Car's You've Owned a Long Time; Did it instantly Connect Or Did It Grow On You

I've been thinking about the many vehicles I've owned and the few that I've kept long term and why. For me I'd define long term at least 10 years.

For me most of them tend to grow on me.

Case in point would be the Datsun 1200 that we bought in 1984. It's really only in the past 15 years have I come to appreciate the 1200; it's super fun to drive and cheap to own. It took a series of other maintenance intensive and more expensive to run cars to make me truly appreciate it.

The 1990 E250 Campervan; we've owned it for 17 years. While slow up hills and getting horrendous gas mileage it's turned out to be very handy. I can change out of my gear, get out of the weather and even take a quick shower before a long drive home. This one was a spur of the moment purchase that grew on me. Note it drives like the 7000lb wind sail it is but the utilitarian factor outweighs this.

My 2011 Beta 520 Enduro I've loved since the minute I sat on it. It was the first new motorcycle I'd bought in 25 years.

I'm now on year 11 with the Outback. I continually try to replace it but find it best fits my needs. Because of that I've grown to like it.

Finally the Foxbody Mustang; I mention it here because I've posted ad nauseam about this car. I'm still in the warming up it phase. I got an unbelievably good deal on it, it is fun as hell to drive, cheap to own and has amazing aftermarket support. The impulsive me would sell it to help fund the 911 but the logical me knows I'm much happier with cheap to run cars. We shall see if I keep it long term; a large part of me wants to because it's such a great fit.

I would love to hear other peoples rationale or emotional reasons for keeping cars long term. 

E36 M3 was love right away, and less love over time as the challenges of owning it occurred.

NA Miata was love at first drive. I did grow to hate the brake bias and lack of ABS. And the leak in the trunk.

E30 325i was like then hate for all the issues.

My Festiva was love pretty much the whole time, though sometimes it felt too loud/primitive.

Ford E250 camper van is love and now starting to piss me off with little issues sometimes. 
 

2005 Camry was meh and stayed meh. I liked that it didn't break.

1987 Mazda B2200 was meh at first then grew into love. 
 

I find I usually start in love, then the love fades as the car gets needy and the luster wears off.

I still have the MGA I bought in 1970 (plus another pair of the same, although different in specification) plus a Jensen Interceptor I bought in the 90s.  And I wish I hadn't sold another half dozen or so cars I formerly owned.

Love at first sight almost 50 years ago. I soon after ripped out the 4 banger drivetrain and began installed the complete 6 cylinder drivetrain out of a Volvo 164 sedan (engine, transmission, driveshaft, and rear axle). Below is right after I got it back on the road about 2 or so years later with a 3 speed automatic and 4.30 gears (there were many hiccups encountered on the way). Eventually it got a 4 speed + o.d. and 3.31 gears.

The only cars that have instantly grabbed me and that I will always own is the 1st gen baby Thunderbirds and Prowlers. Owned darn near everything and driven exotics and classics but those two cars were basically just made for me and I truly love them. Stupid, terrible things but man do they have personailty. 

I'm on Ford ranger number 4 over the last 35 years or so. They just fit me. Manual transmissions are a must though. They've all been over 100k by the time I get them. I sold the last one, a '94 with 328k on it. Just love'm

I had a weird issue with a '95 Miata once. Of the 3 NA's and one NB over the years, I just didn't bond with it. In fact, I didn't like it. Still can't put my finger on it.

Owned my 1989 Civic Si since 1999 and it has been love since first drive. Now far from stock and no longer realistic as a daily, I miss driving it regularly.

2008 Honda Fit- owned for about 10 years and liked it from the start and it has just grown on me since.  Light , tossable, not fast but fun and I feel the spiritual successor to the 1990's civics.

2001 CR-V hand-me-down from SWMBO and it is a good extra car/snow car. I was OK with it at first but it has grown on me.

My 1979 Trans Am was love at first sight. I loved everything about that thing from day one. 



However, it did not reciprocate that love. It was a terrible vehicle that broke down everywhere, and I probably asked too much of it at the time. Somehow, I kept it all these years and I've learned to love it all over again in its current form. It's ratty, raw, loud, and just plain fun to drive. In that, it did take a long time to grow on me. I needed to reprogram my expectations to enjoy it as it is. 

I have wanted a 914 since I was a kid and saw this car in the movie Lemans back in 1970 running with all those 917s. I bought one when I was an adult. Then I bought a second one. It was the closest I could get to a 917. I still have the first one and it is sitting in my garage right now. I have owned it for about 25 years and I will never sell it. A poster of that white car is in my living room.

Of the cars we have currently, I've had the Jeep for 15 years, but I've hardly driven it for the last 6 or so.  It needs a lot, but I also can't quite bring myself to get rid of it.  I've always liked it since I bought it, but I'm not sure I've ever been totally in love.  It's been a good platform to tinker with though and it's versatile. 

The E38 I bought mostly because I'd always wanted one and it seemed like a reasonable enough thing to buy.  When I first bought it I liked it, but I think I like it more now than I did then.  After a few very minor mods, it's just all around pleasant to drive, and it's been spectacularly useful.  I can't think of anything I've ever wished it could do that it hasn't done.  It's big, it's comfy, but it doesn't drive like a huge car, the handling is well balanced, it has tons of grip, etc. 

SWMBO's 05 Camry came from family on my side, so I've known the car since it was brand new (in fact, it was the first car I ever drove).  It's always been exactly what it says on the box, as in "this is a car".  It fits plenty of stuff and it's not underpowered (V6).  It rides fairly well and it doesn't handle particularly badly (but also nothing impressive).  On the other hand, if you try to throw it around, it becomes very clear that the suspension is too soft.  And the steering feel is awful, as is the amount of travel the brake pedal has always had.  The car has held up spectacularly well (it's at 311k and counting with nothing more than maintenance, engine is still very healthy with negligible oil consumption, maybe 1/8 quart in 5k miles).  The transmission feels relatively terrible (shift programming is mediocre at best, it has noticeable shift flare under power, etc.) but it has felt the same forever, so it's just the nature of the beast.  It gets reasonable, but not impressive fuel economy as well.  The difference in highway MPG compared to the BMW is smaller than I'd expect for an engine with 2/3 the displacement in a smaller car that's nearly 1000 lbs lighter.  In the end, I kinda like and respect the thing, but I have no real love for it. 

On the other hand, there's the 09 Prius that SWMBO had prior to the Camry.  I hated that car with a passion.  It was generally unpleasant and annoying to work on in every possible way, it ate front wheel bearings like candy (one good pothole and one is grinding within days).  I changed those bearings twice in 40k miles.  The steering feel was even worse than the Camry, it was godawful slow (and took forever to get to full power when you put your foot in it).  Handling was acceptable but unimpressive.  The driving position made it feel extremely tall (even though it wasn't), and so many things about how it drove felt half-baked, as if the engineers got to 80% by the end of Friday and just moved onto the next thing on Monday.  Especially how the regen and friction brakes interfaced.  Things like regen just dropping out suddenly at 8 mph as you came to a stop, throwing off your intended stop point unless you pushed harder on the pedal.  And regen not coming on smoothly, so if the car wasn't in "B" mode, braking lightly but suddenly for a corner meant you got exactly what you asked for, followed a half-second later by the car slamming into full regen.  There was no way to disable the traction control on it either, and contrary to what you'd expect for traction control in a hybrid with 2 non-driven wheels for speed reference, the traction control was every bit as bad as a mid-90s GM with a massive power cut from any hint of wheelspin. 

In my early 20's I worked auto salvage. I had a dealer plate and just took whatever car interested me and kept it until something else came along. it was not uncommon for me to have 2 'new' cars every week. They were transient things that I didn't not get attached to.

After leaving that job I kept that mindset, buying interesting, but sub-optimal cars for a while. Then I found myself in a situation where I needed to get a car, funds were limited and I had two candidates. a 1980 Monza with an Iron Duke and a 1993 Buick LeSabre Limited with an L27. I knew the Monza was gonna be cooler, but harder to keep running. in 6 months or so I'd be looking for another car. I could not care less about the Buick... it was an car. The price was the same.

I went against my instincts and bought the Buick. It was an old man's car. I ended up driving it for 9 years, and absolutely loved it. The only reason I sold it was I was doing a cross country move and we could only bring one car. I bought it for $750, sold it for $550.

I went back to visit friends a few years later and saw it driving around. She was a tank...

I keep cars a long time - I've been driving for closer to four decades than I care to admit, and I've owned ten cars in total; I still have four of them. So my idea of "owned a long time" is perhaps a bit skewed.

The one car I consider long-term is my 74 BMW 2002, which I bought from a dealer mechanic when I was in grad school. It's still here, some thirty years later. I already had another 2002, so it wasn't a revelation (the first one was, having come directly after my 73 Dodge Challenger), but it was in much better shape and thus better suited to long-term ownership. Warming up to it took some time, if only because it took over a year to get it painted after I bought it, but after that, I settled right in. Eight years of autox and a few rallies helped. I've driven it many, many miles at this point. It did sit for a few years when I got stalled in repairing some rust (spring perch), which of course turned into a much bigger project that caused my interest to wane somewhat, but it's back together now and I'm looking forward to getting it back on the road come spring.

The next longest duration is my 09 128i, which I've owned for 7.5 years. I warmed up to it very quickly. It's probably as close to the perfect year-round car as I'm ever likely to own, but with many years of BMW experience, I expected it to be good even before I drove it.

My ND2 RF has been here for close to four years. Unsurprisingly, I warmed up to this one very quickly as well, especially during the two long road trips I've done in it.

Last, my 06 Volvo V50 T5 AWD. This was a throw of the dice after I decided I was done with my 89 Saab 900S (which I really enjoyed). I've been pleasantly surprised, and settled right into the Volvo way of doing things, to the point that I look forward to using it, even though it was always intended as a winter beater and cargo hauler.

'64 VW bug - Loved it for the freedom it created over a bicycle.  20 years as a DD Lived through 2 different bodies and probably 3 speedometers - no idea of total mileage when I dropped it off at the landfill less its running gear.

'71 Chevy van 250 6 cylinder - Saw the USA in a Chevrolet - Great step up from previous split-window VW Kombis

'84 Toyota Pickup w/R22 - One of those vehicles that was great.  Loved it instantly because I was getting out of a '64 Beetle I'd driven 20 years

'91 Honda Civic Si  -  instant love - 245,000 miles  Should not have let it get away

'96 Eddie Bauer Expedition 5.4 - Did everything it was supposed to and more.  237,000 miles

'08 E350 van - instant appreciation  for a real workhorse - 207,000 miles  still in use

'22 KIA Carnival - Wife's grandkid hauler - Hauls 6 adults to watering holes, turns out to be a great long range cruiser - 43,000 miles and climbing

'22 GR86  - instant love out the gate - smiling every day - currently at 39,000 miles

We owned a 1994 S10 Blazer 4X4 for a decade then sold it for a new 2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer 4X2 that we kept for 15 years.  

It really was a decent truck for our family - it looked overweight as compared to the S10 Blazer but we drove all over the country and it did fine with Chicago winters. 
 

I got my first ever speeding ticket within 24 hours of ownership.
I broke down in DC rush hour within the first 1000 miles of ownership.
I've had two tow truck drivers offer to buy it off the back of their flatbed, and I turned them both down.

It was absolutely love when I test drove it at 258,000 and I still think it's the best car ever built 8 years later at 346,000

In reply to buzzboy :

Where was that picture taken?

I've had my 2001 step side 2x4 tacoma for over 20 years now with almost 260 k .I never really liked the red but it kind of grew on me . I have loved driving it from day one and  have spent and wrenched on it more hours than I can keep track of and make reasons to drive it as much as possible .I have no plans to sell it and my new high performance motor should extend my smile by about 3/4 per inch on each side !

I love this question. I've had some vehicles for really long periods, and my current fleet is mostly long-termers. The first was my 1970 Fiat 124 Spider. I did a restoration on it and kept it for over 2 decades. I thought I'd keep it forever, but I reached a point where I realized it just didn't fascinate me anymore. There was nothing new to learn. 

I kept my 86 Audi GT for 12 years. It was more of a fashion statement when I bought it, as I just thought it looked cool. But after doing TSD rallies, hill climbs and track days with it I really came to love the thing. Super reliable, easy to drive at the limit, but a bit lacking in power even after swapping in a 2.3 with a cam.

I sold it to go racing and bought the E30. I was 'meh' about the BMW when I got it, but after turning it into a race car and thrashing it for all it was worth I think these are one of the greatest driver's cars ever made. The only reason it got sold is racing was more $$ than I could reasonably stomach at my income level.

My 06 Mustang V6 was purchased just as daily transportation. I'd wanted one since they came out in 05, and like the Audi it was mostly a style purchase. But this car is as much of a pleasure to drive as it is to look at. I have other hobby cars for car stuff, so it's not really for that. But as a daily, it's perfect. Enough power, comfortable, looks great, and people are already asking me if I restored it! One of those rare occasions where meeting your hero isn't a letdown. This is one I'll probably never sell, especially since I have no interest in 'new' cars.

Then there's the Lightning...a purchase made strictly for practical reasons. Why buy a newer truck when this has the same HP, is interesting, and won't depreciate? It's been a love/hate relationship as it seems intent on constantly leaking any sort of fluid placed within it's guts, but I've finally tamed it. It's tripled in value, is very comfortable for trips and - while not fast by today's standards - does giddy up and go pretty well. I've wanted to get a different truck mostly because I just am not that excited about this vintage, but truck prices (especially on older ones) are so insane I can't justify it on my internal spread sheet. So here we are, approaching 15 years or so later.

Cars I bought that I liked but didn't ingrain themselves for decades long stays:  79 Austin Mini, BMW 2002 Challenge car, BMW E36 M3, 86 Honda CRX Si, 65 Buick Skylark convertible, 67 Fiat Dino coupe and any of the Japanese motorcycles I've had.

My wife's Scion xB was purchased 19 years ago this month, and I drove my previous R53 MINI for 16 years before it got written off. When we get something we like we stick with it. I've had cars I wasn't attached to in the past , and they got traded in 3 or 4 years typically. Now that I'm much more financially secure  I tend to keep things longer, which seems counterintuitive.

Keeping things is the hard thing for me, I haven't had a vehicle longer then 3 years which includes DD and race cars. Other then some tools and clothing there isn't much I have had for 10 years.I have moved alot so having to lug things around is not ideal. Recently I sold all my childhood toys and sports cards. Interesting to hear others stories though.

I tend to keep vehicles I enjoy long term.

In 1970 I was in high school and one of the teachers had a TR250 which I really liked. 

I was already keen on Triumphs.  My oldest sister was going out with a guy that had one and he took me for a ride.  I knew about MGs and tried to make conversation.  This may open discussion but the conversation went to TR vs MGs and the guy said that TRs were better because they had a bigger engine.  Senior year I got a TR4A.

It took me until 1978 to get a 250.  That one had terminal frame rot and I let it go but I had already gotten a low mileage 250.  I still have it.

I had gotten a 89 C1500 that I had ordered and sold it about two years ago.  The speedo stopped working n 2009 when it had 306,000 miles on it.  I am getting it back this week.    In  '99 I got a K1500 Suburban.  I still have it and it is my daily driver.  It has 361,000.

Yeah, I tend to keep stuff I like.

I have made a few mistakes in purchases.  The Stags ( 5 ) across the years just never really got off the ground.  The - bought new - '84 Cavielier wagon, lasted 6 months.

This is new to me. Picked it up as a Xmass present to my wife. She has wanted one for years.  I most certainly did not like it when I got it but the dam thing is growing on me.  It is probibly the worst Merc I own.  But I  have always been a Jeep guy. This is by far the best Jeep I have ever owned. 
 

The current collection of Mercedes I own. 
 

The CLS is a very special car.  It was a custom ordered car by someone. It is a AMG spec car but no AMG badges.  I guess you could not get a AMG 4Matic in 2012 so someone ordered one custom to AMG spec but did it to a 4 matic.  It is probably one of the top 2-3 cars I have ever owned. I don't think I will be selling that car any time soon.  The GL450 is probably the nicest car I currently own in terms of luxury and comfort.  

I haven't owned that many cars, really, but out of all of them I loved my '88 626 Turbo sedan the most.  And I loved it pretty much within 10 minutes of getting it.  It needed more love and attention than I could afford when it moved on with about 180,000 miles on the clock. 

The Intrepid was never *supposed* to be a car I fell in love with. Just a stepping stone car, build some credit, and buy something better later.

What I didn't envision at the time was spending almost equal to the purchase price on the car ($7000 CAD from a dealer) on various repairs over the 18 months of payments (engine replacement) and having the same dealership offer me $500 for the car. So I kept it out of spite. 

Then came the second engine being needed, so I swapped that one myself with mostly hand tools. And did a few OEM+ upgrades, then did further enhancements, and just drove it and put miles and miles on it. I am responsible for over 250,000kms on it myself and well over 10 years now (I can not remember the year I bought it)

Hopefully this year I can get it back on the road and just enjoy putting miles on it.