Long term owners..

[Jasandjules]

Had my first TVR Chimaera for about 9 years, and the current one for 12... Had a Passat estate for 10 years too.

[Muddle238]

Ben_P1 said:

Yes, Impreza P1 owned 12+ years. Number 67/1000 with only 39k miles on the clock.

It's rarely driven and more of a garage queen now but I have no urges to sell it and I doubt there are many left with so few miles.

You don't happen to have a private reg on it do you?

[framerateuk]

I had my Megane 250 Cup for 6 years, despite it being hit on a roundabout in year 3 and having a fairly big repair. I loved that car. Ended up swapping it in the end as I had a few leaks which were possibly related to the repairs, but I just didn't have as much confidence as I did before.

I've had my Caterham for 6 years this year too. No intention of getting rid of it anytime soon.

[Blayney]

Not quite. We've had the mini for 10 years in October.

It's only a 998 but it makes you smile.

Was £1200 back then. Prices on them now are all over the place.

[Gibbyo]

Muddle238 said:

You don't happen to have a private reg on it do you?

At this rate you wont get a reply until middle of 2023(ish)

[South tdf]

In my parents road quite a few residents have lived there much longer than I have been alive.

Ones I know of that have kept their cars a few years are

C reg Maestro HL
H reg BMW 318iS
R reg Boxster

[tighnamara]

Last BMW 14 years
Other half’s Cooper S currently 15 years
Current BMW 4 years

[HiAsAKite]

Parents have an immaculate Volvo 240 owned since new in'87 ...so 31 years.

I've had my Chimaera 10 years and counting so far...

[TonyF55]

Roger Irrelevant said:

Our Yaris is a relative nipper at almost 10 years old, but we've done over 130k in that time which is more than most. No intention of getting rid unless it throws a huge bill, it just works as it should day in day out.

Just bought my son a 10 year old Yaris on 90k miles, I was sold on it as every switch/button/sensor works perfectly, hoping it will give us a few years of trouble free motoring.

[Levin]

I'm nowhere near the 10-year mark with either of my cars, but I have the V888 document for my 1991 Sierra that shows its second owner, its only true long-term owner, kept the car from 1992 until 2009. I interpret that as he loved the thing. I'm very tempted to pop a letter in the post to the previously registered address; I'd love to connect with a former keeper to uncover some of the car's history, and just because it'd be a nice story to have.

[tannhauser]

We tend to keep our cars ages in our family, and "recycle" them amongst ourselves!

A few examples:

1989 Corolla - 1997-2009. Made it to over 220k but the rust killed it!
1991 Micra - 1997-2009
1998 Rover 600 - from 1999 to now - 19 years and still going strong! Nigh on 200k, but only just run in!
1987 BMW e28 - Uncle had it from 1991 to 2000. I had it from 2000-2012! Sold it on as it needed too much TLC - it's still on the road.
1997 BMW e36 - Uncle from maybe 2009-2012, me from 2012 to present
1998 BMW e36 - from 2003 to present!
2002 BMW e46 - from 2008 to now
2004 Polo - from 2008 to now

Most are bought relatively new (well, to us!) and kept until they fail! Who needs PCP?!

Ultimately - if you like a car and it runs well - why change?!

Edited by tannhauser on Tuesday 19th June 22:36

[CRA1G]

I've had my BMW 840 sport for about 10 years and my number plate for the best part of 30 years and i can't see me parting with either......

[InitialDave]

I've had a couple of my cars for 15+ years, but my dad's got me solidly beaten. He's had his Wolseley for 30 years, I think he's had his Austin longer than that, but the old Thwaites dumper (3-wheeler powered by a single-cylinder Petters diesel) he has as a bit of a toy, he bought that sometime in the early 70s for twenty quid (which he borrowed from his dad and never got round to paying back).

[gruffgriff]

Shouldn't boast I kept my '87 Astra Sri for ten + years....the darling wife's '99 1.8 306 that overlapped, being so sublimely superior, sealed the Astra's fate....and we still have the 306, on 145k....I've done pads and discs 3 times (cheap factor parts but giving lovely feel), 2 cooling fans, both at same time, 1 clutch, clutch cable, cam belts, that lower fuel filler pipe that always goes...aircon AWOL within a year of ownership...and looking for 150k on factory shocks. Lovely car, lacquer starting to peel, interior trim becoming baggy and 19yrs of car park dings but sails through mot. Still got all it's old school 16v zing too. And haven't changed oil in 60k as it's still golden.....on the stick...
110k over 11 years in tdci powerhouse Mondeo mk3 estate....bought at 3 yrs, can't fault vfm reliability; owes nothing but keeps providing...light bulbs, bonnet catch, boot latch, oh and dmf and clutch but peanuts across ownership.....
and 18 months into RX8.....let's see how that goes.....I really hope at 26k if I keep an eye on the rust it'll serve for many years...

[B'stard Child]

Lotus Carlton - 18 years
Opel Monza/Commodore - 19 years
BMW 740 - 13 years
Merc SLK - 6 years (no plans to change it)

Bikes I change more frequently - actually change is the wrong word - add too is closer

[Ben_P1]

Muddle238 said:

You don't happen to have a private reg on it do you?

Actually it does, good guess.

[NDA]

kieranblenk said:

Has anybody on here kept a car longer than say, 10 years and what was it about that car that earned it that right to stay in your ownership for so long?

I bought my Range Rover new 13 years ago on the recommendation of a friend who suggested I'd like it. He was right.

It's now worth about the same money as a kebab, but it still drives well and would be costly to replace.

Apart from that, it's actually become something I'm rather fond of. Both of my parents are now dead - but they've been ferried about it (when they were living!), my kids were very little when I bought it.... so I have actually become a bit attached to it.

[Hammerhead]

Longest I've owned a car is 3.5 years/motorbike 4.5 years, shortest 12 months - I've been too much of an automotive tart over the years Mrs Hammerhead however, has owned her MX-5 for just over 8 years having bought it new. She's in no hurry to change as she loves it so much, but does have a line of keen prospective buyers (my brother and some other close friends) who keep asking to buy if off of her It'd be a hard car to replace having been so much fun and been totally reliable. It really does feel part of the family

[endo]

csd19 said:

Love your profile pic of your GT-R in the snow, always liked the R32 with the slim pillars, and a "just right" look to it

Cheers, It's one of my fav pics , i remember that day some guy in a Defender stopped down a country lane thinking I was stranded, pretty confused look at the car when I said I was okay, and i'd purposely taken the scenic route to work just for snow photos.

Crazy to think that 9 years ago, time flies!

[storminnorman]

gruffgriff said:

..and we still have the 306, on 145k....I've done pads and discs 3 times (cheap factor parts but giving lovely feel), 2 cooling fans, both at same time, 1 clutch, clutch cable, cam belts, that lower fuel filler pipe that always goes...aircon AWOL within a year of ownership...and looking for 150k on factory shocks. .

You're either lucky or your local roads are like billiard tables; I couldn't go more than a year without changing shocks or some other suspension part on my 306.
Gave up at 175k, was a good car though