I work in the car business and while I can definitely buy and maintain a car for 10 + years I like leasing them so I'm in a brand new one every 2-3 years max. From my short experience with firearms they are relatively inexpensive and from what I can tell you can buy a gun for $600 or so, use it for 2-3 years and then trade it in for about half the price(hopefully more if you sell it privately) and now you have a brand new firearm without the scratches and possible rust that the old one had accumulated and maybe you are craving for a newer design or model that just came out. From these forums it seems like people don't generally like doing that. I understand that a gun can last you a lifetime unlike a car but I'm sure most firearms enthusiasts get the itch for new products fairly quickly but it doesn't seem to be common to be trade in your 3 year old 9mm or AR15 for a new model. Compared to most other products (like automobiles) the loss is only a few hundred dollars instead of thousands so why aren't most people doing this?
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Why dont people like trading in their guns every few years?
- Thread starter desibaba
- Start date
Speaking for myself,
When I buy a firearm, I buy quality; always with the intention of keeping it for a lifetime and passing it down to my kids. I never have any intention of selling or trading it in.
Occasionally, a stinker slips in, and I will sell, and it is always at a loss. I am not looking for the next newest and greatest thing to "try out". I am always looking for a lifetime collection and a heritage to pass on.
I treat my guns correctly and do not get "scratches" and "rust" on them. Utilitarian trail guns and hunting rifles, I allow for a bit more abuse.
When I buy a firearm, I buy quality; always with the intention of keeping it for a lifetime and passing it down to my kids. I never have any intention of selling or trading it in.
Occasionally, a stinker slips in, and I will sell, and it is always at a loss. I am not looking for the next newest and greatest thing to "try out". I am always looking for a lifetime collection and a heritage to pass on.
I treat my guns correctly and do not get "scratches" and "rust" on them. Utilitarian trail guns and hunting rifles, I allow for a bit more abuse.
I’ve traded in a few, but inevitably ended up missing it. Also, most of us will never totally wear out a gun and can keep them a lifetime, so if finances allow why not. Also, just because new technology comes along doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate the old. For instance I drive fairly new Nissan, but have a 1967 Camaro in the garage.
Cars have a limited life expectancy that most are likely to hit. Also being exposed to the elements in most climates they will rot away if they do not mechanically fail.
There are A LOT of pistols out there that are not even broken in let alone in any danger of wearing out.
There are A LOT of pistols out there that are not even broken in let alone in any danger of wearing out.
Cars keep improving with more and better electronics and safety features. When you buy a car after a few years, you're upgrading even if you buy the same car again. When you buy a quality gun, a new one a few years later will be the same or possibly worse. How is a new 1911 better than an old 1911 if it was kept in great condition? How is a new Ruger 22 pistol better than a well kept one that is 40+years old? How is a new shotgun better than a well kept one that is many years old?
Theohazard
New member
Osbornk and Lohman446 hit the nail on the head. Most cars wear out within a decade or so. And after just a few years, many features on most cars are outdated and have been improved in the newer models. The same is a lot less true with guns.
I have guns that will almost certainly last my lifetime or more. I have models that have been virtually unchanged for many decades. Take my 10/22, for example: I bought it used in the late 90s. I modified it back then with a new barrel and a stock, but recently I got a .22 silencer and I needed a threaded barrel, and my current one couldn't be threaded. Instead of buying a whole new rifle, I just bought a new barrel and stock to go with my original receiver.
My 20-year-old 10/22 receiver is just as good as a new one I could buy today. In fact, one could argue that my older 10/22 receiver is better than a new one because it has the older metal trigger guard instead of the plastic one that the new 10/22s come with.
The same is true for many guns: often newer models have the exact same design as older models, and sometimes the older ones were better made than the newer ones. But the same is rarely true for cars. A new car is usually more fuel efficient, much safer, has much better brakes, and has far better electronics than an older car of the same model.
I have guns that will almost certainly last my lifetime or more. I have models that have been virtually unchanged for many decades. Take my 10/22, for example: I bought it used in the late 90s. I modified it back then with a new barrel and a stock, but recently I got a .22 silencer and I needed a threaded barrel, and my current one couldn't be threaded. Instead of buying a whole new rifle, I just bought a new barrel and stock to go with my original receiver.
My 20-year-old 10/22 receiver is just as good as a new one I could buy today. In fact, one could argue that my older 10/22 receiver is better than a new one because it has the older metal trigger guard instead of the plastic one that the new 10/22s come with.
The same is true for many guns: often newer models have the exact same design as older models, and sometimes the older ones were better made than the newer ones. But the same is rarely true for cars. A new car is usually more fuel efficient, much safer, has much better brakes, and has far better electronics than an older car of the same model.
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Well for every gun I've ever bought I had a reason for buying it. Sometimes I can't remember the reason and sometimes it was a bad reason but there was definitely a reason and I don't like second guessing myself so I pretty much just keep the gun.
Plus I subscribe to the Cheapshooter's rule.
Plus I subscribe to the Cheapshooter's rule.
98 220 swift
New member
I enjoy trading. Not so much for the need for a newer or updated design but for the joy of trying something different. Of course I own several guns I will never sell and will pass them down to my sons. But on the other hand some I buy on impulse and end up not liking them so they get traded for something else(or sold and the money used for a different gun). I dont have the money for every gun I want but this way I can enjoy one for a few years(or months) and try a different one. Also my tastes seem to change from time to time. I was into milsurps for several years. Then handguns and milsurps again. Now I am into accurate rifles and have just recently gotten into ARs again after owning just one since 2002. ( I have bought 1, traded a car for another, bought a upper for the old one from 2002, and just bought 2 stripped lowers in the past few months).
Variety is the spice of life.
Variety is the spice of life.
I've had cars I regretted selling, but did so with the reality that if I kept them, they would be non-functional and worthless to everybody in another 10 years. A car makes a lousy heirloom for somebody whose going to drive it.
I'm getting ready to shoot a few rounds from grandpa's pistol he bought new in the 20's or 30's.
I've sold a few guns, to my brother. I sold a 38 to a stranger based on the logic that since I had just bough a new Security Six, I didn't "need" it any more. That's the one I still lose sleep over. It was just a lowly Rossi blued model 951 4" from the early 80's, but I really liked that gun.
I'm getting ready to shoot a few rounds from grandpa's pistol he bought new in the 20's or 30's.
I've sold a few guns, to my brother. I sold a 38 to a stranger based on the logic that since I had just bough a new Security Six, I didn't "need" it any more. That's the one I still lose sleep over. It was just a lowly Rossi blued model 951 4" from the early 80's, but I really liked that gun.
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Firearms do not lose value as fast(some will increase in value over time at a far greater rate than any collector vehicle too) or have obsolescence planned into 'em. Firearms do not have design flaws, like 'coasting'(when you take your foot off the gas and nothing happens) either. Nor do they have the same computer running 'em. Those being a design flaws.
Any possible rust on a firearm is caused by improper maintenance. Otherwise, you can expect to hand a properly maintained firearm down to your grandchildren. Never mind your kids.
Oh and the guys making 'em aren't being paid skilled wages for unskilled work.
Any possible rust on a firearm is caused by improper maintenance. Otherwise, you can expect to hand a properly maintained firearm down to your grandchildren. Never mind your kids.
Oh and the guys making 'em aren't being paid skilled wages for unskilled work.
So basically what this means is when it comes to guns and ammo we are only progressing at a snail's pace compared to things like cell phones, computers or automobiles? I mean today's cars are way better in almost every way compared to one that was made 40 year's ago but a 40 year 9mm pistol is the same in terms of performance? Why aren't these gun companies investing more in research and development?
They are. Just not in firearms development. Firearms pretty much have developed as far as they can go. So has the gasoline powered internal combustion engine. That hasn't changed in over 100 years.
"...today's cars are way better in almost every way..." How so? Plastic and Al vs steel? Controlled by a very expensive computer chip that doesn't allow the vehicle to slow down when you take your foot off the gas or push in the clutch pedal? Fuel consumption would still be totally ignored if governments hadn't told the vehicle makers to do something about it. American car makers promptly built a lot of small junk. Ever heard of a Vega?
The firearm manufacturers are run by holding companies and marketing MBA's these days anyway. And R&D costs money.
"...today's cars are way better in almost every way..." How so? Plastic and Al vs steel? Controlled by a very expensive computer chip that doesn't allow the vehicle to slow down when you take your foot off the gas or push in the clutch pedal? Fuel consumption would still be totally ignored if governments hadn't told the vehicle makers to do something about it. American car makers promptly built a lot of small junk. Ever heard of a Vega?
The firearm manufacturers are run by holding companies and marketing MBA's these days anyway. And R&D costs money.
So basically what this means is when it comes to guns and ammo we are only progressing at a snail's pace compared to things like cell phones, computers or automobiles?
You could look at it that way. Certainly visually dramatic "progress" has slowed to the point of being a snail's pace, compared to other things.
But other things have/had further to go to reach practical plateau status. Also, something like a car is not just one mechanical system, it is a number of systems, some much more complex than others, each allowing for a different level of possible improvement.
A 1916 car simply isn't considered adequate for general use today. A 1916 firearm still is. It may not be the best possible choice today, but it will still work adequately, if you do.
One reason people don't trade guns like they do cars is guns have to do something more than cars do, they don't just have to drive, they have to "drive" accurately. And while I'm reasonably certain any mechanically sound car I get will drive well, there is no certainty that the gun I trade for will shoot accurately.
A lot of us will buy another gun before we will trade a good gun to get another gun. That way, we still have our "good" gun, in case the new one is a lemon.
carguychris
New member
Let's not forget that guns are generally inexpensive enough that even someone of modest means can afford several of them without too much financial strain.
A new car or truck is a large enough financial investment that most folks can't afford to keep several spare ones around; generally only the wealthy can really afford to impulse-buy them, to buy individual specialized ones for specific tasks, or to buy them solely for their collector value and park them.
For related financial reasons, if a car owner likes having newer models but isn't wealthy, the steep depreciation curve makes it prudent to trade the old one in before it loses too much value.
Another factor is that a bad gun usually isn't going to negatively impact your income directly. If your car or truck is bad, you won't make it to the office, you won't make it to the project site, or you won't make that important delivery. A lousy gun may spoil a hunter's day but it probably won't result in him losing his job.
A new car or truck is a large enough financial investment that most folks can't afford to keep several spare ones around; generally only the wealthy can really afford to impulse-buy them, to buy individual specialized ones for specific tasks, or to buy them solely for their collector value and park them.
For related financial reasons, if a car owner likes having newer models but isn't wealthy, the steep depreciation curve makes it prudent to trade the old one in before it loses too much value.
Another factor is that a bad gun usually isn't going to negatively impact your income directly. If your car or truck is bad, you won't make it to the office, you won't make it to the project site, or you won't make that important delivery. A lousy gun may spoil a hunter's day but it probably won't result in him losing his job.
Gunplummer
New member
If I buy a junker gun, I will usually fix it up and make a couple bucks on it later. If I buy a used gun I want, I buy something good and it will only increase in value. A new car or gun will not be worth what you paid for it in ten years. A used gun that is already sought after will only go up in value. There are some used cars the same way, but the maintenance to keep them that way is terrible. A gun can just be thrown in a closet (Which I seem to do a lot). A car not so much. It would be cheaper to adopt a kid. I really do not see a comparison between the two.
Machineguntony
New member
Don't forget the problem of bulk and volume.
Owning and storing 100 guns is way easier and cheaper than owning and storing 100 cars.
Just by pure necessity, you have to, in some way, dispose of your car.
Owning and storing 100 guns is way easier and cheaper than owning and storing 100 cars.
Just by pure necessity, you have to, in some way, dispose of your car.
As a general rule I don't like newer guns. I like older stuff, stuff that has some wear and character. I definitely don't want a revolver with a safety lock or a lever action with a tang safety or 99.99% of any semiautomatics especially pistols with with no hammer and made of polymer.