How long is it reasonable to keep a car?
The average life of a car is one of the most coveted data by drivers. Who wouldn’t want to know how many years their car will last you? The problem is that this calculation depends on many factors and, despite the fact that there are studies that support certain statistics, it mainly depends on the use and care of it.
Even so, in this article, we will try to discover what that average duration is and how long we should expect a modern car to last. Will you join us to discover it?
Statistics on the duration of a car
In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency conducted a study on this issue and concluded that a car “survives” about 200,000 miles. Taking into account that the average annual driving is about 24,000 kilometres, it could be estimated that a modern car lasts 13 or 14 years on average.
The calculation depends, as we have commented, totally on the use that is given to the vehicle. If you only drive 15,000 kilometres a year, the life of your car could be practically multiplied by 2.
Are there cars that have exceeded these figures?
Of course, there are in fact thousands of cars that are over 20 years old and still run normally. Among the popular brands, there are two that stand out above the rest in terms of durability: Volvo and Mercedes-Benz.
Both brands have a program called ” High Mileage Award ” in which they reward all users who exceed 250,000, 500,000, 750,000 and one million miles traveled. And in that club there are already enough drivers, which shows the reliability of these two greats of the automotive sector.
Some of the cars that have traveled the most miles are Irv Gordon’s Volvo P1800 (3 million miles), Gregorios Sachinidis’ Mercedes Benz 240D (2.9 million miles), Albert Klein’s Volskwagen Beetle (1.4 million miles) and the Saab 900 Peter Gilbert (1 million miles).
What does the average life of a car depend on?
There are 7 factors on which it depends whether your vehicle will last 5 years or if you become a member of the prestigious Mercedes-Benz and Volvo club:
- Regular oil change.
- Proper replacement of the different automobile fluids (coolant, steering, brakes and windshield).
- Transmission maintenance.
- Spark plug change.
- Replacement of the timing belt.
- Changing the air filter.
- Proper reading and knowledge of the maintenance manual.
These 7 factors will not only increase the average life of your vehicle but will save you money on maintenance and fuel consumption. In the end, whether the car lasts more or fewer years will only depend on you and the care you give the vehicle.
If you are a restrained driver, the car does not suffer accidents and parts and maintenance are changed when they are due, except for bad luck, it is normal for the vehicle to last at least two decades. If you do not take care of it, you drive inefficiently and you try to take advantage of all the pieces until the last day, do not expect to reach 5 years.
How long was your last car? Have a vehicle that lasts above average? If you have been with your vehicle for many years, we would like to know how many kilometres you have travelled and which model you use, in this way we will see which are the most resistant cars.
You can sell your old car for cash at Cars Wanted Newcastle. Contact us today and get your cash for cars in Newcastle.
