Nice input all.

I fall on the side of chronic car-swappers, and admit to being one at heart.

Here's the thing: Completely unique in conrast to other industries (with a slight nod to the cel-phone biz) - the modern car business is a monster that evolves at a blinding pace, and really stands as a beacon of what capitalism can offer the common man when competition is at a boiling-point. Just look at what was the standard some 7 years ago. In virtually every segment, what passed as impressive performance in the late 90s is now competely ho-hum. The same can be said for styling.

So whilst there's nothing wrong with sticking with that same ol' car for years on end, there's the very real sensation that one is missing out on the latest technological masterpieces our modern economy has to offer.

We BS for hours on end on these forums about the definition of luxury. Sometimes we forget that the newness of a car is a value-added luxury in and of itself, because of the leaps and bounds that are made every single time a car is redesigned.

Just look at the previous Honda Civic vs the current Honda Civic. The difference is astonishing, and the level of safety and creature comforts within grasp of modest incomes is impressive compared to equipment levels of ten years ago. Sure, you can hang on to that old Civic until the next ice age, but for a very modest fee you can be the recipient of the absolute best modern engineering has to offer.

To take things a step further - I consider the newness of a car to be an overriding "luxury factor" that easily trumps the best that preceeding generations of cars have to offer. So much so that, if push came to shove, I'd easily choose a new Honda over a CPO German car. There's just so many engineering triumphs baked into every succesive generation I'd feel a fool to miss out.

Another thing - the nature of the beast begs and pleads with us to buy new, and that's where the best innovation/value tradeoff is.

There's always exceptions to this - especially when cars are so popular that they only sell at sticker. But when you buy a freshly redesigned car you're the benefactor of somebody else's red ink.

I disagree with the sentiment of, "they don't make them like the used to." Thank God they don't make 'em like they used to, because cars are made far better than they've ever been before, and offer amazing accomodations at relatively low price points.

Think about it this way. On paper only - the kind of accomodations you get out of a new Camry: NVH, Passenger Space, Economy, Horsepower, Standard and Optional Equipment - easily reads like a luxury car of of the mid-90s. That's the benefit of an brutally competitive and efficient industry, and one you're missing out on if you don't buy new or near-new at some point.

There's nothing wrong with driving a car until the wheels fall off, but at some point you're a fool to be missing everything that can be had at very low price-points.

Yes, perhaps changing cars regularly would bring you the benefits of modern technology, but I feel changing cars every 1 or 2 years, maybe even 5, might not reap the intended benefits to justify getting a new car. Keeping for about 10 would be just about right. And if it's something rare, then keeping it for life would be a viable option, living with all the inefficiencies (compared to modern cars) and old tech.

Yeah, I was playing devil's advocate a bit before. I guess I was that cynical in part because it takes one to know one - I am always on the lookout for the latest and greatest cars! However, it's something I don't like.. I want to be able to tell myself that good enough is good enough.

So, I also think that the latest Japanese or Korean cars are likely better than somewhat older German or European cars (if you want to play to that sort of stereotyping). I just like the idea of new things, that are clean, neat and problem free. On the other hand, you cop the worst of depreciation. A near-new car is probably a realistic choice for 'normal' income levels and for those who view a car as a convenience and not as a part of their identity.

I reckon 5 years is enough to trade from near-new to near-new car, examining wisely what car you're actually buying of course. That way you're keeping up with modernity but not being on the bleeding edge.

Snake, I'm "Mr. One Extreme or Another."

At the moment I'm thinking about a lease on an '07 3er - burning money for the sheer thrill of owning a great car that I'm not obligated to - OR perhaps a loaded Honda Civic that I could drive for the next 10-15 years - something so durable and value-priced that I could easily save all my acorns for the coming apocalypse.

I'm open to the idea of a 2er also. It might be "enough BMW" to prevent me from blowing way more dough than I should - I'm just afraid it may be too late for me by the time the thing hits the streets.

There's also the factor of enhanced sticker strength when you want the latest and greatest. Just as much as the new Civic is a great car, demand has been so strong you'd have a very hard time finding a bargin at your Honda dealer. So, much as I absolutely love a car when it's fresh out the gates, I really dislike the notion of paying full price when you could just wait a year and haggle yourway into a decent value.

Osna makes a very interesting point in bringing up technology. I personally don't look for the latest and most advanced tech applications on cars, they're not on my values list(key in decision making for all, this must not be ignored), though I find them intriguing. I look to technologies that increase performance capabilities, technologies that are normally std. fare. At the end of the day, we all buy cars to get us from point A to point B, how we get between those two ponits, well, that's where our value system comes in.

As far as how long I believe a car should be kept? 6 yrs. minimum, this frame of time allows you to keep up until a referesh of a next generation model, or to just stay "current" in the general sense. Maximum is ten years, the tenth year is somewhat past the critical period in the running of the car and anyones guess as to what might happen as far as reliability.