I read this article over a year ago and recently pulled it out of the Toronto Star archives.

Toronto Star
WHEELS, Saturday, August 31, 2002, p. G06

Luxury lasts longer
Size, price, quality factors in longevity

Mark Toljagic
Special to the Star

Canadians are a sensible, modest bunch. For one thing, almost a third of us drive vehicles that are more than 10 years old.

Mercedes-Benz has the largest proportion of 11- to 15-year-old models still operating on Canadian roads. The German automaker leads a pack of luxury marques that enjoy considerably greater longevity than economy car brands.

Many things, besides quality, determine automobile survival rates, according to the report's author, Dennis DesRosiers, of Desrosiers Automotive Consultants Inc.

His interpreted Canadian registration data collected by Polk Canada Inc., market researchers.

DesRosiers points out that high-priced vehicles are kept a lot longer than lower-priced vehicles. This is partly because they are better built, but they also last longer because they: have body-on-frame construction; accumulate fewer kilometres; are looked after more diligently, and are owned by older drivers who can afford the maintenance and are less likely to write off cars in accidents.

Then there's the matter of price. If an owner has invested $60,000 in a new vehicle, or $35,000 in a used vehicle, he or she has a powerful incentive to look after the investment and spread it out over a longer period of time to amortize his or her purchase.

The top-ranked vehicles (in order) are Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Volvo, Cadillac, Lincoln, Acura, Jaguar and Saab. (Lexus and Infiniti were not yet marketed in 1989, the last model year the researchers tracked.) Between 70 per cent and 90 per cent of these premium-brand cars sold in Canada between 1985 to 1989 were still registered and had plates in the year 2000.

The top mass-market brands on the list are Toyota and Honda, followed by Oldsmobile and Chrysler.

That Chrysler-branded cars ranked so high, while similar Dodge models fell below the industry average of 49.7 per cent still on the road, supports the theory that expensive cars enjoy a pampered life.

Luxury cars enjoy an enviable status few high-volume cars achieve. "Driving a 15-year-old Mercedes-Benz is cool," says DesRosiers. "Driving a 15-year-old Pontiac is not."

DesRosiers draws three main conclusions from the data:

Larger, more substantial vehicles last longer than smaller, lighter cars.

The vehicle's price is a strong determinant of longevity.

Quality plays a role in longevity, especially among Japanese vehicles.

Buyers of new cars can't really rely on the data, because the vehicles have changed substantively since 1989. Hyundai's products have improved considerably since the early 1990s and would not rank the same way today.

The longevity data is really of value to those buying older, used vehicles.

"Absolutely the best value for the money is a five- to 10-year-old Cadillac," says DesRosiers.

"It may require more maintenance than a Toyota, but what else can you buy for 20 per cent or 30 per cent of its suggested retail price that is bound to last for another decade?"

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