These Are The Reasons You Are Keeping Old Cars On The Road

When times are tough the Jalopnik commenter section toughens up. With the economic future of this country, perhaps the world, up in the air, it's getting more and more difficult to justify the expense of a new car and the related payments and high insurance costs. Last weekend I asked all of you to chime in with your stories of keeping an old car on the road to avoid the costs of a new car. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised that many of you have chosen to keep old cars on the road for non-economic reasons as well. Most of the responses boiled down to not being able to afford a new car, or being able to afford one but unwilling to buy for a variety of reasons.  

Lately I've seen quite a lot of chatter on the internet about a preference for older automobiles. Whether it's for cost, simplicity, maintenance, driving enjoyment, or tactile non-touch-screen interiors, it's become a common refrain. "Buy a pre-financial crisis car and maintain it for the rest of your life," the peanut gallery mumbles. I've always been a fan of older cars, whether out of economic necessity, or a desire for something with a sense of occasion, so I find myself agreeing with them.

Let's dig into the answers from the Jalopnik commentariat — why don't we? I picked a few of my favorite answers from last week's post and compiled them here for your viewing. And if you didn't get a chance to weigh in last week, here's your opportunity. Drop a few additional ideas in the comments below. And if you have bought a new car recently, why?

I am not keeping an old car on the road, per se, but I am keeping a paid off car that I really do not like because new cars are too expensive. Even if they were cheaper, I'd still keep this POS because everything else in the world is more expensive and I can't afford to be spending so much BS money.

Suggested by Misher Lover Boy

There's something to be said for a paid off car, even one that you don't like. I like all of my cars, and don't envy someone who doesn't. If you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with, I guess? 

I'm keeping an old car on the road because New cars are too expensive and I'm too poor to afford newer one

Suggested by Derry

Many such cases, unfortunately. 

I've entertained replacing my 2019 GTI, but every time I look at a new vehicle, the numbers don't make sense. In 2019, my GTI was $26k before trade. It has physical buttons, physical gauges, and a stick, which are all things the current GTI lacks. Even the GLI is losing the stick option for 2027. Any comparable replacement is either $40k, like the WRX, or sells before it even hits the lot, like the Elantra N.

And the insane car prices are exacerbated by the insane insurance prices. Not only would I be forking over a larger chunk of money to buy the car, but the cost to insure a new car has skyrocketed. Hell, even my 2019 GTI's insurance has almost doubled from where it was 5 years ago, and every time I have quoted out a potential replacement vehicle, the price is even higher.

Suggested by Huckleberry

A MK7 GTI is a pretty special car, for what it's worth. Short of the GR Corolla or a BRZ/86, I think that's the newest car I'd consider buying myself. Keep it nice and hang on to it for a long time to come, and you'll probably be having more fun than most of us. 

Worsening economic conditions for the middle class plus accelerating prices of new cars don't go well together. Pick your inevitable doom.

Suggested by Rick C. 

Comments like this are really representative of why consumer economic sentiment has never been lower. 

Yup. My old Toyota Corolla commuter with almost 300,000 miles. I'm retired now, and rarely use it. I cant justify replacing it because of the expense and the fact that it works like brand new.

Suggested by Rollerrobb

You can't justify it, nor should you. That Corolla will probably keep running if you just keep it maintained properly. Can you make it to a million?

2003 Passat original clutch 31MPG 201K, 2010 highlander 260K, 2007 saab 9-3 vert150K (kids car)0 payments, low insurance, even at 2K a year in repairs I'm still ahead of the GAME... WAY AHEAD....

Suggested by BostonDad_1

$2,000 per year in repairs on three cars is excellent work. I don't think there is a car on the market today you could get for just $166.66 per month. Keep socking that number away forever and you're golden.  

Manufacturers have totally lost the plot, forcing me to simply buy new tires for my long paid off ICE SUV and drive it for another year. Its a 2014 with 200,000 kms, has buttons and doesn't disappoint. Wud love to get on a mftg consumer advisory panel. I'm a car guy who used to buy a new daily driver every 3-5 years. Not anymore.

Suggested by MurryB

I couldn't agree more. There is a lot to be said for tactile buttons and switchgear, and even more to be said for a car that doesn't require a monthly payment. 

I usually buy a used car with low mileage from a Florida retiree's family who took the keys from them for their own safety. I used to get them for 10% of the price it sold for new with over 50% of the usable life left. That is getting harder to do with the current economic environment...

Suggested by Old_SLAAB_Guy

Sadly none of the retirement village people drive anything I would be interested in. We had an ex-retiree Lincoln Town Car for a while, it smelled like mothballs. 

Nah, I'm doing it because new cars are too ugly, bloated with tech, and have completely forgotten what options are.

Suggested by Chase

Preach it, my man.

I've decided that big LCD dashboards and OTA updates are not for me. So my rule is if it has a backup camera, it's too new.

I've been into Volvos since my I bought my first 240 Turbo used in 1998. Right now, I'm driving a 1991 240 wagon (my COVID project car), my wife drives a 2006 V50, and I'm rebuilding a 2011 C30.

At some point, I may convert the 240 wagon to electric, but it will still have analog gauges.

Suggested by Monika

It's good to have personal Rubicons that you won't cross. I respect it. I respect an EV-swapped Volvo 240 even more.

No manual transmissions available. In fact even good automatics have been replaced with garbage CVTs. I've always bought new cars every 3 years. Never again, till they bring back the stick.

Suggested by Jeff

When I first started driving, manual transmissions accounted for nearly 10% of new car sales. Fewer than 1% of new cars today have three pedals. 

I'm keeping my TJ on the road because there's nothing new like it. Modern Jeeps are massive, dull minivans.

Suggested by 05Train

I think Jeeps are a great example of what's going on here. Modern Jeeps are significantly more capable off-road than your old TJ was when it was brand new, but they're also much more complex, heavier, and dumbed down. They're doing the same thing with sports cars and it drives me up the wall. I don't want a more capable machine, I want something that preserves the experience and interactivity between human and machine.

No, I'm keeping an older car on the road because it still drives so well, has simpler mechanics, and costs the same as a single new car payment per year to keep on the road. The winters here are so harsh, I just couldn't imagine spending a mint on a new car, only to watch it get messed up by road salt and careless drivers dinging it in the city.

Suggested by stmo

It's kind of refreshing to enjoy driving your car while not worrying about it getting dented. That's my used car sweet spot.