How old of a used car?

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Originally Posted by Tradd

Things changed NOT for the good beginning in 2015-2016, from what I’ve been told.

I do a two day drive to FL each way and other long trips. I don’t want to end up stuck with a breakdown.

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I can tell you new car stories that end in a breakdown. Heck my mother and a friend went on a trip, and the new car she picked up the day before and left in my mothers garage, didn't start when she got back, three days later (electrical problems). Getting stuck doesn't just happen with used.

I tend not to worry about age and just look at the vehicles for what they are and how they have been maintained. I have seen 20 year old cars with 30K from elderly people that really didn't go on the highway much, but those that bought them for general driving and replaced a bunch of the rubber and flushed/filled fluids had no issues, while sixteen year old kids could blow them up by trying to race them and doing no basic maintence.
My main vehicle is a used 2005, that I knew the previous owner (girl that passed that worked for us, and the kids of the prior owners who passed). It now has around 130K and will last me a long time.

I don't think "how old" is the only question... did it have only one driver? Or more? What's the mileage? How much maintenance was done? What are the average repair records for that make/model? If you have a trusted mechanic ask them which cars hold up best over time. You could always do a CarFax on a specific car you're looking for.

I've witnessed the aftermath of lots of auto accidents, and cut open lots of cars to extract the passengers, and I wouldn't put anyone I liked into a pre-2005-ish vehicle (*), they seem much more survivable in crashes due to improved construction/materials in response to changes in auto crash safety testing protocols.

(*) I love cool vintage cars for fun occasional uses, of course, but be informed as to the risk.

I normally get a new car because I put at least 120 miles on my car daily with my long work commute. It is also the vehicle we use for vacations so miles rack up quickly. I don't normally get another car until I have at least 300,000 miles on it. This last time, there were no new cars that I liked available. The dealership literally only had a handful of cars on the lot. We ended up going down the street to the used car dealership. Got a 2020 that had been a rental car for two years. I still have 10 years before I can retire so more cars are in my future but I dream of the day that I can get a car and it will be my last.

okay---not using caps any more, to save energy. but yeah----i like my vehicles wreckin' yard fresh. bought a 97-model in 2001 that'd been junked, and drove 'er another 110,000 miles, though it took me 16 years to do it. still got it out back, if i need it, sometime. but yeah---americans are the biggest consumers of nice, clean, safe new stuff in the world. so anyway---be sure ta put lots of lefty prog bufmper stickers on your subbarrooo. yup. thankk mee.

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Originally Posted by bae

I've witnessed the aftermath of lots of auto accidents, and cut open lots of cars to extract the passengers, and I wouldn't put anyone I liked into a pre-2005-ish vehicle (*), they seem much more survivable in crashes due to improved construction/materials in response to changes in auto crash safety testing protocols.

(*) I love cool vintage cars for fun occasional uses, of course, but be informed as to the risk.

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The government’s regulations have certainly improved certain things but from what my friend told me, those regulations are keeping manufactures from manufacturing small trucks. You can’t get a small truck anymore. It has something to do with government requirement of wheelbase measurement, and corresponding mileage requirement.

This is a bad deal because small trucks like the old Ford Ranger, which is what DH has from 2009 and trucks of that size, are so very handy. So when y’all make fun of rednecks and their big trucks, keep in mind our federal government has some responsibility for that problem.

I really don’t know what DH is going to do when his truck goes kaput. A few years ago he was hit from behind and the insurance company “totaled “the truck but we had it fixed and it’s still going. As I think about it it’s one year older than his last truck, a Nisson, which retired after 14 years

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Originally Posted by iris lilies

The government’s regulations have certainly improved certain things but from what my friend told me, those regulations are keeping manufactures from manufacturing small trucks. You can’t get a small truck anymore. It has something to do with government requirement of wheelbase measurement, and corresponding mileage requirement.

This is a bad deal because small trucks like the old Ford Ranger, which is what DH has from 2009 and trucks of that size, are so very handy. So when y’all make fun of rednecks and their big trucks, keep in mind our federal government has some responsibility for that problem.

I really don’t know what DH is going to do when his truck goes kaput. A few years ago he was hit from behind and the insurance company “totaled “the truck but we had it fixed and it’s still going. As I think about it it’s one year older than his last truck, a Nisson, which retired after 14 years

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The mileage of small trucks wasn't improving enough for the wheelbase, which is why they moved them to midsize.
Sucks, also sucks that you can't hardly buy a manual transmission.
Personally I was thinking of the Ford Maverick, but since it's fairly new, has had a bunch of recalls while they work out the kinks, I will probably go more towards the Toyota Stout that is going to be coming out. It is using a platform that is used for the Rav4 and the Corolla hybrids.

okay-----not making small trucks, here, any more. very true. usta be, you could get a small truck very cheap, very simple, that would last a long time. so yeah----i recognized that situation, and using my studebaker-buff mentality, have been hoarding used and new s-10 parts for over 20 years. getting ready to put one together, soon. last year, i picked up a really SOLID 6' s-10 bed. yup. they are getting hard to find, specially if you live in some up-north hell hole like iwah. soon as i get underway with this one, i'll post photos. but nooo, it won't be a hot rod; it'll have a COMPLETELY rebuilt ponnyac 2.5 4 cyl, like s-10's came with. yup. hope that helps you some. thankk mee.

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Originally Posted by ToomuchStuff

The mileage of small trucks wasn't improving enough for the wheelbase, which is why they moved them to midsize.
Sucks, also sucks that you can't hardly buy a manual transmission.
Personally I was thinking of the Ford Maverick, but since it's fairly new, has had a bunch of recalls while they work out the kinks, I will probably go more towards the Toyota Stout that is going to be coming out. It is using a platform that is used for the Rav4 and the Corolla hybrids.

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hey, thanks for this information! I sent our friend who is interested in buying a who is interested in buying a small truck as well as DH an article about the Toyota Stout.

We donated my husbands 20 year old GMC Sonoma truck, manual transmission last spring and bought a Honda Ridgeline. Much bigger than we need, but he's very happy...I hardly drive it, but hardly drive anyway. I have yet to figure out all the bells and whistles. But we both would have been happy with something smaller that rode as nicely as the Ridgeline.