I was used to buying old cars and driving them until the cost of service far exceeded the value of the car altogether.
This worked nice for me when I had a nextdoor buddy who was willing to do our mechanical work for a bargain compared to auto mechanic shops.
But when he moved to a neighboring city to open a body service shop, I was left without our on-demand, discount car mechanic. At this point I did some math and realized it would cost the same amount of money to simply get a car loan on something new, at least I’d guess that the car was in prime shape. I guess some people who have cars for years before needing any work done, especially if they take care of them. Not only that, however feel about it like this. Let’s say you buy a brand current car with a 5-year loan on it. After those 5 years, you now have a car with under 100,000 miles on it that has only one single owner—you. You could always turn it in to the dealership and get another current vehicle with another car payment. If you don’t, you’ll have a car in much better shape than if you had started at year-zero with a car that already had more than 100,000 miles on it. You won’t always guess the vehicle history either, leaving so many questions regarding unseen concerns that could appear at a moment’s notice. It’s also nice having a newer vehicle with its amenities like the lodge air filter. This is the first time I have ever bought a car that absolutely came with a filter for the a/c and heating system. I didn’t guess until the mechanic told me while I was in a routine oil change.