this post was submitted on 31 May 2026
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Cars - For Car Enthusiasts
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The fantasy world of which I refer to is your suggestion that that is the only acceptable way.
As you mention, depreciation is a fact no matter how long you keep a vehicle. And I would agree with you that buying new, keeping for a relatively short time, selling it, rinse and repeat is generally a poor financial choice.
But deprecation has a yearly cost even if you drive it to the wheels fall off, and depending on the model it may be cheaper per year to sell it and upgrade before that. Factor in safety and efficiency improvements and the smartest choice is a lot more complicated.
For the record, I haven’t bought new in decades, but generally follow the buy a vehicle approx. three years old and keep it at least six. Seems to be the sweet spot for me.
I miss the 90's. I'd buy a car for a few hundred cash, drive it until a repair cost what I paid sell it for scrape and buy another one for a few hundred. I had a few that ended up lasting years.