According to AutoMD, motorists put 50,000 more miles on their current vehicles than they did on their previous vehicles.
“Not only are consumers holding onto their vehicles for years longer but, more significantly, for miles longer, opting to repair and maintain rather than purchasing new,” said AutoMD President Shane Evangelist. “We estimate these car owners will be spending at least an additional $2,500 on repairs over the intended life of their vehicle.”
Almost half the survey respondents indicated their current vehicles have more than 100,000 miles, while 13 percent said they plan to drive their vehicles for 150,000 or more miles and 56 percent plan to keep driving until their vehicles die. At the same time, 44 percent indicated they’ve placed renewed importance on maintenance and repairs or they do the repairs themselves.
“Obviously, the economy is a big driver of that – people are trying to save money,” said AutoMD Vice President of Media and Marketing Services Brian Haser. “Look at how many cars are being sold every year. Compared to five to six years ago, that has gone down considerably. People know, ‘if I’m going to hang onto my car longer, obviously I’m going to have to do the basic things to keep it in shape, keep it maintained.’”
In addition to the desire to save money, the availability of vehicle maintenance information on the Internet has led to an increasing number of motorists choosing to work on their own vehicles. “That’s driving the market,” says Haser. “We’re seeing more and more users doing the do-it-yourself type of jobs today than compared to maybe 10 years ago.”
