Which new car do Sacramento-area drivers keep the longest? Hint: It’s not really a car

Across the nation, many drivers love to hang on to their SUVs. Others, especially in major metropolitan areas, like to keep their Honda sedans.

But drivers in the greater Sacramento area? Apparently, they’re a little more country.

At least, that’s what one recent survey of automobile data found: The Toyota Tacoma is the vehicle kept for the longest time, on average, among new-car buyers in the Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto region.

The study, by automotive research firm iSeeCars, looked at more than 6 million vehicle transactions and tracked the average time of ownership for different models.

The average car buyer keeps a new car for 7.4 years, the study found. For Tacoma buyers in the greater Sacramento area, it’s 8.1 years.

With an MSRP around $25,000 new, the Tacoma is one of the more inexpensive options for a pickup truck.

Sacramento’s top four included two other trucks — the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and Toyota Tundra — as well as the Honda Accord, each between 8.1 and 8.0 years of ownership on average. The Honda CRV ranked No. 5 at 7.8 years.

Despite its affordability and long original-driver lifespan in Northern California, the Tacoma did not crack the nationwide top 10, which was led by the Ford Expedition and the Chevrolet Corvette (9.0 years for both).

In fact, there are no pickup trucks to be found in the top 10; the list contains five SUVs, three sedans, a minivan and the Corvette.

“Many factors could contribute to a car’s longevity such as its function as shown by the dominance of family vehicles, or because of a fondness of a timeless classic like the Chevrolet Corvette,” iSeeCars CEO Phong Ly said in a news release.

The Tacoma, though, did top the list of longest-kept pickup trucks, edging out Nissan’s Titan and Frontier by one-tenth of a year.

“Pickup truck drivers are likely to place more value on function and reliability rather than keeping up with modern design and technology trends,” Ly said.

Ly also notes that SUVs are often bought by families, and parents tend to keep them “until a large family vehicle is no longer necessary.”

iSeeCars’ study also contains state-by-state breakdowns and averages for some of the largest metropolitan areas in the U.S.

The Golden State follows the national trend, partial to the Ford Expedition — Californians keep that full-size SUV for an average of 9.8 years, the longest time frame cited anywhere in the study.

What about those sedans? In 14 states and in dozens of large metropolitan areas, the popular Honda Accord had the longest time of ownership among cars bought new.

Honda and Toyota shared the distinction of the automakers whose new cars stay in their original owners’ hands; both averaged 7.8 years of ownership.

The Corvette is another story. It’s a sports car on a list dominated by utility vehicles. Why is it ranked No. 2 with an average ownership of 9.0 years? According to Ly, people hang on to Corvettes for a while, with the hope that some day it’ll become a classic.

This story was originally published August 20, 2018 at 12:56 PM.