My first car was 10 years old when I got it, model year 1986. I did maintenance myself with the help of my father - oil, brakes, rotors, that kind of thing. It

My first car was 10 years old when I got it, model year 1986. I did maintenance myself with the help of my father - oil, brakes, rotors, that kind of thing. It was 5 more years before it needed real work (bad alternator, bad fuel pump) and another 3ish years before major failure. A couple grand kept it on the road. After I sold it I still saw it around town for a number of years. My point is, cars last far, far longer than we generally assume if you take reasonable care of them!