I don't have a thing for new car vanity, so I'm not at all tired of my 2000 Outback. I just figure that sometime not too far after 170 K, it will become less reliable. And as Wntrrn points out, that might not be too far off for my vehicle. I have very strong feelings for reliable transportation and am willing to pay a bit more for it. (in the mid 60s, I was that teenager you saw crawling in and under his '55 Chevy in parking lots and alongside the road fixing his car, yet again.)

I also have cash in the bank. And will have more cash when we sell the condo, but we want to use that to buy down the house mortgage, not spend it on a car. While I'm not keen on car payments, I can afford one. But at near zero interest on a car, it would be like paying cash one month at a time. Doesn't get cheaper than that. And the car has to be replaced eventually. But if zero or cheap interest is still around in 2 years, then yeah, might as well keep driving it.

And Aunty, I thought about your idea. I might just work an extra few months and buy a new car at retirement. There's more than one possibility, that's for sure.

Sg