Where I live it's quite the norm to see new cars parading up and down the street as the income level here is quite high, probably one of the highest of any places in the country(fact that it's in the top 60). I've always thought that cars were meant to be kept and ran for a lifetime, but as soon as something new comes out it seems like everyone snatches up the latest and greatest. What's troubling so many to keep a car for more than four years? Income inelasticity. Just the same I think it's sad to see cars come and go like undergarments going through the dirty clothes into the washer and out.

Let's face it - A car says more about you in LA than is does any other place on earth. It's not uncommon for commuters to spend an excess of 2 hours a day in their cars, eating food, putting on makeup and listening to the radio.

My wife didn't think all that much about the southland car obsession when she moved down here (Marina Del Rey Area), but now that she drives a good 90 miles a day on the 405 she's counting the days until she can put a downpayment on an Audi A3.

People don't just move in and out of cars for fashion's sake, although that's a big reason. People also love to lease down here, and terms tend to be 36-months. I myself am seriously considering the possibility of a lease sometime next year, especially since I live a block away from work and wouldn't have to worry one bit about milage restrictions.

Nevertheless, there's plenty of lifetime owners-runners around here. Primarily, we're talking about Hondas and Toyotas. It's just that you probably wouldn't notice these people amongst the teeming masses of shiny new vehicles.

This is only ancedotal, but there's plenty of folks in my family who've bought Hondas or Toytas and have run them until the wheels fell off. The most recent casualties were a '79 Toyota pickup with 500k+ miles on it, and a 84' Celica GT manual, which ran like an absolute dream until the day the gas pump died.

I think it's a symptom of consumerism and materialism that we all want the latest and greatest. The car you bought a few years ago (barring any mechanical faults or such) is as good as it was back then, but advertisements and such telling us how good a new car is makes us want the newer, better one. I mean, you gotta have it, right? It will be much faster, safer and more spacious, or whatever.

Things telling us how much better it could be make us dissatisfied with our lives and our possessions.

Additionally, when everyone lives at a fast pace, a new car (or other possession) is a relatively easy way of fooling both others and yourself that things are changing for the better and your life is productive and worthwhile. New cars are indeed often like fashion, as we try to get the car's image to reflect back on to us, in some way.

Then again, there may be those who are less concerned with cars than myself, and maybe there are those who do own their cars until the wheels fall off, as Osna said. Maybe they are those who spend their money on other things, instead..

Its all about marketing- what America does best- create a need for something you don't need. Remember those great Mercedes from the 70's and early 80's- No reason why you couldn't get at least a couple hundred thousand miles out of them with regular maintenance. Thats not good for car companies. Why not make cars more complex and heavier. Repair costs and complexity go up. Easier to total a car in an accident. So instead of buying a car and driving it for 20 years which should be possible especially with today's technology, buy a new car every 3-5 years and junk a car after ten years. Nevermind the waste of natural resources this is. It keeps car companies in business, it keeps the banks happy, and you feel good because the marketers told you you would.

Are referring partially to planned obsolescence? You're correct about the older Mercs, you don't see that happening much anymore. It seems like products from every category don't last as long as they used to. The quote "they don't make 'em like they used to" kind of sums it up. Things are so much better at present in terms of innovation, but at the end of the day, things are built with the company's best interests in mind rather than the consumer or something like the environment.

I grew up and lived in Los Angeles until around August last year, and yes the city is much more focused on cars than probably most in the country. I'm up in Portland, Oregon now, so the contrast is immediately obvious. It's not just the potential for inclement weather up here, but I think LA culture is very different from many other cities in the United States. Being a car enthusiast, I do miss seeing nicer cars more often. I did see a red Ferrari F430 spider with beige interior on the road the other day, which might be the most expensive car I've seen up here (along with a Continental GT maybe). Compare that to back home where I've seen a Carrera GT on numerous occasions and even a Zonda which is owned by a former client of my brother's.

LOL, yes that is all so true SV ....quite cynical....but very true

Very true what you said Snake, very true. (congrats for being such an open minded person).

Indeed, many see the car as a fashion statement, like new clothes, and staff. But i think, this is done by people, who have the ability to change cars easily - i mean enough money, or some young people, who tend to pimp their cute little cars (206, 106, Civic, Saxo, etc).

As for me, i rarely see a car as a fashion statement. IMO, you buy a car because you need it, and not because you need attention. For me, the car is first a "tool", something that makes your life easier, and then a fashion statement (design).

If i ever buy a german car, which i don't see in the near future, by looking at my wallet, i will buy it for me, because i want it, not because others "want" it.

I think Osnabrueck made a really good point about leases. Lease rates (as in the % of people leasing rather than owning) have been climbing steadily. I cannot imagine someone like my father leasing a car back in the 70's... it was almost unheard of. IMHO a lot of people are leasing to get more car than they could afford to buy. I would argue that this is because people today are more conscious of, and worried about, how people perceive them and want to “be seen” in a prestigious car. So, I don’t think that the reason we see so many new cars around today is really a trend of the upper class… the upper class have always been able to drive whatever they want. I think this trend is due more to the middle class shifting towards leasing more expensive cars rather than buying more affordable ones.

Slightly off topic: As a MA Economics student I have often wondered how long this cycle of debt and low savings rates in North America can last. How much longer will the world economy allow people to spend more than they earn on a year to year basis?

Interesting posts guys. Marketing I think takes more than its toll on the mind of the everday American consumer(as well as consumers the world over), you're being constantly inundated w/ useless information of all sorts. The people that buy into it? Well, I can't say I necessarily feel bad for them, afterall it is their decision, but knowing what I know, knowing what we know, about cars, we see past all the tag lines and sales pitches into the cars themselves. I remember driving an E90 330i once, and the salesman(father of a girl i went to highschool w/) said, "these cars sell themselves", and they really do, this is the exception for automotive marketing I believe, but all the more merry to emphasize the greateness of the experience to the world. For this reason I don't understand why people trade in some of the cars they do and dont' keep them for longer, when the ownership experience is not only admired but so enjoyable? To each his own in the end.