<prompt> Human: Our 2008 Chrysler Town Country will be paid off this month. It has 105,000 miles on it and the KBB value is about 7,000. We have a family friend who runs a Toyota dealership and can probably get us closer to 8,000-9,000 on trade. I cant decide if I should enjoy repurposing the 380month for a while 6-12 months or trade in for a new Toyota Sienna right now used with 30k miles is only a few thousand dollars less than new. If I wait a couple years itll be close to 150,000 miles and the trade-in will only be 3,000-4,000. At that point I may as well run it into the ground. The one catch is that if I do this within the next year I have a family member that is offering to gift me 10,000. He wants my kids safe :. That money might not be around in a couple years.So, do I take the gift and the trade in, putting me at about 18,000 toward a 30,000 vehicle, borrowing only 13,000 and immediately taking on manageable debt? Siennas hold their value pretty well so I could continue to trade every few years. Or do I run this van into the ground and enjoy no payments knowing that when its time to buy that Ill be financing the whole thing, and potentially buying something cheaper not used, and not a Toyota.I could use the 380month to pay off a few thousand left on some college loans but after that its just real estate that isnt going to be paid off any time soon. Or I could put money into my IRA or build up my emergency fund.Would love some advice! Both options are pretty enticing to me but Id like to know what is financially the more responsible solution.  <response>: So, do I take the gift and the trade in, putting me at about 18,000 toward a 30,000 vehicle You could do that, or you could not get yourself back into this situation. Use the 18k towards an 18k vehicle. 