The Cinderella Era
There was a time when buying a new car sounded like a dream come true but The Car Care Council now suggest that keeping your car through the Cinderella Era is the smartest way to get a solid return on your vehicle investment.
The "Cinderella Era" is the period of time right after you've paid off your car loan, the time when your car is still in great shape and needs only modest repairs and maintenance. With proper care, the typical vehicle should last at least 200,000 miles of safe, dependable performance. By allocating the equivalent of just one new car payment annually, vehicle owners can cover an entire year’s worth of basic maintenance. The most common maintenance procedures and repairs to keep a car operating safely and reliably while maintaining its long-term value involve checking the oil, filters and fluids, the belts and hoses, brakes, tires and air conditioning.
“Whether it’s an oil change, replacing brakes or new belts and hoses, that periodic repair bill is a drop in the bucket compared to years of monthly payments on a new car,” says the Car Care Council. “The moral of the story is that a properly maintained vehicle is safer, more dependable, more fuel efficient, less polluting and more valuable.”