WASHINGTON – When it comes to cars, 200,000 is the new 100,000.
As the recession wages on, drivers have been reluctant to purchase new cars and now, the average age of vehicles on the road has stretched to a record 11 years.
Multiply that by the number of average miles a car travels per year — 15,000 — and the old adage about selling a car once it the odometer hits 100,000 goes out the window, says The New York Times.
In the 1960s and 70s, odometers went no further than 99,999 before going back to zero. But today, drivers are pushing cars much farther than that.
In fact, customer satisfaction surveys show cars have fewer problems as they age, which the Times says is a result of increasing global competition requiring carmakers to make better, longer-lasting cars.
WTOP’s Veroncia Robinson contributed to this report. Follow WTOP on Twitter.
(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)
