How long do they last?

[cfesmire]

I just watched the movie "Bullit" again that was released in 1968. I was amazed at the number of early to mid 1950's vehicles that one can see in the periphery of many of the scenes. Even a few late 40's pieces scattered throughout. What is the avarage life span of vehicles, how long should one expect to see a particular year on the highways? I realize this will certainly vary from make and model but this would be useful information to those looking to model a certain time period. Any documentation on this or just good guesses?

[Cor_DutchArt]

In our country cars lived for about 15 years, till about 1985.

After that the quality was improved and they made 5 years more at least.

[BillC]

In 2005, the median age (50% older, 50% newer) for all vehicles was 9 years. This is much higher than ever before (except for the years immediately following World War II).

In the year Bullitt was made, the average was about 5.1 years. However, cars from the late 1940s and early 1950s would have been only 15-20 years old and the Bay Area climate is kinder to them than the Snow Belt. I know here in southest Texas, there are still plenty of cars and trucks from the 1980s and even the 1970s around.

[superba]

On my first trip to California in 1982 I was shocked at the number of 50's & 60's era cars still running.

Most shocking was to see three corvairs in a row stuck in bumper to bumper traffic on a Friday night rush hour on the San Diego freeway. Being from New England I had not seen a corvair in ten years.

I even saw a 1963 Dodge Dart taxi still operating. One year later I saw a 64 Chevy Malibu Taxi in LA.

When I moved to Austin Texas in the early 90's again I was shocked by the number of 50's era cars still running.

Here in Chicago anything older than 1990 is a surprise to see.

One more point if your into Lalo Schifrin, I just downloaded the "Bullit" movie soundtrack on Itunes last week. Really great chase music!

[skunk]

Here in NYC, the only pre-1990 cars one sees in any real numbers are Volvo 240s. A 240 is the perfect car for NYC streets, until you have to park the thing.

Out in Queens and the boroughs, there are the occasional old American cars too, there is a first year Oldsmobile J-car in Astoria that always catches my eye.

[Jerry]

Here in Southern California you will see a range of automobiles that might shock you. Autos from the "40's" to the present are in abundance. This past week I saw (3) fully restored autos from the "20" doing their thing. I also saw a beautiful "39" Lincoln driving down the street. I drive a "91" Mitsubishi truck that looks fairly new, except for the dings here and there, my fault. We are not Cuba, but we do drive our cars longer than in other parts of the country. Bill C. is correct when he says "it is the weather". The dry climate here is much kinder to metal than a wet, humid climate. There does not seem to be any trepidation to drive them on our crowded streets either. Most people respect them and enjoy seeing them "doing their thing".

[jackfitz1944]

Up here in snowy Michigan you still see old vehicles on the road. There is a guy in the small city where I live that drives a '46 Chevy pickup durning the summer as a daily driver. I also see during the summer a T bucket, a '32 Ford hotrod, a mild custom '46 Ford and several pickups from the '60's and '70's. This doesn't include the old cars that show up at every festival that all the city's and towns have in this area every year. I myself have a '42 Willys MB that I drive around for fun and sometimes take it to shows (on a trailer).