by 
badkid
ANSWERS: 3
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I was told that after 20 years it's collectible. (Regarding Vehicles) Guess that's a good thing for the 1990 Ford Taurus in the driveway...eh?
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It is difficult to put a good 'rule of thumb' on this, because there are so many factors that vary so much. If forced to make a judgment call, I'd say that at about 12-13 years is when cars start to go from 'well used' into 'beater' territory. This is around 150,000 miles and by this time the engine will probably start to leak and/or burn oil. Many of the rubber and plastic parts will get brittle and fail. An automatic transmission with 150k miles on it is closing in on its date with the rebuilder. OTOH, I currently drive a 12-year-old Toyota Tacoma with 198k miles and it's great. It *did* need a transmission rebuild around 180k miles, but the engine is strong, it leaks no fluids and everything on it works fine. I expect to go another 50k miles with just oil changes (I just completed a major service on it).
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After ten, a car is very often a beater - particularly in areas with winter weather... (yes, I realize there are many exceptions... but...) but, after 20, if it is still alive and in reasonable condition, it starts to become collectible...
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