another view..
We get a small employee discount"' from a car manufacturer, and end up changing cars over after 12-15 months.
They normally do around 9-11k per year, so 'resale''/trade in is reasonable.
We don't smoke, the cars are kept clean, and present well on trade in.
I worked out that once a new car is bought, the amount lost per year is pretty much the same as our changeover amount, so it really costs us X amount per year, whether we keep it or change over, so we normally change it.
If the car was sold privately, this changeover would drop, but to be honest, I can't be fagged just for the sake of a few hundered dollars.
So for us, it means I haven't paid for a car service in about 11 years, never bought tyres, a battery, wiper blades, or even changed engine oil. No problems with cv joints, exhausts, clutchs etc. Cars have always been under wty, so if it does sht itself, someone else can deal with it.
Roadside assist and rego doesn't even get paid separately, it's included in the changeover figure. I know you pay for it in the end, but we don't get any bills.
Plus I know the boss is driving in a safe car, and touchwood, she hasn't needed any of the airbags.
We both work pretty hard, and you cant take it with you as they say, so my philosopy is while you can, bugger it.
What is it, your mileage may vary.