Pretty long except for when they get totaled or catch on fire. I’ve had one car for 10 yrs. but, the other two will now be new or only a year old, since my other car caught on fire. The cars I’ve been buying have been increasing in price over the years which makes me less likely to continue to keep them out of warranty. But, 4-5 yrs on avg going forward.

A lot of people here are saying they are long term planners but in the same breath say they swap out every 3 years.
Long term implies at the least is a financial decision to keep at around 7 or more years of ownership.

Come on people, you are _no_ longer long term planners. You may want to be, or used to be, but not any longer.

I’m a true long term planner at this moment. Both daily family cars and sports cars.

I was a long term planner early in my driving life, then went the swap route. Then back to planner about 13 years ago.

I went the planner route again because cars are holding up so much better now, and at the same car class levels quality and luxury are way up. The next reason is because the sports car is practically dead.

With the only sporty cars that interest me going for > $120k and even then if you find something for less your looking at automatics or a bucket of gremlins.

Looking back I should not have sold my S2000. In fact I should not have sold my Mazdaspeed3. Both these cars ran great. I had them for a loooong time (7+ years). The money I got for the MS3 was pathetic. Should’ve kept it.

I thought that sports cars would just keep coming out, and continue to get better.

Nope.

The good ones already came out. The new ones are FAT, autos, look boring, and offer no actual excitement.

I want the full package. I want to look at the car, and smile that it’s awesome. I want to drive the car, turn and shift and think that damn, that’s awesome. I want to put the power down OR take a turn and have mid corner speeds put giggles all over my Instagram page (Instagram part a joke but I’m serious about the rest).

You see modern cars today, and they only do one of those things. Then people smile and say “See! Look! That one part was awesome! Sports cars are still here!” Please...

I went and bought a new Type-R. I will keep this car forever. I was looking for another S2000, I’m sure there will still be another.

You know what catches my eye? Old FDs (RX7s), Supras (but i wouldn’t own one), older manual vtec Civic or RSXs, older manual 911s, S2000s, older NSXs. Early inline BMWs even.

The only exception is the Miata. They stay true and I’d get one new. It drives fantastic. In another 3-4 years you will no longer be able to find a decent S2000 that will be priced within reason. Even now the price is high enough that you have to find near exceptional ones else pay to get body fixed from rust spots. I’ve seen really bad cases. We could be seeing 30-40K if less than 50k miles. I wouldn’t be surprised if the prices jump to 50k for regular S2Ks. CRs are already up there at $60k+. It’s this reason why I know we’ll see more owners go for the Miata when they want to come back but can’t because they don’t want to break the bank.

The Type-r may not be here long. Many skip it because they feel it differs from the type of drive that the S2K offers. True it’s not N/A, and is FWD, but the car is all smiles. The exterior grows on you.

The new 911T and the older GT4 are the only cars I’d consider from Porsche. Everything else has sky rocketed in price to the point that it’s not worth it. Older 911s are priced so high ... only if you can find one within budget (including repairs).

The gt350 was on my list but I’ve started to see scary bad things happen. I don’t count the new Mustang and Camaro. One is actually too heavy and is still only one smile factor (power). The other could be, but feels too big, poor visibility, and generally doesn’t look like it will last long (paint, panels, bushings).

Part of being a long term-er is knowing how well the car will hold up.

There are other older models of cars I’d list but I’ll keep them secret so as to not see them increase in price. :-)

I 7+ years is not a looonngg time as you say. Especially considering the average age is 10+.

There was a period of 3-4 years right out of college that I changed vehicles annually, but they were $10-12k vehicles so I lost very little. I’m going on 7 years for my Wrangler. I really enjoy it, but might replace it with a new Raptor or Gladiator. Good thing all those vehicles hold their values well. I did just sell my S2000 after only 9 months. I was thinking nostalgia would be enough, but it was just too damn slow (flame suit on). I don’t have the time to mod vehicles, nor is the return great enough.

OP - ignore social media. Most of the people on there are badly in debt and/or love making $1,000 monthly car payments. Most people I know with real wealth drive pretty mundane, old vehicles (think Camry). You lose your a$$ constantly changing vehicles. Continue with what you have if you enjoy it. There will always be something newer, better, faster, etc.