Why do people change cars so often?

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I'd love to change car's more often, just to experience a bit of variety, but I kept the Interceptor for 38 years, so I guess I'm just not built like that!

Probably, what winds me up is when you buy or sell, you're linig the pockets of some very unworthy people, so I avoid doing it as much as possible...
 
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My first 5 cars I had for 6 months each roughly. That was because they were cheap rubbish and either died at their MOT or I wanted to trade up.

My 6th car is the W204 and I've had it 3 years so far, partly because I'm in a finance deal for 3 years, but it's paid off next month and I'll be keeping it for a while after that, while I wait for the right W212 to come along.
 
For me looking after the car is part of the ownership experience .

Fixing faults and maintaining it to the highest standard... using only reputable garages and quality parts... even washing and detailing it, buying new matts, that sort of thing.

It is very difficult to justify spending money on a car you won't be keeping for at least a few years, so for me a car I can't 'spoil' or cherish (my wife would say 'worship'...) is just not intetesting.

BTW, on average I change car every 7 years....
 
Boredom, box ticking, and because I could. That said, many cars have come and gone but the SL has remained throughout, approaching 15 years now.

Curiously, very little out there appeals to me currently. It's a situation I would never have believed but seems to have crept up on me, culminating in buying an EV for commuting purposes.

Once the lease ends on the Zoe (and what a pile of merde de chien that has turned out to be!) I'll probably be buying another Ducati, and then disposable cars for winter/runaround duties.
 
I sometimes change often as there`s many cars I still wish to own. Many previous owners on the V5 doesn`t really bother me either on some cars as people probably just do what I do....buy one and then move on.
 
I grew up on bikes and always loved /maintained cherishes them - never thrashed until warm etc.


But I had a mate who would buy a new bike every year, bounce it off the rev -limiter from cold , wheelie it everywhere etc and if it ever broke just would get it fixed for free.
In his view it was worth the cost to be able to ride it like it was stolen with no care of breaking it.


Not me though, have mechanical sympathy :)


I am also a sentimental person, and if I have had great times and memories with that car /bike have always been reluctant to part with them.:D
 
W210 e55

Wow sounds like I dodged a bullet there - when I was looking earlier this year there were so few 212 petrols that my head was getting turned by 55K's or slightly scabby 63's. Glad I held out. The 212 is pretty wafty on the speedbumps and broken tarmac round this way.

In defence of modern AMG's, although the W210 E55 on 20 inchers was a bad choice for Fulham / Wandsworth life, the more modern cars probably do the speed bumps better.

But I did always feel that, in London, I was driving the E55 on my toes, and that the "thing" didn't really breathe until it was doing 70. As I was a London Wageslave at the time, that wasn't anwhere near often enough. "Different times"
 
We have a retired neighbour that has had three brand new cars in the last year.

Mazda 6 - Mazda 3 - Infinty Q30.

I cant see any logic in that at all , either he never did his homework or he just get fed up really quickly.

My inlaws change their cars every three years as they are still in the 70`s regarding reliability concerns. They are only four miles from work so in the unlikely event of a car not starting then they have another in the driveway or can call a taxi :dk:

I am too miserable to chop + change my car regularly , i take ages to decide what i want and to be fair i have always been content with the car i have eventually ended up with, the last being a Saab 9-3 Aero that i kept for seven years.

Just hope the CLS keeps me as happy for the next few years.

Kenny
 
To be honest, I'm glad some people do.

We bought an 18 month old Focus that had been traded in by someone who got a new one every 18 months.

It was mint, fully loaded and half the price of a new one. Private plate on and it looked new too.

Everyone's a winner.
 
It's a hobby for some people, simply transport for others.

I think this is the point.

That hobby is operated in different ways.

I change rarely, in fact one of my cars I've had since 1996...and it's appreciating now.

My wife has only changed her car twice in the past 21 years.
 
I assume it's at least partly to do with the huge growth in personal contract hire - people automatically change car every 3(?) years when the hire period expires.
 
The PCP model is a decent trigger for most, but whilst the monthlies are reasonable or even reducing, the higher residual price of cars, due to the increasing initial purchase price, does mean that 3 year olds bought by the likes of me are increasing in cost to buy....it's more than inflation in real terms as the m/f realise that to most people, the original price is not a relevant number - its the monthly that is (even new car tax rules aside)

I sell when I get the itch (or in the case of the gen 2 Laguna I had, the end of my tether....:wallbash:)
 
For me its because i get bored and want to experience different cars

I something change once a year, other cars i hold on to for 8+ years.
 
I suspect on a car forum the more active members will tend to hold onto cars longer as they see them more as a hobby than the average punter.

Normal people see the car as a tool and want it to be reliable and trouble free the easiest option to achieve this is to have a new car. No MOTs, standard servicing costs, warranty, etc

Im not sure how PCP and company cars skew the market, Im one of the very few in my company who doesnt have a company car
 
I recall back when I was 23 I bought a brand new car and at the time, I thought - "Right I'll pay this off and then buy another new car".

Then actually I decided to keep the car and was running a daily cheap car anyway. The daily car was slowly upgraded and long story short I ended up with four cars. Three of which I have no intention of selling any time soon. My daily (E320) is perfectly suited for what I use it for and I still love it so it's staying.

As a petrolhead the only reason I would sell a car and change is for a car that offers me more than my current model. It's not based so much on age or mileage but whether I'm in a position to buy something that does what I want that much better.

I think for many people though, it's a case of they want a new number plate as that's a novel thing for many. Also, people think that a car is on it's last legs as soon as it has some miles on the clock and they want the latest model that's come out because, "It's so shiny!". :wall bash:

And....

I assume it's at least partly to do with the huge growth in personal contract hire - people automatically change car every 3(?) years when the hire period expires.

I suspect that is definitely a factor! Car gets to the end of it's PCP deal 2 or 3 years. Pay the balloon payment or just hand it back and get another one on a similar deal.
 
I'm not a petrol head, but rather fiercely sentimental when I've found a car I love. This is something which has (minimally) been a factor in me having to end my job of fourteen-plus years as I just can't do 120 miles and 3.5-4 hours' commute daily through a City with very limited entry roads.

My cars? Currently the little green meanie I've had as a joyful summer ride for four years (cheap driving pleasure, it's 18 years old, but a bit of a looker) and my winter car, a 2002 Honda CR-V that I've had since it was 18 months old. I love hem both and consider them classics of their types.

Before that, I bought from new a 1997 three-door RAV4 known as the 'rollerboot' as it was black with yellow swoops.

Before that it was a Toyota Starlet bought new, 1994? It was an N reg. I never liked it because I felt cheated. I had asked if the car would have a rear wiper and was told yes. It did not.

Before that a brand new Peugeot 106 diesel, the only diesel I've ever owned, that was L reg. It rusted and was under powered.

Before that, a 1979 Reliant Scimitar. Need I mention it was under-eingineered? A nightmare, but we kept it a long time..,

I'm so happy now with my Honda and my Merc! So well built!
 
What I find, If when a private buyer walks into dealer one might get 20 to 30 minute test drive , If you are a business they give you it for couple of days. for me I then find after having the car few weeks that it does not excite me for different reasons such as "X3 BMW was so hard on ride 50 mile trip was enough (I have done 700 mile in a day before) another one was the fuel consumption advertised as 45MPG in reality 28-30mpg, Then there was the brand new c class (2003) pulling to left and took the outer 1" edge off tyres in 9000 mile they said its fine they all do it.
 
The shortest time we've had a car was our last one (C220D Coupe) which we had for about 18-months. Prior to that, we've keep cars for several years before changing for something else.
 
The shortest time we've had a car was our last one (C220D Coupe) which we had for about 18-months. Prior to that, we've keep cars for several years before changing for something else.

Over last few years BMW was going by the time I got it the 20 mile home it lasted 3 month due entirely on holiday to pay for, then the E class estate 18 month (it got scratched in car park and was never the same again (silver)
The latest could be the shortest its been on road 1 week out of 4 and if it fails again it's on as spares/repair (A169 with the worst transmission ever (Auto)).
now the Outlander 3 I'v had 3 years as well as the £900 Citroen C2 runaround.
not sure how long the Outlander will survive but C2 ant going no-where (£30 year to tax and 60mpg around town, park it anywhere whats it matter if it gets scratched its 12 years old).
 
I can normally sense after a week of ownership whether I'm going to get on with the car, I've owned some for only a matter of weeks before getting rid, I knew on the drive home from buying the E70 X5 that it was a stinking pile of horse**** and got rid double quick, off the top of my head it was the worse vehicle I've ever owned. If I do like the car it's roughly about five or six month before I get bored and want to change though.

And I've never quite understood why people buy a car that they grow to dislike and yet then continue to own the thing, suffering through either laziness or stubbornness I suppose, either way if it's not floating my boat it's a gonna!
 

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