, an XM Falcon at the end of its life aquired in 1986 which has been restored in the last 10 years, and a worn out XE van with 200,000 Kms on the clock I brought in 1991 which soldjered on to 2007 and 830,000 km till rust and a misguided boom lift in a carpark finished it off.

[BENT_8]

I turn them over myself.
If i listed every car i've had most would proberbly say 'yeah right' but it would honestly be close to 100 in 17 years of driving. i say driving because i only consider vehicles i've owned and driven, not projects i had when i was 12 or bought but never driven yet.
My old man has been kicking my **** for years about always having another car.
I dont buy new, after working for dealerships and driving new vehicles all the time i never had the urge to actual sign up for any, although i did lease a new Courier when i had my business.
I never buy lemons, infact im happy to pay a premium for the right car.
Im not brand loyal, i've had Toyota, Nissan, Datsun, Chrysler, Mitsubishi, Hyundai, Holden and Ford.
The longest i've kept a car is about 18 months maybe...
The shortest, a week, but that was a Datsun 200b many moons ago so totally understandable.
I have a mate who is similar, but he buys $1k clunkers and drive em into the ground then gets another.

[GS608]

Not sure where i fit..gone through 3 cars in 5 years

06 to 08 - Had a 97 Triton handed down to me..
08 to now - 99 Fairmont, first real car shes a keeper.
'10 - Had an 06 BF XR6 that was written off..back to the AU after 3 months

[gtxb67]

42 - had the coupe since 87
2nd car was a datsun 120 why bought in 95 to keep the coupe in the garage
3rd car was an ar telstar bought in 99
4th car was an na fairlane bought in 2005
5th car is a hand me down mazda 121 now my wife has a rav4

all of my cars (except the coupe) have been bought from mates and driven until a slightly better option comes up

every car except the datsun was 14 years old when i purchased it, the datsun was 20

[Blem]

Am 45 & have owned 7 cars to date.
In order...
TC Cortina
GTV6 Capri
Cortina mk 1 (runabout)
Mini (runabout)
XP Coupe (Windsor pwrd)
Jag XJ6 (Windsor pwrd) still own
FGF6 keeper

[mash again]

im happy to lose 2k a year on a car (daily driver)not including repairs or maint. Use to be 1000 yaers ago. I wont spend lots on an item that depreciates when i can buy another house that appreciates. Keeping the 04 bAXR8 ute for a while purchased 12mounths ago with 30k on it for 19200, think its a keeper, cause i bought some extra bits for it, konis brake upgrade etc. 04 prado GLX probably still worth aroung the 29k we paid 3 years ago and nothin has broke on it, just maint. i think there is a price/age point where its almost unviable to drive a ******* that you are constantly fixing, having said that there are alot of well maintained older cars around, its the little bits that break(plastic switches etc etc.) that get ya, the mechanicals are usually pretty reliable if maintained.

[Mr Hardware]

I've had about 7 or 8 cars over as many years
but i've had my AUII for over 5 years now.

[ebxr8240]

Um Have to get a bigger garage & carport..
I keep em too.. The mods are so expensive you don't
get the money back plus going back to a std car doesn't
interest me too much.. Yes I have std cars too..

[Parkway]

I'm turning 20 and I'm on car number 3.
First car was given to me, which was a Vr Commo which my dad uses and I no longer own.
Second car is my current daily - an El Futura Sapphire
and my third car, which I only really use when needed, is an XH Longreach.

I'm never going to be completely satisfied with my cars because they aren't the cars I desire. Until then, I'll probably just smash my face with cookie dough and cradle myself to sleep.