Back in 1993 we decided that our new minivan was going to last us a long time. We didn't want to be strapped with perpetual payments (no matter how "easy" and "monthly" and the decision was consistent with our frugal values.
At the time, we didn't know what a 'long time' looked like. Some vague time past 10 years for sure, but we were foggy about the details. We're now a couple months away from Van's 14th birthday and it might be getting close to end of life.
Van hasn't been blowing heat (in the winter anyway) for a few years now and a couple years ago started the annoying habit of throwing off the serpentine belt whenever it goes through more than four inches of snow. This week the temperatures dropped below -30C and it snowed a lot. Instant icy insides and the belts come off twice already.
Van's now at the repair shop. We'll learn tomorrow if it will be pulled off life support.