Newer cars do last longer, especially Toyota or Hondas.
Yeah, that and new vehicles are bullshit.
My current car doesn’t have a touch screen or an app, my climate controls aren’t buried three submenus deep, nothing in it is a subscription, and it doesn’t spy on me. I don’t want a new car with the way they’re making them now.
A lot of people know that the next big generation of cars is right around the corner and don’t want to spend big bucks on a gas guzzler, or even a hybrid.
There are some decent electric options available now, but if like me, you can’t afford a new vehicle, you need other people to buy them first and sell them second hand or wait for them to come off lease.
My car is currently 9 years old and I’m absolutely hoping that it lasts long enough for me to be able to buy a decent second hand electric.
All of this and repairability. Given enough time, I could repair everything on my car. Newer cars throw up as many barriers to that as possible.
Hopefully you won’t run into the problem I had with my older car- parts availability. It’s only going to get worse as cars get older. Especially with the electronics.
The oldest car I’ve dailied was a Honda CRX that was just shy of 20 years old when I sold it. Supply was getting sparse on the ground, but I could get even some rare, single-model-year, variant-specific parts from the dealership parts counter until right around the end of my ownership.
Currently I’m driving a 17-year-old Fit and honestly, I’m not too worried. Even if I can’t get something new, it’s right about in the sweet spot for junkyard availability.
You know what’s cheaper for everyone than buying cars? A good public transit system and safe, actually useful/enjoyable bike infrastructure. I’ve run the napkin math on this and it’s absolutely no contest.
Source: I’m a stranger on the internet and you will certainly not regret taking me at my word.
