Yaris life expectancy

[birdman]

Occasionally I'll see an ancient Tercel go by and I wonder how long the much more complex modern Yaris will last if well cared for? Any guesses?

[Yaris Hilton]

Long time.

[STC]

How many years? Or how many miles? After watching this vid, one can say... a very very long time! :eyebulge:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnTlNLz9Iqc

[tomato]

A long time. You might get tired of the Yaris before she quits :smile:

[djct_watt]

In modern times, many cars make it to the scrapyard because they have more value as scrap than as a car. . . but it doesn't mean that they don't run. I mean, would you really buy a 1981 Toyota, even if it ran? What would you pay for it? $50? You'd get more for scrapping it. Being that you can get fairly new vehicles for very little money, it doesn't happen often in the USA.

Odds are, you WILL either crash and total it or get bored of it before it quits. There's an old Honda Accord that has been documented hitting a million miles and it still lives on. http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=543
And here's a Civic http://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/01/craigslist-find-of-the-decade-930-000-mile-95-honda-civic/ Other than the novelty factor (which is high in these cases), these cars are worthless. You'd be ludicrous to spend any money on them unless you intended to scrap it or part it out.

But in countries like Thailand, a 1991 base Civic will still go for $USD 6,000. Plenty of old cars on the used market here.

[birdman]

WOW!!!!!

[tomato]

Hmm.. yeah, I know what you mean.
Well the exterior is fragile, you can see that, I think.
I would expect the mechanics to last longer than the body . .02

[djct_watt]

I've run my Lexus over 300,000 miles and it had no issues. The thing that got me to get rid of it was that the power seat adjustment was broken and kept moving.

The "designed to fail" thing sounds like something somebody made up to cover their bad driving habits and/or a dealer's sales pitch. I see PLENTY of 1980's and even 1970's Toyotas and Hondas here running perfectly.

Furthermore, keep in mind that manufacturers have to manufacture the spare parts too, and they only do so for a reasonable amount of time. After awhile, it will be near impossible to source such simple things as radiators, belts, filters, gaskets, bearings, etc. . . (like 20+ years)

[YAR1S]

Comforts will fail before the engine and body I would presume.

[RedStickHam]

Occasionally I'll see an ancient Tercel go by and I wonder how long the much more complex modern Yaris will last if well cared for? Any guesses?

My wife drove a 1991 Tercel until 2001 and it was a great car. The only problems she had were brakes had to be replaced frequently, which is something she claims Toyotas were known for. At around 100,000 miles, the radiator rusted out and had to be replaced. It also had rust on other parts of the body, but the car was driven in New York where they put salt on the roads. The only reason she didn't bring it with her when she moved to Louisiana was it had no A/C, something you can't live without down here.

I still see a few Tercels of that vintage on the road around here. I have a friend who has one who got into an accident with it and it was totalled, but he found someone who would fix it for him and he continued driving it, then he totalled it again and had it fixed again! I don't think that was a smart decision on his part, but to each their own I guess.

I once had a 1996 Ford Escort LX that ran pretty well. Other than a new set of tires, oil changes, having the brakes replaced once(too much stop and go driving), and the battery failing at 5 years, it was a good car.

However, the last year I had it, it started giving me problems. When it was around 8 years old, the defroster switch broke and it threw it's timing belt at around 70,000 miles. About a month later, the check engine light came on, but the car was still running fine.

I never found out the problem because I traded the car in on a Hyundai Accent, which also was a good running car, only needing new tires, brakes, and a battery during the 5 years I owned it, but it got totalled in a rear end collision 3 months after I paid it off early, which is how I ended up with the Yaris.

RedStickHam

[Zaphod]

In modern times, many cars make it to the scrapyard because they have more value as scrap than as a car. . . but it doesn't mean that they don't run. I mean, would you really buy a 1981 Toyota, even if it ran? What would you pay for it? $50? You'd get more for scrapping it. Being that you can get fairly new vehicles for very little money, it doesn't happen often in the USA.
Depends on how well it runs and how well it's maintained, you see 80s cars all the time on CL here that generally sell for between 1 to 2 grand.

Anything less than that and it's generally mechanics looking to trade or sell project vehicles.

Depends on the car too, an old CJ (44-86) that's been restored with SoA lift for off road typically won't sell for less than 4000. Aesthetics counts for something too.

Heck even the oldest model TJs (97) maintain their value fairly well as they're still easy to maintain and much easier to customize for lift than their leaf sprung predecessors.

[djct_watt]

Depends on how well it runs and how well it's maintained, you see 80s cars all the time on CL here that generally sell for between 1 to 2 grand.

Anything less than that and it's generally mechanics looking to trade or sell project vehicles.

Depends on the car too, an old CJ (44-86) that's been restored with SoA lift for off road typically won't sell for less than 4000. Aesthetics counts for something too.

Heck even the oldest model TJs (97) maintain their value fairly well as they're still easy to maintain and much easier to customize for lift than their leaf sprung predecessors.

I don't know what a CJ is or a TJ is. . . but if you're talking about collectible or vintage cars (something as old as 1944 would fit in that category, especially if restored), that's something else completely. The value doesn't come from the car, it comes from it's vintage or how rare it is. IE, an AE86, if it weren't for drift tuners and tofu delivery cartoons, would be absolutely worthless. Unless it's showroom condition, there's no way anybody would pay over $1000 for a used 400,000mile Dodge Shadow. . . or a Neon. . . or a Paseo. . . the VAST majority would be junked. You can't use rare exceptional cases to say that all cars will hold value on a second hand market.

And keep in mind, the 50 or so cars you may say on craigslist, represent but a fraction of a fraction of a percent of the total cars sold during the era. The numbers are insignificant.

[Zaphod]

They're just different model Jeeps, and I was speaking of the 80's model CJs and the value they hold today.

I've seen many a 150,000-250,000 80s corollas go for sale in the 1,000-2,000 range. But it's like I said, it depends on the shape the car is in ... so if one cares about that, they only need to worry about maintenance and rust.

The off-roading and commuter markets are just two examples though. A person I work with is going to sell his 84 Monte Carlo for no less than 3,000.

[djct_watt]

Yes. . . ok. One example. So all the cars that were around in the 70's and 80's; millions of them. . . where are they now? On a used lot? Most of them are scrapped. Again 1 off examples do not dictate the trend. I'm sure there are people who sell their old cars for decent money and I'm sure there are buyers out there who are pure suckers. That is and will always be the case.

[Zaphod]

Yes. . . ok. One example. So all the cars that were around in the 70's and 80's; millions of them. . . where are they now? On a used lot? Most of them are scrapped. Again 1 off examples do not dictate the trend. I'm sure there are people who sell their old cars for decent money and I'm sure there are buyers out there who are pure suckers. That is and will always be the case.
I'm not arguing against that, most people don't take care of their cars. I just said it depends on the car and how well you take care of it.


Why is someone who buys an older car, pays less yearly for personal property tax, liability only insurance and drives it for years a sucker?

When I got out of school, I did exactly that, bought a 76 Impala and drove hard it for 5 years. The only thing that went out on that car was the master cylinder which I replaced myself. And brake pads, when they needed it, oil changes etc ... Course you have to know how to shop for used cars, but that goes without saying.

It's not an isolated incident, us poor folks have been doing it for years :wink:

I remember last time someone gave me trouble for replacing the clutch in the jeep when it went out. Said I was dumping money into a car that wasn't worth it. I was like really? How much do you have to pay a month for your car payments? Really? Cause this was my first big expense on the car for 10 years. How much do you pay yearly for your personal property tax? Wow ... mine is a fraction of that. How much do you pay for insurance? Wow, full coverage must have really gone up. :biggrin:

Financially, it isn't even close, not even a little bit if you know what you're doing.

[djct_watt]

I'll concede that I can't argue with that, and that I did not intend to call you a sucker. If you find a pristine condition older car, and get it for a reasonable price, then you're a damn genius.

But yes, you represent an extremely rare case. I would venture to say that it's less dependent on the car and more dependent on if you are lucky enough to find those cars. To find a useable car from the late 70's or early 80's in today's time is no easy feat.

[bkrownd]

To find a useable car from the late 70's or early 80's in today's time is no easy feat.

Rust.

Pickup trucks and vans from that period are dime-a-dozen, though. Always easy to pop another motor in those.

Yaris should last at least 25 years with care. My FX is nearing 24 years and the original owner let it rust a lot.

[nemelek]

At 10-12K a year I plan to keep the car for 20-25 years.

[birdman]

How long would it be before the power windows start breaking down?