A few weeks ago, my family and I headed to the Cape Girardeau area to visit family. Our second stop was to visit my grandparents, “Albert” and “Iris”.
As always, it was wonderful visiting with them, a visit that gave us an hour to look around the house before they arrived home from an errand. With their having been in the same house since 1961, it is chock full of memories. I even found an old newspaper from Wednesday, August 21, 1963, in an upstairs closet. Sugar was $0.99 for a ten-pound bag.
Several hours into our visit, the phone rang. It seems a cousin of mine had acquired some potatoes he was wanting to divest from his possession. Despite knowing one just doesn’t “find” 275 pounds of spuds, plus a bunch of watermelons, Grandpa and I fired up his trusty 1992 Ford F-150 to run the few miles into the small town of Scott City to fetch our fifty pounds worth.
He told me to drive, so this was the first time I had been in his pickup – let alone drive it – since sometime around 2000.
Last I drove it, this F-150 was just a late model pickup. With sixteen years having lapsed, it’s not as flawless as it had been. The power windows aren’t working, one of the fuel tanks has rusted away and been removed, and there is a mild tear in the seam of the drivers seat. All this has helped it cross the threshold from ordinary late model to endearingly wonderful, awe-inspiring old pickup. It even still has the original spark plugs and wires, but with only 70,000 miles on the odometer it isn’t terribly overdue.
Then it hit me – he bought this pickup in November 1992 and this is the longest anyone in my extended family has owned a vehicle (that has remained roadworthy for the duration). Pushing a quarter-century is no small amount of time.
So, my question: What is the longest amount of time you or anyone in your family has owned the same vehicle? And, of course, what was it?
17 years for my 1981 VW Scirocco, bought new and stolen in late 1998. Living in Vancouver corrosion wasn’t an issue, and my work and living locations meant there were only about 165 000 km on it when it disappeared. Still reliable and definitely well-loved, I sometimes wonder how much longer I might have kept it.
What an interesting QOTD!
Longest owned in the family: 1978 Datsun 810 sedan. ~24 Years. Bought new by my dad in late 1977, and donated around May, 2001. I had a hand in extending the ownership when I was unemployed and sans vehicle. I’ve drafted a COAL about this car. Probably the best highway car I drove.
Personally, 2001 Nissan XE Frontier 4×2 with 5 spd manual, regular cab. Bought new in Sept, 2000, and I still have it. Alternate this with my other car as a daily driver. Almost 281,000 miles. Only hassle is that it lunches transmissions if a U-Haul trailer is pulled: 5 pulls, 3 transmissions. So long as I keep it on a trailer-free regimen, it should be good for another 100K. I still drive it to NC (400 miles each way) without thinking about “what if”. As a home-owner, there’s always something to be hauled, so it is useful as a second vehicle or as a truck. (Picture from 2013, hauling a bed frame between Raleigh and Atlanta).
Second longest: 1982 Toyota SR-5 long bed 4×2, regular cab with 5 spd. Just over 14 years. Bought it used in August, 1984 while in grad school (thank you, Aunt Katherine), and essentially gave it away in Nov 1998 when I was out of time, luck and money. The 4 cyl R-20 engine was the only thing good in it, the rest of it was rusted away from living in snow country 13 of the 14 years I had it. Only drove it 100K total. I cried the day I watched it drive away for the last time.
My dad was known to hang onto cars: in addition to the Datsun, he had a 1997 Lexus that was a maintenance sinkhole and finally traded it in 2013 for a Honda Odyssey. He also had a 1968 Olds Cutlass Supreme which he neglected for 9 years before he got the Datsun. His dad got a MB W111 (I think) at a great price and kept it for 10 years.
Mom got a 1965 Dodge Dart 4 door in 1969 and kept it until my brother perfected his left turn technique into another car in late 1979. And I thought that car was nearly indestructible because it was the car my brother and I learned to drive. Her parents got a new car every 4-5 years.
For me, a Renault 19 1.4RN for 6 years.
My Mum kept a late 1980s VW Polo for around 11 years and a 2002 Seat Ibiza for 9 years.
I’ve had a Hillman Imp for 20 years
I’ve only had 2 cars and I’m 52. My first one was a 1988 base Honda Civic with a 4 speed stick, it came with no radio, no floor mats, no right side mirror, talk about your basic transportation. I bought it in early 1989 with 7000 miles and finally had to replace it in 2001 with 207k after i snapped the second timing belt. I donated it to the local Fire Dept who used the jaws of life on it, the result of that wasn’t pretty. That Civic was replaced with another, a 2001 Dx Civic with a 5 speed stick. 197k miles and a minor deer hit later and i should see 200k miles by Thanksgiving. People ask me when I’m getting rid off it. Why? There’s nothing major wrong with it. When that happens, it’ll be another Civic.
I bought a 1985 Honda Prelude new. My first goal was to own it for more time that it took to pay for it (4 years). My second goal was to own it for twice as long as it took to pay for it. The radiator leaked and I had it replaced. The replaced radiator leaked coolant at I melted the engine. It died in 1997 when it was 12 years old and had 208,000 miles. It was on the original clutch (it was due to be replaced) and the original shocks. Good car.
I guess I keep my cars longer than most.
’65 Mustang fastback, family bought new, took it over in 1979, still have it after 37 years. Daily driver in the early ’80s
’77 Mazda RX3SP, bought in 1993, so 23 years now. Daily driver until I bought a…
’96 Dodge Ram pickup, bought new, so 20 years now, drove it to work today.
’46 Jeep CJ2A, bought in ’98, never a daily driver, but have had it now 18 years.
I always bought used cars that I thought were special, but maybe not recognized as such at the time. Always waited for a specific year and version of whatever I liked the most, until one turned up. It made it very easy to keep them around when the DDs were done.
Lots of other Mazda RX3s and RX7s and a few other things along the way. I seemed to cycle through the Mazdas with much mixing and matching of engines and things as I went. Individual examples were kept a year or two up to occasionally five or ten years.
I owned my 1987 Cadillac Brougham for just about 6 years exactly. Based on my subsequent experiences with a 1977 Buick on almost the same chassis, I have the distinct feeling that if it had been a 1980 model, without the computer and electronic feedback carburetor, and also without the 10,000 feet of vacuum line and attendant issues, I would still be driving it now, at 13 years in. But it was not to be.
Stick with the ’75 Olds 98 Regency. That’s a much more fun car to own than an ’87 Caddy Brougham. Big, bad ’70s beasties motoring down the modern highway are so much more eye-catching.
It is indeed an attention-getter. I have no intention of getting rid of it. If I ever had the room and resources I would “collect them all!” from ’75–98, Electra Limited, DeVille, Fleetwood Brougham, Imperial Le Baron, and Continental Town Car.
I had my Nissan SE-V6 King Cab from 1988-2001 and 238,000. Then got the Trooper which is still rocking at 241,000 (although it’s been retired to vacation-mode only). My Saab is 12 years old with 50,000 on it. I guess technically the Trooper wins.
My ’66 New Yorker has been in the family since new in January of ’66, that makes 50 3/4 years!
I’ve had my ’91 MR2 Turbo for 22 years.
My current daily driver ’05 Legacy GT wagon I’ve had for a relatively short 9 years, but that makes it one of the longer-held daily driven ones.
My Dad just sold his ’94 Taurus wagon which he got in either ’95 or ’96, can’t remember, so he had it 20 or 21 years.
But, perhaps the biggest claim to fame might be nursing a ’73 Austin Marina through 15 years of actual on-the-road life from my Mom to me to my sister.
85 eldorado bought it in 89 as a theft recovery didn’t know the mileage at the time cause the cluster was stolen too. I pieced it back together and drove it 10 years and 135k miles as a daily driver, then I kept it as a backup car for another 10 years and being a nice guy that I am I lent it to my girlfriend after the engine in her intrepid sludge up.
She drove it for 2 weeks and totalled it when she was coming home tipsy from the bar one night and hit a 1.5 foot tall concrete wall on the edge of a small bridge on a country road. She still blames the long hood on the Eldorado for the crash.
50 years and counting. 61 morgan 4/4 bought initially in 64, sold , bought again [accidentally] 3 years later. George Sterne, the dealer, brought in 2 that year.”My car” had been abused and repainted in Olds “Starmist Blue”.- it had to be the other one, but it wasn’t. So it got restored and driven, on long trips out of Vancouver to California and Ontario, and also as a daily driver. Engines and things wore out and were replaced/up-graded.Last time it was the chassis-a.k.a.frame. Done! On the home stretch and a hit of viral pneumonia leaves me unable to even twist a wrench. Sh*t happens.Hopefully, the next owner will give A621 the respect it deserves. Cheers!
I’m not someone to keep a car forever. My longest ownership was of my ’92 Grand Cherokee. I had it a little over 7 years. I had just put tires on it, and other than the steering stabilizer going sour, it still drove fine and the 4.0 liter engine was noisy, but bulletproof. It had survived the peak “wall bouncing” of my dog Gus without too much damage inside, and never had to be towed anywhere. All of it’s problems, except for the stabilizer, were covered by some kind of extended warranty. The only real one was the condensor would crack every 18 months, always a couple of days before or right after we left on a trip. They had replaced at least 5 of them by the time we hit 80K miles and we decided to get a ’99 Grand Cherokee, the vehicle I hated most of all of anything I’ve ever had. In 18 months, it was gone, traded in on a 2000 GMC Sierra 1500 ext cab 4×4.
My cars:
1974 Roadrunner: 11/74 to 4/77
1977 Dodge Power Wagon 4/77 to 7/81. Worst thing I ever owned.
1979 Trans Am 7/81 to 11/86. The one I hopped up in a previous article.
1982 Chevy K5 Blazer 2/82 to 5/85 Most trouble free vehicle I’ve ever had.
1985 Caravan 5/85 to 6/88 Hated it’s lack of power, and baby Gus ate the interior up.
1988 Chevy S10 Blazer 4×4 6/88 to 9/92. Almost as good as the big Blazer, lived a long life at a friend’s house until late 2010 when it began leaking at the top of the windshield. Had almost 500k on original, untouched shortblock.
1993 Grand Cherokee. 9/92 to 10/98. I really liked it.
1999 Grand Cherokee. 10/98 to 4/2000. Hated hated hated it. Killed my back.
2000 GMC Sierra 1500 4/2000 to 1/2003. Never the same after wreck, so off it went.
2003 Dodge Ram 1500 Quad Cab 4×4. 1/2003 to 12/2007 I loved everything about it, except the gas mileage. Had to get rid of it when I got hurt and couldn’t enter it safely anymore. I miss it in the winter.
2008 Dodge Charger R/T 12/2007 to 11/2010. No complaints, just wanted a Challenger.
2010 Challenger R/T 10/2010 to present. It will probably become my longest owned vehicle as I plan on keeping it another couple of years when I will buy a 2017 or ’18 Scat Pack.
Mostly trucks are longest served, always bought used. 71 GMC 5 years, 72 Chev 6 years,78 Ford F-150 5 years, 84 Ford F-150 7 years given to my son in law and he drove it for 6 more years . Then a 96 Chev club cab 6 years and a 02 Silverado for 7 years. For the first time in 40 years no truck in driveway ? 06 Grand Cherokee and a utility trailer, how the mighty have fallen!!
Bought My 96 S-10 brand new. It now has 421,000 miles on it and gets driven almost 100 miles per day.
My current vehicle, a 1990 Taurus wagon I’ve owned for 21 years and drive daily. We still take it on trips from south Florida to Virginia and Massachusetts every so often. Great cruiser, great hauler too.
Prior to that, it was a 1965 Rambler Ambassador convertible I owned 18 years…bought used in 1977, sold when we moved from Massachusetts to Washington State in 1995. Put close to 160,000 miles on it, it had to go anyway. Rubber bushings in the front trunnions were all shot and NO ONE made replacement rubber for AMC/Rambler back then. Heck, no one even remembered trunnions! – everyone else had gone to ball joints. Trunnions were 1920s technology. Going over potholes jarred one’s teeth, it sounded like a jackhammer blow every time, what with the rubber half gone.
1979 Coupe de Ville…I bought it as a rough but solid car while dating my future wife. After purchase, it took a 2-day driveway thrash to get it roadworthy, including a brake job and swapping the transmission.
My 20th anniversary was this past March.
I drove a beat up POS 94 ford ranger with the 2.3 liter 4 and a 5 speed stick from 2002 until 2016. Slow as a slug but I just couldn’t kill the damn thing. Had 212000 miles when I sold it on.
We still have it. 1994 Daewoo Super Salon Brougham.