Last Fall, toward the end of the “Employee Discount” car buying programs, I contemplated trading in my 1999 Dodge Durango. It has been well maintained and is kept very clean. I anticipated getting $6,000 to $7,000 for it as a trade-in. I was shocked to find that I would only receive $3,000 for it. I declared that I would rather crush it than give it away for $3,000. So since there is nothing wrong with my truck, I decided to just keep driving it. Because my truck is still in great shape, that was a decision I could easily make.

New Years is traditionally the season for making resolutions to take better care. If you have bought a new vehicle in the past year, one resolution you may have made is that “this time I’m going to take good care of my car.” Let’s discuss what steps you should take to keep such a resolution.

Most important is performing the regularly scheduled maintenance on time. Get the oil changed every 3,000 miles. I don’t advise that because I want to do more oil changes. Most businesses see oil changes as a distraction at best. They are not money-makers. But when 3,000 miles turns into 9,000 miles, your engine has really suffered. Do that a few times and your car won’t see 100,000 miles.

Have your tires rotated every other oil change on SUV’s, and every third oil change on passenger cars. Keep the tire pressure at the top of the rating on the tire.

Get the 30,000, 60,000, and 90,000 mile services completed. Most importantly, these services take care of your transmission fluid and engine coolant.

Beyond regular maintenance, the next most important step is taking care of the little odds and ends that break. Have them repaired shortly after something happens. It often becomes more expensive to repair something that has been used for a prolonged time when broken. If you have items repaired immediately, the expense is usually easier to fit into your budget. If you let several items pile up, the repair can become very costly.

Keeping a good car is much like keeping a good attitude. You work on it every day