Why The American Car Fleet Is Getting So Old

In 2021, the average age of vehicles on the road reached a record 12.1 years. Every driver that chooses to hold on to a car for another year is postponing a trip to the dealership, and some industry analysts wonder if rising vehicle ages and prices indicate trouble for new car sales in the future. Automakers are stuffing cars with new technology and improvements but will that be enough to keep buyers wanting the latest and greatest?
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Why The American Car Fleet Is Getting So Old

[@agenericbot]

only in America would having a reliable vehicle that serves for a long time be considered a bad thing.

[@thursdaythought7201]

It gets to be a problem when that reliable vehicle is a gas guzzler. It is much better for the environment for you to get a brand new EV than continue using your old car with terrible gas mileage.

[@rayhinojosa69]

I dont think it is a problem at all i just think this video frames it almost like it is a problem. The problem is the car market kind of stupid especially in a pandemic and post pandemic era

[@emenesu]

@@thursdaythought7201 this is so wrong that I don't even know where to start

[@thursdaythought7201]

​@@emenesu EVs are cheaper to operate and can run using clean energy. thus making it better for your wallet and the environment. What are you trying to say?

[@teddy98100]

@@thursdaythought7201 he is trying to say that buying a new car ( that has to be produced), even an electric one( if you don't know where the current comes from) it will be worse for the environment than driving your old car that still works.

[@torkelsonstan6967]

Shocker, when new car prices are no longer in the price range of the average American people stop buying them 😱

[@hackman669]

Same with housing costs in California. The crisis is so bad the state recently overturned a hundred year old law requiring mostly single family homes to be build in the state. Which drastically inflates the prices way beyond what the average family could pay, even rent.

[@FrankHeuvelman]

Yes, you can count on the government spending hundreds of billions to bail out the car industry without asking anything in return.

[@888ssss]

rents too high

[@youtubetim3577]

Sadly this is how they will eliminate people from traveling and controlling movement by forcing public transit.

[@aaawwweeee]

exactly. a car is a dead technology and you don't need all the expensive, useless modern features. just get a decent one and drive it for 20 + years.

[@mjm2203]

Back in 2006, I had a car that had a 8 year old car with 100K miles on it and needed a new transmission. I had it repaired. At that time it was $2000 and the repairman was surprised I went thru with the rebuild. He said I should just get a new car, I told him this was paid off and one shot at $2000 is a lot cheaper than a down-payment and 3 years of payments on a new car. I finally did get rid of the car in 2016, after 18 years. Kudos to the mechanic, that transmission never failed after that rebuild. I'd say best 2 grand I spent.

[@bobdole870]

I bought a $1600 1994 Toyota in 2017. Transmission broke off the mounts about 20k miles later. I spent $2k for a used transmission and clutch, etc. I’ve squeezed 130k mostly hard miles out of it since then and it’s still running and shifting like new. I’m really glad I didn’t get rid of it. I’d honestly trust it more than a brand new car. It’s still fully functional with the minimal tech it has, I doubt any of these new cars could last 30 years.

[@nicklau33]

I think more people need to read these two comments. Too many people are pressured to buy new cars because their current car is “old”, or needs a fix which which “costs more than what the car is worth.” But if theres no further major issues after the fix, paying the price of the fix far outweighs the cost of a new car, whose value plummets after driving it and requires fixes in the future. This then evolves into the same conversation in the future, “your car is old, why don’t you just buy a new one?”. Its a cycle.

[@ddjohnson9717]

buy the dude a beer lol. thats one good mechanic

[@TheSemiArtisticPuma]

@@nicklau33 here i am kinda split, i agree with you, and i will most likely get a used car whenever this one finally fully dies. but my AC is broken, was thinking about having it fixed, the dealer and all mechanics i talked to said it would run around 4k because it requires engine work as well, and will take around a week or so. the car is worth under 1k, so to me that isnt worth it. especially as the car as 210k miles on it. lots of things are broken on it, but the engine and transmission work fine so for now i see now reason to ditch it until i can safely afford a car that is good enough to replace it. so i think there is a point where the price of a new or used car doesnt fully justify the fix to the current one. that said, my issues arent terrible or causing me to stop driving the car, they are just expensive and annoying on hot days. but it something else breaks and i cant drive it anymore and it costs more then 1-2k USD to fix i think i will have to say goodbye to the car.

[@godfreyberry1599]

@@nicklau33 Better to have an older car with occasional issues than be committed to regular large HP payments over years on a rapidly value decreasing asset. Big market for well maintained older vehicles with defined service and repair history for those who don't view driving the latest as central to their entire existence.

[@Blake-qz2rg]

They glazed over how important it is that vehicles today (and even past the late 90's) are built with far better reliability than they used to be. I know they said it is not uncommon to hit 160k-200k. but i dont think they gave the build quality any credit for this. If cars arent breaking, of course people will stretch them further.

[@fortheloveofnoise9298]

That's why in the past few years they have started to make cars last less.

[@TheSemiArtisticPuma]

agreed, i have a 2002 mercedes with 210k miles on it. ac is broken and fixing it would cost 4x more then the car is worth so im not going to do it, also its not terribly bad where i live where i only need the AC for a few weeks a year. but

[@stevemurray710]

​@@fortheloveofnoise9298so true. All the engineering since 1996 has been to make the car cheaper. Plastic intake manifolds, radiators, oil pans. Bolts only big enough to allow assembly. Snap or head rounds off if disassembly is needed. New is garbage. Suspension paint fails soon, rust underneath is bad.

[@pwhittyp5365]

No..... 90s-2005ish is when cars were the most reliable. It has declined since then. Your an ID iot who thinks when people say "older cars" they're talking about the 80s. No.. we mean the early 2000s and 90s

[@TheJhtlag]

256k miles on my 1990 Ford Escort (really a Mazda) Nothing, ever broke. sure the fuel pump died at the end but I might have been able to repair that myself but the interior was looking pretty beat, at some point you kinda need to treat yourself. have had two cars since that, a 2003 Mazda6 and since 2015 a Mazda CX5. Sure, I'm loyal to the brand for good reason, but guessing other brands have similar longevity. Just passed 100k don't feel like the car is old at all, maybe not "new" anymore, but just a reliable car these days.

[@mcrane2653]

The reason why a lot of people are not buying cars is because going to the car dealer is one of the worst things the average person has to deal with in their life.

[@kirklandwassabi8619]

YES. No matter how much you give them the trust they always break it. Car buying is terrible especially right now

[@blipblop92]

I hope all car brands adopt direct to consumers. Cut out the middleman. They take a huge margin on your $40k cars

[@El-VULTURE.LOCO13]

Truly a grimm life if buying a car is the worst experience in your life. 🤡🏳️‍🌈🤡

[@Edsavage404]

If you do a bit of research and know what you want it's a pretty good experience

[@CJ-fh5xq]

@@El-VULTURE.LOCO13 I doubt you can even drive yet bud

[@maverickdallas1004]

As long as a vehicle is serving you reliably, safely and comfortably, WHY go into debt over a new one???

[@linmal2242]

Why go into debt on a depreciating asset, anyway. Financial Insanity!

[@tangydiesel1886]

@@linmal2242 if it makes you money, then it's worth it. Not in its own value, but what value it can help make. Plus if you can get cheep interest, you can keep your money invested.

[@ethorii]

To look wealthy. Status drives adults to a ridiculous degree. No pun intended. I am fortunate to have had hippie parenting and don't give a damn how I appear in my old shitbox car. I dont have money problems and that's a great tradeoff

[@FtanmoOfEtheirys]

Unless it's one of the very few cars that will appreciate in value, or just a car you love and really want to cherish for a long time, there really is no need to. But ultimately, finances should come before emotions.

[@AG-en5y]

Because ‘murica

[@Michael-pp8lz]

My 1978 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am has 348k+ miles on the original engine. The rest of the car has been restored except for the engine. My Firebird currently holds the record as the highest mileage Pontiac Firebird Trans Am with numbers matching, and quite possibly the highest mileage non-restored Pontiac 400 engine (13 million cars were sold with this engine), which was last documented at the 27th Annual Trans Am Nationals back in 2012. My father won an award for this weird record, and the placard hasn't left the car in over 10 years. For those wondering, we've documented every single maintenance record and the binder is about 6 inches thick, it includes every single receipt, invoice, and so on.

[@wulver810]

That's awesome, but wouldn't you rather have a heavy ass car with a computer that will slow down and die in 10 years?

[@Michael-pp8lz]

@@wulver810 thats what my 2019 Toyota Tacoma is for 😉

[@wyattnyfeler7270]

@@Michael-pp8lzthat’s sick my dad had a 76 trans am special edition with a factory Chevy 400 but the 77-78 models are definitely my favorite can’t beat those square headlights

[@faustinreeder1075]

Now I want to watch Smokey and the Bandit.

[@redtra236]

I have a 1966 Ford F250 but its on its 2nd engine

[@goldwinger5434]

Another thing about getting cars to last is to take care of little problems before they become big ones. I briefly had a 92 Camry which I got when it was 20 years old. My son totaled it when I'd only had it for two weeks. 😞 I'd probably still be driving it today. A young coworker who was carless was given a 92 Camry with less than 100k on it. It has died the death of a thousand cuts. She "couldn't afford" to get the small problems taken car of. So now she's put herself $25,000 in debt with a five not on a "new used car" and is complaining about her car payments. An investment of just a few grand in her Camry would have had it up to snuff.

[@PaulHo]

The liberation of driving your car without another payment is very alluring. As much as I want to upgrade to a more comfortable, modern car with automatic cruise control, it's still not as comfortable as not having a monthly payment again.

[@andrewbrandon19]

The automatic cruise control is the only thing I wish my vehicle had that wasn't an option when I bought my Toyota Tacoma in 2017 and there is no way I'm going to buy a whole new vehicle just for it. Heck, I'll have more than 100k miles on it by the time I pay it off so it's certainly not unreasonable to see 150k+ miles (hoping for 200k) out of it before there are any major maintance issues that need to be addressed. The joy of not having a payment was a wonderful feeling before I bought the truck and I intend to keep paying myself the monthly payment after its paid off so that when it's time to put the current vehicle out to pasture I will hopefully have most/all of the next vehicle paid for up front. Have you ever read the Guards series by Terry Pratchett? "The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money. Take boots, for example. He earned thirty-eight dollars a month plus allowances. A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars. But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about ten dollars. Those were the kind of boots Vimes always bought, and wore until the soles were so thin that he could tell where he was in Ankh-Morpork on a foggy night by the feel of the cobbles. But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in ten years' time, while the poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet. This was the Captain Samuel Vimes 'Boots' theory of socioeconomic unfairness." Terry Pratchett, Men at Arms

[@AtulKedia]

More monthly payments AND increased insurance cost.

[@rbruce63]

Indeed It is! I still ride my 1995 GMC Jimmy with 330,000 Km on the odometer.

[@fynkozari9271]

Used car in 2021 has all modern features, if thats what you want. The year is 2021. In 3 months its 2022.

[@Mike__B]

The biggest improvement in cars that I love is all the parking assist features, I'm not talking about self parking, but having radar around your car to let you know if you're getting close to something is invaluable. I live in a relatively dense urban area (not NYC level of dense) where parallel parking is a must, my 2006 has a backup camera which probably has made me soft over the years but is absolutely invaluable in getting into spaces that before you would just say "no way that's fitting in there", my wife's car has that AND those little radar things around it, oooh so sweet to squeeze into a space where there's barely a sheet of paper that could fit between cars

[@SupermanHopkins]

I'm just about halfway through this video, and they have yet to talk about stagnant wages and rising costs of literally everything.

[@bhbluebird]

Yeah, I was wondering about that also.

[@lindap.p.1337]

You never heard it because it is untrue.

[@SomeUserNameBlahBlah]

But, they also said people are still buying new cars so there is no incentive for automakers to lower prices.

[@SomeUserNameBlahBlah]

@@lindap.p.1337 Stagnant wages and rising costs (inflation) have been a hot topic for a long time, stop acting like it's not a thing.

[@cameltotem8074]

Well… this is CNBC. What do you expect? Objectivity and deductive logic?

[@zeroxlulu]

Another reason why I want to delay any need to purchase a new vehicle for as long as possible - just not wanting to deal with dealership BS. I hate car dealerships and their shady sales people so much, just about every person I know who's bought a new car recently has been screwed over with some BS hidden fees or unnecessary insurance/warranty.

[@papahunter7241]

Preach.

[@marcusdesilvamd]

I bought my first new car in 2018 with negative equity. Kind of a bad situation. During the car shortage I turned it in to a dealer who paid off what I owed. I was free and clear, so I bought a house and a 2005 Cadillac with 40,000 documented miles for 8,000.00. Couldn’t be happier.

[@KREEMTHEDREAM]

I'm still driving my 05 caddy sts. 185k on the odo, I keep it garaged and do my best to keep it maintained. Not having a car payment feels great, I also own a home bought in 2018.

[@jessstuart7495]

Stuffing cars with the latest technology is a big part of the problem. I don't want to pay an extra $3k for a GPS navigation system that costs the car manufacturer $50, and will fail after 5 years.

[@caroldieball4293]

Plus, who needs a $3,000 navigation system when it comes for free on your phone

[@EarlFaulk]

All that electronics makes cars very unreliable. BMW went down that rabbit hole a while ago and their stuff is throwaway trash now

[@DEBrown1971]

More computers in the car, more chances they will fail and expensive to fix. I do not like all the computers in the car

[@jirislavicek9954]

People want reliability, style and cheap running costs. Not "cool" assistants . Electronics in cars only benefits chip manufacturers and do nothing for the car owner. Only bring trouble later on. In Europe bureaucrats are pushing hard for all kinds of assistants to be mandatory. 👎 Make sure you don't go that route in the US!

[@keningilbert]

@@caroldieball4293 This is the same reason why you should never buy a TV because of its smartness. In just a few years sum or most of the apps will become supportive. Plus the processor in the TV won’t be able to keep up with the new advances. So you simply buy an Apple TV, Roku or Amazon fire stick every x years as needed for less than $100 and keep that expensive TV for a decade or two.

[@jaredspencer3304]

"With the rising costs of housing, healthcare, and education, while wages stagnate, why aren't people using their ever-scarcer disposable income on replacing cars that don't need to be replaced?"

[@nocheesable2345]

Correct!

[@PaulsGoldWeapons]

The solution? Make newer cars less reliable and need to be maintained or replaced more frequently! Automakers: Genius!

[@snowfox7739]

@@PaulsGoldWeapons well the American car manufacturers got this down.

[@venkate5hgunda]

The video in a sentence

[@VyvienneEaux]

@@PaulsGoldWeapons shhh don’t give them ideas 😭🤫

[@Solisium-Channel]

My 98' corolla is still kicking. love that car. Take care of her oil changes and tire, she'll never let you down... Unlike my previous car, a Pontiac van. Expensive to fix that carp and it still left me on the side of the road twice.

[@CJWJR]

When I was a kid in the 90s my parents would get a “new” vehicle every 5-7 years. After about 2008, however, they were only able to afford used cars. I have only purchased used cars because I have never been able to afford a new car…unless I were to sacrifice rent, utilities, or food. 😄 I bought a 2017 Accord last year when it was years old, because a) I was reluctant to spend more $ on a newer Accord, and b) until Honda makes a more aesthetically attractive Accord, I think I’ll stick with the better looking option. 😂

[@carepackageman]

You gotta love how out of touch high level managers are with reality. People cant afford new cars that cost 40k, it really is that simple.

[@bassmaster4406]

WELL SAID

[@walterdavis4808]

Very true

[@cromanxx1]

Not really. I see folks driving high end vehicles, pick ups, Tahoes, Caddies. I say these vehicles easily go 40K and up. And the cost to maintain and fuel is very high. So if you as a sales person have an opportunity to sale a high priced auto, wouldn't you ?

[@princeswagger1able]

@@cromanxx1 read what the OP said they said AFFORD not get

[@Tariq8ification]

@@cromanxx1 it's a facade, their networth of they don't OWN a home is probably in negative

[@mustang8206]

I feel like 2000s, 2010s cars reached a point of safety and enjoyment that you don't need to get a new car unless you want a bunch of unnecessary features

[@lloydfrancis9149]

Exactly

[@sageninja7260]

Facts I want like a 2005-2010 Honda Civic for my first car, then build my money up to buy a Tesla.

[@tubeamv4275]

New species dinosaur discovered. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hIKQl3WAg9N5nKs

[@terrygreuel5296]

I agree. I have a 2008 Acura TSX 125,000 miles. It is fun to drive, it has been incredibly reliable (knock on wood) and I dread the day I will have to part with it.

[@lindap.p.1337]

It depends on what kind of car you buy.

[@jeanmoins495]

2008 Volvo V50 2.0D It amazes me how often people tell me my car looks really nice, thinkin it's a recent Volvo. But it's already a 15 years old car ! I'm glad we make long lasting cars, this is the true way to follow for the eco-transition !

[@ohioplayer-bl9em]

I have 315k miles on my 2008 Chevy. Engine has never been rebuilt but I did rebuild the transmission in my garage myself. I daily drive it everyday since I bought it new in 2008. It still has the original upper and lower radiator hose, the AC still works great, and the interior is still nice. She needs some TLC before winter but I plan to give her to my daughter when she starts driving in a few years.

[@KinoTechUSA69]

God the media is so unbelievably out of touch with the working class and their troubles.

[@anthonymendoza6210]

Oh they know, their owners have them following their script. Obey. Consume.

[@linmal2242]

@Peter Hicks Trendy North London, or Trendy Red Hill, ACT !

[@kitsiewr]

They aren't informing us, they're preaching at us - dig deeper into debt! They want to crush the remains of the middle class!

[@serenityinsilence]

The simple answer is that new cars are way over priced. Most cars have doubled or tripled in price in the last 10 years. Our wages haven't increased enough to keep up with inflation.

[@BassPlayerSusan]

Oh, but you can "afford" one. Whereas we used to offer 60mo financing, we now offer 72mo and 84mo plans.

[@davidgraham2673]

@@BassPlayerSusan , That 72 or 84 month payment plan on today's overpriced vehicles is a payment trap. Very unsound financially speaking. The only worse thing to do would be to put the vehicle on several credit cards and try to make those payments......😆.

[@luislaplume8261]

Check out my comment above in the comments section!

[@Multimeter1]

This. Owning a house is hard already for middle class and the prices for everything else goes up, from food to cars. Something odd is going on in the world, and the whole world is waking up to this. Greed at the top of the food chain is what I see

[@coupleofbeers31]

Just like rent.

[@filippoboschini8659]

My family owns a '97 Ibiza. After one of my grandma's uncle die, the bought the SE model (the base one, I suppose) with the money they got from his death; fast forward 26 years the car has 370,000 km in it and never changed a thing in the engine, the car at the outside it's esentially a beater, but the car lacks the catalyc converter, but it still sounds great and I think it'll last another 150k+ km

[@Rene-uz3eb]

One of the main reasons may be that you need a body on frame to last that long because a unibody gets totaled in anything but a fender bender. If the car is old enough, insurance will simply total the car because it’s so much more expensive to repair a unibody where every structural part gets bent out of shape at the same time. It’s kind of atrocious really. In a 70s car you could hit a wall at 5mph with no damage.

[@fortheloveofnoise9298]

I crashed my 98 Sentra a few months ago, thankfully my insurance did not cover it so I replaced all the front end parts myself with stuff from the junkyard, but got a brand new radiator put in and had the frame (not a body on frame car... just a term I use for the structure) pulled. I have since taken it on 5-10 400 mile trips with no issues.... although I never bothered to fix the A/C as I never use it. Since the car is a manual it will last even longer.

[@michaelarkell5437]

My Unibody Subaru legacy and impreza could hit concrete walls at 5 mph with only scratches to the paint. The bumpers are plastic btw, and the frame didn't get damaged. I crashed my impreza at 70mph into a pole and not only was I not injured but the car was still in one peice. The whole front end up to about 1/4 of the engine bay was smashed, but not intruding into the firewall. The car was repairable but would cost way too much for the damage it could of done to electronics. Then a corolla I had from 2009, same thing. Unibody, got hit at 30mph while moving at 5mph and the whole rear end looked like the front end of my first car. Of course the car that hit me was a body on frame. It just needed a new fender, bumper cover, and headlight lol.

[@timsindt5245]

It’s either car payments or rent, or food. Give us a graph on how real earnings have fallen for 40 years

[@AStanton1966]

It has more to do with the devaluation of the dollar. In the 1800's you could buy a custom suit with a $5 gold piece. Now that same custom suit today would cost $1800 the piece for an oz of gold.

[@reinerw.1158]

@@AStanton1966 thats what he means with „real earnings have fallen“ :)

[@edwardmiessner6502]

The graphs don't show it because the government has been playing jiggery-pokery with the statistics for just that long if not longer.

[@GardeninGrace]

@@edwardmiessner6502 it makes you realize things are much worse than the governments saying in order to save face

[@GeneralLiuofBoston1911]

@@AStanton1966 When I say it's literally the same thing, it literally is the same thing. If the price of goods rise and your wages stay the same (original comment), it has the same effect as dollar devaluation (your comment) just worded differently and scoped for a specific cause (despite both being the largest factors and completely right).

[@davemurphy7575]

Why are people not buying new cars? Asks the media and analysts... Perhaps a $50,000 price tag for many cars is ridiculously overpriced for new owners?

[@worldchangingvideos6253]

Trucks are $80,000 and $1200 a month or more

[@mikeicee]

Aluminum tin can with over stressed V6 to replace steel. For every dollar you save on gasoline you spend $1.50 in depreciation.

[@MrGrreatness]

50K for a Mercedez maybe. Buy a brand new chevy car for 20k

[@MrYodi2007]

Exactly! I loved the Hyaundai Genesis, but at 67k, nah Ill just get one with 90k miles for 16k from one owner!

[@p_enta5012]

@@worldchangingvideos6253 20 thousand dollar ford maverick hybrid but okay

[@quillmaurer6563]

My suspicion is that, except for electric cars and for gadget enthusiasts, there's really very little compelling functional advantages of newer cars over older ones - a 15 year old car really has everything anyone could ever want, and many at this point still have plenty of life left. Most people find the infotainment systems in new cars to be more a negative than positive, as they are distracting, dangerously cumbersome, and unnecessary. Many consumers are begging automakers to return to having physical buttons, to making cars like they used to be. Most car enthusiasts are more excited by cars from the '90s than present day. Automakers are scrambling to try to figure out how to convince people to buy new cars to replace perfectly good older ones that many people like better anyway. Then of course there's the economics issues, that nobody can afford new cars, many can't afford used. I think of one friend who's trying to find a car she can afford, looking at used Honda CR-Vs. She is 27 years old, has a college degree, working full-time in the governor's office doing secretarial roles, speech-writing, and public communications - clearly a white-collar professional role. With the cost of rent for a 1-bedroom apartment, and very few luxuries, her net worth is still gradually declining, making affording even a used car on top of that very difficult.

[@abhinavdeepsinha3036]

Correct

[@j.jarvis7460]

You absolutely nailed everything you write. I agree that manufacturers keep adding and over complicating things nobody actually needs or wants only to then need to drive up the price of the vehicle. the largest RED flag in America to me is that people are not actually buying vehicles. the Banks are. I really have no answer on what one should do other then "buy a honda or a toyota" it's actually built to last. and if they break it's easily done by one's self or a local small shop.

[@LinusScrubTips]

You put this so perfectly.

[@pootispiker2866]

If you can't drive a car because the infotainment system is too distracting, how in the heck did you get your license?

[@quillmaurer6563]

@@pootispiker2866 I got my license in a car with simple manual controls. I drive a classic Volkswagen Beetle with only the most basic everything, all of which can be operated by feel without taking eyes off the road. It's not just "infotainment," it's controls integrated into the touch screen, like on my mom's Tesla Model 3 (which I absolutely hate driving, not because it's electric but everything else about it). Turning on the windshield wipers or seat heat requires going into a menu on the touchscreen, at least two layers deep. As it's on a touchscreen rather than physical controls, it is impossible to operate without looking at, forcing the driver to take their eyes off the road to find the relevant spots on the screen to touch. Supposedly all this can be done with voice commands, but that never works properly. This isn't about being a good or bad driver, it's bad and seriously dangerous design. Admittedly it's probably more difficult for me as an occasional driver of that car than it would be for someone who drives that car regularly, but I still see it as a terrible design, nobody could do it without taking their eyes off the road at least some. Anyone who thinks they're a good enough driver that it's not a problem is fooling themselves, keeping adequate attention on the road while managing those systems is not humanly possible. That's not just my opinion, it's the opinion of safety experts, human-factors engineers, and psychologists, humans just aren't built to competently multitask, even if some think they can.

[@TheSilvertrigger]

I own a 97 ford ranger it has 294k miles and still runing strong 💪

[@yoranw4608]

*The magic name, TOYOTA.* My grandmother bought a new Camry in 1989 and drove it to the rest of her life(she passed in 2001). Her Camry was over 200K miles. My aunt then used it as a second car, later giving it to my cousin and they sold it in 2015, with over 350k miles. The current owner has gone beyond 400k miles. Thats why Toyota got the heart of americans(and the whole world).

[@theboyisnotright6312]

And Toyota has been coasting on their reputation for 20 years now. Make more money selling junk like the rest

[@noobie1890]

They also managed to make a more rugged, reliable, and cheaper vehicle for ISIS to roll around in

[@kutter_ttl6786]

@@noobie1890 If you're living in a backwards country with little support infrastructure it just makes sense.

[@devendrabanke9967]

Camry is one of the world's most reliable car. They never miss a beat

[@ethanp2499]

ong bro i literally totaled my corolla, some idiot pulled infront of me and i tboned him at 30mph, set the whole left side of the frame back a few inches and it drove fine for another 10k miles after that lol

[@georgewashington938]

I have bought 2 new cars in my life and kept both of them for 20 years. The main reason is because it makes financial sense to keep a vehicle and take care of it. The other big reason is reducing the number of times I have to deal with those dirty cheating lying car dealers

[@barnyard4068]

Facts All Day Sir!!¡ Great Comment!

[@levelup1279]

That's why Tesla is great, buy online, no dealership required. Let's cut out the filthy dealership, their a relic of an old ineffective & cost inflating system. You have to pay salesman & business owners, screw that, dealerships can die. The next car I buy will be in like 15 years & it'll be right off Tesla's website. Until then I'm keeping the 18 Elantra I bought new for a long time.

[@1j_jce10]

@@levelup1279 you still getting scammed buying a new car

[@willstikken5619]

@@levelup1279 ya, I'm guessing you haven't watched how Tesla handles selling their used models then. The big problem with Tesla's sales model is that you're buying a car on faith with typically low initial quality and an iffy history of handling repairs and warranties.

[@timshort9692]

Right on!

[@accord_aero_r]

Don't forget the fact that some of us just prefer the feel and involvement of driving an older car. Personally, I despise modern cars for all their tech that seems to encourage inattentive driving. From what I'm seeing in traffic, people seem to increasingly feel that they don't need to pay attention to their surroundings because their car will warn them of lane departure or cars in their blindspot, or automatically brake for them if, in the middle of texting, they don't notice that traffic ahead has slowed. Or consider the fact that being on your phone while driving is illegal (as it should be), yet every car nowadays has a tablet integrated into the dash that forces you to look away in order to make adjustments because the lack of physical buttons has removed the concept of muscle memory.

[@asasinz2]

In New Zealand we have a much older average vehicle age, for most a new car is a second hand car imported from Japan. When cars in Japan reach end of life there the cars end up in countries like NZ, at this point these cars are almost 10 years old. The cars will come into the country often looking almost like a brand new car when sold at the dealer but in many cases the buyer doesn't know the cars history such as the service history, the Japanese radio won't go above 90MHz on FM and often the radio has to be replaced or a band expander can be installed to pick up stations above 90MHz and the station will display an incorrect frequency. It wasn't always this way however, before the 1980s we assembled our own cars originally British cars and later Japanese cars, these cars often lacked features like a radio, power steering, power windows and were expensive to buy, because these cars were expensive to buy we had an aging fleet back then too. Also back then most of our cars had a manual transmission (stick shift), the move to Japanese imports changed this. The import tariffs were removed in the 1980s and 90s and overnight it became much cheaper to import cars including second hand imports.

[@thienphucn1]

Why is this a bad thing? More people are getting the most out of what they bought instead of giving their money to the auto industry every 3 years

[@comradeweismann6947]

Because current capitalism relies on senseless consumerism. Anything else rings alarm bells in their ears.

[@dogtato]

I don't think the video said it was bad

[@jamessun7721]

Ikr! Should have sanctioned Toyota and force people to buy a new one every 3 yrs. if you dont, the car is only gonna be a lot more slower

[@chrismacbean]

@@sncy5303 So you stretched two points into four by repeating them, but I'm still not convinced. We aren't talking about people driving cars from the 50's without seatbelts or catalytic converters here. The largest component to a car being safe is the driver. Roughly 1.3 million people die in car crashes a year worldwide. I don't think lane departure assist, or adaptive cruise control is going to significantly reduce the rate of total morons being given licenses to drive. Just look at the rate people change lanes vs how often they use turn signals. People have an uncanny ability to NOT use safety systems. As to your emissions point...they are still burning fuel. A little less, but c'mon. We aren't gonna save the planet by driving cars that get 100MPG, we are gonna solve the climate problem by taking transit (with regards to vehicle emissions - I'm not saying the planet is saved 100% if we all take the bus). Its simple physics: you cannot move 2 tons of metal to move 200 pounds of human without creating waste. No matter how efficient an ICE engine is, if you do not actually utilize the capacity of the vehicle, you are screwing the planet. Before you ask, yes, I'm guilty of under-utilizing my car as well! The problem is crappy transit (among other things), not people driving a 13 year old car vs. a 6 year old car. And just a little side jab: New cars are not inherently safer. I rented a car recently and tried to change the radio station...touch screen...so hit the heater instead by accident...so then I had to look at the computer screen in this car to turn it off as opposed to the road. Old cars had a knob, button, dial, etc. that you could identify by feel, and thus not need to take your eyes off the road to manipulate. I propose the new cars' safety features are to combat the lack of safety of the new entertainment tech they are putting into the cars. Don't believe me? Look at the graphs on this website: injuryfacts.nsc.org/motor-vehicle/historical-fatality-trends/deaths-and-rates/ Notice the uptick in deaths right around when car companies decided to put an entertainment console that hooks up to your phone in the car...then the decrease when they introduced the automated safety features.

[@Poopsticle_256]

@@sncy5303 Alright no. While yes, emissions *might* be worse on older vehicles, it’s still much more environmentally friendly to keep an old car running than buy new. The amount of extra air pollution caused by a 1997 Chevy Tahoe compared to a new Tahoe is minuscule in comparison to the amount of pollution produced by the scrapping process of that 1997 Tahoe and the creation of a new Tahoe. Same is true for any other car. You should not be getting rid of a car or scrapping it just because you’re concerned about environmental reasons, the only reason you should scrap a vehicle is if it gets mechanically totaled.

[@Thomas-fy9yc]

It’s simple, it’s too expensive. Anyone who thinks a middle class family with teenage kids can afford a new car every 3-5 years is out of touch. With inflation, rising medical cost, and lack of cost of living increases in wages, it makes it very difficult to buy new cars frequently and still save anything for retirement, college funds…

[@TheFK8Life]

College is a scam The trades are paying off much better - especially for boys. Girls are graduating with mountains of debt and useless degrees - working service jobs that pay crap.

[@user-tb7rn1il3q]

It’s much easier now because wages are way up and cars barely depreciate.

[@pranaym3859]

​@@user-tb7rn1il3q lol, you're living in your own universe then, wages are stagnant for a while. And COVID years made everything super expensive but wages didn't keep up

[@Originalman144]

No such thing as “cost of living wage increase” you get paid for bringing value to the company or market. No one gets paid based on cost of living. That variable is a choice. Someone at the company who only needs a twin bed and a studio apartment doesn’t have the same cost of living as someone with a family of 5 even if they are in the same job level.

[@UpstreamNL]

@@user-tb7rn1il3q wages are up? In what universe?

[@davidsantibanez4122]

I have a 2010 dodge challenger v6 with 128,000 miles on it. The other day the fan stopped working. Due to the fan malfunction the radiator cracked and leaked all the radiator water. Thank god I noticed just in time before it got too hot and the engine blew. So far that’s the only problem I’ve had with it and I’m so thankful for my car. The idea of getting into financing a car in today’s market is scary.

[@stevedeleon8775]

I'm going on 22 years with my 2002 🇺🇸 S10 i bought Brand New..150,000 & still going strong💪

[@grulple5863]

"Cars are lasting longer and people aren't spending their money on stupid stuff...OHH NOOO, so anyways"

[@boksha]

That's so Jeremy Clarkson! xD

[@walterbrunswick]

@@boksha I hate that arrogant pufftart

[@ixcutamp8059]

@@walterbrunswick You are a great example, of an exception

[@walterbrunswick]

@@ixcutamp8059 had me in the first half, not gonna lie 😂

[@airborne_12v]

Buy used save the environment

[@autoshotty]

I purchased a 2003 Honda Accord for cheap ($300) because many were afraid of the 250Kmi. on it and needing a clutch. 13 years later it still my daily driver in presentable condition with 485Kmi. The engine has never had any major internal repairs. Not having a payment all these years allowed me to save and purchase a new vehicle without payments. Still driving the Honda while the new truck sit in the garage.

[@aztronomy7457]

mileage snobs. Gross.

[@NazriB]

Lies again? AMWF CAR OLD JERK

[@philippecr]

Honda engines are crazily reliable.

[@thihal123]

I have a small car and hope to have it for another 2 decades!

[@williamhaynes7089]

I have a 2001 accord... hope it last that long too.

[@brendandrummond1739]

My 2011 Mazda CX-9 Grand Touring was a blessing. Got it for 9,000-10,000. A few repairs here and there, and some hail dents, but still basically runs like new! If I had some clips for my bumper and suctioned out the dents, got a detail, it would look brand new too. Why would I ever get a new car? When I do though, I’ll get whatever Mazda’s CX-9 equivalent is at that time. Unnecessarily high quality sound system, stock with a turbo, etc. It’s baffling to me that some people don’t develop attachments to their cars. You can keep them for a loooong time these days.

[@martinpopov6174]

Owner of a 1996 Jaguar XJ 6 with over 320,000.000 miles on the engine. Original engine, gearbox, and differential. 85 % of the car is still original. This is my daily driver and has been with me with over 15 years now. Goal is to reach 500,000.00 before putting it to rest and go through complete restoration. I maintain the car myself. I prefer this classic to any modern car out there.

[@jimapplegate3523]

I can tell you EXACTLY why! I did NOT ‘postpone my trip to the dealership’. But what I found, when considering replacing my 11 year old Prius with 120,000 miles, was 6 different dealers all trying to gouge me with “secondary stickers”(adding thousands of dollars of crap I don’t want) & “additional Dealer Markup”(also thousands). I finally stopped looking. My car is in great condition; I’ll just put new tires on, change the oil, & keep on driving. Screw Toyota dealers. 🤨

[@Iron_Sights99]

I wanted economy for my 70-mile daily commute, ended up buying a now 43 year old motorcycle. '81 Suzuki with almost 50k miles and can keep up with interstate flow while still making Prius levels of fuel economy. I will never buy a new vehicle as long as good used vehicles are an option.

[@nicholasjames488]

Nothing last forever. Eventually you will have to replace that car and they’ll be there to get you then.

[@Fr00stee]

ngl the new prius looks pretty good

[@jimapplegate3523]

@@nicholasjames488 Nope…the Toyota dealers may “still be there to get me”…but I’ll be over at the Honda dealer buying an Accord Hybrid (more room, moonroof, real leather…& no ‘dealer head games’!).

[@javierlechuga4009]

Thats why I never bought a Toyota ir Honda. The play so many sales tricks. I have a 2009 Ford Fusion v6 almost 300,000 miles on it. Typical maintenance.

[@davidkaminski615]

For the price of one month's payment on a new car lease, I can maintain the car I have now for a whole year.

[@zhaneranger]

For real! 1k a month to lease a car is so stupid. Especially when a leased car often comes with restrictions like how many miles you can put on it or requiring you to fix small dents and scuff and I may otherwise just leave. And it will never be YOUR no matter how many thousands you’ve sunk into it

[@levons2698]

But with a lease, you pay monthly and own nothing! It’s a win-win! 😂

[@johnsmith-gs4qf]

@@levons2698 lose-lose

[@Yinyang1277]

@@johnsmith-gs4qf lol he’s joking

[@FreeSpeechisMyRight10]

@@levons2698 Hmmmm......don't think so.

[@josephg41]

To me its pretty simple, if your current aging vehicle still drives nice and looks halfway decent, why buy a new one with a smaller, typically turbocharged or atleast high pressure GDI engine, that will undoubtedly not last as long as the older, bigger N/A engine. That's the theme with almost all new cars (and trucks) versus their older counterparts. A smaller engine is being asked to do much more, it has to rev more, more load, etc. Higher pressures and Turbos simply don't last as long as a halfway decent, simple N/a engine. Also I for one couldn't give a crap about the touchscreens in new cars, not a selling point to me in the least, and im even a young guy. Bluetooth is nice, but outside of that, give me actual buttons, and analog guages. I dont need a touscreen for everything, And I refuse to pay a premium for one.

[@McSlobo]

Touchscreen is probably cheaper (and less reliable). So it contributes to profits. The one mystery for me is how overpowered car engines are for typical city use. That's what most people do. And cars are also way too big, wasting energy and resources.

[@LinusScrubTips]

On point

[@michaelarkell5437]

Well even the older cars that were turboed or supercharged did better. Yeah they sucked on gas but they were still 2.5 or 2.0 liters while new ones are 1.5l 3 cylinder turbos that can't even make enough low end torque to hit 60 in 20 seconds lol.

[@wyattnyfeler7270]

New cars are also insanely boring there are some exceptions but the roads today are a sea of white and gray crossovers and pickups that are hardly serviceable I’ve done almost all of the work on my 67 ih that was very affordable and looks far better than any new truck I’ve seen

[@josephg41]

@@wyattnyfeler7270 I've got a '66 F100, the whole engine wiring including for the gauges runs off of 3 wires. Not many vehicles are easier to diagnose. Original 352 V8 with 3 speed, and she'll cruise 75 mph all day, no problem. She's pretty despite the faded 30+ year old respray, but everybody loves seeing her and I love driving her. She still puts in work every week.

[@OrsonBuggy1958]

I drove a cab in the 80's and it was an '85 VW Quantum station wagon with a turbo diesel. When I stopped driving it had just under 320K miles on it and it still ran like new.

[@paulofelipebbraga9634]

Fun fact: you can interchange several spare parts of your 80's and 90's Ford with Volkswagen parts.

[@poodlescone9700]

1990-2000 cars hit a sweet spot of being affordable, easy to work on and has relatively modern amenities. Many continue to get 25-30 mpg with proper maintenance.

[@stevenwreyford4570]

Absolutely right. 1996 Civic here - most dependable thing in my life - and very easy to service and maintain.

[@m3chan1zr]

Yup. 1998 LS400. Rides just as good as a 2021 Lexus ES. Haven't compared it to the new LS, but I figure a 20+ year old car riding better than a new ES is fine with me. It also gives me a nice "break" from all the screens. I stare at 3 monitors all day for work. It's nice to get into a car who's main purpose is to drive nice without having more screens and tech to look at

[@gorutra]

Right 2001 Acura TL here

[@chieftigmos4018]

2002 civic. I've driven that thing to hell and back. it's got 330k miles on it. I bought it and it needed a new engine. 600 bucks for a used japanese engine. I've driven this car everyday for the last 10 years and I'm only in it about 3000 dollars over the last decade for maintenance and repairs. best money I've ever spent.

[@zkdd23]

@@chieftigmos4018 They're not so safe though.

[@comedybrowser]

Just not having to deal with a car dealer is in itself enough reason to keep my car for as long as I can.

[@kingX777]

Dealing with the mechanic is just as bad if not worse.

[@beegchunguz7425]

Believe me, they'll even put together their own employees to make a sale. It is a toxic environment.

[@user-sb3ch3sb2w]

Can you search for the truth honestly? Can you change your religion if it is false? Then you search for God's pleasure

[@giniolamy]

Exactly

[@MrGrreatness]

Only if you deal with a shady dealer. There are good dealerships out there

[@JenniferThompson-fm8fk]

It's very tempting to be debt-free and not have to pay any more installments on your car. Even if you want to buy a more comfortable and modern car with automatic cruise control, it's not as good as not having to pay a monthly installment.

[@JohnSmith-qe6fb]

Every car I have ever owned I run it until it's too expensive to fix. I've had a Pontiac, Lexus, Jeep, Honda, and Toyota that have all lasted over 200k miles. Granted these were mostly made in the 90's.

[@LongIslandCityLayout]

That's actually a fantastic thing that the American car fleet is getting older, that just shows how good cars are built nowadays. My car is over 20 years old. That's a great testament to automotive quality because 50 years ago, you'd be lucky to get 10 years out of a car before rust and corrosion took over.

[@gregmcfarland5189]

Rust and corrosion were from the steel that could be in an accident and still drive without repair. Now everything is aluminum and plastic and almost any crash does tons of damage. Everything they added to make us safe make it prohibitively expensive now.

[@trevordoeshalloween5994]

@@gregmcfarland5189 would you rather the car be perfectly fine after a crash, so that instead of absorbing the forces from the impact and keeping occupants safe, all the force acts on your body?

[@gregmcfarland5189]

@@trevordoeshalloween5994 I’d rather have a small repair bill than have to replace the damn car for a 20mph accident. Those wonderful crumple zones can kiss my ass.

[@MariktheWolf]

cars would last even longer if states would only use salt when there is actual ice on the road...packed snow is better than that slushy mess...

[@traubengott9783]

Nowadays quality decreased dramatically. Cars from the 80s to 2000s are the best. High quality with relatively simple technology.

[@1towmater1]

As a new vehicle dealership employee, what i hear from customers is they DON'T want all the new fancy technology, so they keep old vehicle longer

[@altaccount4697]

I get that. I would avoid cars with big screens and blind spot detection and lane keep assist and all that garbage. Just more stuff to go wrong.

[@EpicUnicat]

@@altaccount4697 this ^^^ I know how to drive, i dont need a computer system controlling what my car does and when it does it without my input

[@ovp66223]

yeah, I already commented, but a few family and friends telling me horror stories of "Safety Systems" nearly getting them wrecked/killed. They disable everything they can disable as soon as they start the car/minivan. Just a big, giant waste of money and many are REQUIRED by regulations. Good ole government, taxing us in ways we don't realize.

[@jannadrielcervo7753]

This why I would rather have an old carbureted car that is reliable and easy to fix, or a diesel engine car with a mechanical fuel injection pump. Something that is simple will last longer, than complex high-tech stuff.

[@Strike0_]

About the only thing I wish I had in my old vehicle is a rear view camera and Bluetooth. Gotten used to those two things in my company vehicle. Everything else is fluff imo.

[@goldwinger5434]

I've always bought used cars. My first post college car was a used BMW 320i with 50k on the odo. I ran it until it had 250k on it and only got rid of it because I had two kids and a four door car made more sense. I bought another used BMW, a 535i and ran it util it had 250k on the clock and got rid of it because the leather seats were destroyed. Currently, I have a 2002 Volvo S60 with 180k on it and figure that it will last me another five years or so. Recently, my whole brake system was rebuilt, new master cylinder and new calipers at a cost of about $1k. A coworker asked why I'd put that much money into an old car. I asked what his car payment was, he's paying about $400 a month. So for less than three car payments I had my car fixed up. However, I pay nearly nothing for insurance and I have a nice looking car, that gets decent gas mileage, doesn't burn oil, and doesn't rattle.

[@turbojoe2]

My 1994 Dakota had almost 400,000km on it. Ran perfectly fine when I traded it for an 02. Not one gasket was changed since my father bought it new.

[@ASMRPeople]

The price of cars have probably doubled in 15 years, where the average wage has probably increased less than 50%.

[@johnfrantz5885]

Wages have been stagnant relative to inflation since the late 70’s

[@becazapatero2477]

@@johnfrantz5885 No way lol. Not even close. Do you know how much $100 was worth in 1975 in today’s money?

[@wereG4]

@@becazapatero2477 relative to inflation

[@phoenix21studios]

@@johnfrantz5885 1000% wrong.

[@thegreek2640]

Facts..

[@bluemountain4181]

Average disposable incomes have been dropping for about two decades now, I think that deserves a mention in the video. People simply can't afford to spend as much on luxuries like new cars as they used to.

[@olivegrove2615]

this is rubbish journalism, they're just trying to mask the truth.

[@kommetkhan2979]

@@olivegrove2615 that's what corporate media organizations do, gaslight and hide the truth

[@darbyheavey406]

That’s not an accurate statement. Incomes have been trending up for 25 years. The middle class has shrunk has more Americans enter the upper middle class.

[@TheSteinbitt]

Adjusting for inflation, disposable household income is up 40% since 1970’s, so it’s just the cars that are relatively more expensive.

[@CJColvin]

@@olivegrove2615 its CNBC the fake corporate liberal news media.

[@RinoaL]

The reason why big companies have stopped making cheaper smaller cars is because of their reluctance to abide by the EPA's mileage rules for smaller cars. They need to finally switch the small cars to electric.

[@EddieLeal]

Not sure if they have become more durable given the amount of defects/recalls on new models. However, I do agree that they have become more tech heavy.

[@terjeoseberg990]

“Why is America’s car fleet getting so old?” Because they’re Toyotas, and they won’t stop running.

[@danasmith1899]

Toyotas are still junk, it's what the poor folk drive

[@Xamry]

My rolla turned 10 this year!

[@terjeoseberg990]

@@Xamry, My Lexus turns 25 this year. Still runs great with over 285,000 miles on it.

[@Xamry]

@@terjeoseberg990 glad to hear! 🥲 I want mine to hit at least 400k I make sure I religiously take it to service when it’s due Haven’t had any major repairs! Just brakes, belt, and shoe 🛞 replacements!

[@terjeoseberg990]

@@Xamry, I’ve never taken my car to a mechanic. I change the oil, and I changed the brake pads once.

[@Soulessdeeds]

The reason American cars are getting older is simple. People can't afford driving around in a 2nd Mortgage or Apartment rental. Cars are getting far to expensive and honestly flimsy.

[@thegreatfomo]

True. Just paid of my car and will never buy a used car with payments ever again.

[@solomonshv]

if you don't want to spend a lot of money on a new car, then don't buy an expensive car. there are lots of affordable options, but everybody wants heated seats, apple car play, gazillion pound towing capacity, etc. you can buy a hyundai accent or nissan versa for $16000. if you are a veteran or a student or buy at the end of the model year, you can get one for as low as $14000. and even that has luxuries like rear view camera, blind spot detector, etc, while also going at least 2 times as far on the same amount of gas as anything made in the 70s and 80s.

[@rahimi4762]

@Peter Hicks that’s the top of line fully loaded luxury edition with tons of horsepower

[@rahimi4762]

@@thegreatfomo nope leasing is where it’s at. Technology changes, repairs expensive and as soon as u pay it off I want something new

[@lukegamer167]

@@solomonshv go to my country and tell em that because we cant afford jack **** and yes its a first world country

[@stevenlevernier7357]

I don't have a car payment and couldn't imagine having one again. It's easier to have a couple cars and fix one when it goes down. It's better on the environment to maintain your car.

[@jokeassasin7733]

Perhaps, breaking down the average length of car ownership by age may give warning to companies before it's too late. My parents who are in their early 60's have been buying cars 3 times more frequently than I do, (I have a 24 year old car and a 10 year old suv). It's not because I can't afford a new car, I just don't drive enough to need a new one all that often. Plus, younger people haven't been brainwashed into thinking you should get a new car every 3 years, like in the 60's or 70's.

[@FreeSpeechisMyRight10]

New cars are so ridiculously expensive now, that I intend to hold on to my 2009 as long as possible. It's way cheaper to replace an engine or transmission (or anything else) than to buy a new car.

[@carwa9651]

Yup ...true👍

[@infospot4119]

Also, Car insurance is expensive, the more your vehicle is worth the higher the insurance. It's crazy that a new Chevy, Ford, or Dodge truck is almost 50K plus now.

[@moppypuppy781]

First EV car that can get under 20k ends the ICE industry.

[@FreeSpeechisMyRight10]

@@infospot4119 Yep. They cost more than my parents paid for a custom-built 1,800 sq. ft. ranch when I was a kid! Ludicrous!

[@jayabacromby675]

@@moppypuppy781 That's a good point MP.

[@lunchbreakwithbob7475]

As new car prices skyrocket. People are buying old fixer uppers, putting rebuilt engines, rebuilt transmissions in them, keeping them alive like all of those 1950's cars in Cuba.

[@johne6081]

That's a lot more environmentally responsible than sending them for the scrapyard prematurely.

[@runningfromabear8354]

Really? We haven't replaced ours because we're waiting for an electric vehicle that meets a large family's needs to come out. We want an electric minivan or 3rd row suv that covers a decent distance.

[@johne6081]

@@runningfromabear8354 I am waiting for an electric station wagon as good as my 2001 VW Passat.

[@joeb4275]

@@runningfromabear8354 keep waiting 🤣

[@medivelmack]

@@johne6081 2001 VS Passat wagon was a great year. my dad still drives his around!

[@chadkirk925]

I bought an 02 corolla with 100k miles for 2 grand in 2018. I still have it. It has no carpet, only one door works, no radio, the backseats are covered in white paint, it has no headliner, the hood and roof have surface rust, the paint is in complete shambles and it was flooded 2 years ago. It still runs great. I'm not spending 15K on a newer corolla with the same mileage just so I can go to and from work the exact same way.

[@scott4825]

Parts have gotten much easier to buy with the internet. There are companies that essentially have disassembly lines to systematically remove parts from old cars, and then they sell them on Amazon. Then most of us aren't making a lot of money and can't afford a $30,000+ car. It's a bit crazy to spend $5-6,000 a year in car payments plus comprehensive insurance is probably higher. It'd be pretty hard to top that amount with a used car that you own outright. Finally, there is a car shortage (for whatever reason), and it's hard for me to drop down that 30K+ on a car that I can't even test drive or check out at the dealer (they barely make it to the lot). What's worse is that I'll go to dealerships and ask them basic questions about a car I'm interested in, and the sales people have never even bothered to check out the cars before they are handed to the customer. And automakers practically refuses to sell decent basic vehicles without all the bells and whistles.

[@revaholic]

This is a good thing. Now if people only look at clothing and electronic goods as items they should keep for the long term rather than easily dispensable too..

[@easyrider3112]

OMG yes! I really wish people would get away from having to buy everything new and would take care if there stuff. Less landfills, less loans, higher quality, and the initial expense can be absorbed by the wealthy while everyone else is able to get used versions of things they need on the cheap. This is a win, win, win.

[@konigstiger3252]

@@easyrider3112 expect the lack of consuming will tank the economy

[@phils.3178]

I started buying American Giant clothes. They’re expensive as hell but will last a lifetime.

[@sneaky_krait7271]

@@konigstiger3252 So be it, we have to

[@konigstiger3252]

@@sneaky_krait7271 maybe you are a sadist but most people are not, life is short and we want to live it to the fullest. If the economy tanks no one will have a good time, so the environment be damned.

[@bhume7535]

My generation can hardly pay for homes by ourselves, nevermind having a brand new car on top of that. I'll take my $500 rust bucket that gets me from A to B and live with it.

[@dakotabowes2387]

me 2 lol

[@jbf430]

The average boomer can buy 4 houses. The average millennial can buy 0. Greedy Boomers made the world into what it is today. They sacrificed our futures so they could be rich.

[@goldenretriever6261]

I'm 51 and still driving old cars. It's just transportation, who cares what it looks like.

[@silo3com]

You mean live in it. Who can afford rent?

[@racekrasser7869]

@@jbf430 A few of them may have...but most worked their asses off. Money has been flowing to the top for a long time and it's starting to catch up with lower society quickly.

[@TurbhoeHDRemix]

I'm one of them, I bought this used infiniti like 6 months ago and I've put a lot of money into fixing it, multiple repairs worth 1000$+ I'd rather fix what I have than get a new car. I did the small maintenance stuff myself. Brakes, oil, etc.

[@Joel-ew1zm]

My 2016 tacoma is just about to click over 100,000 miles. I haven't had even the slightest mechanical issue with it, only regular maintenance so far.

[@samuelmandarelli2645]

Stop building cars that cost more than an average worker makes in years. Everything in our society has become out of reach without years of debt.

[@Thatguy-mo8jd]

A new car today could easily last 10 years and some closer to 20 for some brands. It makes sense the cost is what it is.

[@Shadowx157]

You're making too much sense, car manufacturing technology has improved in the past 50 years. So even though it's cheaper and faster to make them, they got to charge 10 times the price cause... Ceo needs to be in yacht club. (edit: alright what if some companys made smaller 5k cars so anyone can afford an auto)

[@chrishart8548]

@@Thatguy-mo8jd in the UK a pcp has allowed the cost to go so high people can't even afford the depreciation cost now.

[@Kingmuhammad92]

@@Thatguy-mo8jd cars 30 years ago would last 20-30 years as well, especially Japanese brands. In fact, I think 90s cars were superior to current models, due to more simplistic designs with less electronics. These new cars are far more complicated and expensive to maintain. The cost may be worth it for reliable brands, but not for others.

[@Eric-pj8jx]

@@Shadowx157 actually that's not entirely true. Car manufacturers actually manufacture and sell their cars at a loss. They make most of the profit from aftermarket part sales.

[@andrewrollason4963]

Short answer: Real wages have been falling since 1975. Kids today can't buy cars if they're too busy spending their smaller wages on housing.

[@diannt9583]

They may have to, even if only a junker, if they live where there is no public transportation for places like work. (Not all jobs are suitable for work at home.)

[@Milnoc]

@@diannt9583 Or they live in their cars, something which is happening a lot more frequently these days. Combined with climate change, the days of Soylent Green are coming up fast.

[@pipscooter9201]

@@Milnoc Climate change is a fake made up propaganda from the left just like the covid to steal elections.

[@desimo147]

When I was growing up, most kids drove junkers. Not today's kids. Most of them drive a nicer car than me. They are affording them somehow. I know Mom and Dad helping out is often the answer.

[@pipscooter9201]

@strayarticle Trump alone can fix the climate crisis and it won’t even take that much time.

[@donkeytime1704]

There's a lady who hit over a million miles on her 2013 Hyundai Elantra and was rewarded from Hyundai a brand new one and was still able to keep her old one. Mine is a 2012 Hyundai Elantra and I just turned over 273,000 miles on it and just gonna keep it running for as long as it will go reliably as it has for the past almost 12 years. It use to make sense to buy a new vehicle, but at todays market value is way to high for me to consider it. It's really nice to have a vehicle that's paid for. Screw those pmts if it can be helped.

[@mikes2701]

7:41 guy mentions an iPhone 9 😂

[@espoespo3557]

I want statistics on how many new cars get repossessed every year due to non payment.

[@jamestdawson]

2021-2021 REPOSSESSION FACTS (UNITED STATES DATA) 2.2 million vehicles are repossessed every year (2021updated data) 5,418 repossessions every day 226 car repossessions each hour 3.76 repossessions a minute With yearly repossession rates at 65% compared to yearly new car sales. This means that for every 2.4 cars sold, 1 existing vehicle on the road will be repossessed each year.

[@robpottie662]

@@jamestdawson If this information came from one site, you have a link? I'd like to check it out if it's not a bother

[@MikeBrown-go1pc]

I work at a major auto auction. It has to be a lot. Sometimes 8 per day come in. Once it was 13 in a day. This is a smaller city too.

[@A22DNAL]

...why?

[@426baron]

@@jamestdawson That sounds like a very high repo/sale stat. If accurate, no wonder I see shiny nice new cars parked around poorer parts of the town... That disappear after a few months.

[@jasperism27]

This reads & feels like a corpo sponsored piece against right to repair + sustainable manufacturing, and a support piece for further planned obsolescence at the same time. Toyota and other cars produced in markets with no native oil extraction last long, and have excellent mileage. If anything, these should be supported, at least until EVs are viable for most of the population.

[@BCrossing]

reads? it's a video...

[@jasperism27]

@@BCrossing do you really think the narrator is doing this ad-lib and not reading from a script? :/

[@PaulHarris123]

This is the take I was looking for... Like shouldn't it be a good thing that vehicles are sticking around longer? What's the problem with that? less waste, less consumer debt... Sounds like auto-manufacturer propaganda

[@SharkFishSF]

Maruti Suzuki India too,

[@gazjaz2010]

@@comparecars_org : completely clueless comment from the conservative happy place: a fact free echo chamber. there is no agenda. there are no green cars. pull your head out.

[@spoenk7448]

Where I live (rich Western European country) it's quite common to buy cars outright. New cars are sometimes a job perk, but many people just make do with older cars. That's partly because taxes make cars much more expensive than in the US, but also because there is some cultural aversion against borrowing. The word for debt and guilt is the same. My SO and I bought our first car in 2015. It was a 2004 model. Then in 2017 we bought a 1998 model. Then in 2021 we bought a 2010 model. And in 2023 we just added a 2020 model which was a job perk (lease, boss pays).

[@WorldPowerLabs]

My vehicles are 26, 24, and 20 years old with 130k, 325k, and 260k miles on them, respectively. I see no reason to replace any of them so long as they work and can still be maintianed and repaired economically...

[@-PURPLE-HEAD]

I need more than a back-up camera and a tailgate that converts to a desk to justify paying $30k more for a vehicle. I haven’t upgraded my phone for the same reason. The latest emoji pack just doesn’t do it for me.

[@dr7media210]

The latest emoji selection will arrive without replacement - just an update.

[@nubreed13]

Especially when a backup camera kit is only $300. Most of the tech I want in a modern car I can buy for my 12 year old truck for 500 or less

[@dtexansrn18]

@@nubreed13 Amen. Plus those obnoxious giant iPad screens in many of these cars too. I'm perfectly happy just using my phone instead in my 008 Honda for navigation and music.

[@erebostd]

@@nubreed13 it depends, definitely. I upgraded to an electric car since the running costs are so low here. There’s no option to get an old one of these, at least for now. If you don’t drive much the big costs are insurance, taxes and maintenance, and an electric car is low on all three. And i get „free fuel“ trough solar..

[@MrDonaldstepp]

Backup cameras can be had for $60

[@codycurnutte7084]

It boils down to the fact that most people dont want more tech in their cars if it adds to cost. They want reliability and comfort. Thats why toyota kills it in America even though they havent been the front runner in adding tech to their cars. They are reliable and comfortable.

[@NaggersandJoggers]

yeah I don't need hulu installed in my car or 16 cameras or sensors checking the temperature of my bum and adjusting the heat

[@BassPlayerSusan]

@@NaggersandJoggers It's our new "ass-cam" that checks the temperature.

[@williamofhler5613]

Used to look for cars without AC because I never needed it. Took the largest engine offered instead

[@seeburgm100a]

Yea, try buying a regular ole pickup truck with two doors, auto, air and nothing else..

[@runningfromabear8354]

I'm a bit insulted when salespeople go on and on about the 'infotainment' center. I came here about a car, not a new computer. We gave up and sticking with 2013 minivan. We had money saved up to buy a new car but we're just putting more aside and will buy an electric 6+ seater once it's available. I don't want to pay for gas anymore and we have solar panels to charge our own vehicle. We both work from home anyway, it's just when we go out we don't need entertainment, we need 6 seats for a family of 6.

[@michaelliu9053]

07:29 Tell me you are not a tech person without telling me you are not a tech person. :D

[@johnsadler6534]

I never played more than $3,000 and kept it saving for the next. Usually after 15 years I junked the old one and found a different one.

[@greenman8]

If car companies wanted, cars could be expected to last 25 years. Could you imagine how many less would end up in landfills or recycled?

[@XVeganDaveGodFreeX]

Most cars WILL last 25 years, if maintained properly. My 1993 Explorer has close to 200k miles and my 2005 Srinter has 475k miles.

[@Withpipeandbook]

I think a good example of what that would look like is the land cruiser which at 87k is much more than a similar Chevrolet Tahoe at 52k. It must just be hard to entice the majority to value the longevity and ignore the marketing. Resale values holding up help of course but as long as there’s videos like this one making looking after a good piece of equipment look like an oddity I think we’re going to stay where we are.

[@prioris55555]

They know how to design cars to last a very long time but obsolescence becomes part of the engineering process along with many unneeded bells and whistles. i still have 1999 saturn sl1 with over 270K miles. Buying a car at a dealership I don't look forward to. It's not just making them last over 25 years but having low maintenance costs.

[@greenman8]

@@prioris55555 This is why I am a convert to Lexus&Toyota. I might have a nice 20 year old Lexus, but I also have a dependable car that shares 85% of parts with regular Toyota. my car has 271K, looks cool and runs like a champ.

[@295g295]

2:30 - Toyotas and Hondas 20-25 years old are lasting longer than cars built in the 1960s and 70s.

[@Iron-Griffon]

"why aren't people getting new cars?" Maybe people don't want to gamble the ability to feed themselves on a something designed to fail after a couple years.

[@wobblybobengland]

I only had it a month and some idiot smashed a shopping trolley in the driver's door.

[@millerscorner2]

Who the heck can afford a $50 - 150k vehicle today? My gosh, one can buy a nice home in the countryside in FL for less than $150k. It is idiotic.

[@onfoenemgrave]

“something designed to fail after a couple years” You obviously are talking out your ass.

[@davidgraham2673]

@@onfoenemgrave , Although the comment was an exaggeration, the electronics go out long before they should considering the cost of today's vehicles. Too many chips controlling functions in modern vehicles make it a gamble on how long you can go after the warranty has expired, before some malfunction pops up. I'm talking about ancillary warranties, not drive train warranties.. Thats the simple truth.

[@briannadickson2884]

@@onfoenemgrave you need to educate yourself on manufactured obsolescence.

[@thomastrout9997]

I have a 2009 Highlander limited I purchased new that year and I just turned 100K on the odometer. The vehicle has always been garaged and the paint is gorgeous. I joked when I picked it up that this could be my last new car not knowing just how true that would be. My mechanic tells me I could never replace it and should never sell it......unless it was to him. Nah, I'm good.

[@Patyonrocks.]

7:30 “The iPhone X has to be better than the iPhone 9” yeah, it was so good they skipped the 9 entirely lol

[@Shimeih]

😂😂😂😂was looking for this comment

[@orien2v2]

7 ate 9 🥁

[@user-ejxomyq]

That guy doesn’t really know what he’s talking about

[@jml9550]

I am still using the iPhone X and it still performs very well. Don’t need a new phone every year.

[@DigitalicaEG]

Technically it is better than the 9 if the 9 doesn’t exist. Infinitely better even.

[@lavalampluva55401]

My father told me stories about how back in the day (1940s-1950s) it wasn't uncommon to purchase a new car every couple years. Now days people run cars into the ground, or until an accident totals it.

[@Gnefitisis]

Well... let's get real, wages have also fallen so much that no one can afford that.

[@ytSuns26]

Seriously up until the late seventies GM considered their customer to be a 24,000 mile two year buyer. In fact the warranties were like 20,000 or two years. I drove companies cars that got traded every two years no question.

[@calessel3139]

In the 80s people used to typically purchase a new car every five years. Of course back then you could afford a new car on minimum wage. I know my sister, who was a waitress at a small restaurant, would get a new vehicle about every six years in those days. You can't do that today.

[@dragondancer1814]

@@calessel3139 I only qualify for minimum-wage jobs despite having a bachelor’s degree (criminal justice, but I’m soured on law enforcement as a career after they treated me like dog doo years ago), so not being able to afford a new car on my paycheck is a huge reason why I’m still driving my 2005 Chevy Cavalier with 289K on the odometer. The main reason, however, it’s the fact that my mechanic is beyond awesome! He’s replaced the transmission, engine, and fuel pump on my car (all in sequential years), he doesn’t skin me on the price of repairs/maintenance, and he said that as long as the car body stays clear of rust and he can still get parts, he’ll keep working on my car! The biggest help is the fact that while he works on all cars, he specializes in Cavaliers-he’s got a thing about them, to where he even keeps the best parts from others in his “boneyard” to use for repairs. My husband and I don’t call him “the guru” for nothing!

[@user-tb7rn1il3q]

@@Gnefitisis Real wages have gone up. Cars are built much better and are actually less expensive in real terms.

[@Iron_Sights99]

I own a 1999 Chevrolet Blazer and a 1981 Suzuki Gs650L motorbike. Bought the Blazer wrecked for 250 bucks and pulled the front-end engine parts off a '99 GMC Jimmy and body panels off an '03 Oldsmobile Bravada in a scrapyard. That thing is decked out in terms of features for being 24 years old. She isn't cutting-edge by today's standards, but basic driving knowledge fills in for things like backup cameras and such. I laugh at the window sticker that says "next generation airbags" because at this point they are probably "previous generation airbags" Runs good, drives great, and has never once left me stranded. The bike I bought non-runnng for 1k with 30k miles on her, did some carburetor work and she is now pushing 50k with no issues. The most advanced feature that bike has is a little board that shows which gear the bike is in. Makes the fuel economy of a prius, but for way cheaper. Love them both to death.

[@ajlee613]

to be fair back when like 25k was an average car, min wage where i am was around 7 dollars, now minnimum wage is 15 or maybe even more now, but car prices did not double in price. homes jumped maybe 3-4x in price in this time or more, so there is an argument that cars are actually getting cheaper, however a new car is optional, paying rent or mortgage is mandatory.

[@thomasholmes8956]

Every vehicle I've owned in the last 25 years has been used. I found with proper maintenance the majority of those vehicles lasted way past all expectations.

[@largesizejellyfish3014]

Yes. I need two cars that way i can work on one while i drive the other.

[@Yinyang1277]

Exactly lol no need to buy new if you did proper research on what red flags to avoid.

[@erickotapish7842]

Idiots don't know how to fix cars I have had the same 06 mini for 10 plus years and never took to the shop once

[@paull3179]

Same here. I have been buying used Porsches and Audis and usually keep two of each. Sold my last 2 911s with zero depreciation. One after two years and the other after 5 years.

[@Otownbassin]

Filters and fluids go a long way

[@estefanyortega5845]

Because a car shouldn’t cost as much as a down payment on a house 😂

[@MyLifeThai371]

Yep. $100,000 for a new pickup. $80,000 for a one bedroom starter home.

[@ccampaaz2867]

My Life Thai where can I buy a starter home for 80K? Serious question. My first home cost more than double that price and that was right after the 2008-2009 housing market crash.

[@MyLifeThai371]

@@ccampaaz2867 North Dakota

[@MyLifeThai371]

@@moa-wg3bo You also have to remember the the U.S.A. is not the highest salary either. It is Dubai, Singapore, Hong Kong, Norway and then finally the U.S.A.

[@screwedupmystic2597]

@@ccampaaz2867 houston

[@bugnut82]

Yup, I daily drive a 60-year-old VW Bug. That's right, a 1962 6volt, 1192cc 40hp car. It does require more maintenance than modern cars, but it's easily done with some books and basic tools. The entire engine can be removed in 30 min or less. It costs me 350 bucks a year to insure, and that's with a specialty classic car insurance, I can drive as many miles as I want. This car was designed by Porsche and will last another 60 years.

[@christianj252]

Bought a new cheap Honda in 2019. It works supwe well and has all the basics and a few luxuries. Gets me places efficiently and dafely, relatively quickly. Struggles a little on uphill onramps though. No need to spend on solutions for problems that manufacturers created. Like blind spot monitoring for itty bitty windows.

[@tomkenny42684]

Planned obsolescence instead of quality, serviceable products is a major problem in almost everything we purchase. Not to mention unnecessary bells and whistles.

[@meganoobbg3387]

The one who can afford a new car is usually rich enough to change it after 4-5 years when its newer gen comes out. While the one who buys it second hand has to pay a kings ransom in repairs and basically has to pay the same amount as it was brand new. So basically those who didnt keep their reliable cars from up to the late 90s, are screwed if they got rid of them.

[@pozloadescobar]

Kudos to Toyota for building their products the right way, and with the consumer in mind

[@tomkenny42684]

@@meganoobbg3387 That's a good point and to add to that, parts for older/discontinued cars are also more difficult to come by as well. The little guy getting the shaft every which way yet again.

[@bobloblaw10001]

What are you all talking about? Planned obsolescence is obviously not as bad as it used to be for cars because they last longer. Parts for older vehicles are actually easier than ever to come by thanks to the internet and thanks to cheap aftermarket suppliers in China, India, Malaysia, etc.

[@tomkenny42684]

@@bobloblaw10001 Not true for cars and certain models of cars that are no longer manufactured. E.G. Pontiac, Saturn, etc. Not to mention supply chain issues at the moment affecting just about every industry in the U.S. Think what you want, I have several friends and family who are mechanics/auto techs who deal with these issues everyday.

[@ON-YT]

Imagine how long we would keep our phones if we had right to repair.

[@richdyer2000]

I don’t know…I can only speak for apple phones, but the 3G, 4s and 6s (which I still use) were/are all perfectly repairable. The 6s, I’ve done the screen *many* times, battery and the charging module. The 3G and 4s simply became obsolete - either slowed down by the latest iOS, or suffered app decay if I remained on the previous. By the time the 6s came out, technology had matured enough such that it still runs absolutely fine on iOS 15.

[@alessandroraso4951]

@@richdyer2000 new phones like the latest iphones and samsung phones if you replace any part will not work properly, if you for example change the camera not all of them will be active

[@fortheloveofnoise9298]

Had my LG V20 since 2016.

[@joemike3545]

Switch to Samsung

[@ON-YT]

@@joemike3545 all tech companies have issues when it comes to right of repair but yes they are better.

[@harrisonchr]

The issue I see today, especially as I look for a new vehicle for my wife, is they seem unavailable and they are way too expensive.

[@goru426]

2007 Honda Odyssey here, 256K miles and still runs good. Original engine and transmission.

[@sharonh2991]

I remember back in about 1981 when one of my coworkers spent $10k on a new car and everyone in the office was shocked. Even accounting for inflation $10k was a boatload of money to spend on a car. Little did we know.

[@mssha1980]

I couldn’t imagine

[@Isamu1013]

Well that would be around 20'000 today. For that you can get a decent new car packed with technology not imaginable back in the 1980, decent power and efficiency. It's just that people have more money and go for more luxurious vehicles. I would take a Toyota Yaris over a car from the 1980's but I also rather have a Tesla than a Yaris.

[@ScatPack123]

@@Isamu1013 maybe if it was an inflation of 2%, but no way that 10.000 in 1981 is 20.000 today. I think it is around 35k or even more

[@Isamu1013]

@@ScatPack123 Your right it seams I have used outdated data. it is around 30'000. Makes my point even more valid though.

[@renyreny6940]

Full videos 👉kzbin.info/www/bejne/rnmvqmyah5l2mMk

[@quaniquaepps-brown6003]

As long as the AC, engine, and transmission work I’m good 🙂

[@jamesmedina2062]

Don't forget brakes!!! 🛑

[@Mikejones-vy9dx]

@I see arabs 😱😨 1994 Toyota

[@johnconnor7501]

And the music 😝

[@wildbikerbill6530]

steering is a big plus as well.

[@xingkongyangwang683]

Don’t forget screaming when emergency

[@adderall4449]

I bought my mk4 tdi golf for 2k euro. Spent maybe another 2k fixing little issues like bushings, suspension, brakes etc. and it gets same fuel milage as the new golfs. So for me it was either 4k total for a car vs 30k+ on a new golf

[@xhobv02]

A reliable vehicle that serves for a long time is a great thing... it saves money and improves your economic freedom.

[@EricTheDane]

I'm done buying new vehicles, even though I can afford any "reasonable" family vehicle. New cars are way too expensive. I don't mind fixing my car and living with it.

[@jml9550]

My rule thumbs is never buy a car that cost 25% of my annual income and always Toyota or Lexus. I always save money monthly into a car fund and pay cash. 3 year old low mileage lease returns are the best deals in my opinion.

[@kpmmsupervision1297]

If they continue rising the prices we'll push back by not buying. They better don't tease the bear mate!.

[@MerlinOpeth]

@@jml9550 Lexus has the best bluebook value as well .