We're mechanics. We don't notice or care about "luxury". We save that for the sofa in our homes. Our goal is for your car to get you back home safely. You need a salesman to tell you why the newer item is better than the old version.
What I CAN tell you is every year the insane engineers find more and more things to hang an unnecessary, unreliable, expensive computer onto, and the newer the vehicle, the more you can expect to spend on repairs every year. My daily driver is an old '88 Grand Caravan with power steering, power brakes, power windows, locks, mirrors, and seat, and not one of those things needs a computer. I've spent less on repairs for this vehicle in the last ten years than you can expect to spend yearly on a 2010 anything. You won't even be able to turn on the head lights or blow the horn without involving multiple computers.
The exception is if your old vehicle is in need of a major repair, that is a good time to trade it. If you're simply trading because the newer model has another feature or another button, you can end up with fewer mileage-related problems like transmission and suspension part wear, but you'll also be getting a car you're unfamiliar with. There's always the chance the previous owner traded it in because it has an intermittent problem no one has been able to find. Often the selling dealer isn't even aware things like that exist. If you aren't having a problem with your current vehicle, my vote is to keep it as long as possible.
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Monday, June 29th, 2015 AT 7:48 PM
