This is why I replace my car frequently
It’s deer season where I live and the probability of hitting a deer went up.
I am in the market for a new car even though my car is a little over 2 years old. I typically drive 30k miles a year (22K during past 12 months due to Wuhan Virus) and typically replace my car every 3 to 4 years. I am a firm believer in preventive maintenance, e.g. if my tires are rated for 80K miles, I replace them at 60K to 70K miles. I learned a long time ago, things break down due to wear and tear, etc. For example if the car battery was good for 84 months or 7 years, I learned the battery needed to replaced at the 4-year mark to be safe.
The main reason why I replace my car is for safety ... new cars have the latest safety features. The auto makers are now adding more standard safety features to their vehicles.
Nissan added 6 standard features to 10 models with the most important one for me being “automatic emergency braking”
https://m.carsdirect.com/automotive-...ur-more-models
Subaru has EyeSight; Honda has Honda Sensing; and Toyota has Safety Sense.
If a deer is in the road, there’s a good chance a vehicle with automatic emergency breaking or pre-collision system might stop the car before I react. New cars today come with radar, lasers, cameras, etc.
“Suddenly, a deer jumped right in front of my car, and before I could fully apply the brakes, my Outback came to a complete stop on its own. That was amazing!” Eriksen wrote in response to Consumer Reports' latest Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) survey*. “Without the car’s automatic emergency braking system, I’d have hit the deer, no question about it.”
https://www.consumerreports.org/auto...ave-your-life/
An old car might have low operating costs but does not have the latest safety features. My life is important and as I get older, my reaction time slows down. I need these safety feature as insurance policies.
If you want to save money, spend less on food, clothes, entertainment, etc but don’t skimp on the important things like a safe car if you travel a lot. I have a buddy who buys a car with a salvaged title for $8K and drives 40K+ miles per year and then gets a replacement car in a couple of years. At least each replacement car has more safety features than the prior car.
My view is I want a dependable car with the latest safety features and amenities so I can enjoy my time in the car for 2 to 6 hour drives.
