Last winter, while visiting my parents in Honolulu, I ended up driving my father’s 28-year-old assaulter for eight days. He bought Toyota Avalon New in 1997, when I was a second-year student at the time, he was stationed in Guangzhou, China for US diplomatic services.
I knew the car was almost as long as he was and was over half of mine and I drove the car home on the visit. Of course, when I hit the brakes on the highway it swayed like a boat, but reliably brought my family to the island.
After all, I haven’t got a new car in ten years
I used to plan to be the year I finally upgraded my journey in summer 2025. I always think that the ideal time to replace a car is to hit about 10 years of history – enough for safety and technical improvements, which is crucial when transporting family members.
However, after spending time on the steering wheel of my father’s old Toyota, I returned to San Francisco’s own car, just like I was driving a brand new luxury car!
By comparison, my current car is the 2015 Range Rover Sport HSE I bought in December 2016. It handles smoothly, steering is tight, and when I brake, the shaking is not annoying.
The series has Bluetooth for music, which is a backup camera that beeps when something is too close, even twice the horsepower I used to ride. The paint is still shiny and the tires are left with about 80% of the tread. There are even leather seats, which are starting to smell amazing again.
If my dad’s car could last for 27 years, I believe my range would easily last for at least five years, a total of 15 years.
New cars are too expensive
I’ve seen several new luxury cars that are comparable to my Range Rover, each with a price of between $115,000 and $170,000. Maybe I’m a little nostalgic, but today’s new luxury car prices seem totally ridiculous. Even though I’ve been trying to save and invest in a new car fund for nine years, the idea of shelling six figures after new vehicles taxes completely disappeared.
So a logical alternative is to stick to what I have. I also considered more budget-friendly options like a fully loaded Honda Civic about $28,000, but it was too small for our family road trip, lacking features like 4WD, which meant I had to nail the chain in snow conditions on my way to Lake Tahoe. no thanks.
The next option I looked at was the new Honda CR-V, which runs about $42,000 (about $46,500 after tax). While this may be acceptable for someone without a car, I already have a perfect family car.
Recently spent a bundle of car maintenance
Over the past two years, I have invested about $5,400 to maintain my Range Rover, which is 61,000 miles away. Here is a quick breakdown:
- New Battery: $500 (2024)
- Two new 22-inch tires: $825 (2024)
- Water Pump: $1,250 (2024)
- Vacuum Pump and PCV Valve: $1,050 (2024)
- Oil Change Service: ($199, January 2025)
- Brakes and Rotors ($1,600, January 2025)
- Heater manifold: $1,025 (potential cost in April 2025, but coolant no longer leaks)
Fortunately, my mechanic is only a mile walk from my house, so getting on and off the car for maintenance is by no means a hassle. After $5,400 in repairs and maintenance so far, the idea of selling my car to buy a brand new car makes no sense.
If I were to get rid of my car, I should have reached 50,000 miles before those fees started to pile up. Now that I have done these repairs, I want my range to stay in good shape for 5-10 years or 60,000 miles.
Joy of driving a shabby car
After 9 years of driving 10 years, I’ve gotten used to quirks – like my father’s unwavering 1997 Toyota Avalon. Every time I go to the supermarket, I don’t have any pressure to face the door. Actually, when the new jingle bell appeared, I just saw it as another character marker on the car, which was a reliable part of my life.
I also like that as the car gets older, it gets attention. I bought range because I love the look and performance of it – I have always been a fan of Range Rovers, both as a high school kid in Malaysia. It’s not my goal that attracts attention, which is why I appreciate tinted windows.
Finally, if my old car lasts for seven years, it would be the perfect choice to teach my son how to drive. Hopefully he won’t crash, but if he does, it’s larger in size and should provide some extra protection. Also, by then, this is not a financial loss. Well, since we were talking about safety, maybe I would buy a safer car at the time.
Final reflection: Keeping old cars longer
The last cheer from the old beating man driving my father made me realize that sometimes the best decision is to stick to what to use. I didn’t spend a ridiculous amount on a brand new car, which probably won’t push any better push, but I’ll save and invest my money. My RR Sport has served me well and still has enough life and is more reliable than chasing the latest models.
In this world where new cars are too expensive and constantly upgraded, it may be more about status than functionality, sticking to a good vehicle is a smart, economically savvy move. If you want to achieve financial independence as soon as possible, let the depreciation of your car work for you.
Even though I’m going to say, shopping was one of the funniest things I had when I was a kid and adult. That could be an interesting experience of father-son, future father-daughter bonding. But I hope my kids can drive without causing it because of safer self-driving cars.
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