In 2002, I remember quoting $700 for four tires. The customer left, went to the dealer and bought a new car.
Approaching the 600K Club, this 1992 Jetta TDi still rocks!
Maybe I’m not the best salesperson, but times have changed too.
Today, the average price of a new vehicle is approaching $30,000 and the average age of a car on the road today is 10.6, the oldest ever….And it’s a fact that today’s cars are more durable than ever and we’re just not buying new ones like we used to.
So what do you do when you decide to keep the family van, now that it’s paid off?
#1 -Buy a $56 AAA membership and budget for the little things that start going. A thermostat one month, a starter the next.
#2 – Start being pro-active with your vehicle maintenance and use the free tools on MyKenwoodtire like OwnerAutoSite and RepairPal, that can really pay off with reminders, budgeting and tracking costs.
#3 – Enjoy the fact that you’re not spending $8,000 a year in payments, insurance, tax and fabric protection.
At Kenwood, our 300K Club members all have one thing in common – Maintenance. It’s how you get 285,000 miles out of Mike’s 1996 Ford Explorer, that just got it’s 14th State Inspection today…..or 309,000 from Kathy’s 2001 Toyota Camry that’s on it’s 100th oil change!
And of course I want you to keep your car! And do all the services on it….but I don’t want to be giving you bad news every time I see you.
Which is the other upside of keeping your car and doing regular maintenance……getting to know your mechanic pretty well. No matter where you live, find one you like….. Flatter him…..Be loyal……And the next time you’re at the shop, ask him or her to take a few minutes to discuss your car.
Another excellent blog! There’s nothing like driving a great car that’s been paid for.
I think older cars are often underestimated. If a person were to put $250 into a used car every month (rather than a car payment), they would end up with an excellent, reliable car that needs nothing after 5 years. Put that exact same money into a new car, and they would end up with a car that hasn’t had any maintenance in the past 5 years. If you want a new car that’s been well maintained, you’d have to add a few grand on TOP of that cost, just for regular maintenance like fluids, brakes, and tires. It has never made sense to me to buy a new car when we have such a lush used car market here in the US.
At least with a used car, you can always just sell it or scrap it and not have to worry about sinking into debt because of it.