A major issue that is extremely important is your economic situation, which is most decidedly not our business, just to be aware of the issue. If you can easily afford a new car, then buying a new car is your decision and you need not apologize to anyone.
On the other hand, old habits die hard, and people have trouble changing as good, well maintained cars last much longer. I can remember when people used to boast when a motor lasted 100,000 miles. Today that motor is still fairly new if properly maintained.
If like most of us a new car is a major economic decision, then it sounds like this car can last you a long time. On the other hand, you may also last a long time. My wife’s best friend is 92 and her 1992, I think, Buick, also may be a Regal I am not sure, runs out fine. Nice car, in great shape.
Some importance must be directed at exactly what sort of driving you do. It is different if you drive across the country, or just around town. 20,000+ miles a year sounds like it must include a lot of highway driving, right?
The usual advice is to have a cell phone to call for help if you do get stranded. If you don’t have a great personal mechanic, find our Mechanic Files page, and locate a good mechanic in your area, for a complete examination of that car. The three most important things are belts hose and tires. You will want to keep the cooling system and transmission well maintained, among other issues he may point out.
If you drive any distance out of town in cold or very hot weather, take the time to pop survival equipment in the trunk. Cold weather gear, I take my two -30 degree sleeping bags when I go north into the snow belt in below freezing weather. It is possible to die if you get trapped in cold weather, rare in the days of cell phones, but last month one midwestern state prohibited tow trucks from going out for a couple days, and up to 100 people were trapped in their cars on the Interstate for quite a few hours. My kids always took peanut butter when they commuted 70 miles a day to the State University on the Interstate, P’nut butter has plenty of energy to keep your core temps up, and they had a military sleeping bag in the trunk.
In the summer, be sure to take a couple gallon jugs of water along.
This is my normal advice for any age of car. People die because they assume their car will always run perfectly, and will never get stuck in a blizzard.
Several years ago, on our way back to the States, we spent the night at Matehuala. The next morning, we talked to a couple going back to Minnesota from one of the beaches. She had suffered in the night from cold, because most buildings are not centrally heated. Turns out in February they had driven from Minnesota to Mexico, and all she had was a light sweater, no coat. If their vehicle stalled or got trapped in a blizzard, she is going to die.