Attempting to predict future values of vehicles is nearly impossible. I've tried for years. Sometimes I was right, sometimes wrong. The best advice I've heard is to buy what you like and enjoy it.



I could be proven wrong, but it appears that there are growing numbers of people who do NOT want, or will not buy, new cars & trucks. (Most of the folks that have expressed this idea to me are car buffs.) I suspect there are several reasons for this:


1. Purchase price for new vehicles. Some folks are priced out of the market. I live in a low income area. Many people are struggling to afford transportation. Other people, particularly retired folks, have the money to buy a new vehicle but are unwilling to pay the high prices!!

2. Growing numbers of people do NOT fit in new vehicles! People are growing larger while vehicles are shrinking. Large and / or tall people can not fit in many of the cramped cars being built today! I've sat in quite a few newer vehicles and frequently my head hits the roof!! I'm not exceptionally tall, but many of these newer cars are designed for people 5' 10" or shorter!

3. Technology in new cars will become obsolete at some point. Will service and parts still be available? This can be a real issue for folks who keep their vehicles for decades.

4. Some folks are skeptical of electrical vehicles. For instance, if the vehicle's battery is damaged in an accident, the car will catch on fire. How long will the battery last? What will the replacement battery cost? Where to charger it? Etc.

5. Concerns regarding the inability to maintain or repair the vehicle themselves. The other concern is the cost of paying a commercial garage to repair the vehicle. I have a great mechanic / commercial garage that has been taking care of my vehicles for over 20 years. Over that time, his labor rate has doubled! Every other garage in the area is charging similar rates, so it's not just him!

6. It may just be that I'm growing old, but most of the new vehicles are just plain UGLY!!! I wouldn't want to drive many of them!


Around here, the prices people are asking for high mileage, 15 year old vehicles is just unbelievable! This is a rural area, so many people require transportation. Being able to afford it is becoming more difficult though. Like someone previously mentioned, vehicles are being repaired that would NOT have been repaired a couple of years ago. I'm driving a 20 year old truck. It's been in the family for 18 years. I had planned to junk it this year due to rust. I looked up the value and discovered it has gone up in value 50% in the last 2 years!!! Guess I'm going to fix it now! (assuming the parts are available!)