Which of our cars should we use more, old or new?

Questions on how we spend our money and our time - consumer goods and services, home and vehicle, leisure and recreational activities
Post Reply
Topic Author
jasc15
Posts: 419
Joined: Wed Dec 19, 2012 12:36 pm

Which of our cars should we use more, old or new?

Post by jasc15 »

We own 2 cars: one 11 years old with ~110,000 miles, and another 1.5 years old with ~13,000 miles.

It seems the general opinion from people I talk to is to use the old car for around town stop and go driving, and the new car for more long distance driving when possible. Both are used for commuting, so they are rather equal in their utilization, but we've stuck to the above described usage for other non commute driving.

On the other hand, one could make the case that the older car would last even longer when used for the easier highway miles.

Is there any common wisdom on this topic with a quantitative approach?
User avatar
ray.james
Posts: 1902
Joined: Tue Jul 19, 2011 4:08 am

Re: Which of our cars should we use more, old or new?

Post by ray.james »

We had that conundrum until baby came along. Baby always gets the new safe car.

edit: spell error.
Last edited by ray.james on Wed Mar 28, 2018 11:57 am, edited 2 times in total.
When in doubt, http://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=79939
N10sive
Posts: 746
Joined: Thu May 05, 2016 6:22 pm

Re: Which of our cars should we use more, old or new?

Post by N10sive »

Depends on the perceived reliability of the car with 110k miles. And the newer car is most likely safer with more safety features.

You would mostly be looking at cost per mile. I.e. gas mileage, cost for maintenance parts, current and future maintenance needed etc.

Having say an SUV vs a sedan have significantly different costs for tires, brakes, gas, etc. If they are pretty much the same car I don't think it matters. I drive my civic with 260k miles on 10 hour trips all the time.
pochax
Posts: 1380
Joined: Tue Oct 21, 2008 11:40 am

Re: Which of our cars should we use more, old or new?

Post by pochax »

don't know what the "right" answer is (or if there is one) but we also use the newer (safer) car when we are traveling as a family (with kids) for any trip >15-20 minutes mostly because it is bigger and safer. both are used as commuter cars on typical working days.
User avatar
ResearchMed
Posts: 16768
Joined: Fri Dec 26, 2008 10:25 pm

Re: Which of our cars should we use more, old or new?

Post by ResearchMed »

jasc15 wrote: Tue Mar 27, 2018 5:59 pm We own 2 cars: one 11 years old with ~110,000 miles, and another 1.5 years old with ~13,000 miles.

It seems the general opinion from people I talk to is to use the old car for around town stop and go driving, and the new car for more long distance driving when possible. Both are used for commuting, so they are rather equal in their utilization, but we've stuck to the above described usage for other non commute driving.

On the other hand, one could make the case that the older car would last even longer when used for the easier highway miles.

Is there any common wisdom on this topic with a quantitative approach?
We have this situation, and we ALWAYS take the much newer, safer car on the highway, never the 14-year old car.

Because the older car wouldn't get used all that much otherwise, we do make a point of "exercising" it whenever possible, but only around town.

RM
This signature is a placebo. You are in the control group.
User avatar
mmmodem
Posts: 2628
Joined: Thu May 20, 2010 1:22 pm

Re: Which of our cars should we use more, old or new?

Post by mmmodem »

We have a 9 year old 100k mile vehicle and a 2 year old 36k mile vehicle. I know the conundrum you are in. On the surface, we should always drive the safer car with our newborn in it. However, in terms of averages for everyone, it may make sense to drive the older vehicle and therefore be able to retire it sooner.

We're doing what you've already stated. We're racking up as many miles on the older vehicle as we can. For long distance trips that require an overnight stay we're taking the newer vehicle.
The Wizard
Posts: 13356
Joined: Tue Mar 23, 2010 1:45 pm
Location: Reading, MA

Re: Which of our cars should we use more, old or new?

Post by The Wizard »

I have a two year old F-150 and a ten year old Mustang convertible.
I generally base my decision on whether I need the truck to haul something, otherwise I take the Mustang.
Now ten years old is starting to get up there, so yes the savings are accumulating for a replacement purchase before too long...
Attempted new signature...
golfCaddy
Posts: 728
Joined: Wed Jan 10, 2018 9:02 pm

Re: Which of our cars should we use more, old or new?

Post by golfCaddy »

I would drive the older car, as much as possible. At 110k miles, it still should be new enough that you don't have to worry about it breaking down on the side of the highway. It you're that concerned about safety, that you don't want to drive the old car with family members in it, then maybe it's time to trade it in for a newer vehicle. There's no point in owning a vehicle just to have it sit in the driveway.
Last edited by golfCaddy on Tue Mar 27, 2018 6:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Jack FFR1846
Posts: 18461
Joined: Tue Dec 31, 2013 6:05 am
Location: 26 miles, 385 yards west of Copley Square

Re: Which of our cars should we use more, old or new?

Post by Jack FFR1846 »

Make sure to keep the miles on the newer car in line with age with respect to warranty, not ignoring the 8 year, 80k mile emissions equipment warranty. I say this from buying a car from my father in law. He and the MIL tended to drive the cheaper car all the time and left the more expensive car at home. I bought the more expensive car when it was 12 years old with only 45k miles. Almost immediately, we had a check engine light pointing to the catalytic converter. Had the car been driven more, it would easily have been covered under warranty but instead, I'm stuck with a $1200 part to replace.
Bogle: Smart Beta is stupid
User avatar
bottlecap
Posts: 6906
Joined: Tue Mar 06, 2007 10:21 pm
Location: Tennessee

Re: Which of our cars should we use more, old or new?

Post by bottlecap »

Who cares? Drive whatever car you feel like driving. You didn’t buy them to park them in the driveway.

Good luck,

JT
User avatar
Cyclesafe
Posts: 1474
Joined: Wed Dec 31, 2014 12:03 pm

Re: Which of our cars should we use more, old or new?

Post by Cyclesafe »

We have one 18 year old car with 80k and a 3 year old car with 10k. Both are SUV's and both look for their respective ages relatively new.

We favor the older car when hauling and when parking in sketchier areas. But of course it was the newer car that was damaged when broken into.

We might go to one vehicle when the older one finally dies.....
"Plans are useless; planning is indispensable.” (Dwight Eisenhower) | "Man plans, God laughs" (Yiddish proverb)
User avatar
djpeteski
Posts: 1078
Joined: Fri Mar 31, 2017 9:07 am

Re: Which of our cars should we use more, old or new?

Post by djpeteski »

bottlecap wrote: Tue Mar 27, 2018 6:35 pm Who cares? Drive whatever car you feel like driving. You didn’t buy them to park them in the driveway.

Good luck,

JT
+1
Kiter
Posts: 184
Joined: Wed Nov 19, 2014 7:21 pm

Re: Which of our cars should we use more, old or new?

Post by Kiter »

I use the 9 year old Jeep with heated seats in the winter ,the rust bucket 30 year old Nissan pickup has no heat so I use that one when temps. are over 45f. Its a temp. thing for me
User avatar
dm200
Posts: 23214
Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2007 1:21 pm
Location: Washington DC area

Re: Which of our cars should we use more, old or new?

Post by dm200 »

jasc15 wrote: Tue Mar 27, 2018 5:59 pm We own 2 cars: one 11 years old with ~110,000 miles, and another 1.5 years old with ~13,000 miles.
It seems the general opinion from people I talk to is to use the old car for around town stop and go driving, and the new car for more long distance driving when possible. Both are used for commuting, so they are rather equal in their utilization, but we've stuck to the above described usage for other non commute driving.
On the other hand, one could make the case that the older car would last even longer when used for the easier highway miles.
Is there any common wisdom on this topic with a quantitative approach?
I have pondered this for a long time.

It may not make any difference - long term - but a few considerations:
1. The newer car almost certainly has a warranty (or perhaps multiple terms) with years and miles (whichever comes first). Try to stay within those to maximize the time you have that warranty.
2. Does your insurance and milesage for vehicles cost more over a certain number of miles? Watch that.
3. Longer term - are the vehicles equivalent in how you use them?
4. Are there any reason(s) you want to have the older car last longer?
User avatar
Frugal Al
Posts: 1736
Joined: Fri May 28, 2010 10:09 am

Re: Which of our cars should we use more, old or new?

Post by Frugal Al »

Jack FFR1846 wrote: Tue Mar 27, 2018 6:30 pm Make sure to keep the miles on the newer car in line with age with respect to warranty, not ignoring the 8 year, 80k mile emissions equipment warranty. I say this from buying a car from my father in law. He and the MIL tended to drive the cheaper car all the time and left the more expensive car at home. I bought the more expensive car when it was 12 years old with only 45k miles. Almost immediately, we had a check engine light pointing to the catalytic converter. Had the car been driven more, it would easily have been covered under warranty but instead, I'm stuck with a $1200 part to replace.
Good point, Jack. Low mileage on a newer vehicle masks latent defects that might otherwise be covered under warranty, or even extended warranty--some defects only show up with usage. With the reluctance some auto manufacturers have in acknowledging design defects, often their remedy is to grant an extended warranty. Low mileage users end up taking the hit on resale of their now-deemed problematic/unreliable vehicle, a vehicle which they've never had issue with because it has such low miles. Owners of new cars that are reluctant to drive them might ask themselves why they purchased them in the first place. All those safety gadgets don't do much good sitting in the garage. Unreasonably low mileage on a vehicle helps no one and is actually a waste of the asset. New car--drive it and enjoy it. For those that have the opposite problem of too many miles on a newer vehicle, in those cases drive the older one more often.
User avatar
Watty
Posts: 28813
Joined: Wed Oct 10, 2007 3:55 pm

Re: Which of our cars should we use more, old or new?

Post by Watty »

One advantage of having the new car when you are out of town is that it is less likely to break down and if it does you can just take it to the nearest dealership to have it fixed under warranty.

I have had to have a car fixed a couple of times when I was out of town and that caused multiple problems with;

1) Being a long way from any town when the problem develops.
2) Finding a mechanic in a small town late on Friday afternoon the first weekend of elk hunting season.
3) Staying in a hotel until the Monday after the first weekend of elk hunting season.
4) Parts and rental cars may not be readily available in a small town.
User avatar
dm200
Posts: 23214
Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2007 1:21 pm
Location: Washington DC area

Re: Which of our cars should we use more, old or new?

Post by dm200 »

Watty wrote: Wed Mar 28, 2018 7:51 am One advantage of having the new car when you are out of town is that it is less likely to break down and if it does you can just take it to the nearest dealership to have it fixed under warranty.
Yes - many years ago, we had a problem when hundreds of miles away on an extended trip - with out quite new mini-van. Went to a dealer and got it fixed very promptly.
User avatar
lthenderson
Posts: 8499
Joined: Tue Feb 21, 2012 11:43 am
Location: Iowa

Re: Which of our cars should we use more, old or new?

Post by lthenderson »

bottlecap wrote: Tue Mar 27, 2018 6:35 pm Who cares? Drive whatever car you feel like driving. You didn’t buy them to park them in the driveway.

Good luck,

JT
Exactly! We drive the vehicle that best fits the task at hand and is the most comfortable.
MDfive21
Posts: 279
Joined: Thu Dec 09, 2010 8:16 am

Re: Which of our cars should we use more, old or new?

Post by MDfive21 »

bottlecap wrote: Tue Mar 27, 2018 6:35 pm Who cares? Drive whatever car you feel like driving. You didn’t buy them to park them in the driveway.

Good luck,

JT
this. i'd have no problem taking my 97 lexus across town or across the country.
User avatar
dm200
Posts: 23214
Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2007 1:21 pm
Location: Washington DC area

Re: Which of our cars should we use more, old or new?

Post by dm200 »

One, very minor, issue that factors into which of our older cars we drive more is that one car has two older front tires - and we want to put more miles on that car so that we will buy two new tires sooner rather than later.
User avatar
munemaker
Posts: 4338
Joined: Sat Jan 18, 2014 5:14 pm

Re: Which of our cars should we use more, old or new?

Post by munemaker »

DW and I have 2 cars. As a general rule, she drives one and I drive the other. Occasionally we make an exception, but that's the way it generally works. That way she can pick out the car she likes to drive and I can do the same.
User avatar
dm200
Posts: 23214
Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2007 1:21 pm
Location: Washington DC area

Re: Which of our cars should we use more, old or new?

Post by dm200 »

munemaker wrote: Thu Mar 29, 2018 11:36 am DW and I have 2 cars. As a general rule, she drives one and I drive the other. Occasionally we make an exception, but that's the way it generally works. That way she can pick out the car she likes to drive and I can do the same.
Happy wife = happy life :)
stimulacra
Posts: 1006
Joined: Wed Dec 21, 2016 2:50 pm
Location: Houston

Re: Which of our cars should we use more, old or new?

Post by stimulacra »

To the extent that you have a choice… I would use the older vehicle for around-town errands and acting as a general runabout. All of the minor fender benders I've ever had was while running errands, commuting to work, or meeting up with friends. Door dings, paint scratches and whatever else doesn't bother me as much on a 10-year old car versus a newer.

The newer car would than be used for road trips (safety features), pleasure driving, and family outings.

Kind of like “yard work clothes” versus ”church clothes”
User avatar
dm200
Posts: 23214
Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2007 1:21 pm
Location: Washington DC area

Re: Which of our cars should we use more, old or new?

Post by dm200 »

stimulacra wrote: Thu Mar 29, 2018 11:56 am To the extent that you have a choice… I would use the older vehicle for around-town errands and acting as a general runabout. All of the minor fender benders I've ever had was while running errands, commuting to work, or meeting up with friends. Door dings, paint scratches and whatever else doesn't bother me as much on a 10-year old car versus a newer.
The newer car would than be used for road trips (safety features), pleasure driving, and family outings.
Kind of like “yard work clothes” versus ”church clothes”
My primary justification for using the newer car on trips would be that a local breakdown would have lower inconvenience and lower cost to deal with than breakdowns far away from home -- and that, almost certainly, the newer car would have a lower risk of breakdown.
MI_bogle
Posts: 441
Joined: Mon Aug 01, 2016 3:56 pm

Re: Which of our cars should we use more, old or new?

Post by MI_bogle »

jasc15 wrote: Tue Mar 27, 2018 5:59 pm We own 2 cars: one 11 years old with ~110,000 miles, and another 1.5 years old with ~13,000 miles.

It seems the general opinion from people I talk to is to use the old car for around town stop and go driving, and the new car for more long distance driving when possible. Both are used for commuting, so they are rather equal in their utilization, but we've stuck to the above described usage for other non commute driving.

On the other hand, one could make the case that the older car would last even longer when used for the easier highway miles.

Is there any common wisdom on this topic with a quantitative approach?
Relevant part bolded. I would say it does not matter, since both are frequently used.

Only thing to avoid IMO is letting one car sit unused for a long time. Or only using one car for short trips. Those can be really hard on a car, if the oil never gets warmed up
User avatar
dm200
Posts: 23214
Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2007 1:21 pm
Location: Washington DC area

Re: Which of our cars should we use more, old or new?

Post by dm200 »

Only thing to avoid IMO is letting one car sit unused for a long time. Or only using one car for short trips. Those can be really hard on a car, if the oil never gets warmed up
I understand that the aging effects on tires is increased if a car sits unused for periods of time as well.
armeliusc
Posts: 544
Joined: Wed Dec 21, 2011 8:40 am

Re: Which of our cars should we use more, old or new?

Post by armeliusc »

bottlecap wrote: Tue Mar 27, 2018 6:35 pm Who cares? Drive whatever car you feel like driving. You didn’t buy them to park them in the driveway.

Good luck,

JT
+3. This.
Cars age both by time and mileage. I believe it's more likely that a car becomes 'too old' time wise than mileage wise, unless you drive a lot of miles. And there is nothing you can do to stop time aging (that I know of). So mileage usage doesn't even enter into our consideration (but then again, we have Hondas :D).

In general, we have 'my car' (14 yrs old 195K) and 'her car' (4 yrs old ~60K). In general, whenever I go I drive 'my car', e.g. work commute, errands, with the kids to park, etc, and vice versa. But if we travel as a family, we'd use 'her car' just because it's newer / more convenient / more amenities.
Topic Author
jasc15
Posts: 419
Joined: Wed Dec 19, 2012 12:36 pm

Re: Which of our cars should we use more, old or new?

Post by jasc15 »

Good comments here. It seems there isn't much solid reasoning favoring the the use of one over the other, besides preferences. I don't think there is must difference in safety and reliability between the two, and the older car is actually more comfortable for longer trips.
adamthesmythe
Posts: 5761
Joined: Mon Sep 22, 2014 4:47 pm

Re: Which of our cars should we use more, old or new?

Post by adamthesmythe »

djpeteski wrote: Wed Mar 28, 2018 6:12 am
bottlecap wrote: Tue Mar 27, 2018 6:35 pm Who cares? Drive whatever car you feel like driving. You didn’t buy them to park them in the driveway.

Good luck,

JT
+1
+2

And for a highway trip, the newer car for sure.
User avatar
wabbajack
Posts: 282
Joined: Sun Mar 25, 2018 8:05 pm
Location: Indianapolis

Re: Which of our cars should we use more, old or new?

Post by wabbajack »

armeliusc wrote: Thu Mar 29, 2018 12:59 pm
bottlecap wrote: Tue Mar 27, 2018 6:35 pm Who cares? Drive whatever car you feel like driving. You didn’t buy them to park them in the driveway.

Good luck,

JT
+3. This.
Cars age both by time and mileage. I believe it's more likely that a car becomes 'too old' time wise than mileage wise, unless you drive a lot of miles. And there is nothing you can do to stop time aging (that I know of). So mileage usage doesn't even enter into our consideration (but then again, we have Hondas :D).
+4

Further, if you know that one car is significantly safer than the other, then you know it's time to ditch the less safe one.
squirm
Posts: 4239
Joined: Sat Mar 19, 2011 11:53 am

Re: Which of our cars should we use more, old or new?

Post by squirm »

We don't do a his car and her car. They're our cars...I take care of all our cars and trucks.. But we use to worry about which to drive more, but then thought life is too short to obsess over things like this... Cars are to be driven not stored....
User avatar
munemaker
Posts: 4338
Joined: Sat Jan 18, 2014 5:14 pm

Re: Which of our cars should we use more, old or new?

Post by munemaker »

squirm wrote: Thu Mar 29, 2018 11:00 pm Cars are to be driven not stored....
I don't understand the storage comment. If you walk out to your driveway and both cars are there, no matter which one you take, the other will be "stored," I guess you would say. So either way, one is being stored.
sport
Posts: 12084
Joined: Tue Feb 27, 2007 2:26 pm
Location: Cleveland, OH

Re: Which of our cars should we use more, old or new?

Post by sport »

Sometimes we take one of the cars because it has been recently used and is "warmed up" rather than start the cold car. Other times we take the car that the driver used last, so we don't need to adjust the seat. In general, we use the newer car for the longer trips.
Post Reply