Tuesday, May 16, 2023  
The Mining Journal 5A  
State/Nation/World  
Repelled by high  
car prices,  
Americans are  
holding on to their  
vehicles longer  
than ever  
By TOM KRISHER  
AP Auto Writer  
ANN ARBOR — With  
new and used cars still  
painfully expensive, Ryan  
Holdsworth says he plans  
to keep his 9-year-old  
Chevy Cruze for at least  
four more years. Limiting  
his car payments and his  
overall debt is a bigger  
priority for him than hav-  
ing a new vehicle.  
People walk past a rack with Turkish newspapers a day af-  
A 35-year-old grocery  
ter the presidential election day, in Istanbul, Turkey, Monday.  
store worker from Grand  
Turkey’s presidential elections appeared to be heading toward  
Rapids, Michigan, Hold-  
sworth would probably be  
in the market for a vehicle  
within a few years — if  
not for the high cost. For  
now, it’s out of the ques-  
tion.  
“You’re not going to get  
one for a price you can af-  
ford,” he said.  
This image provided by Guinness World Records shows Bobi in Conqueiros, Portugal. Guin-  
ness World Records says the world’s oldest dog recently celebrated his 31st birthday. Bobi’s  
owner says a party was held Saturday for the purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo, a breed of Portuguese  
dog. (Guinness World Records via AP)  
a second-round runoff on Monday, with President Recep Tayy-  
ip Erdogan, who has ruled his country with a firm grip for 20  
years, leading over his chief challenger, but falling short of the  
votes needed for an outright win. (AP photo)  
World’s oldest dog celebrates 31st birthday,  
according to Guinness World Records  
Turkish presidential  
election going to runoff  
with Erdogan narrowly  
missing outright victory  
By SUZAN FRASER and curial but successful efforts  
CONQUEIROS, Portugal  
Throughout his life, Bobi confirmed by the Veterinary  
Holdsworth has plenty  
of company. Americans  
are keeping their cars lon-  
ger than ever. The average  
age of a passenger vehicle  
on the road hit a record  
12.5 years this year, ac-  
cording to data gathered  
by S&P Global Mobility.  
Sedans like Holdsworth’s  
are even older, on average  
— 13.6 years.  
Blame it mainly on  
the pandemic, which in  
2020 triggered a global  
shortage of automotive  
computer chips, the vital  
component that runs ev-  
erything from radios to  
gas pedals to transmis-  
sions. The shortage dras-  
tically slowed global as-  
sembly lines, making new  
vehicles scarce on dealer  
lots just when consumers  
were increasingly eager  
to buy.  
(AP) — The world’s oldest has freely roamed the for- Medical Service of the Mu-  
dog recently celebrated his ests surrounding the Costa nicipality of Leiria, which  
31st birthday, according to house. He has never been registered Bobi in 1992.  
Guinness World Records.  
Bobi, a purebred Rafeiro do  
Alentejo, a breed of Portu- was never lonely because thorized by the Portuguese  
guese dog, celebrated during he grew up surrounded by government.  
a party Saturday at his home many other animals, Costa Costa, now 38, was just  
in the Portuguese village of said. 8 years old when Bobi was  
Conqueiros, where has lived Now in his senior years, born. For him, Bobi is a liv-  
his entire life. Bobi finds it difficult to ing reminder of the past, he  
More than 100 people at- walk, so he prefers to hang said.  
tended the “very traditional” out at home in the yard. His “Bobi is special because  
Portuguese party, owner Le- eyesight has gotten worse, looking at him is like re-  
onel Costa said. meaning he often bumps membering the people who  
chained or leashed.  
His age also has been ver-  
The “very sociable” dog ified by a pet database au-  
ZEYNEP BILGINSOY  
Associated Press  
ANKARA, Turkey  
to put the country that spans  
Europe and Asia at the cen-  
ter of many major diplomat-  
—
Conservative Turkish Presi- ic negotiations.  
dent Recep Tayyip Erdogan  
Preliminary results showed  
faces a runoff with his main that Erdogan won 49.5%  
rival in two weeks that will of the vote on Sunday,  
decide who leads a country while Kilicdaroglu grabbed  
struggling with sky-high in- 44.9%, and the third candi-  
flation and hosting Syrian date, Sinan Ogan, received  
refugees as it plays a key 5.2%, according to Ahmet  
role in the Middle East and in Yener, the head of Supreme  
Local meats and fish were into things when he walks. were part of our family and  
served to up to 100 guests, Just like old-age humans, unfortunately are no longer  
with extra for Bobi, who Bobi sleeps a lot. He imme- here, like my father, my  
only eats human food. A diately lies down in bed af- brother, or my grandparents  
dance troupe also performed ter eating, although on cold who have already left this  
with Bobi participating in days he chooses to nap by world,” Costa said. “Bobi  
NATO expansion.  
Election officials said  
Electoral Board.  
The remaining uncounted  
Monday that the May 28 sec- votes were not enough to tip  
ond round will allow Turks Erdogan into outright vic-  
to decide if their nation re- tory, even if they all broke  
mains under the increasingly for him, Yener said. In the  
authoritarian president’s firm last presidential election in  
grip for a third decade, or if 2018, Erdogan won in the  
it can embark on the more first round, with more than  
democratic course promised 52% of the vote.  
one of their routines.  
the fire, his owner said.  
Bobi’s birth date has been tions.”  
represents those genera-  
Costa has owned sever-  
al old-age dogs in the past,  
including Bobi’s mother,  
Gira, who lived to age 18.  
However, Costa said he nev-  
er imagined any of his dogs  
would reach their 30s.  
Prices  
reached  
re-  
by Kemal Kilicdaroglu.  
Even as it became clear a  
Make your passion  
cord highs. And though  
they’ve eased somewhat,  
the cost of a vehicle still  
feels punishingly expen-  
sive to many Americans,  
especially when coupled  
with now much-higher  
loan rates.  
Since the pandemic  
struck three years ago, the  
average new vehicle has  
rocketed 24% to nearly  
$48,000 as of April, ac-  
cording to Edmunds.com.  
Typical loan rates on  
new-car purchases have  
ballooned to 7%, a conse-  
quence of the Federal Re-  
serve’s aggressive streak  
of interest rate hikes to  
fight inflation.  
The vote shows how Tur- runoff was likely, Erdogan,  
key has become extremely who has governed Turkey  
polarized, some voters com- as either prime minister or  
“We see situations like this  
as a normal result of the life  
that they have, but Bobi is  
one of a kind,” Costa said.  
One of the biggest contrib-  
uting factors to Bobi’s lon-  
gevity is the “calm, peaceful  
environment” in which he  
lives, according to Costa.  
your paycheck!  
mented.  
president since 2003, paint-  
Growing new and existing business  
in Marquette and Baraga Counties  
“I am not happy at all,” ed Sunday’s vote as a victo-  
voter Suzan Devletsah said. ry both for himself and the  
“I worry about the future of country.  
www.accelerateup.com  
(906) 250-9182  
Turkey.”  
“That the election results  
Erdogan faced electoral have not been finalized  
headwinds due to a cost-of- doesn’t change the fact that  
living crisis and criticism the nation has chosen us,”  
over the government’s re- Erdogan, 69, told supporters  
sponse to a devastating Feb- in the early hours of Mon-  
ruary earthquake.  
The nationalist’s retreat  
was still less marked than the nation’s decision.  
day.  
He said he would respect  
predicted. But with his al-  
Kilicdaroglu sounded hope-  
liance retaining its hold on ful, tweeting around the time  
the parliament, he is now in the runoff was announced:  
a good position to win in the “Do not fall into despair ...  
second round.  
“On May 28, God willing, election together.”  
We will stand up and win this  
It’s all pushed the na-  
tional average monthly  
auto loan payment to  
if Tayyip Erdogan fulfills  
Kilicdaroglu, 74, and his  
expectations, he will win,” party have lost all previous  
Erdogan voter Engin Duran presidential and parliamen-  
$729  
— prohibitively  
high for many. Experts  
say a family earning the  
median U.S. household  
income can no longer af-  
ford the average new car  
payment and still cover  
such necessities as hous-  
ing, food and utilities.  
Used vehicle prices,  
on average, have surged  
even more since the pan-  
demic hit — up 40%, to  
nearly $29,000. With an  
average loan rate having  
reached 11%, the typi-  
cal monthly used-vehicle  
payment is now $563.  
Faced with deciding  
between making a jum-  
bo payment and keeping  
their existing vehicles,  
more owners are choos-  
ing to stick with what  
they have, even if it  
means spending more on  
repairs and maintenance.  
Auto mechanics have  
been struck by the ris-  
ing ages and mileages of  
vehicles that now arrive  
at the shop in numbers  
they’d never seen before.  
“You see cars all  
the time in here with  
said.  
As in previous years, Er- leadership in 2010 but in-  
dogan led a highly divisive creased their votes this time.  
campaign. Right-wing candidate  
tary elections since he took  
He portrayed Kilicdaro- Ogan has not said whom he  
glu, who had received the would endorse if the elec-  
backing of the country’s tions go to a second round.  
pro-Kurdish party, of col- He is believed to have re-  
luding with “terrorists” and ceived support from na-  
of supporting what he called tionalist electors wanting  
“deviant” LGBTQ rights.  
change after two decades  
In a bid to woo voters hit under Erdogan but uncon-  
hard by inflation, he in- vinced by the Kilicdarog-  
creased wages and pensions lu-led six party alliance’s  
and subsidized electricity ability to govern.  
and gas bills, while show-  
casing Turkey’s homegrown showed that the alliance led  
defense industry and infra- by Erdogan’s ruling Jus-  
structure projects. tice and Development Party  
The  
election  
results  
Kilicdaroglu campaigned looked like it would keep  
on promises to reverse crack- its majority in the 600-seat  
downs on free speech and parliament, although the as-  
other forms of democratic sembly has lost much of its  
backsliding, as well as to re- power after a referendum  
pair an economy battered by that gave the presidency ad-  
high inflation and currency ditional legislative powers  
devaluation.  
But as the results came in,  
narrowly passed in 2017.  
Erdogan’s AKP and its al-  
it appeared those elements lies secured 321 seats in the  
didn’t shake up the elector- National Assembly, while  
ate as expected. Turkey’s the opposition won 213 and  
conservative heartland over- the 66 remaining went to a  
whelmingly voted for the pro-Kurdish alliance, accord-  
ruling party, with Kilicdarog- ing to preliminary results.  
250,000,  
300,000  
lu’s main opposition winning  
Howard Eissenstat, an as-  
miles,” said Jay Nuber,  
owner of Japanese Auto  
Professional Service, a  
repair garage near down-  
town Ann Arbor, Michi-  
gan. “They haven’t been  
really having major work  
or anything. They’ve just  
been doing the (routine)  
service.”  
most of the coastal provinces sociate professor of Middle  
in the west and south. The East history and politics at  
pro-Kurdish Green Left Par- St. Lawrence University in  
ty, YSP, won the predomi- New York, said those results  
nantly Kurdish provinces in would likely give Erdogan  
the southeast.  
an advantage in an eventual  
The uncertainty drove the runoff because voters would  
main Turkish stock exchange not want a “divided govern-  
BIST-100 more than 6% ment.”  
lower at the open Monday,  
Results reported by the  
It doesn’t mean that  
most owners of older  
vehicles are necessari-  
ly stuck with constant  
repair bills. One reason  
people can hold their  
vehicles for increasing-  
ly long periods is that  
auto manufacturing has  
improved over time. En-  
gines run longer. Bodies  
don’t rust as quickly.  
Components last longer.  
prompting a temporary halt state-run Anadolu Agency  
in trading. Though shares showed Erdogan’s party  
recovered briefly during the dominating in the earth-  
day, the index was back to quake-hit region, winning  
the initial lows near closing 10 out of 11 provinces in  
time.  
an area that has traditional-  
Western nations and for- ly supported the president.  
eign investors were partic- That was despite criticism  
ularly interested in the out- of a slow response by his  
come because of Erdogan’s government to the 7.8-mag-  
unorthodox leadership of nitude earthquake that killed  
the economy and often mer- more than 50,000 people.  
;