Be Cautious With Anything Older Than 12-15 Years Or 150,000 Miles. Now that we have the variables out of the way, it's time to dive deeper into what “problems” your car can run into as it ages and accumulates miles. The truth is, what ends up being a problem will depend on you.
Reliability fades with age
Five-year-old cars record what is considered a major problem every three years, while 10-year-old cars are more likely to face a problem every 18 to 20 months. Once a car is 20 years old, replacement parts will become harder to find and likely much more expensive.
Generally, vehicles are likely to start experiencing problems after the 100,000-mile mark. Also, in most cases, they no longer have a valid manufacturer's warranty, meaning you have to pay for repairs out of your own pocket when something goes wrong.
Better electronics help your car run more smoothly and precisely, which adds to a car's life expectancy. Some estimates for the average lifespan of a car come in lower. According to a report from Consumer Reports, the common lifespan of a car is still estimated to be about eight years or 150,000 miles.
As cars get older, things are more likely to go wrong. Added mileage and an unknown driving history can all make cars less reliable. They also may lack some of the more modern safety features that are now considered standard.
Vehicle safety has changed drastically over the years, and today newer cars are safer than ever before. Thanks to advanced engineering, in-depth research and analysis of crash data, newer vehicles are built better and have more safety features to protect you.
Average age of all vehicles registered in Australia was 10.1 years, unchanged since 2015. Tasmanian vehicles reported the oldest average age at 12.8 years, whilst the Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory had the youngest fleet with an average age of 9.4 years.
According to Consumer Reports, the average lifespan of today's cars is about eight years or 240,000 kilometres.
The average lifespan for a Toyota vehicle is 200,000-250,000 miles. With proper care and maintenance, some Toyota models can last as long as 500,000 miles.
The magic number that buyers look for on an odometer is 200,000kms. Once a car hits this number, it is significantly reduced in value. However, many vehicles around this number still have 5 good years of operation left in them.
Typically, a conventional vehicle lasts for 200,000 miles. The average automobile age in the United States has increased over the past several decades.
While it's a good idea to consider the age of a vehicle and the number on its odometer, it's more important to look at how well the owner maintained the car. A 10-year-old car with 100,000 miles may have received more TLC than a five-year-old model with 50,000 miles.
In retaining “like new” quality and inheriting a slower depreciation rate, the best used car age for buying is 2-3 years. In fact, Americans are saving up to $14,000 on a 3-year-old vehicle. For example, a car that may have cost you $30,000 when new would cost around $16,000 after just 3 years.
Average engine lifespan
For some time, the average lifespan of a car's engine was eight years, or 150,000 miles. New designs, better technology and improved service standards in recent years have increased this average life expectancy to about 200,000 miles, or about 10 years.
The simple answer is that Australians replace their car every five to seven years but the period of ownership generally depends on the age of the vehicle when purchased.
Again, if you're not looking to preserve the car then you should definitely get rid of it before the '15 year mark' and replace the outdated car with an all-new tech-loaded ride. Reaching towards the 15-year mark, a car loses almost all of its value and in most cases, the car sells at its scrap value.
When buying a used car that's 10-years-old or older, your primary concerns are purchase price and reliability. Don't pay more than that 10-year-old car is worth. And, pick a car with a solid reputation for dependability. No car is really too old if you follow those rules.
In 2020, Australians travelled a total of 238,499 million kilometres across all vehicle types. And the average vehicle in Australia travelled 12,100 km per year, or 33.2 km per day.
As Australians, we love our cars. Data from the 2021 Census notes that on average, there are 784 road vehicles for every 1000 people. Breaking that down further, as a national populace, we have an average of 2.05 vehicles per household.
Consumer Reports' annual Auto Reliability Survey shows the 2023 Corolla Cross crossover SUV is the most reliable Toyota car. For the most recent Auto Reliability Survey, CR collected owner surveys for more than 300,000 vehicles over the previous year.
With the average length of car ownership at about 8 years, car owners should be mindful of ways to improve their car's longevity. Using the above tips, you can extend your car's lifespan and enjoy it for more miles on the road.
Old cars don't have as many safety features, so you could say they're at a severe disadvantage. Even if you consider yourself a safe driver, you can't control what everyone else does on the roads so, given the choice, most people would prefer a new car over an old car.