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An Infiniti Q50 sedan.
- Cars are getting more and more expensive in the US.
- Sales data compiled by the Kelley Blue Book show that the average car cost more than $36,500 in February or nearly $1,000 more than in February 2018.
- We turned to the experts at Edmunds.com and Kelley Blue Book for some handy tips on how to make your car last longer and save you money.
Cars are big tickets buys for most American families. In fact, it's usually the second biggest purchase right after the family home.
Unfortunately, cars are getting more and more expensive in the US. Sales data compiled by the Kelley Blue Book show that the average car cost more than $36,500 in February or nearly $1,000 more than in February 2018. Some of the more popular segments of the market were even more expensive. For example, full-size pickup trucks such as the Ford F-Series, Chevrolet Silverado, and the Ram 1500 had an average transaction cost of $49,958. That's an increase of more than $3,000 over the same period in 2018. Compact crossover SUVs like the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV cost an average of $29,259, up nearly $800 over the same time last year.
Read more: What your check engine light really means.
According to the US Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the average cars on the road in 2017 was 10.1 years old. That's up from 9.5 years of age in 2009 and 9.0 years in 2001.
Regardless of whether this trend is caused by better build quality or increasingly high prices, the result is the same; cars are lasting a long time.
Recently, Business Insider spoke with Kelley Blue Book executive editor Michael Harley and Edmunds.com senior consumer advice editor Ron Montoya for some tips on how to make your last longer and save you money.
Fortunately, most of the advice is simple, common sense practices that don't require much effort or expertise to implement.