Sometimes we can throw away the measuring sticks and just buy that new one or decide to keep on with the old cruiser. If your appointments can be rescheduled or you don’t have any deadlines to meet and the taxi service is good, you can just cruise until the engine or transmission just give out. Cars of today don’t have the same revival capability as the old ones due to the complexity of the extra equipment that has to be dragged around in the limping carcass. If is a bigger word than it used to be. If the smog system quits, it can cost a lot of money to fix, but you don’t know the total amount. I say that 165,000 miles on a minivan is enough, but it can go farther.
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I’ll permit a car to strand me once.
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Trade, scrap or sell it when repairs cost more than 6 months of new car payments.
Hondas aren’t exactly unreliable, nor needy of expensive maintenance. I say it has a few more years before it approaches that dreaded time to sell.
I’d say the formula is based on personal finances moreso than the old car.