On Saturday 30 March 2002 08:11, you wrote: >Is there a point in the life span of a car good for 20 > years that the owner would rather trade in now than lose what value they > have left?
It all depends. The moment a car is worth less to the owner then it is on the (used car) market he trades in. THis can be subjective. A friend of mine is an absolute fan of the Renault 19, which hasn't been produced in about 15 years. She'll drive it till it falls apart (which it fortunately won't do for a long time...). For her the particular make and type has a high subjective value. I myself drive a car that isn't two years old and I am already looking for a replacement. But then I place value in owning the latest gadgets :-) > To pose another question: What effect would long lasting cars have on the > used car market? The last couple of years we've seen the quality of cars improve considerably here in Europe. No car manufacturer would think of offering 12 years of waranty against rust in 1970. So longer lasting cars are being build. OTOH the average age of cars on the roads here in Northwest Europe has dropped. We have become wealthier and trade in our cars sooner. Where do all these used cars go? Eastern Europe mostly. Just spend an afternoon at a used car market in Germany and you'll hear more Polish then German... The Polish gouvernement has recenlty imposed taxes on imported second hand cars. The average Pole seems to prefer an 15 yo Mercedes over a brand new FSO. I can understand why. Krist
