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Is it common for modern used cars to not last 8 years? I know lots of people driving cars that are 10-15 years old at this point.

OJFord 7y ago
Is it common for houses not to last centuries? I know lots of people living in very old houses. Perhaps mortgages should have longer terms too?
- randomdata 7y ago
  I think you would be very lucky to get a few decades without the need for any major repairs or upgrades. It too know people who live in houses that have some features that are centuries old, but none of them are living in the exact house that was constructed centuries ago. The distinction is meaningful as the comments earlier in the thread are talking about how long a new car will last before it needs work (beyond your basic oil changes, etc.). If you are willing to put money into major repairs and upgrades, there is no real reason why a vehicle cannot last centuries as well, as classic car enthusiasts can attest.
- aerophilic 7y ago
  Short answer: yes it is common for a building not to last long periods of time (unless properly maintained). I recall a civil engineer telling me once that most “tract” homes only are designed for a 35 year useful life. While I can’t find a reference for that, I did find this Quora article from a structural engineer: Answer to What is the design life span of a building? by Vishnu Vijayakumar https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-design-life-span-of-a-building/answer/Vishnu-Vijayakumar-14 https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-design-life-span-of-a-buil... Note: while he quotes 60-80 years, the concrete is still in that 30-40 year timespan.
  - MisterBastahrd 7y ago
    That's why foundation repair companies are so popular.
howard941 7y ago
I'm not sure how common it is. Thing is that the market for used cars is fundamentally messed up [0]. That 8 year loan on most new buggies will be underwater for all but the last year or so of its 96 month life. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Market_for_Lemons https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Market_for_Lemons
barry-cotter 7y ago
Well if you do no maintenance whatsoever you can destroy any car in 8 years. With maintenance even a BMW will last 20 years though you may be better off getting something more rugged, like a Toyota.
wnissen 7y ago
The average car on the road is 12 years old at this point. It has increased dramatically, even during "cash for clunkers", which you would think would have dropped it. https://www.energy.gov/eere/vehicles/articles/fact-997-october-2-2017-average-age-cars-and-light-trucks-was-almost-12-years https://www.energy.gov/eere/vehicles/articles/fact-997-octob...

OJFord 7y ago

Is it common for houses not to last centuries? I know lots of people living in very old houses. Perhaps mortgages should have longer terms too?

randomdata 7y ago
I think you would be very lucky to get a few decades without the need for any major repairs or upgrades. It too know people who live in houses that have some features that are centuries old, but none of them are living in the exact house that was constructed centuries ago. The distinction is meaningful as the comments earlier in the thread are talking about how long a new car will last before it needs work (beyond your basic oil changes, etc.). If you are willing to put money into major repairs and upgrades, there is no real reason why a vehicle cannot last centuries as well, as classic car enthusiasts can attest.
aerophilic 7y ago
Short answer: yes it is common for a building not to last long periods of time (unless properly maintained). I recall a civil engineer telling me once that most “tract” homes only are designed for a 35 year useful life. While I can’t find a reference for that, I did find this Quora article from a structural engineer: Answer to What is the design life span of a building? by Vishnu Vijayakumar https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-design-life-span-of-a-building/answer/Vishnu-Vijayakumar-14 https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-design-life-span-of-a-buil... Note: while he quotes 60-80 years, the concrete is still in that 30-40 year timespan.
- MisterBastahrd 7y ago
  That's why foundation repair companies are so popular.

howard941 7y ago

I'm not sure how common it is. Thing is that the market for used cars is fundamentally messed up [0]. That 8 year loan on most new buggies will be underwater for all but the last year or so of its 96 month life. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Market_for_Lemons https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Market_for_Lemons

barry-cotter 7y ago

Well if you do no maintenance whatsoever you can destroy any car in 8 years. With maintenance even a BMW will last 20 years though you may be better off getting something more rugged, like a Toyota.

wnissen 7y ago

The average car on the road is 12 years old at this point. It has increased dramatically, even during "cash for clunkers", which you would think would have dropped it. https://www.energy.gov/eere/vehicles/articles/fact-997-october-2-2017-average-age-cars-and-light-trucks-was-almost-12-years https://www.energy.gov/eere/vehicles/articles/fact-997-octob...