Auto show attendance up this year

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - More people took the time to visit this year's Michigan International Auto Show than in the past several years, event officials said.

An auto show spokesperson told 24 Hour News 8 that attendance was up between 30% and 38% over the average of the last three years.

The yearly gathering of the latest and greatest cars, trucks and SUVs at DeVos Place ended on Sunday evening.

Some show-goers were searching for new vehicles and interested in buying -- but many said they were hanging on to their cars for longer.

"The way that they're making the cars a lot better and taking good care of them, they could easily last to 10," said Pat Droste, who is in the market for a new car. "We have a 2002 Taurus. It runs really well. I know if I turn it in I won't get any money for it, so it runs great, so I'm just keeping it."

A new study shows the average age of a vehicle on the road today is 11 years old. That is the highest it has been since 1995.