Flip it or Hold

No, I'm not talking about your home or latest stock investment. I'm talking about your car. For years I have debated about keeping a car or selling it and getting something new. Actually, I'm not a very good candidate for a brand new car anyway. The first year depreciation is enough to scare me off.
The reality is that most people simply get tired of their car and just want a change. Financially, this is usually a big mistake. Certainly, fixing the old car can add up over time, bu compared with the cost of a new car, added interest cost and in most cases maintenance cost, it just doesn't add up to replace. Car, especially in the USA, are very under utilized. There are millions of them for sale in the used category. How about the Vehix.com ad claiming to have over 1.3 million advertised on their site. How many do Autotrader and Cars.com have? This is not to mention the millions of unsold new cars sitting around.
It seems to me that as responsible users of what we produce, we should be more aware of getting the true value out of each vehicle. And I think that it's the best financial decision too.
So the net time you're car needs some attention, instead of just selling it, really do the math. I think you'll find it makes sense to fix it. Also you'll be helping in really using up it real value. It took a lot of resources to build it, and it should be thoroughly used.