How long will a new car last?

[Beachholidaysun]

Without given you problems?

How often do you renew yours? Do you buy upfront? Use lease? pcp? Second hand or new?

Is getting a new car every five years or less a luxury?

@taxguru

"Bangernomics" have underpinned my approach to vehicle ownership since I was 17.

DH's Freelander didn't just need a new gearbox; it was well-used and starting to become expensive to repair even before the gearbox problem. Additionally, the tyres (Pirelli Crossclimates) were all reaching the legal limit, so that would have been another £700 or so, and the mileage was making it problematic, i.e., expensive, to get breakdown cover - especially for driving abroad.

The other consideration is something not entirely finance-related, and that is being confident about, and happy, with the vehicle you drive. DH had lost faith in the vehicle's reliability.

We really did do our sums before throwing in the towel.

Fortunately, my 22-year-old BMW is still reliable and sailing through its MOTs with no advisories. (Of course, now I've said it...🙄😙)

My daughter has my old 56 reg Nissan micra still going strong at almost 19 years old. I drive a Toyota Yaris bought from new 6 years ago which I really like. I will keep it until it as long as possible though. I don’t think you can go wrong with Toyota and Honda for reliability tbh

It depends on the make and model, what you use it for and how many miles you do.

My last Saab (bought as an ex-demonstrator) had 223,000 miles on and was 12 years old when I sold it, still going strong with no advisories. But it had done most of those miles on motorways, had been serviced regularly and treated lovingly. It had needed little beyond tyres and brake pads.

My current (Ford-made) Volvo which I bought at 18 months old, has only 67,000 miles but has already needed repairs caused by pot holes - coil springs, a main spring, a new wheel etc. The quality of build is lower.

On a mid-range car I would expect it to be reliable for 150,000 miles and 10 years if it is serviced regularly and well looked after.