Our virtual trip to Cuba brought home the point how most of these cars there are precious family heirlooms, and kept going indefinitely due to the great difficulties of buying new cars or even just buying and selling old cars. The closest equivalent in the Niedermeyer family is my ’66 F-100, now dubbed “The Bruised Banana”, which I will have owned 30 years this summer (top picture: 1993; bottom: 10 minutes ago). And I have a detailed write-up of it and its role in my life and work, coming for its anniversary. Let’s just say I’ve taken a somewhat Cuban approach: it’s a work vehicle and I’ve kept it running with the absolute minimum of expense and work.
But I know some of you have had cars a lot longer than that, like Bill Mitchell. Or a whole lot shorter, like Jim Klein. Where do you slot in? Are you a keeper or trader? And what’s the longest you’ve owned a car, or had it be in the family?
1. 1968 Plymouth Barracuda: My father’s first car. Went to my brother in 1973, who kept it until sometime in the 90s
2. 1973 Ford Thunderbird. My father’s second & last car. Owned for appx. 37 yrs until 2010
3. 1985 1/2 Ford Escort. My first car. Bought in 1987, kept until 1996.
4. 1989 Chrysler LeBaron Turbo Coupe. Bought in 1996, kept unti 2006
5. 2005 Ford Focus. Bought 2006 & still own. I have no desire to replace it.
I bought a new 1985 CJ 7 Jeep in October 1984 and still own it today March 17, 2022. 38+ years.
Bought my ‘59 Dodge in March 1983…so 39 years for me!
About 42 years:
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/coal-requiem-for-a-truck/
Been waiting on your truck’s story ever since I wrote that, Paul – can’t wait!
I think my shortest ownership was probably the ’87 or ’88 Chevy Spectrum we had for right at one year. Was leaking oil and rattling after a bit over 30K miles, so we traded on our first of two Honda Civic hatchbacks (an ’89 DX and a ’90 base). Come to think of it, we sold the ’89 at around a year old, too, because we learned my wife was expecting, which meant she would be staying home to be a mommy.
Then of course, there was my short-lived Beetle TDi convertible…
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/cars-of-a-lifetime/curbside-divorce-2013-beetle-convertible-irreconcilable-differences/
I had my ’99 Saturn SL2 for almost 9 years.
The ’91 Ford Tempo that my father is giving me next week has been his for 14 years (mostly as a light duty work car), and prior to that, belonged to a family friend since new.
Everything else in my fleet is usually cycled out within 5 years or so. That’s just about how long it takes for my continuous scanning of CL and auto sites like this to get me interested in something else. I guess I just like experiencing ownership of different cars and get bored quickly.
I hope to keep my current ’13 Buick Enclave for awhile since it seems to be a good size for my family. I do like the idea of being payment free for as long as possible.
I owned a white 1990 Civic LX 5-speed from 1993 to 2008 – so 15 years. Pretty much trouble-free the whole time. Mine was basically identical to the pictured car except I didn’t have the pinstripe.
1986 Volkswagen purchased new and still in my garage.
I tend to go through cars pretty quick.
I have only owned 2 out of 13 cars for more than 4 years.
There are too many cars and just not enough time to sample them all.
My shortest ownership was a 2010 Pontiac Vibe base w/automatic. It was not a bad little car. Decently peppy and handled OK. Gas mileage was low at about 21 MPG in mixed driving. Bought in 2011 (traded in the 2007 Buick).
About a month into my ownership I was on the interstate with cruise enabled (had been driving on cruise for about 15 minutes) and the car starts accelerating for no reason. No floor mats. Nothing touching the accelerator pedal. Disabled cruise. Still accelerating. Hit the brakes and pulled off to the side. Car is still trying to accelerate. Turned it off and then back on and then continued on my way.
This happened 6 or 7 more times in the next few months. Dealership told me that it was 100% my fault as it never happened to them on their short drives and that not one report of such behavior had been reported in the US (I knew better).
Traded it in after about 7 months of ownership.
Good news was that I traded for what I paid for it.
Decided to go with ‘old school’ technology and got the Crown Victoria.
Longest
1. 1997 Buick LeSabre: Bought in 2005 and traded it in 2011. Spent thousands keeping this POS running. Sooooooo happy to see it go. My kids named it ‘hunk of junk’.
2. 2011 Ford Crown Victoria: Bought in 2012 with 35k on it and going strong to this day (about to turn over 80K). Totally reliable. Still like the car, but am getting bored with it. My 11 year old has declared that she has dibs on this car.
My maternal grandmother has given her car to my oldest daughter, so we can say that it has been ‘owned’ by the same family.
1. 2001 Honda CRV EX. Has 46k miles on it. Garage kept from day 1. Has a few dents/scrapes, mostly from ‘fighting’ with the garage. My grandmother was driving by braille the last few years she was driving. Will make a great car for my 17 year old.
My paternal grandparents had the following:
1. 1978 Olds Custom Cruiser. Sold it in 2005. Had like 90k on it.
2. 1979 Ford F100 Ranger. Hideous brown over yellow. We called it the rotten banana. Sold in 2005. I think the truck had about 120k miles.
I don’t blame you for trading the Vibe. I’d never be able to trust it again either.
The very first car I remember Grandpa Owen having was his 1933 Chevrolet four-door. It would have been about ten years old when I became aware of it. He had bought it when he found out he was going to have to learn to drive a stick-shift, after his Model T became unreliable, and he decided he wanted six cylinders too. Dad taught him the deal with three pedals and a gearshift …
His next vehicle was a Chevy too, this one a 1953 five-window pickup. So that ’33 lasted him more or less exactly twenty years. If he hadn’t needed a truck for work (he was a sign painter and avid gardener, and Grandma gave him hell about hauling his paints etc. in the back seat and dirt in the trunk) he’d have kept the car longer.
I was thinking of other ancient vehicles in our family, but I remember those from the perspective of the kid I was when I knew them, and so it’s likely that even when they were over twenty years old they were old when acquired. I have a 30-YO in the garage, but it was over 20 when I bought it!
Keeper. All below are still owned by my family or me.
1. 63 Valiant Signet 36 years
2. 86 Oldsmobile Calais purchased in 1994 with 21,000 miles on it, 23 years in the family
3. 95 Saturn SL1 purchased in 2004 with 116,000 miles, 13 years
4. 05 Saturn ION [the ONION], purchased new, 12 years
5. 02 Focus, purchased in 04 by my parents, still with my brother, 13 years
“Mothra” riding the trails outside of Tucson below
1968 Ford Mustang, with 289 V-8, C-4 and factory fog lamps. Brittany Blue with matching upholstery and white stripe Goodyears. Purchased new for my mother on September 8, 1968. Totaled on December 2, 1991 by an inattentive fool in an Olds 98 who struck her broadside. I did much of the maintenance on that car, and it was in beautiful condition with 67,000 miles on it. I still have all the paperwork for it, including the original Monroney sticker. My mother survived, but never really recovered.
Two part answer:
Part 1: The longest I myself have had a vehicle is 7 years, 11 months. That was the 2006 Honda Element I bought brand new in July 2006 and drove for 144,350 miles before trading it in on a 2014 Ford Fiesta ST. It was the EX-P, with a 5-speed manual. 270-watt stereo, power windows and locks, not a ton of other luxuries despite being the high-spec model. And I liked it that way.
No, you could not hose them out. They had padding under the rubberized floor, along with electrical runs. Hosing them out would destroy the car.
It was mostly a good car, although it never convinced me that Hondas are any better made than Fords. My first interesting trouble came at around 81,000 when a VTEC pressure solenoid failed and kicked it into limp mode while on the freeway. By 125,000 I had replaced all four coil packs twice as the car kept nuking them. Around that same time I had to have a second valve clearance adjustment done because they’d tightened themselves out of spec only 20,000 after it’d been done the first time.
But, I took that car a lot of places, typically on a whim too. I slept in that car a few times. It hauled bikes with aplomb. And, it was my first *good* car, the first that didn’t have a bajillion miles on it or some known mechanical flaw or was mechanically unfit to drive.
And once in awhile, I still miss it.
I have been a trader rather than a keeper, but my ownership times have been getting longer. The longest so far is my 1994 Club Wagon which came out to 11.5 years. My 2007 Honda Fit is coming close to that mark and is currently at 10.5 years and going strong.
Wait a minute, how could I forget the 1993 Crown Vic LX! My mother bought it new in July 1993. I bought it from her in October 2006. I finally sold it in summer of 2015, making 22 years (and 3 generations of drivers) in the family.
My family has a varied history. My parents, both children of the depression, tended to buy old cars that Dad kept running during my early years, but as they matured and became more financially stable, progressed to new cars replaced every 5 years or so. My brother was notorious for tearing up his rides, so they rarely lasted a year. My sisters tend to keep cars for 10 years from new, and I tend to drive either new or used cars until around 125K and then replace. With one exception, the Miata. Since it is well past paid for, I just do maintenance and enjoy it weekends and a few nice rides to work, and it is humming along at 21 years old and 225K.
28 years! It’s my first car, a Ford Fiesta Mk2. Even though I really have no use, space or money for it, I have a really hard time letting go of it. Oh nostalgia…
I’m a keeper. If I could I’d never sell a car, like Jay Leno.
Just being curious, are you Portuguese? (Asking because of the name)
Indeed I am. 😉
Glad I’m not the only Portuguese guy here! Cheers! 🙂
Our family had the Matador for 19 years, and we’ve owned our 1986 Honda Interceptor for 17 years.
My manager still has his grandfathers TT truck, so that’s probably 90 years in the same family.
1st Place goes to my 1992 Honda Accord, purchased with 175,xxx miles and later resold with 225,xxx miles.
2nd Place goes to my 1980 Chevrolet Malibu Coupe, that was originally purchased with 44,xxx miles, and later sold with 78,xxx miles.
Both of these cars made it over 5 years, in service to me.
The Bronze award for 3rd Place goes to my 1992 Chevrolet Camaro RS, 25th Anniversary trim, which was prematurely totaled out, by driver that failed to yield. Purchased, for only $900 with 100,851 original miles, and totaled at 176,xxx miles, this car achieved that kind of mileage on merely oil changes, transmission fluid changes, and cooling system flushes, over the course of 3-4 years.
Now, my 1991 Pontiac Grand Am and my 1995 Saturn SC2(TWO of Paul’s FAVORITE GM products…….) are up on the list, having purchased the Grand Am in 2013 as a replacement to my totaled Camaro, and the Saturn last August.
Part two:
Longest in the family is the 1977 Thunderbird Town Landau that I currently have. My great-grandparents bought it brand new (from what I understand they ordered it, too) in 1977. So the story goes, Grandma hated it pretty much from Day 1. She hated the doors that were too heavy and the access to the back seat that was too hard for the kids to get in and out easily. So, a couple of weeks later, she made Grandpa go get her another Cadillac, at which point they sold the Thunderbird to their daughter, my great-aunt.
It became Aunt Judy and Uncle Del’s second car-sometimes she’d drive it to school (she was a teacher), sometimes they’d take it out on the town. They garaged it every winter in a process that took a whole lot of back-and-forth to fit it at the back of their shed. After Uncle Del passed in 2002, Aunt Judy drove it maybe five times total before finally leaving it in the back of her brother’s machine shed in 2007 (at least that’s the last time she’d even registered it).
In 2013, she decided to clean out her house up north and move close to her daughter, and as part of that she offered Mr. X and I first chance at the Thunderbird. We found it under ages of dust and grime and stinking of dead mouse, but it was in good shape otherwise. So we bought it, ran the Clinton-era gas out of it as much as we could, washed the grime off of it, and took it home. We watched it roll 80,000 miles on the way.
Nice! Obviously a keeper.
Have any fans found you and introduced themselves from the stencil on the door?
Of the 10 or so I’ve owned, most were kept for no more than 4 years. Longest period of ownership is 12 years and continuing for a 2005 Accord.
1. 2002 Honda CR-V, almost 15 years. Bought new in May, 2002, sold in February this year – to a neighbor two houses down!
2. 2004 Impala, over 8 years. Bought new, May 2004. Sold July 2012.
3. 1984 E-Class, 8 years.
4. 1981 Reliant, 7 years.
5. 1996 Ranger XLT, 6 years.
My 1961 Mercedes Ponton 180b, acquired from a neighbor for $200 just before my senior year in high-school. Shortly after, I got a Mercedes factory shop manual and learned to repair it, and cars in general. Drove that car from 1973 to 1992.
I still have it – inside my fenced-in my side-yard
Sadly, it’s now a rusty hulk that I should’ve sold 25 years ago, when it was still running and restorable.
Happy Motoring, Mark
Longest I have ever owned a vehicle is…..(no catcalls, please) My “Forest Green” with “Silver Fern” interior, 1997 Chrysler Sebring Convertible. 18 years, now owned by a friend, who loves the thing. only has 140K well maintained miles on it and is still dependable, though now at 20 years, it is looking a bit worn. Not your usual Sebring convertible story. The longest oend “In Family” is the 1991 Buick LeSabre Custom sedan, bought new by my father in late 90, used by my mother after his passing in 98 and used by my sisters 3 sons, in turn as they turned 16, to cart mom (their grandmom) around and after her passing, came to me. I still own it. itis going into full retirement this month. Has been sldom used these past few years, Now has ‘only’ 132K miles, runs smooth, no leaks, and also dependable as any machine can be. so that is nearly 27 years there.
Our 1970 Mustang Mach 1 has been in the family since 1984. I’d have to dig out some old pics to scan from back then, but it looks much the same. My Dad bought it from the original owner’s son or daughter. I found the listing in the classified ads in the newspaper (!) and bugged my Dad to go look at it. (I was in high school at the time). We looked at it and my Dad said, “well, I don’t want to haggle, so I’ll make one offer and if they take it, we will buy it. I believe they were asking $3K and we bought it for $2500, if my memory serves.
It still hasn’t hit the 80,000 mile mark.
And all of these years later, now I have a kid in high school. His Mustang is in the behind the Mach 1.
The longest was 14 years for a ’83 Cutlass Supreme two door with the bucket seats. The parts and service on this car were soooo cheap, that I kept getting it fixed till the A/C died and the rear seal was gushing a quart of oil every 100 miles. Got tired of carrying a case of oil in the trunk!!!
I so miss that car!!!
I’m somewhere between a keeper and a trader. I typically keep a car ’til it has way over 100K on the clock and then trade it in when it doesn’t make sense to spend the money on it anymore. Longest ‘odometer-wise’ was my ’88 5.0L T-Bird that I kept until 236K miles, and traded it in the fall of 1997 (bought it in 1990 with 42K on the clock).
But my current namesake here wins the title by time. My 2007 Mustang was bought in January or February of 2008 with 1127 miles on it. I still have it, and it now has 173,400-something on the odometer. For the first time in my life, I was able to buy a new daily driver and keep the old car for pleasure rather than trading it in. I plan to keep it for a very long time as my ‘hobby car’. While it’s still a long way from Historic Tags and Curbside Classic status, I plan to get to that point with it, finances willing.
Besides, my Cairn Terrier Molly would completely loose it if I were to sell HER CAR! She gets very upset if I drive away without her in the Mustang. She doesn’t get nearly as upset if I drive off without her in my Honda Civic. ;o)
The Mustang still looks pretty good for her ‘not so advanced’ age. If you look close you’ll see Molly standing guard on the console between the front seats.
Here’s a shot of the interior from the same trip to the store back in February (9 years after purchasing the Mustang). Molly is eagerly awaiting the ride home.
Jake and Maggie approve of this post.
As does Molly approve of your post. ?
My dad bought a brand new Checker Marathon in 1965. Black with silver interior, 6-cylinder Chevy engine, 3-speed stick with overdrive.
My stepmom finally traded it in 1990 in one of those we’ll-give-you-$3000-no-matter-what deals.
In between, it went through one accident that almost totaled it, at least 2 repaints, a cracked block, and probably had well over 200,000 miles on it.
My current summer toy is a 1975 Olds Delta 88 Royale convertible white with acres of cranberry red vinyl. We always had convertibles and when they announced the end of them, my Dad ordered it and I drove it home from the dealer. Fast forward to 1982 and I got it as a wedding present. Happy to report that both the marriage and the car are still going strong. Fast forward again and eventually it will become a generation 3 car when my son will take it over which is appropriate since he got the “car bug” by going to car shows in”Oscar” and admiring old iron at an early age.
Longest for me was my 74 Dart Sport – almost 10 years and 130,000 miles. Wish I had kept that car, but had no place to keep it when the second hand Bel Air arrived.
Second longest was my 87 Voyager – 9 yrs 4 months and 170,000 kms. Would have gone longer except for the untimely transmission failure that occurred just at the time when Mrs. Moparlee and I were qualifying for a new mortgage and had few spare funds to buy a replacement.
My 85 Reliant SE was good for 9 and a half yrs and 305,000 kms. We gave it to an in law who kept it another 2 years.
I also had a 96 Cavalier that only had 50,400 kms on it when it met an untimely demise by a red light runner in Hamilton when my son was driving. The car was 9 years old then. That was the last GM I ever bought due to several major maintenance issues with the engine and trans.
Among my shorter stints was an 81 Bel Air that had many maintenance issues and I kept it for only 3 years. Also a 98 Honda Accord for only 3 years, again reliability was an issue. The 2004 Civic that replaced in in 2007 is still going strong and has gone 200,000 kms.
The shortest duration was a 62 VW beetle that only made it through 6 months in 1973 when the engine expired. That was when the Dart arrived, the first of only 3 brand new cars I ever had.
1978 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale – 39 years and counting. Ordered in March and took about 6 weeks before arriving at Fred Stecker Oldsmobile in Cleveland in April 1978. It’s been in the family ever since. 350 CID (code R engine).
Mark, very nice Olds. I had a friend with the nearly identical car, same model, colour, and engine. Unfortunately it wasn’t well cared so it was sent to the scrap yard some time ago. That was probably one of the toughest cars I have ever seen though. It suffered a lot of abuse but never died. It drove itself to the scrap yard under it’s own power.
My family owned a 1995 Plymouth Voyager from August, 1995 to July, 2013. I think my Uncle’s 1993 Saab 900 has been in the family since 1996 or so.
My personal record is just over three years with an 03 Caravan; 2013-2016.
1976 Chevrolet Malibu Classic sedan, bought new by my parents in Februrary 1976. Mom drove it till 1984, when Dad inherited it to replace his 15 year old 1969 Chevelle coupe, Dad shared it with my big sis as her first car, then she got her own car. He drove it to the bus station for 8 years, till I turned 16, and I got the keys to it. I drove it for another 8 years till it finally gave out at 200,000 miles and 24 years of single family ownership.
Second longest was my 1995 Ford Explorer, bought it at 6 years and 100,000 miles. Kept it for 15 years and put another 250,000 miles on it. Damn good truck. Wish I hadn’t gotten rid of it. – this is probably the one I let get away.
Currently it’s now my 77 Chevy Malibu Classic sedan that I’ve had for 8 years. Or my 2004 Buick Rendezvous that has been in the family since new.
Longest for me and in the family is my ’63 Ford. Acquired by my great-uncle in 1964, by my father (although unofficially mine) on December 26, 1986. The title has been in my name since 2008.
The longest in continuous use is my grandfather’s 1992 Ford F-150 he purchased new. As of last summer, it had 70,000 miles.
I have owned my beat-up old ’69 Vette for 17 years and I have now put almost 130,000 miles on it. Still use it as my summer daily driver.
My hobby car is a 64 Impala I bought in 1990 that I still have.
The longest I owned a daily driver would be my 2002 PT Cruiser that I just sold last Oct.
We also had a 97 Voyager we kept for 12 yrs.
A guy I went to college with still has the 48 Ford he bought in High School in the 60s.
Longest I’ve ever owned a car…1 year 11 months on a 2015 Golf SportWagen TDI. I got rid of it for obvious reasons.
Shortest I’ve ever owned a car…4 months on a 2011 BMW X5. Even with a warranty that covered everything, it pissed me off how often it broke.
As for longest cars in the family, my dad had a 1964 Impala he had inherited sometime before I was born, in the early nineties. His grandfather had bought it new and passed it down to my dad, who owned it until 2013.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qdX4nVRYdc
Yours may be among this collection.
The longest I’ve ever owned a car is 9 years, with my Jeep Cherokee. Ran it till I moved much further from work, gas prices went up, and it developed overheating problems. The longest car in my family is my dad’s 54 VW – he bought it non running back in the 1970’s, and put it in the garage. 40 years later, it’s still in the same condition. Anyone want to make an offer on a German spec’ed (speedometer in kilometers, large sunroof, small bumpers, & semaphores?)
? where the hell were you when I was filling up this site looking for an old VW Beetle ? .
.
-Nate
I’m setting a new record every day and VERY proud to announce that I have beaten my previous record of four years. Extended Test Drives, my foot!
As of today, the 2002 Porsche 996 C2 has been mine for exactly 4 years, 6 months, and 5 days!
COAL here: https://www.curbsideclassic.com/cars-of-a-lifetime/coal-2002-porsche-carrera-my-daily-driver-is-a-keeper/
And below is the link to a 4-minute video of it taken the last time I did anything of significance with it a few months ago on the ice at Georgetown Lake. All electronic nannies are turned off…which makes it quite a handful as is evident even with Blizzaks. Still, was able to get some decently long drifts going, and at least one 360 degree spin that I was able to get out of. And more than one spin that was not recoverable…The sound sucks due to being muffled by the video case and somewhat overshadowed by the Audi 4000Q chase car (that, by the way, is a MUCH better choice on the ice).
https://youtu.be/AqXY5NlEzyc
1955 Ford Customline.
Purchased (used) by my grandmother in about 1958.
Given to me in 1972.
Still in my possession to this day and driven occasionally.
Total 59 years. It hardly seems possible.
I was wondering if you live in a salt free climate. Very nice to have a car of that vintage still in your hands today.
Yes. The car was in Arizona by 1957-58, was there until 1995 when it moved to central Texas.
97 Mercury Grand Marquis, grandma bought it new and I’ve had it for 5 years. 20 years makes it an antique, right haha? Plan to keep it as long as possible.
Since I was born my dad has had a pretty good run with his vehicles:
1986 VW Golf – 1986-2000 – Given to his brothers friend at about 380K
1986 Chevy Celebrity – 1993-2001 – Junked at 280K due to headgasket failure
1989 Ford Taurus wagon – 2001-2004 – Purchased with 101k on it, junked at 190k due to heater core failure. I believe this car (which became mine in 2003) was his highest mileage purchase
1990 Buick Regal – 2002-2010 – Junked at 190k for various reasons
2006 Ford Taurus – still with us at 172k and going strong, but cosmetic rust is starting to surface
He also had a couple of short term vehicles in the early 2000’s, as he searched for the ideal first car for myself – 1986 Toyota Cressida (grey), another Cressida, this time an ’87, and a 1993 Chevy Corsica. All of them had been pretty used up by that point (2002ish) and ended up getting junked.
As for myself, I had the 1989 Taurus from 2003-2004, which was replaced by the 1997 Sable, which I had until 2013. Now I’ve got the 2013 Focus.
Personal best was 6 years.
A 1995 Pontiac Grand AM Bought it used in 2004 with 113k miles on it.
I drove it until 2010 I gave up on it after the third accident in a year.
I bought another car and gave it to my cousin as a second beater car so he and his wife wouldn’t have to share one. It had 225k miles on it then.
His wife wrecked it a fourth time before he junked it with 244k miles on it two years later
I still miss that car
Longest family owned car award goes to butthead (my sister)
She has a 95 Camaro she bought in 1999. It has been dubbed the eggplant due to the dark purple paint (complete with pink pinstripes)
In 1986 my parents bought a house, an ’86 Toyota 4Runner, and an ’86 Porsche 944. After over 30 years, we still have two of the three (The 4Runner was traded in for a ’99). This is a photo of my dad taken in the front driveway sometime right after they bought the house and the Porsche. The yard wasn’t even put in back then. The car has somewhere around 140,000 miles on it now. The odometer has worked intermittently over the years, and the car spend a few years just sitting in the garage non-functional in the mid ’00’s.
The car has essentially been my dad’s daily driver since 2011 when he traded in his 2007 Nissan Altima.
Last summer, I changed the engine oil seals, timing belt, balance shaft belt, water pump, and steering rack. In the fall, I replaced the 30 year old fuel lines, recharged the A/C, and did some brake work. It’s in good working order now, although the California sun has started to take it’s toll on the old car. Still, we intend to keep it going for as long as possible.
Next up on the list would be a 2001 Acura MDX which my parents bought new, and has 220,000+ miles on it, and then my mother’s ’07 Jaguar XJ Vanden Plas (bought used in 2010, and still going on 7 years old and 60,000 miles).
Blue Betsy has been in the family for 25 years now! Time flies, and the GEO soldiers on, still in semi-daily-driver status. Before that we had a ’76 Vega that was in the family for 23 years until I sold it in 1999.
The vega didn’t rust away?!?!?
Nope, just a little surface rust here and there. They don’t use salt on the roads out here in Washington.
I live in coastal South Carolina. It rarely snows. My aunts vega rusted so bad it was a patch work of primer at 7 years old trying to keep the rust at bay
35 years.
’66 bug bought new in ’66, sold in 2001.
How did it feel to finally sell it after such a long time? Was it painful, like loosing a family member?
Nah, it needed a little TLC and was going to a good home.
In the family and owned- ’64 Cutlass F-85 hardtop, 46 years.
’67 GMC, 19 years.
Longest, period: My 1979 Malibu, of course. Purchased new by my grandfather in ’79, given to Mom in ’86, given to me in ’96. 38 years in the extended family, 31 years in the immediate family, 21 years with me. Of course, it hasn’t run since 2001, so there’s that. But it still exists.
Longest “in service”, family: 1997 Crown Victoria. Purchased by my parents in 2003, given to me in 2013, still running. 14 years.
Longest “in service”, personal: 2003 Marauder. Daily driver for 5 years almost exactly, 11/2006 to 11/2011. (I have *owned* the 2012 Forte for longer but my wife drives it much more than I do.)
My 1959 Beetle COAL I did here is my longest owned. I’ve had it since 1988, when I was three years old.
Aside from that, my dad has a 1966 Ford Galaxie that his father bought new in 1966. He’s owned his 1985 Mustang GT since new and he’s owned his 1970 F-100 since 1992.
My family tends to keep cars around for a while.
Not too many 32 year old’s can say they’ve owned their car for 29 years!
I have had my ’59 Dodge Coronet 2-door sedan for 34 years, since March of 1983.
Very nice car
Thanks!
+1.
1. 38 years—my Uncle Bert’s 1934 Ford five-window coupe with rumble seat and V8.
2. 29 years—my Uncle Norman’s 1956 Ford F-100.
3. 18 years—my Mom’s 1970 Mercury Monterey Custom hardtop with a 429 four-barrel.
4. 17 years—my Mom’s 1988 Honda Accord LX four-door (her last car).
5. 14 years—my 1984 Honda Civic sedan.
(all purchased new)
As far as my immediate family is concerned, it was our 2004 Toyota Highlander that was purchased new by my mom in December 2003, passed down to me in March 2010, and traded in by me in September 2012, so just shy of 9 years. At almost 7 years under her ownership, it was also the longest my mom has ever owned a car for.
My 80 year-old great-aunt Mary, however, did finally trade in her 2005 Cadillac DeVille for a new 2016 XTS this past summer. I’m sure that’s the longest she’s kept a car too. Her husband, my great-uncle Joe, who just recently passed away this March, drove a 2006 DTS (which was featured in William Stopford’s article) that I’m proud to say his daughter is keeping as a memory of him.
Longest I’ve owned a car is around 3 years. I don’t know what it is, but I get the itch to move on after that time. I guess I like to explore what different cars are like. Since I’ve owned the coveted premium German vehicle and been a part of that culture for a while and that I’m involved in the transportation industry that regularly updates its fleet vehicles, I feel less inclined to “move on” any more. I’m more than happy with my current ride, 2012 Fusion SE.
As for my parents, probably their ’98 Mazda 626 LX. Reliable vehicle, that.
I used to just buy drive and dump when they stopped or required major work to pass inspection but the cars I have now have been keepers the Minx has been here eight or nine years some of which it spent in pieces being rebuilt and my daily Citroen has been here about six years and has attracted another for impossible to find spares.
I bought my Cutlass in 1995, when I was fresh out of high school. Finally took it on a cross country trip in 2013, when this picture was taken. It is currently at the body shop receiving a new color combo. I’ve had a ton of other cars come and go over the last 22 years, but this one is the keeper.
I already mentioned it in the Torino thread, 45 years and counting for our family. It was ordered new by my dad in 1972, he picked every option. It has been driven every year since new but stored every winter. It was daily driven up until about 13 years ago when I took ownership. It has been repainted, but never restored.
Best Torino Ever! Amazing, Bill. 45 years. Such a beautiful car, too.
The “Laser Stripe” as well. I didn’t know that was even available in 72 !
Thanks for the nice words guys. DweezilAZ, the laser stripe remained an option until 1973. The 1973 version was higher up on the body side, and IMO less attractive.
I have usually tended to not keep cars for extended periods of time, although those times seem to be getting longer. I just replaced my ’01 PT Cruiser at 4 months short of 10 years. In hindsight, that was about three years too long.
Longest owned, by far, was my ’64 Rambler American. A hobby car that ended up being more garage-space-sucker than hobby. Owned about a month shy of 22 years.
Nice looking Rambler. My dad had a light blue 64 Rambler American station wagon, but only for 3 years. He would have kept it longer , but we moved to Europe, and he bought a 67 VW microbus, last year of the split windshield. Had that 4 years. But there are other cars he kept longer, like the 51 Plymouth business coupe for 20 years, and a 83 Honda Civic wagon for 20 years. The longest I’ve had a car is about 10 years, a 96 Toyota Tercel.
Oldest vehicle – Suzuki motorcycle, bought new, 1975, still have it. Runs well.
Oldest car – 1984 Jeep Wagoneer (XJ) bought that year as a dealer demo. Still have it, but its only fit for parts now.
I bought 3 vehicles in ’89 to 93 that I still have – ’68 T-Bird, 77 Mark V, and ’81 Fleetwood.
I’ll nominate my wife for our family’s prize for the longest owned car.
When she was born, her parents owned a 1967 Mustang… it was the car that took her home from the hospital. It was her family’s car growing up… she learned to drive on it… she drove it to her high school graduation… drove it to her college graduation… drove it to her law school graduation. She was still using the Mustang to commute to work in the mid 1990s, when the car was 27 years old.
Unfortunately, after 27 years of being a daily driver, and about 300,000 miles, it had too many issues (rust and otherwise) to make it feasible to keep. So, she replaced it with a 1995 Thunderbird, which we still own.
Some of you really need to do COALS on these cars you have had for so long. There are some great rides
My Falcon ute, bought it in 2005 it was 2 years old 30000 Kms, now it has 205000 Kms.
Best car I have ever had, suits all my needs, great highway car.
Guess I have to face up too things failing on it soon, but for now everything works, AC still ice cold, CD player still works etc.
ps. rear suspenion is not this low, ute has a load of crushed rock in the back , couldn’t resist taking the picture.
don’t worry – everything is pretty reasonable to fix on a Falcon pricewise. I’ve had my 02 BA for 6 years now and it’s up to 270000 Ks, but I’ve replaced heaps of wear and tear stuff. Engine and gearbox are made of granite and indestructible though – I’ve had to top up with 1 litre of oil in total between services in all those years (fingers crossed, touches wood)
and remember the Mk1 was the ‘practice’ version not really meant for people to buy 🙂
45 years – 1971 Dodge Charger – My dad bought it new and it was passed on to me which I still own.
30 years – 1987 Chevy Astro – bought it new and I still own it.
I’ve had numerous cars under a year, 68 Impala SS, 69 F100 custom cab, 72 Pontiac Ventura (Nova wanna be), 82 Escort, and a 75 Charger SE to name a few. Our family cars I tend to keep about 5 years. My trucks, well that varied, my 80 I had 9 years, my 90 about the same, the 97 for 2 years, the 99 for 3. Then in 2002 I bought my current truck and fell off the planet. Just never wanted to get rid of it.
In 1974 I bought my 68 mustang coupe after graduation. Then up marriage in 77 I sold it. For my 40th birthday present my wife bought it back. It was severely trashed but I redid the whole thing and still have it. I am 61 now. So I suppose I’m all over the map when it comes to keeping vehicles.
My brother, poor guy, owned a 1989 Pontiac LeMans for ten years. That’s the family record. My record is 8 years on the 1989 Chevy Beretta I bought new.
I came from a family where any car was considered a luxury. Consequently, we have a history of keeping cars until they die – I reckon it’s best for the environment that way. But you need to choose wisely in the first place.
Around these parts, my ’74 Cortina holds the record at 33 years and 450,000km.
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/cars-of-a-lifetime/car-of-a-lifetime-1974-ford-cortina-living-beyond-the-design-brief/ . Still can’t believe it lasted that long!
Second is our ’00 Diamante at 17 years, 350,000km. and still going strong. It’s needed a LOT less maintenance than the Cortina ever did.
Shortest was Jane’s ’84 Corona at 5 years and 80,000km before the big ends let go after the oil pressure sender snapped off. Even Toyota can build lemons.
I should also mention “Peanut”, my late aunt’s ’84 Suzuki Swift. She was given to me in ’05 for my daughter as a first car. At 21 years old, Peanut had only done 19,000km. That’s under 12,000 miles. Little old lady? Right.
My daughter soon got the mileage up travelling to university, and eventually bought a Honda Jazz to replace Peanut. About 80,000km by then.
My brother-in-law gave me $500 for Peanut and took her up to their farm in southern New South Wales, where she’s the go-to-town car if the trip doesn’t warrant getting out the Nissan Patrol. She’s also the wider family’s spare car if anyone needs wheels, and has taught three grandchildren how to drive.
I’m not sure of the current mileage, but Auntie Merle’s old Swift is still going strong, still in the one family.
I had my 1987 Cadillac Brougham for 6 years; my mother has had her 2005 Prius since new (so 12 years plus), and my grandmother had a 1992 Honda Civic sedan from new until 2008, when she moved into assisted living (16 years). I hope to have my 1975 Oldsmobile Ninety Eight far more time, as unlike those it isn’t a daily driver.
2002 Dodge Durango. 15 years from new and counting.
By no means a perfect vehicle, and it is not aging as gracefully as some in our fleet.
Not to get all maudlin about it, but we did we raise a family in it. The kids that were babies in it are now driving it. The last child will get their first chance to drive it very soon.
It has taken our family on many adventures, frequently involving boats. We’ve bolted the opposite direction in it in tornadic storms. Two family members came out of major crashes in it, and the Durango itself survived the two vehicles that were totaled when they tangled with it.
It is a family favorite among our kids, and still looks quite dapper from the proverbial 20 feet.
Salt country is not being kind to it, and some cancer is forming. How much longer it will go is unknown. But, I’m rather positive that I’ll be hearing stories about it at family gatherings where grandchildren may roam.
1963 Corvette convertible, bought used by my Dad in 1967. Still in the family…in my garage, now. Fifty years or so.
Second place is nowhere close, a 1976 Dodge Aspen bought new. In 1998 I was offered really silly money for it (ran perfectly, garaged all its life, looked virtually new). 22 years.
My current longroof 510 is the record holder at 18 years in my possession but It’s my toy. Most daily drivers were as little as 1 year for the 1994 Mercury with a rod knock that developed 6 months into my ownership and a strange transmission issue since new to 10 years for the only vehicle I ever bought new which was a 1993 Nissan KingKab. I would have had the truck longer if the cop that hit me had only followed procedure. Too much adrenalin I guess. Shut the siren off and accelerated through a red light, wrong side of the road, from a block away. Bang! Blind intersection, I saw a black and white blurr tear the front end of the truck off the frame as it zoomed on by.
Wait a minute. The 89 Corolla that my mother passed on to me was in the family for 20 years. I only had it for four years but replaced it when it looked like I would be commuting 100+ km/day. At 325K km it was perfectly happy with a 10km/day commute and could have gone on a few more years. Stop and go on the 403/401 parking lot would have killed it in short order.
I still have some Datsun parts pulled from parts cars way back in the 1980s but that doesn’t count though. I have a hood and fenders for a 510 that I picked up from an old racer in 1996. They have been in dry storage since being removed in 1975 when a race car was built. Ok I’ll admit that I have a problem.
As I have gotten older (currently age 46), I have become a keeper. My usual method is to buy a relatively inexpensive new or late-model used car and keep it as long as possible. Usually my wife gets the car when it’s new, and passes it on to me the next time we buy a new vehicle. Our record holder is a 1999 Jeep Cherokee XJ base model that we bought new in February 1999 and had for more than 14 years, until the fall of 2013. We had the Cherokee for more than nine years after the point when the loan was paid off.
We also had a 1995 Ford Escort that we bought new in February 1995 and had for a few weeks short of exactly 12 years, until 2007. We currently have a 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer EXT that we bought in February 2007 and have now had for more than 10 years.
None of those are the overall record holder for my family, however. That title goes to a 1989 GMC S-15 Jimmy that my dad bought new in the summer of 1989 and had, if I recall correctly, until some time in 2013. Towards the end, it was in pretty ratty condition, and wasn’t driven much, serving as kind of a mobile dumpster. He would keep it parked in the garage with back window open, would throw trash bags in the back of it, then would drive it to the transfer station once a week to get rid of the trash. Up to that point, my parents hadn’t kept their cars for an unusually long time, and my mother continued to get new cars regularly, but as my parents aged and no longer had as much disposable income, I guess my dad felt that he couldn’t justify getting a new vehicle to replace the Jimmy, and he just kept it indefinitely.
My dad’s ’84 Dodge Power Ram has been with us since 1990 which would make around 27 years. He’s a Ford man, but that rig has been there since I started driving it in HS. Yup, I give him the expected level of grief over that pretty often. COAL here: https://www.curbsideclassic.com/cars-of-a-lifetime/coal-1984-dodge-power-ram-the-seed-of-mopar-mania-is-planted/
Me personally, it was my ’00 Jeep Wrangler TJ. Bought myself a late 29th birthday present in April 2003, sold in May of 2013 so I could buy my Rumble Bee. Of everything Ive owned, it was one of the best fits for me. And it was reliable as an anvil. The radiator sprang a leak needing replacement (there was a bad run of them around 2000) and a track bar bushing turned to mush causing the infamous death wobble. Outside of that, I put nearly 100K on the thing including moving cross country dragging everything I owned in the world behind it on a 4×8 foot Harbor Freight utility trailer. Good times, and I miss it all the time. Sunny days, camping trips and an unexplored dirt road bring those pangs on very often.
1968 Cougar: bought April 20, 1968 so 49 years and counting.
1968 Mustang: bought May 1983 so 34 years and counting.
All others under 15 years or less.
Shortest was 1980 Honda Civic wagon whose camshaft wiped a lobe at 100,000 mi. after four years. I have never owned another Honda since then.
Can’t edit in photo as the two sit together.
My wife and I tend to be keepers, especially in more recent decades as cars have become more reliable.
Longest — 1980 Volvo 240 2-door, purchased used in Sept. 1982 and sold in June 2003, almost 21 years. It wasn’t reliable like today’s Toyotas and Hondas, but repairs were reasonably infrequent and not costly, I could do a lot of the work myself, and salvage parts were plentiful (a bonus of such a lengthy model run for the car).
Probably going for the record — 1998 Nissan Frontier, purchased from my employer as a very lightly used vehicle in August 1998; it will cross the 19-year mark in a few months, with only 92,000 miles and very little rust, especially compared to the Volvo, which was sold at 245K miles.
Third — 2004 Toyota Camry, purchased new by us, now owned by our son in NYC with somewhere north of 165K miles. Zero fluid leaks — first car we (and now he) owned to pull that off!
My brother out in the San Diego area still daily drives his 1986 Camaro he bought new.
16 years out of a high mileage 600$ 78 ford Ltd landau 460. Lasted 35 years and 400000 miles. Died in wreck when second owner a blind old lady turned in front of a Toyota going 60. She survived. Car caved in rear quarter and door and axle knocked loose and cracked.
I’ve got a few long-timers; I tend to get attached to my cars.
April 1st marked thirty-nine (39) years since I bought my ’57 Austin-Healey, a 100/6 2-seater (most were 4-seaters). Still in regular contact, via e-mail, with the seller too (though she really doesn’t like to be reminded of how many years have gone by, lol).
November 11th, 2000 is when my wife and I bought our first BMW, a CPO ’99 M Rdstr, so over sixteen (>16) years so far with it.
August 30th, 2001 we took delivery of a new 2001 BMW M Rdstr at the factory’s Performance Delivery Center (they’re built in Spartanburg, South Carolina). Fifteen (>15) years and counting. This was only the second “new” car I’d ever had; the first was a 1973 MGB, also delivered immediately before the Labor Day Weekend. The wait was worth it!
No immediate plans to turn loose of any of them (or my ’99 M Coupe) anytime soon, though my wife’s 2011 X5 just rolled over 100,000 miles, and she’s been grumbling lately…
The two things you and I share together Paul are a love of rough but ready daily drivers that somehow just keep going and six cylinder engines. A few years ago on the Automotive section of City-Data someone asked if people celebrated their car’s different anniversaries. Although it technically isn’t an anniversary I replied “Yes I do. I pat ’em on the trunk lid and thank ’em for making it just one more day!”. As far as length of ownership, on Friday November 18th 1983, two months into my 17th year, I shelled out $625 for a 71 2dr Maverick with the 170, and a AM radio with a Radio Shack FM Converter and a TV speaker on the package tray. Even though it no longer is roadworthy I still own it. On May 11th 1974 my Dad traded in (for $700!) the first car he had ever bought new, a Metallic Blue 65 Impala SS on a 74 Mercury Montego MX Brougham that I currently own. And in the spring of 1980 when my Grandma’s 67 Impala, which was the only new car she ever bought in her almost 87 years, was totaled, she bought a 21,000 mile 74 Impala 2dr Sport Coupe from the original purchaser that I now also own with 76,000 original miles. I also have my 71 4dr Maverick I bought in July of 88 for $1200 from the local Chevy dealer.
Glad to see that I am in good company. Did a lot of wheeling and dealing as a teenager. That all stopped when I got married in 1987. Still married.
17 years – 1988 Chevy S-10 4×4, bought new. Sold 2005 with 249,000 miles, became a farm truck in Mexico.
12 years – 2005 Dodge Cummins Diesel replaced it. Bought new, still have it. Just broken in with 134,000 miles. Will drive it until I can’t.
17 years – 2000 Honda Accord V6 coupe, bought new, still have it. 392,000 miles, driven daily, Everything still works.
15 years – 2000 Kawasaki ZR7 bought used in 2002, Sold to BIL in 2009. Bought it back last year. 38,000 miles.
45 years – 1972 Honda trail 70 bought new by my folks. Mine since 1979. 1631 miles.
That’s Mom sandwiched between my brother and I. Dad’s 1969 F250 with Dreamer camper in the background – 23 years. Should have bought it from him.
2001 VW Eurovan.
91,000 miles.
Will drive it until it croaks.
Had an 89 Jeep Wrangler for 13 years. The old 258 was dieing so I swapped it for a junkyard 99 4.0 liter, lifted it, painted it, and probably put in 5 times more money than I’d ever get out of it. Gave it to my daughter and her husband 2 years ago so it’s still in the family. I Drive an 08 GMC Envoy that we bought new and was my wife’s until we bought a new Buick last year. It has 115k miles, has been in 18 states, 3 fender benders and has hail damage but I still like it too much to get rid of it.
Longest ever in the family was Dad’s 1964 Volvo 1800S. It was a repo he bought from a friend and kept for 20 years. Black with a red leather interior. Incredibly well built with thick doors like an American car.
One of my last memories of it was sneaking out once in high school to drag race a classmate’s parent’s orange VW Type 3. I thought for sure I was going to win because I had more power but he pulled away on every shift and it sounded great going up through the gears. He was one of those guys who was always working on cars so I think I got scammed but also that Volvo was very heavy and slow.
Got my first car as a college graduate in 1998. Kept it til 2005. Put 100k on it, bought it for 25k and sold it for 2500. It was pretty lemony by modern standards.
Didn’t own a car for a while but now I’m on my second lease. Sucks to have a payment every month, but on the other hand everything’s covered so there’s no $1000+ surprises. Plus we only drive about 2000 miles a year so leasing is very reasonable compared to an actual car note.
I feel like a piker in this crowd.
The longest was from Feb 98 to Sept 2013, my trusty Civic. Only reason I sold it was I had retired and it was not suitable for road trips (no air or cruise). Were I still working, it would have gotten a new timing belt and shocks and would still be with me.
Pic taken for the listing in Autotrader in 2013.
1. ’87 Audi 4000 quattro, which I had from just after Xmas 1999 to August 2015.
2. ’68 Saab 96 V4, which I had from 1978 to 1991.
1999 Nissan Frontier p/u, purchased use in 2013…
1970 Ford F100, bought new, traded for a Ranger in 1990.
Went over to the dark side and bought a new 2003 Silverado, still driving. Plan to be buried in it…
1989 Ford Laser owned since 2004.
’97 Camry LE 4 cyl bought used in ’98 for low book, which was quite the feat in the day. Still reliably cranking @ 240K with no end in sight. May the journey continue…
I just bought this one last week for the princely sum of $500. I’m not daunted by the fact that it has traveled 284,000 miles to date.
About to get rid of the car I kept the longest, our 2003 Toyota Sienna. After 14 years and 290,000 miles, it still runs well, but a lot of the little things are dead (like dashboard lighting at night) and more importantly, it’s too rusted underneath to put more money into it.
All three of my daughters learned to drive in it, all three added a bit to the “patina” that it developed over time.
Donating it next week will be like saying goodbye to a member of the family.
My step father’s brother bought it in 1970 or thereabouts. My step father inherited it from his brother in 1980. My mom married him in It was parked in 1986 and I decided it restore it as my first car in 1993. It’s the Land Ark and I still have it.
Here it was in 1993.
Here it was in 1994.
And here it is today.
It’s a 1967 Impala, btw.
Those big two door fastbacks are really nice looking!
That’d be my first car which was in the family for about 8 years.
Mum took early retirement for health reasons in 1993 and – among the resulting downsizing – traded her ’92 Volvo 480 limited edition for an ’89 FIAT Panda 1000CL which my sister and I promptly christened Boo.
I learned to drive in that Panda, and – as soon as I passed my test – promptly doubled or tripled the car’s annual mileage! I drove far more and far further than Mum, though it remained hers, and stayed home in Yorkshire with her when I left for University in Aberdeen in ’96.
In early ’98 I was finishing up my second year when my sister got her University place at the equally remote Aberystwyth. The prospect of fetching us both home to Yorkshire, from opposite corners of the island each term wasn’t one that my folks relished and they generously gifted me the Panda so I could ferry myself back and forth.
The Panda’s V5 was transferred into my name and Boo stayed with me from then on. We began to rack up even higher miles between frequent highland road trips, and regular 800mile round trips between University and my folks’.
That little FIAT let me down just twice in its fairly long* life: the first was due to an incompetent/crooked mechanic who “serviced” it before Mum passed it to me – I’d gotten most of the way back to Aberdeen when it started faltering and finally cut out on a steep petrol station ramp off Kingsway in Dundee (almost rolling me back into traffic). It turned out the “service” had been nothing of the sort. The car’s points were worn out. A quick fix with new points from the AA saw me back on the road.
The other let down was totally my fault. The summer of 2000 I’d graduated and moved south to Edinburgh. Boo was still running faithfully, but (as happens with FIRE engined FIATs of that era) the plastic cooling manifold had begun to perish and slow-leak. As a broke graduate I was trying to put off the expense of replacing it… which of course resulted in a couple of hours by the side of the Edinburgh bypass one afternoon when uncharacteristically sweltering weather and (very characteristic) heavy traffic overheated the poor wee guy. A grease-monkey mate and I patched up the manifold with strips of cut up drink can and jubilee clips, until I scrounged up a proper replacement from a nearby scrapyard.
We finally parted ways in winter 2001 when the Panda’s MOT flagged up some structural welding required to keep the rear suspension roadworthy. I was still broke and didn’t in all honesty need a car living and working in Edinburgh so I sold it for the residual value of its tax disc (£50 iirc) to the same grease-monkey mate, who had the skills and wherewithal to fix the problem, and a younger brother who needed a first car. Last I heard (a few years ago now) his brother was still running it.
* long for a car in the UK anyway 🙂
Nice. The original Panda, Fiat’s modernized version of the Citroën 2CV.
1950 Chevy 3600 pickup. It has been on my family’s farm since new or nearly-new and has about 56k original miles. I rode around in it as a kid (as did my mom when she was kid). I drove it on country roads for several years before I was old enough to have a DL. Looking back, I probably abused it more than I should have, using it to pull down old sheds, barns, tree stumps, and overloading the bed. Nevertheless it ran when it was last parked about 15 years ago, it’s farm duties having been taken over by a Ford Ranger. It had a brake fluid leak, but otherwise I don’t recall it ever having mechanical problems. Of course, my memories only begin in about 1980 or so. Having been passed down to me now, its restoration is on my to-do-list for when I retire.
My current car, 15 years and 2 months now.
My Grandfather’s 1929 Mack Dump Truck We had it 70+ Years. Granted it sat in our Garage for most of its life. My Aunt who in her 90’s at the time had to give up driving her Oldsmobile that was sharing the garage with the Mack and my dad told her to sell the Mack when she was selling her Olds. I was living in California at the time and I wanted it and had a place for it but getting it from New York to California was a bit too much for me at the time so I passed on it or It may still have been in the family today.
Next was my 1995 Mitsubishi Montero 26 Years 186,000 miles. But it is kinda still in the family, sorta. Sold it to Son In laws brother.
3rd was a 1966 Plymouth Belvedere Slant 6cyl. My father bought it used to replace the 1965 Ford Falcon he gave me around 1971, then around 1975 he gave me the Belvedere and I gave it back to him a year later 150,000 mile. One transmission later it went on to around 300k milse when we lost track of it, he gave it to his girlfriends son around 1980.
1986 Mazda B-2000, that was purchased new. Kept it in great shape… UNTIL… I gave it to my teenage son to drive after he got his license. It ran great until we donated it to the local tech school in 2006, however, the ashtray was the only thing not dented.
Currently, I have a 2001 ES300 Lexus that was also purchased new and no, I haven’t let my son drive it even though he’s 35 years old now.
It’s interesting how the perception of time changes as we age. My dad (on suggestion from my 2nd grade self) surprised my mom with a fully loaded Matador station wagon in the summer of 1972 even though he really wanted an AMX. I took it to salvage in 1988 after it seemed like we’d had it forever. I bought my ’67 Mercury Brougham in 1991 and my ’75 Buick Century in 1993 and it seems like I’ve had those only a short time. I’m currently hoping the 2013 Challenger R/T Redline I special ordered will be someone else’s mint condition COAL many moons from now.
Easy…my Dad’s 1991 Honda Accord. Purchased new, and finally sold 22 years later… to his granddaughter (my niece), for $1. She named it Clarence, put new tires on it, an iPod cassette adapter, and drove it regularly, in town and out, summer and winter. An accident finally did it in, but it had well over 250,000 km on it by then. It was Dad’s last car, the one he’d owned the longest, and in the end it was by far the oldest he’d ever owned.
My 1966 Triumph Spitfire, purchased June 27, 1975, 42 years.. I’ll never sell it, took a few years off from driving…got the hip and knee replaced… back driving. 2nd my 1977 Triumph Bonneville, purchased new for$1810.00 and I still have the original bill of sale and warranty card…40 years on….If someone had said to me after 40+ I’d still have them I’m not sure I would have believed them. I never get tired of driving or looking at them. : -)
In April, 1971, I purchased a 1971 VW Super Beetle Convertible which I still own. Born in Germany, it turned 46 years of age this past February. Member of the family.
Presently, my daily driver is a 2001 Ford F-250 7.3 liter diesel Lariat Crew Cab which I purchased new in September, 2000. It will be 17 years old this coming August. The perfect truck.
1960 Porsche 356 my dad bought new which I still drive today.
My 41 year sole ownership of a 1976 911S, bought in 1976 with every penny that I had saved until then while living in a small efficiency apartment–and it has been worth every penny spent with 41 years of delightful driving experiences . This will be a lifetime ownership experience.
In addition to my 41 year ownership of my 911, I bought and still own my favorite car, a 1973 Porsche 914 2.0, in 1979 with now 38 years of ownership. This 914 was driven by Paul N. last year in Eugene. Last year this car also carried me and my co-drivers on 3 rallies in the mountains of British Columbia and Colorado, and then in Ontario on roads bordering the Algonquin Provincial Park. Last year it covered over 10,000 miles of smiles as an automotive equivalent of an ever flying DC3. This car is also a lifetime keeper.
I’m really not a keeper though my two ’07 cars, bought new, a Mustang and F150, are still with me. I will usually keep a car for at least ten years. My ’96 Mustang (bought when almost fifteen yeras old) is going on around five years in my ownership. The longest thing I ever owned was my ’77 Harley XLCR which was modified quite a bit. I had that for 22 years. Truth is, I was pretty tired of it when I sold it. I don’t know how long I’ll hold onto my two current Jags, an ’89 XJS convertible and a ’97 XJ6. I would like an old pre smog manual model to hold for the long term. I saw a 1954 Mark VII Jag sedan that tempted me. Unfortunately, my family could not afford to buy interesting cars so their are no legacy cars in my ownership. If my son can ever afford to buy a place of his own someday, I will be glad to pass on something interesting to him.
I owned my ’67 Mustang for 23 years. However, my record for owning a vehicle is the 38 years I have owned my ’79 Malibu. I ordered it in February and took delivery in March of 1979. It has outlasted a lot of other cars in our family. Like all long time ownerships there are a lot of memories associated with it, both good and bad. The good ones include vacations, a few car shows, and taking my infant oldest grandson for his first burn out. Yeah, I know it was immature. My daughter didn’t understand, either. The not so good memories include the broken transmission 2 weeks before a vacation( I fixed it in time) and some of the people that rode in it or drove it who are no longer with us. I plan on keeping it until I am also gone. It is in my will for one of my son in laws who appreciates old cars.
That’s its front fenders on my avatar. I would post a picture but I don’t know how.
15 & 1/2 years we’ve owned our 2001 Toyota Highlander. Not looking to sell it any time soon, though we have people leaving notes under the wiper about their interest in it. Next closest is my ’81 Fiat X1/9, which I’ve owned for 10 & 1/2 years.
My first car, 1969 Fiat 124 Spider, lasted only two years but then:
1971 VW Type 3 Fastback purchased winter of 72/73 sold in 1986. 13 years.
1984 BMW 745i purchased 1/2001 still have it.
1994 Suzuki Swift GT purchased in 2002 still have it.
1998 GMC Safari purchased 1/2002 sold 2016. 14 years
1965 Austin Healey 3000 purchased in 1996 still have it.
1978 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham purchased in 1995 sold in 2006. 11 years.
Wow. The longest I’ve owned a car was 11 years with my ’80 Pontiac Phoenix. My current car, an ’07 Subaru Outback, is coming up on 9 in June. My Dad had over 90 cars during his life, and his longest owned was a 1927 Pierce Arrow model 80 Phaeton, at 12.
79 years – Grandpa purchased a used 1936 Ford phaeton in 1938 which remains in the family today.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sbeebe/14282783427/
9 years or about 200K miles is typical pattern.
1986 Mazda B-2000 pickup. Traded in 1995 at 180K for 1995 VW Passat, for wife. Passat only lasted 2 years, traded in on 1995 Mercury Villager van (due to birth of 1st daughter).
1995 Villager given to family in need in 2006 at 230K miles.
2005 Town and County van, traded in 2010 at 120K miles. Started falling apart, but meet my expectations for a Chrysler car.
2010 Honda Pilot – Still have. 170K. Driven by daughter now. Has replaced 1995 Chrysler van as least reliable car I have owned, but wife loves it and purchased a 2014 Honda Pilot to replace it.
2006 Scion xB. Given to family in need in 2015 at 210K miles. Still miss the toaster.
The ’99 Taurus is mine/wife’s since new. It’s only got 140K (we both live close to jobs), and has never let me down. Almost daily I compute cost of occasional repairs vs. its market value vs. my “itch” for a new car. Still, it’s the longest we’ve ever owned any car, and absent *major* expenses (big front-end problems or transmission failure, probably), is still providing pretty cheap miles. Plus, it’s a little fun to be driving a car that’s becoming “thin on the ground,” as some CC-ers say. Will I own it long enough to be a bonafide CC daily driver, however? Not likely, I suppose…
Wow ~ so many cool vehicles and great stories ! .
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Looking back I realized while reading this article that I’d bought my 1960 VW # 117 DeLuxe sliding canvas sunshine roof Sedan in 1975 during one of those fake ‘oil crisis’ deals that resulted in end of price regulations so now we have high priced gasoline .
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It was parked kitty wampus 2/3 on the curb/side walk in Santa Monica Ca. in a _large_ pool of leaked out oil, $250 IIRC and I bought it on the spot .
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36hp (1192 C.C.) engine and a later model full synchromesh gearbox that lasted over ten years and about 200,000 miles before permanently loosing forth gear far from home late one night, I’d already purchased a used, unknown quality original crash box tranny from Crooked Cliffy, installed that the next day and it was the quietest crashbox VW tranny I’ve ever driven, it’s still in the car .
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I wrecked it badly in the very late 1970’s and had to weld on an entire new front body clip, cutting across through the gas tank opening to make a good job of it ~ 1960 is a one year only front clip, happy to have found that =8-) .
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Not as many engines as one might think as I get about 150,000 miles out of each one, build them carefully, tune them sharply and service them religiously and they’ll last a long time, even when always driven flat footed as the early, low power ones need to be driven .
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42 years ?! wow, who’da think it .
My Son has it now, when I decided I wanted another Beetle last year he said ” that one is _MINE_! ” he knows he came home from the Huntington Memorial Hospital in it after being born in 1979 .
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I asked to borrow it’s engine after I blew up my recently purchased ‘ 59 Beetle’s engine, he said ” !NO! ” perhaps forgetting all the vehicles, parts, tools and spares of mine he’s taken and ruined over the years =8-) .
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I lost track of all the hundreds (?thousands’s?) of cars, trucks and Motos I’ve had over my life but this poor old raggedy thing is still with us .
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Where the hell did all those years ago ? .
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-Nate
The longest I can recall a VW polo my Mum had from around 1990 to 2002, before it was traded for a Seat Ibiza with power steering(!) and a 1998 Vauxhall Astra my Uncle bought as his umpteeth Vauxhall (he was on the staff of Vauxhall Bedford for 30 years) which was still in the garage when my Aunt died earlier this year.
My longest car ownership by far has been my 1981 Pontiac Trans AM Nascar edition that was bought in April of 2000 meaning I have had her 17 years this month! My where did the timed go? She is in need of some service and minor paint/accent stripe repairs but overall is in good shape considering it is now 36 years old.
It is still a total joy to take it out on a nice sunny day with the T-tops off on a nice long cruise.
I’ve owned my ’68 Cougar since 1993. As far as daily drivers go, I’ve owned my Lincoln LS since January 2002 — special ordered it brand new and it’s been a great car. I’ve also owned a ’73 Marquis Brougham since 2003. Funny thing is, I’ve owned lots of other cars in that same 20 year plus time frame, just not for long.
Owned ’70 C10 Chevy from 1976 to 2006. Had about 160k miles on it when sold. Runner up is ’86 Jetta GL bought in 1991. 26 years and counting. 300k miles, original drivetrain, still runs and shifts well. (1.8 gas manual trans) Plan on keeping this car for life.
It’s great living in the no (or low) rust inland West Coast
Longest: 5.5 years, 2005 Nissan Sentra, Special Edition package. SE-R interior and trim on the 1.8 S
Should have kept longer!!
How about the shortest owned?
Fess up, who’s here that knocked the front off pulling out of the dealership?
The 1964 Mercury Montclair 4 dr. breezeway sedan bought 1964 by my parents and I got to drive home from the Madras, Oregon dealership is now in my yard . The wife and I drove to Yellowstone and back a couple of years ago
Until a few years ago my longest-owned vehicle was my 1965 Ambassador 990 convertible. Owned it 18 years, sold it when front-end replacement rubber was impossible to find (not even Steele offered any, in 1997), so I reluctantly sold it. Bought a 1990 Taurus wagon which I still own, it will be 20 years in December of this year. The Rambler had over 200,000 miles on it; the Taurus just turned 194,000 miles and shows no sign of stopping. I’ve done all the routine and major maintenance, except for the transmission rebuild at 186,000 miles two years ago. (Must be a record for a Taurus transmission.) Everything still works, and the A/C still works fine. May as well keep it a while longer.