Average Age of Cars and Trucks in Use (as of July 1, 1993)
As you can see by the chart below, Americans are keeping their cars and trucks longer than ever before. The average age of a passenger car in use in 1993 was 8.3 years compared to 5.6 in 1970. The same trend holds true with truck use (though not as dramatic a difference) - the average age of a truck in 1993 was 8.6 compared to 7.3 in 1970.
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Motor-Vehicle Retail Sales
Total motor-vehicle retail sales are steadily increasing again - 14,199,0.00 units for 1993. The all-time high was set in 1986 - 16,322,000 units. Retail sales of automobiles accounted for 60 percent of total sales in 1993 compared to 78.3 percent in 1973. This decrease reflects the growing popularity of light trucks as personal vehicles. Retail sales of trucks for 1993 (5,618,000 units) have surpassed their 1988 records.
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Motor-Vehicle Registration
The number of registered motor vehicle continues to increase steadily. Automobile registrations have increased 15.7 (20.0 million) since 1983 while truck registrations have increased 28.3 percent (10.4 million). Light single-unit trucks have seen a phenomenal growth in popularity since 1983 and now account for 20.5 percent of total registered motor vehicles.
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Cost of Owning and Operating Automobiles, Vans, and Light Trucks - 1994
Ownership and Operating Costs by Category - Intermediate Size Vehicle (Based on Average Cost of 39.5 Cents Per Mile)
The Federal Highway Administration estimates that combined Federal and State motor-fuel taxes currently account for only 4.2 percent of the cost per mile of owning and operating an automobile compared to 6.7 percent in 1970.
