BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Americans are hanging on to their cars longer than ever.
That's according to a study by S&P Global Mobility, which tracks state vehicle registration data nationwide.
Here's what that study found:
- The average American keeps their car a record 12.6 years now. That number grew about two months from last year's record.
- People are hanging on to their vehicles largely because new ones cost so much.
- The average U.S. new vehicle selling price is just over $45,000, down more than $2,000 from the peak in December of 2022.
- The data also shows the growth in the average age is starting to slow as new vehicle sales start to recover from pandemic-related shortages of parts.
At P-Tech, an automotive career training program at Erie 1 BOCES in Western New York, young people are learning how to keep those cars running.
They had some great advice, like getting an oil change every 3,000 to 5,000 miles, rotating your tires every six months and making sure you wash away road salt from the underside of your car.
"The rust is the real problem here," said student Daniel Rooney. "Cars will last forever if you take care of them, you know, do your oil changes every 3 to 5000 miles, make sure your fluids are always topped off, inspect your car. I mean, if something's obviously wrong you'll notice, don't ignore things, like, don't ignore that thumping."
Skylar Rowell, another student, agrees. She added, "Every six months, bring it in to get your tires taken out and balanced and everything and just make sure you're keeping up to date on your maintenance."
"As cars age, they break down... so, you know, there is even a bigger need for repair on these aging cars," said BOCES instructor Dave Kraqczyk. "New cars are super expensive and payment plans last a long time. So people are choosing now to keep their cars longer. But with that being said, they're going to have more repairs."
7 News Senior Reporter Eileen Buckley shares that she drives a 2012 VW Beetle.
"I love it. My husband and I joke that we do call him Herbie," she said. "It's gotmore than 96,000 miles on it, but it just passed its inspection last week and it seems to be doing pretty well."