I've been driving a 1995 Mitsubishi Mirage/Colt for 5 years now...

I've been driving a 1995 Mitsubishi Mirage/Colt for 5 years now. I bought it because you guys recommended me to buy an econobox instead of buying a new car.

Now I am able to afford a new car but I see no reason to replace it because it still runs great. With that all my friends and family are saying I should replace this "trash" car because after some X number of years it would just break down and the cost of maintenance will be more than the cost of the car and I would be better off buying a brand new car. Not to mention they are all saying I would be more attractive if I drive a new car. Anyhow, is that true? They also say that since it is technically a 20+ year old car it is already vintage and the parts of the car will cost twice.

tl/dr is buying a new car more practical than driving a 20+ year old econobox?

You could get a 10 year old econobox. Most of them still look modern.

practical in the sense that functionally it is better?

Probably, a new car (depending on what it is) will probably be more comfortable and easier to use day to day, and more reliable.

financially you are a lot worse off, the price of the car, plus how much you lose in depreciation, plus the cost of parts and labour (which will have to be done at a dealer if you want to keep a warranty) and regular servicing will be higher. You stand to lose 5-15k minimum through the whole process. If you buy a car that's 20k new, it will be worth 12-14 as soon as it leaves the dealer's lot. In a few years probably 6-8k

An old econobox shouldn't be too bad, you can do regular maintenance yourself and most of these cars will run for a while if you buy a good one and keep to the maintenance schedule as outlined in the manual, and repair broken things. Cheap used cars were never intended to be cheap used cars, they were intended to be new cars that owners would regularly service. At the end of it you could probably sell the car for what you bought it (provided you haven't fucked it up in some kind of way) and lose the money you spent on maintaining and restoring.

Honestly for someone like you you should buy a used car less than 10 years old that has been maintained properly throughout it's life and has low mileage. Normies will think it looks new, it should work just fine if you get something like a Toyota Corolla (stay away from cheap luxury cars, they were intended to be maintained by people that could afford to buy them new) it will be reasonably practical. You can spend from 6-10k and you'll lose maybe 1-4k of the car's value depending on the condition and model plus maintenance cost but the brunt of the depreciation is taken by whoever bought it new. The car is comfy and practical enough for every day use to feel contemporary and doesn't make you look poor like an econobox does (an unfortunate side effect that plagues a lot of lovely old cars)

>Not to mention they are all saying I would be more attractive if I drive a new car

Keeping up with the Jones I see.
Also no car that hauled your ass(probably many other asses too) for years deserves to be called trash.

Save up money while you run that one to the ground, then buy something even better than a 10 year old shitbox. The mirage has always been pretty bulletproof if you keep routine maintenance. Also, not only do they jack up parts prices, they become harder and harder to find.

A 7 year old lancer looks the same as a new one bar a facelift. or a kia from around that time.

I only just sold my 96 hyundai which i probably could have kept another 5 years, i just wanted something different. it is completely up to you. dont let other people influence what you drive.

>don't let other people influence you what you drive

Fucking this.
You can take "advices" or ask for experiences with a brand but don't let them talk you into a car you might hate but them liking it.

>An old econobox shouldn't be too bad, you can do regular maintenance yourself and most of these cars will run for a while if you buy a good one and keep to the maintenance schedule as outlined in the manual, and repair broken things. Cheap used cars were never intended to be cheap used cars, they were intended to be new cars that owners would regularly service. At the end of it you could probably sell the car for what you bought it (provided you haven't fucked it up in some kind of way) and lose the money you spent on maintaining and restoring.

OP here well I'm thinking that they might have a point that in 3 or 5 or after 10 years the maintenance of my 20 year old econobox will skyrocket and I might be better of selling it now while it still has a price than after 5 or so years when it doesn't have a price at all and will just be junk.

Your're in a pretty comfy position imho. You can keep driving the car until it falls apart, until you're tired of it or until you find something else you like.

The Anons suggesting a more recent used car make a very good point.

I just wanted to ask why you're worried about your car's resale value. Even pristine 90s Lancers are only about 1000, maybe 1200 € here, how's the situation in your country?

>I just wanted to ask why you're worried about your car's resale value. Even pristine 90s Lancers are only about 1000, maybe 1200 € here, how's the situation in your country?

They are more or less same with about $1000 used.
I've got a question though, is buying a newer 10+ year old econobox car cheaper on the gas and has higher gas mileage compared to my 20+ year old econobox? I mean by car doesn't have MIVEC or VVTI etc.