Topic: How they age

[sirAQUAMAN64]

Some of what you mentioned is probably due to poor maintenance.  If you want to keep a car for 10 years you have to maintain it properly and keep it clean.  A liitle wax on the paint once in a while doesn't hurt either.  I just turned in a 2003 PT Cruiser after a 4 year lease and it looked as good as anything on the dealers lot.  I get my cars serviced regularly, oil change every 5000 km.  I wash it once a week, weather permitting, and wax it at least twice a year.  A lot of people these days lease a car and don't do anything to it, no service, little or no washes, and at the end of the lease it is a pile of junk.  It doesn't matter who manufactures the car, it will not stand up to that kind of treatment.

although it is clear the Corsicas, the first generation Lumina APV/Trans Sports, and the hoods of some Chrysler minivans did suffer some severe paint/finish issues. And trim is a problem sometimes too.

Overall though, if as an owner you don't care of maintain your vehicle, it will turn to crap in short order.

[Arctic_White]

Things should improve for my crappy Ford windstar. Its hit 8 years and the graph appears to level out...if you squint....

By that age, there are only a few left - the best of the best - thus the apparent "leveling out". (Sort of kidding.) 

Hahaha... very well said, and so very true.