<prompt> Human: I dont know anything about cars so pretty much since Ive started driving Ive trusted my dad or boyfriend to help me find something reliable which usually turns out being a 2500 pre-2002 coupe off of Craigslist that breaks down 4 months after I buy it. So after like the 3rd time that happened to me in a year I decided I wanted something reliable that would last me a while and bought a brand new car. I know cars lose value pretty fast, but I put an 8,000 down payment on a 28,000 car. I dont really know exactly how trade ins work, but is there a sweet spot to trade in a car before you need to start putting money into maintenance and before it loses too much value? Does it make sense to just trade in your car every year? also as a side note, having car trouble is the most draining thing in the world to me and I would like to just avoid ever getting to the point where it needs maintenanceEdit: more extra info, I also wanted a car payment to help build my credit I have an 11 month history and my only account is a secured loan thats gonna be paid off next month and the account will closeAssistant: I know cars lose value pretty fast, but I put an 8,000 down payment on a 28,000 car. I dont really know exactly how trade ins work, but is there a sweet spot to trade in a car before you need to start putting money into maintenance and before it loses too much value? Does it make sense to just trade in your car every year?You can typically drive a brand new car for at least 8-10 years before the maintenance costs will be a major concern. If you want to save money, you should drive your car until it is no longer safe to drive or until the cost to repair the car is greater than the value of the car. Trading in your car to get a newer car will just cost more money in the long run, and youll always have a car payment. Human: So it would be smarter to pay it off in 4 years, drive it for 8-10 years while saving, then trade it in for way less when it starts giving me problems?  <response>: The sweet spot for sale is the cars that those other guys were selling you; just 5000 miles before a major maintenance problem. Trying to figure out exactly when that is can be extremely tough.Since youre not psychic, yes, plan to sell the car when its worth a low amount 3000? keep it until it dies, or upgrade when your life mandates that you need a different vehicle, such as a pickup for hauling or a minivan for children.If you can get 10 years of use out of a car, 6 of which youre not making payments, youre doing better than the average consumer. 