# Last Car vs. Last Bike



## Guest (Apr 26, 2017)

I ordered a new Honda Ridgeline last month (should get it next month) and observed to my wife that it may be my last car ever. Doing the math on miles, it occurs to me that I should get 25 years out of that car (at 10K/year or less) and at 79 (should I live 18 years longer than my father, grandfather or great-grandfather) I'll probably be ready to quit driving.

Immediately she points out that I probably bought my last bike last winter too. Not so fast Honey, I'm betting against you on that one. I may quit driving at 79, but I'll bet there's a three-wheeler with a basket and a big orange safety flag in my future somewhere. She gave me that look. I get that look a lot lately.  Hmmmm.....


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## bitflogger (Jan 12, 2004)

I'm probably closer to last dual suspension bike than last bike or last car.


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## garcia (Apr 10, 2008)

That is my dream car at the moment, please post up when you get it! I'm really curious as to whether a mtb can fit in the backseat with the seats folded up.


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

That's depressing.


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## Sparticus (Dec 28, 1999)

I hate that such thoughts cross my mind too, but at 63 they do. Anyway you're not going to want to quit driving at 79. That's way too young. Get a Prius and go 50 on the freeway.


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## Crankout (Jun 16, 2010)

garcia said:


> That is my dream car at the moment, please post up when you get it! I'm really curious as to whether a mtb can fit in the backseat with the seats folded up.


A recent Consumer Reports gave it a solid review. The pick-up for suburbanites!


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## cyclelicious (Oct 7, 2008)

My mom still drives daily at 84. She has a 2008 Honda Civic 44,000 km! She drives only a few km /day


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## bachman1961 (Oct 9, 2013)

I haven't thought about my last car but I did get a bike about 6 weeks ago and told my wife it's probably my last bike.
I'm almost 56. 
She said; " Don't say that !! " 

Earlier that day, I worked up the gumption to tell her I'd been researching bikes for the past year or so with a mind to getting something newer. My other bikes are a 91 and 2001. 
She came back downstairs a few minutes later handing me ten $100 bills and told me to put it toward whatever I wanted. 

My parents at 76 and 78 are still cruising around in a 2005 Prius, a '99 turbo VW bug or their '89 Corvette convertible.  :thumbsup:


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## Guest (Apr 26, 2017)

garcia said:


> That is my dream car at the moment, please post up when you get it! I'm really curious as to whether a mtb can fit in the backseat with the seats folded up.


Will do. My current ('07) Ridgeline will hold a large Fargo with the front wheel off and I think they're essentially the same size inside.


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## Guest (Apr 26, 2017)

Crankout said:


> A recent Consumer Reports gave it a solid review. The pick-up for suburbanites!


 If it came with a diesel engine or got that kind of mileage it'd be perfect, but you're right about the suburbanites truck. When you think of what most folks use their truck for, it's not hauling large loads of stuff. This is really the smallest truck we can get by with on our acreage (that's imported to the US). My wife and son drive our current Ridgeline in harsh weather with no worries about engaging or disengaging the rear wheel assist and it will haul 10' drywall (with the help of a couple of 2x4s). Anything bigger and I have a 6x10' trailer unless it's really heavy. I'm going to use the bed extender and a surfboard pad to carry the bikes (keeping the pad and or wheels off the tailgate). Pics to follow delivery.


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## DiRt DeViL (Dec 24, 2003)

Have never crossed my mind, my car was purchased on '14 and my current bike on '17. Already considering changing the car for a small SUV due to changes in needs, no longer have to seat 5 and need space for my dog's crate or bike. Used to own a Tacoma and boy do I miss it.

What I do want is one of the new Mazda Miata to drive around with my wife with the top down, she says is too small but can see us on a Mustang or something about that size.


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## Ladmo (Jan 11, 2013)

My parents were both 96 when they passed (within 9 months of each other). About to turn 59, so I expect I'll have more cars than bikes from this point. Current bike is a 2012 model though and I'm still loving it. My truck is a 2004 with 156,000 miles on it, and I'm planning on seeing it turn over to 200,000, at least. I like to get my money out of things (said with a grouchy voice).


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## k2rider1964 (Apr 29, 2010)

Forster said:


> I ordered a new Honda Ridgeline last month (should get it next month) and observed to my wife that it may be my last car ever. Doing the math on miles, it occurs to me that I should get 25 years out of that car (at 10K/year or less) and at 79 (should I live 18 years longer than my father, grandfather or great-grandfather) I'll probably be ready to quit driving.
> 
> Immediately she points out that I probably bought my last bike last winter too. Not so fast Honey, I'm betting against you on that one. I may quit driving at 79, but I'll bet there's a three-wheeler with a basket and a big orange safety flag in my future somewhere. She gave me that look. I get that look a lot lately. Hmmmm.....


My quick math says that makes you 54. No way that should be your last bike unless you keep them forever. I ride with a couple guys in their early 60's who still rip almost weekly and rode with a guy that was 72 a couple years back in Southern Utah. Everybody thought he was in his late 50's. I decided that weekend that I have plenty of time left to ride. I'm only a couple years behind you and MTB b bucket list #1 is to ride in New Zealand by age 55.


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## binrat (May 25, 2005)

I told the better half that my new bike will likely be my last... She sprayed her drink all over the table laughing at me....


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## paramount3 (Jul 13, 2014)

52 years old. Envisioning next car will be electric. After that, possibly autonomous electric. However, the whole model of car ownership could change--a self-driving car doesn't need to sit in the parking lot at work all day after dropping you off. Looking forward to the day, perhaps by the time I'm 65 or so, when I won't need/want to own a car.

Now bikes: I can see getting a new $2500 full suspension bike every 3-4 years until riding trails is no longer fun/possible. I promised my kids I would ride a BMX bike on my 65th birthday, so I'll need to have a BMX bike ready at that time, in any case. I would be willing to ride a nice tricycle when the time comes--I've seen a few older gentlemen who have graduated to this and it would be OK with me if that's what it takes to get out there.


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## bsieb (Aug 23, 2003)

Last car, last bike... I average less than 5000 miles a year, between the car and bike, so I should be good until I'm well past ninety. Yay, hate buying cars!  

Will only be adding more niche bikes, currently working on the sound system for my SSNewMexico party bike. :thumbsup:


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## yzedf (Apr 22, 2014)

My grandmother is 87 next month, still drives, plays 2-3 rounds of golf a week (18 holes walking!) and still summers in Maine and winters in Phoenix (chasing the good golf weather). She's got 1.5 lungs due to lung cancer 20 years ago. 

She still buys a new or used golf club every year... she is still getting a hole in one (has 7 or 8 now - got another one last summer) and playing ok. Her words LOL

Age is a number, but only the tough ones live long and stay active.


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## str8edgMTBMXer (Apr 15, 2015)

I currently drive a 2010 RAV4, and have inly owned it for 2 years. Iplan on owning it for 10 at least. It is only the 4th car I have ever owned. I do think that my "last" car will be the one after this, and I am pretty sure that the next one will be a Tacoma.

I bought my 2015 Krampus last Feb, and the plan is that it is the last bike I will ever need. I bought it specifically for that reason. I knew that I wanted a bike that will last me for years, and the way I ride it fits me perfectly. I have absolutely no desire to get another MTB. It is only the 2nd MTB I have ever owned. The first one is now my commuter(1994 Trek Mountain Track 830...cheapy, but it has more than 100k miles on it of riding). Like my first one, the only thing that would force me to replace the Krampus is if I can not update parts etc as it gets older, like the Trek.

I do plan on getting a new BMX bike this summer, but that will hopefully be the last one as well. Replacing my 1988 Mongoose Californian Pro, which will become my cruising the hood bike.


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## TooSteep (Oct 6, 2012)

My dad is 91 and still drives everywhere. Whenever he sees me riding, he says: "Hmmm I wonder if I should get a bicycle?". Problem is, he hasn't been on a bike since about 1975, so I always talk him out of it. Maybe I've been going about it wrong???


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## chazpat (Sep 23, 2006)

I went out to the Grand Canyon with my family last year and while there, the thought "I'll never be here again" came across me (I had visited it as a kid). I'd never experienced that thought before. I guess at some point, seems to be around 50, we start to think about these things.


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## telemike (Jun 20, 2011)

Last bike or car?

The really tough one is dogs. Our latest pair is 10+ right now and we'll be dogless sometime in the next five years. Then, a puppy would live too long and I'd be afraid for it's futurer after we go. Probably we will look for a rescue pup that someone can't have anymore.

Anyone here got a rescue 27.5+" hightower that they just can't take care of anymore? I'm open for adoption.


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## Guest (May 1, 2017)

We've always had dogs and we've got a 10-year-old Husky that we rescued. Based on our luck with her I don't think I'll ever live without a dog.


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## honkinunit (Aug 6, 2004)

A friend of mine in his late 50's bought a pickup last year, and he is like me, keep them until the wheels fall off. I told him that it might be the last pickup he ever buys and he got really pissed. I had no idea he was so sensitive about aging. A few weeks later, he said, "You know, you might be right."

The last car/last bike/last dog is a sad thought to me, too. My current pickup is 18 years old and has a few more years left. I'm thinking the next one will be the last one, so I'm going to make it a good one. 

The last bike? I'm not too worried about that. I expect to be maintaining the quiver until I die, and that includes regular adds/deletes.

Last dog? I don't even want to contemplate that.


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## Skooks (Dec 24, 2008)

No chance! I plan to ride the wheels off of my current bike (might take a while, since Knolly's last forever!), then buy something new and repeat the process. I also plan to do the same thing with my vehicles.


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## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

I'm 50. Be 51 next week. My last new car was my 2009 Suburban. Probably good for two more. I tend to keep a vehicle about ten to fifteen years. I've bought three bicycles for myself since the truck. I have a Krampus frame on order that I'm told I should have in August. That's a four to one ratio.


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## Flamingtaco (Mar 12, 2012)

At 47, I'll be getting an H3 sometime this year or next, to be my last vehicle. I drive less than 5,000 miles a year, and take great care of drivelines (but abuse the crap out of, and repair suspensions a lot . It will take me 30 years to reach the 245k my 2003 Escape has run. I was looking to supplant it by the end of May (Escape goes to my youngest in 2 years), but my wife got tangled up with a truck, so she gets re-car'd first.

My C-Dale F5 is my first and will be my last MTB, as long as I can get parts, the frame doesn't fail, and my body can take the abuse, but I'd like to get a second one to set up just for the road (taller gears, no more swapping out tires every weekend). I don't think I'll ever ride a drop bar bike again, my back never really liked it when I was a spring chicken (due to injury), and in the six years I've been back into riding, I've been too chicken to pull out the old roadster and try.


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## Tribble Me (Aug 27, 2012)

The other side of this coin is that my 21 year old son told me the other day that he is keeping the car he has until his next car can be a self driving car. So, you may get another car even if you can't drive anymore. It'll drive you!

As of about 5 years ago I could not imagine people wanting a self driving car, but these days with cell phones and internet, etc. I think a lot of people can't wait for them to be available.


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## BruceBrown (Jan 16, 2004)

Forster said:


> I ordered a new Honda Ridgeline last month (should get it next month) and observed to my wife that it may be my last car ever. Doing the math on miles, it occurs to me that I should get 25 years out of that car (at 10K/year or less) and at 79 (should I live 18 years longer than my father, grandfather or great-grandfather) I'll probably be ready to quit driving.
> 
> Immediately she points out that I probably bought my last bike last winter too. Not so fast Honey, I'm betting against you on that one. I may quit driving at 79, but I'll bet there's a three-wheeler with a basket and a big orange safety flag in my future somewhere. She gave me that look. I get that look a lot lately. Hmmmm.....


25 years out of the Ridgeline? More power to you, but I see your annual mileage certainly makes it a viable option. As long as you garage it, and keep it out of salt during the Winter - you should be golden.

Year 12 for my Honda Element currently at 212K.


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## str8edgMTBMXer (Apr 15, 2015)

telemike said:


> Last bike or car?
> 
> The really tough one is dogs. Our latest pair is 10+ right now and we'll be dogless sometime in the next five years. Then, a puppy would live too long and I'd be afraid for it's futurer after we go. Probably we will look for a rescue pup that someone can't have anymore.
> 
> Anyone here got a rescue 27.5+" hightower that they just can't take care of anymore? I'm open for adoption.


I m also in this boat. Last year we lost both our Husky (14 years) and Shepherd (12 years). Right now is the first time I have been without dogs in 30 years. there will be more, but I never thought about them possibly being the last....


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## TheBaldBlur (Jan 13, 2014)

I like my Toyota Tundra so much that if it disappeared tomorrow I'd go get another one just like it. So it, or one just like it, will be my last vehicle.

I'm closing in on my next bike - a FS plus bike. It will also likely be my last bike.

I'm going through the process of thinning the herd on my motorcycles and will settle on one bike. It also will likely be my last bike.

I'd always thought of these choices as being *THE *single best fit for my preferences. I hadn't thought of them in terms of being my *LAST *truck/bike/motorcycle.

Now I'm depressed, thanks a helluva lot!


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## Guest (May 4, 2017)

I'm not the least bit depressed because this has changed my way of looking at bike and car purchases. Instead of getting a bike or car for the short term, I'm thinking in longer horizons and it's changing the way I think about my purchasing habits. Taken in another context, if your computer/phone/TV weren't going to go out of date in 3 years, which computer/phone/TV would you buy? Not focused on the idea of life's terminus, but on what you really want and how long it will last.


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## str8edgMTBMXer (Apr 15, 2015)

Forster said:


> I'm not the least bit depressed because this has changed my way of looking at bike and car purchases. Instead of getting a bike or car for the short term, I'm thinking in longer horizons and it's changing the way I think about my purchasing habits. Taken in another context, if your computer/phone/TV weren't going to go out of date in 3 years, which computer/phone/TV would you buy? Not focused on the idea of life's terminus, but on what you really want and how long it will last.


...and, at least for me, the proper way to spend what little money I have. I have always lived in the world of buying things and then using them into dust. It has just never made sense to me to live in a disposable world. Obviously some things you have to: toilet paper, soap etc. But I could never justify buying new clothes, bikes, tv's etc every other year. I have jeans that are 15+ years old. Shoes that are 25+ years old (Chuck Taylors). My iphone is almost 7 years old....


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## paramount3 (Jul 13, 2014)

And most of us are probably on our last wives...or husbands...


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## Guest (May 5, 2017)

paramount3 said:


> And most of us are probably on our last wives...or husbands...


Actually made that decision 26 years ago.


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## str8edgMTBMXer (Apr 15, 2015)

paramount3 said:


> And most of us are probably on our last wives...or husbands...


getting into my first, and hopefully "last" wife next year!


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## paramount3 (Jul 13, 2014)

Forster said:


> Actually made that decision 26 years ago.


So you've been with your spouse for 26 years and will be together for life...or you got divorced 26 years ago and never looked back?


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## paramount3 (Jul 13, 2014)

Tribble Me said:


> The other side of this coin is that my 21 year old son told me the other day that he is keeping the car he has until his next car can be a self driving car. So, you may get another car even if you can't drive anymore. It'll drive you!
> 
> As of about 5 years ago I could not imagine people wanting a self driving car, but these days with cell phones and internet, etc. I think a lot of people can't wait for them to be available.


I can't wait for them to be available because I think they will be much less likely than human-guided vehicles to kill cyclists and pedestrians.


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## velo99 (Apr 18, 2014)

Last truck is a 2001 Silverado. 401k and still going. Last bike 2017 Beast of the East 1.


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## Guest (May 9, 2017)

paramount3 said:


> So you've been with your spouse for 26 years and will be together for life...or you got divorced 26 years ago and never looked back?


 Got married 26 years ago, after 4 years of dating and 4 years of living together (just to make sure it would work out). If she would pass first I don't have another 28 years to shop around. If I passed first, she'd have a big insurance check and could date someone that's young and good looking.


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## ladljon (Nov 30, 2011)

Sure that I'm definitely on my last bikes and vehicles...do not like any of the new bikes out there...and can't envision myself driving something that looks like every other car out. Motorcycle is the newest vehicle that I have...2011 frame with 99 motor...My bicycles are two custom Moots and one custom Dean. My 74 Toyota FJ40 with chevy V8 and my travel car 55 chevy....At 65 just change engines and or trannies when needed....just don't think that will happen in my lifetime....my motto is build what U want, and keep forever...


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## Guest (May 9, 2017)

ladljon said:


> Sure that I'm definitely on my last bikes and vehicles...do not like any of the new bikes out there...and can't envision myself driving something that looks like every other car out. Motorcycle is the newest vehicle that I have...2011 frame with 99 motor...My bicycles are two custom Moots and one custom Dean. My 74 Toyota FJ40 with chevy V8 and my travel car 55 chevy....At 65 just change engines and or trannies when needed....just don't think that will happen in my lifetime....my motto is build what U want, and keep forever...


 Had a '76 FJ 40 I wanted to put a 283 in but back in the early 80's a couple of guys were dropping Buick V6 diesels into them too. Always thought the diesel conversion had promise. Easiest gas tank replacement ever.


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## ladljon (Nov 30, 2011)

There is a guy near me that puts the Mercedes 5 cyl turbo in the FJ40's


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## Sanchofula (Dec 30, 2007)

Why would it matter?

It's just stuff, no need to set limits, get what you want, when you want, how you want.

I won't even try to count the vehicles I've owned, it'd be meaningless since the ones I have now are the ones that matter the most.

It is a bit depressing to think about something being your last ... maybe you need to refill that glass.


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