How long to keep a car for?

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feo

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Say you bought a new car...on average, how long should you keep it for before trading it in?

Let's hear some opinions on this..
 
I heard from a guy at a dealership that at least for half of the finance term. If you took it over 5 years, then you could trade in after 2. 1/2 years.

But I would keep it till the service plan / warranty falls away.

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it depends on the car too.i have a friend who kept his 2001 cleo till now.it still costs him less to run and insure than any new car.
 
If you want to make the sensible financial decision then 10 years. At least that's what I'm aiming for with this one :).
 
depends on what you gonna use it for. do a life-cycle costing study which includes running costs, maintenance costs, depreciation, tax implications, rep count etc.

i think rep count is important.
 
If it is an Opel :sick:, sell immediately, if it is a VW :love:, keep forever :p
 
Until the service plan or warrentee expires, or until the maintenence on the vehicle becomes pricey.
 
I think it also depends on the retail value of a car.If the retail value is poor then you should keep the car for longer and not sell before 2 or 3 years.
 
Keep it until it falls apart or your needs change (e.g trading the 2 door for a bigger car when you have kids).

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D3x! said:
/waits for Roux to show up, this is going to get interesting
Click to expand...

LOL, just combining those two names in one sentence usually triggers off an alarm on his computer! :p

The guy must be on holiday or back in Groendakkies updating his medication...;)
 
I would say sell the car a year before end of maintenance or at least 1 service short of service plan.
Selling it completely out of maintenance i woudl think would make it harder to get rid of.

1 years peace of mind for a 2nd hand buyer is quite something, i know i would certainly pay a little extra for that
 
My 1994 Camry 220i with 287 000km on the clock is still going strong. Insurance is R206.00 a month. I service the car every 10 000km, so that's once a year, costs more or less R800.00. So my yearly costs is R3 272. I will consider to buy a new car once my Camry reached 500 000km.
 
Like flamtech, if you're driving an economical car which isn't costing you a bundle to maintain, keep it as long as you can. If it's a newer car which is expected to cost a bunch after the service/maintenance plan expires, then consider selling before the plan ends.
 
I can't see the login in buying a new car. You loose 20% of the value as you drive it off the floor, so you have to keep it a minimum of 2years just to make up that loss.
 
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