[supertinu]

I am part of the popular opinion of keeping my car till 10 yrs. Given my running is not higher than 10K km annually they never wear out mechanically. I kept my Ikon for close to 11yrs before buying XUV in 2015. My wife's Ford FIgo from 2012 is in mint condition and would easily last another 5 unless we chose to replace.

[gpadki]

I still drive around my 2006 Fiesta petrol. It's awesome in the city as well as on highways. The only drawback is it does not have airbags. I had plans to upgrade, but due to covid situation i have put off the plan for at least 2 years.

[sridharj77]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Much of this is due to you GTO.

Your other thread about 5 year old cars and whether to keep upgrade or swap is also an inspiration. And the beauty of lateral upgrades.

I agree completely. I was in the serious process of replacing my current cars when I looked at some of GTO's threads on owning cars for a longer time as well as the thread you mentioned. I then decided to age my cars well - my daily driver is a 2006 Santro Petrol that still works effortlessly and planning to hold on as long as possible.

[Ranjith812]

Voted for 10+ years!!
It's all depends on the cars we use.
My first car was 2004 model Zen, used it for 12 years and upgraded to Toyota Etios Petrol 2016.
Etios been an absolutely trouble free vehicle so far, no need of upgrade in near future. Wil try to keep it for long time.
It's always cheaper to repair a car than to replace it.!!

[punto_]

Voted for 10 years, my Punto is 9.5 years old, I'll definitely hold on to it this year. I'll probably plan a replacement next year.
So far my Punto is working well, other than a couple of rattles everything else is good. Waiting for Altroz with turbo petrol, let's see how that pans out!

[SibiGeorge]

If I get sentiments attached to the car, like memorable trips and the feel of the car, I will keep it for more than 10 years.

My current car Chevrolet Optra, currently 15 years old (bought it as seconds) is fun to drive and I really love the ride quality in that car. I will try to keep it until it breaks down completely. I am learning a lot on car internals whenever my Chevy breaks down. I try to do few repairs myself or a local mechanic. Though, as the age of the car increases, it becomes a non-dependable car. I have a spare car(my trusty Ford Ecosport) & my bike to always use whenever this one breaks down.

[shaheenazk]

My Indica LEI 2000 was manufactured in June 2000. I bought it in Feb 2001. Its a petrol powered car. I still enjoy it because of its excellent pickup. It has a 1405 cc engine which is a rarity these days. It has served me well all these years and there have been only minor repairs/replacements. I got the RC extended in 2016 and is due for another extension in 2021 which I intend to do by all means.

[COMMUTER]

My Figo 1.5D had crossed 93,000kms in four years. My car has 5 pairs of horns and two pairs of aux lights. I haven't done adding parts to it yet and I have a Led array being mounted as I type. I have mercifully had a relatively smooth run till date. I have planned to drive on in the current format for few lakh kms.

After that, I am planning to do a 5.0L Coyote+T56 swap with the car looking as stock as possible and keep driving it.

I don't expect any car to be launched at a proper price/performance ratio in our country in future. All the cars will be tax bloated jalopies.

[sridharj77]

Voted 10+

However, the cars made before 2008 vs today have much better engines, interiors and overall driving experience that I wish I could own one now and keep it for 10 years. But I guess it is a continuously moving goal post.

I have a 2006 Santro petrol that is still going strong, except for 8 kmpl mileage in the city - thinking of getting it "upgraded" with some better seats, audio and a digital dash. But genuine shops seem be very low in Hyderabad - have some not-so-great estimates with some "famous" shops in Hyderabad :(

The other problem is the engine seems strained above 80-90 kmph - I don't find it comfortable to drive it beyond an hour.

I bought a pre-owned 2015 Wagon R automatic for my wife at the start of the year. Good car for the city - have not taken it out to the highway due to the Covid thing.

[libranof1987]

I currently have the EcoSport and Tiago in my garage. Both are ATs, top-end and among the safer cars in our market so I don't have a compelling reason to sell either.

So, I'll keep them as long as they're reliable or maybe until they're 7-8 years.

Reasons that make this decision easier:

1) Both being AT and top-end (6 and 2 Airbags respectively), comfort and safety are taken care of
2) In the non-premium / 5-seater segment, there's no significantly better car than the EcoSport

[RaghavEvoX]

Voted 10+ because that is the plan now for my current car.

But I am surprised to see the polling results. As a group of car enthusiasts, I thought most will have the habit of frequently updating the cars. BHPians willing to keep their cars more than 10+ years is a pleasant surprise and shows how much they value their possessions.

I had my previous car for 5 years, an used Ford ikon. Currently driving a 3 year old Verna and planning to keep it for at least another 7 years. That was my initial plan when I bought the car also as I had taken a 10 year loan. I know many will be to hear that.

I think buying a new car or an used car maintained like new makes more sense if we keep the car for long term and maintain accordingly.

[TheVegabond]

My grand i10 will turn 5 soon and I have done 93k kms. Have always got it serviced on time and from authorised Hyundai service centre. The tyres were changed at 63k kms and so is the clutch plate. It's still runs smooth and is a pleasure for city commute. One thing with Hyundai is that the cars come packed with features. So even though it is 5 years old it still has all the goodies for its segment. The only time I feel wanting for more is when I take it to the hills (my hometown is in Uttarakhand) because of the lack of low end punch and ground clearance. In recent time my trips to my hometown have increased and that's the only reason I will upgrade to some sort of SUV sooner rather than later.
So the mantra is buy the right car and hold on to it for as long as you can.

[karavadi143]

Voted for 10+

As rightly mentioned, most of the new generation cars have upgraded internals that help go strong for a duration of 10-15 years and it is value for money to keep them for long. The swift I own, is around 9 year old and still has just over 60k kms on it. Have recently completed a full service and paint job, updated rubber to make it feel new.

[Pferdestarke]

Voted for 10 years and above

Our garage consists of 3 cars:

1. 2013 Rapid 1.6 TDI: 7 years and growing strong. Clocked 1.2 lakh kms and planning to keep it for another 3 years or even longer if the drivetrain holds good.

2. 2015 Alto 800: 5 years and clocked 60k kms. We use this as a beater car and it'll be with us for another 5 years for sure.

3. 2019 Abarth Punto 1.4 T-Jet: My weekend fun ride and this guy will be with me for eternity!

[bj96]

All my vehicles are/were sticky. Oldest being my Bullet Electra (early 2006 model). It is 50-year anniversary edition of Royal Enfield in India. Will have to renew its registration shortly. Next oldest was WagonR Type-1. Bought it new in early 2002 and sold it in 2016. Safari stayed with with us for around 10 years before exchanging it for X3 earlier this year. Brio is already 7 years.

I keep all my vehicles immaculately maintained, like a family, with lots of DIY efforts and tinkering. My teenage daughter didn't speak with us for 2-3 days after she came to know we exchanged Safari for X3. She and her brother, 5 years younger, have many childhood memories of cross country rides. Touchwood, the love and care is reciprocal. None of my vehicles had a major issue on the road or ever stranded us. I don't attach too much importance to economics. Cars and bikes are matter of heart and emotion for me.

-Cheers,
-BJ