Life expectancy of steel coasters

How long do steel coasters generally last? I know that wooden coasters generally last forever if they are maintained, but steel can't last as long.
How do they determine the life expectancy? and what is the life expectancy of millenium force, as an example?
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PCW needs something taller than a boomerang

They can last just as long or longer. Wood coasters last a long time because of matainence, and steel coasters are no different!

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Cyclops. 1900 feet of CCI goodness.

Look at the Matterhorn...its still splashin' down!

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"Bathroom 1 looks too intense for me"-Ed Markey

the matterhorn has been retracked quite a few times( right now they are retracking) and it is still breaking down, giving a bumpy ride, and having many other problems. But what can you expect from one of the oldest coasters in the world.

I think the real question is how long can the rolling stock last. Parks retrack rides all the time, but don't often replace the cars and/or trains.

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Jes
Webmaster, Jes's Roller Coasters
http://www.jesms.cjb.net

Like woodies, it's all a matter of maintenance and economics.

Oracle, they retrack woodies too, ya know! And rides do get rough as they age. Don't SLCs start smooth and then become a ride from heck? And breaking down, yeah, macinery does that. Nothing is 100% reliable if it has moving parts. Even old woodies break down often.

It's like Jim Fisher said. Maintenance and economics.

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Cyclops. 1900 feet of CCI goodness.

I heard somewhere that intamin has said that their steel coasters can last up to 30 years.

That's not very long for how much you pay! Don't listen to 'em Rickety.

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Jes
Webmaster, Jes's Roller Coasters
http://www.jesms.cjb.net

I think that life expectancy has more to do with the ride's popularity and dependability than any chance of the entire ride wearing out. Granted, any coaster (wooden or steel) will get so old that it's nearly impossible to keep maintained for any period of time, then it's time to go. But if a ride is really popular and still draws respectable crowds (meaning profit for the park) I don't think there is any sort of limit.

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Po!nt of View: A different look at Roller Coasters.
http://www.crosswinds.net/~justmayntz/thrills/index.html

I would say that you have to go by the design. What i mean by that is, look at The Bat. It only lasted for 3 seasons, but some other steel coasters have lasted for 10+ seasons. It all depends on how the rides are designed and as CrystalKat said, how popular the coasters are.

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CP in 2002, get to the point