A new survey by AutoMD has revealed that Americans are increasingly attempting to squeeze more miles out of their car, holding onto them for longer than they have in the past.
The company's annual Mileage Survey found that the slowly rebounding economy was not doing much to drive people to a new vehicle. Just 12 percent of respondents said they planned on buying a new car this year, and 45 percent of those people explained that was because their previous car was driven to the point of breakdown.
The percentage of survey respondents who said they had logged 100,000 miles on their car was up 25 percent compared to 2010. Nearly 80 percent said that they plan to travel 50,000 more miles on their current vehicle than their previous one.
"With better built vehicles able to sustain longer lives on the road, and new access to robust online repair information, we are not surprised that car owners continue to hold onto their current vehicles for miles longer than before, and that many of those who plan to buy a vehicle are opting out of purchasing a service contract and plan to either do their own repairs or visit their local repair shop instead," said Brian Hafer, VP of Marketing for AutoMD.
With car owners increasingly pushing vehicle maintenance to the edge, repair shops could soon see an uptick in customers who are hoping to hold onto their vehicles for longer.