AutoZone's business up quite a bit in the last year

[StageLeft]

Link

It's no joke, people really are keeping cars that they may otherwise replace and repairing them instead.

Strange thing, though, normally if I sell a car I want to replace, somebody else gets it and repairs it, so it's not like the car's repairs will be skipped; they merely get pushed down. Thus I am thinking that much of this gain is in keeping cars on the road that otherwise simply would be off the road, so if I had to guess I'd say that junk yards are doing great business now, too, but probably having less available inventory.

 

[PingSpike]

My guess is when people trade in a junk for a new car, the dealership fixes it up and doesn't buy the parts from autozone. Autozone would sell to consumers fixing up the junks instead?

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
Link

It's no joke, people really are keeping cars that they may otherwise replace and repairing them instead.

Strange thing, though, normally if I sell a car I want to replace, somebody else gets it and repairs it, so it's not like the car's repairs will be skipped; they merely get pushed down. Thus I am thinking that much of this gain is in keeping cars on the road that otherwise simply would be off the road, so if I had to guess I'd say that junk yards are doing great business now, too, but probably having less available inventory.

considering the rate of new car sales is so low that it'd take nearly 25 years to turn over the fleet right now, that is exactly what is going on.

 

[AdamK47]

If you aren't buying new then you must be maintaining the old. I'm sure there are plenty of retail parts and service companies prospering right now. Not just automotive related.

 

[rh71]

interesting I saw a statistic yesterday that people are keeping their cars an average of 9 years. So they had already been keeping them even before this debacle.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: rh71
interesting I saw a statistic yesterday that people are keeping their cars an average of 9 years. So they had already been keeping them even before this debacle.

I don't think I've ever kept a car for 9 years in my entire life...and I've owned cars since the mid 1980s.

I have owned my current car for 6 years now though. Honestly, I'm sick of it but I'm the original owner, it is paid for, it is reliable, it only has 74,000 miles on it, and it serves my needs so there is zero reason for me to get rid of it.

 

[Analog]

I give them lots of business. They have a card that gives you 20% off which really comes in handy.

 

[mooseracing]

Originally posted by: Analog
I give them lots of business. They have a card that gives you 20% off which really comes in handy.

I try, but I'm not fond of replacing parts constantly. So I just stick to name brand liquids when I go to AZ or Advance for that matter.

I wish I could by OEM parts that came on my vehicle that have lasted the past 20yrs, then I would be happy. New OEM sucks.

 

[MovingTarget]

Well, some people like myself were never in a position to buy a new(ish) car anyway even before this recession. Don't fix what isn't broken, fix what is. Let the suckers keep buying vehicles and have neverending car notes.....