<prompt> Human: Hello! I will try to keep this succinct. I am a grad student working about 35 hours per week in a library, 10hr. I live with my mom because shes nice to let me live in her upstairs while I finish college. I give her 100 a month, and on top of that I have car insurance for about 95, a phone bill around 100, and 27 a month payment on my laptop that Im trying to double payments on. Thats my monthly expenses, not including groceries and gas. I always have at least 150-200 left when I get another payday, which I know is peanuts but I think is good considering how little I make. Onto the issue, I have a paid off 2005 Toyota 4Runner. 226k miles, still starts fine, but the maintenance light has been on for a couple months. AC went out last week. Thats not a deal breaker for a car; I live in the South, but the windows roll down so Ill survive. But while I have such low monthly expenses, Im wondering if its time to start looking? I would want used, under 100k miles, hopefully 2012 or newer. Is this unreasonable? Ive browsed Carmax and I see that its definitely accessible, but is it a prudent investment at this point in my life to spend 10-13,999 on a car? I tell myself I can do a 72 month loan and once I have my Masters pay it off viciously, but I still am not sure if its the right choice. At the point in life my 4Runner is in, it seems absurd to throw money into repairs when she surely doesnt have more than two years left. Any car advice at all, whether it be a small reliable SUV, or advice on not looking for a car at all? Anything would be appreciated. Im trying to learn to make the most of my money and while I am making so little but have so few bills, I just am not sure if this is the time for another car. Thanks!Edit: if this is needed info, I have an emergency fund of around 2,200, no credit card debt, and obviously student loans-sitting at around 20k and still have 3 semesters to go before Masters.Assistant: I dont really see whats the problem with the car. Is the maintenance light a check engine light? That doesnt necessarily mean its a bad thing. You can check it with an OBD-II reader to see how serious it is. If youre doing frequent oil changes and other necessary services, itll last you til 300k miles, long enough to finish school. So if the car isnt breaking down on you right now, just keep driving it.What you should be doing is saving that 150-200month for potential service or repairs. And at some point, maybe youll need another car. I think your requirements for under 100k and newer than 2012 are a little too high at this point in your life. A 2007 car with 130k miles will drive just fine, if youre just bridging until you get a good paying job. Something like a used 2006-2007 Toyota Corolla with 100-150k miles is around 5k-7k.Human: That all makes sense. I agree that I may be jumping the gun; Im gonna get the light scanned first to see what is really going on. I dont think its check engine, the light just says MAINT. Which apparently may come on every 7500 miles or so no matter what. So Im gonna try to see whats really going on, and otherwise drive it until it dies, in which case maybe get something much cheaper. Thank you! This was my moms car that I got when I was 16, so Im venturing into car buying for the first time and am very overwhelmed.  <response>: The maint light is usually just an oil change reminder. It can easily be reset, just google it for your specific car. 