When does the age of the vehicle/parts replace miles driven?

Tires mostly, as they crack and can become dangerous even with low miles. Change the transmission fluid and the coolant in the radiator. I would replace the brake fluid which is something almost everyone neglects. Have a brake shop bleed the old fluid out and replace it with new fluid. Brake fluid will absorb moisture and rust out brake cylinders if not replaced periodically.

Full_of_Regrets , I agree with you 100 percent. Good advice. Also, Edwj, please make sure that you change your timing belt and water pump now. I know it's very early in terms of mileage, but, it's also a matter of time and it's an interference engine meaning if your timing belt fails, you will ruin the engine. See this link, http://mechanics.stackexchange.com/questions/2987/07-honda- odyssey-timing-belt-change-interval-for-normal-driving-conditions

Boy, that's some expense for 21,000 miles! But that's why I asked the question. I can understand that a belt could be an age related failure and the previous answer regarding tires likewise. I also checked on the fact that the dealer changed the coolant at 5 years and 14,000 miles which from what I have now read elsewhere on here is way early.

Prior to purchasing the 2007 Odessey, we were full time RVers for 13 1/2 years driving either a 1 T dually or an International 4700 LP as tow vehicles for fifth wheel trailers so got the traveling out of our system. Now have personal issues limiting travel.

Keeping and maintaining an older car like yours can make sense as buying a new one means massive depreciation even though you drive your cars very few miles. Your existing car is a known quantity and if you are happy with it you should keep it as the alternative is even more expense for a new car. Due to very low use, your cost per mile is high but your cost per year is very, very low!!

Full_of_Regrets is absolutely correct, keeping your own car over an extended period of time is actually money ahead, here's why; the initial purchase price to acquire a vehicle is made up of the actual price, and financing unless you paid cash, which I don't necessarily advise these days with less than 2 percent financing even on used cars. SO, once you have paid off your car for say 60 months at $300 to $400 per month, which figures to $3,600 to $4,800 annually, that cost will go away and you'll just have maintenance and repairs. Please note that all cars require maintenance, even new cars, so, you have to figure that the cost to keep your car for the next 10 or even 15 years is all about repairs. Now, I'm certain that no matter what goes wrong with your car, it's not going to cost you almost $5,000 per year every year for the next 10 or 15 years. It's probably going to cost more like an average of $1,200 to $1,500 per year. So, in the long run, you're going to save money. And, since it's an older car, you'll save money on insurance and registration fees. Even if you had to pay for a new engine or transmission, it's still less expensive than buying a new or late model car. There's only a couple of really good reasons to get a newer car, and that's safety equipment, better fuel-efficiency and of course if the car doesn't suit your needs. Thus, if you want to get the best dollar value, drive your existing car, especially if you don't put a lot of miles on your cars and treat them lightly. It also helps to do a lot of research on the make and model of the car you're buying. Unfortunately, sometimes you base your assumptions on the last five years of a car that is well received only to discover that they've changed the design for the worse. In my opinion, the best way to avoid this , purchase a late model lease return and CPO vehicle for a car that's had a great service record. Good luck.

Edwj- question about your RV experience, did you ever consider a Class B motor coach with the Sprinter disel engine? Wow, 13 years is a long time for traveling, did you find this cost prohibitive with all the fuel and other incidental fees to maintain your rig?.

At the time we were deciding on what kind of an RV we wanted, I tried driving a motorhome and didn't feel comfortable whereas driving a truck and pulling a 5th wheel I was more comfortable with. Now it wouldn't be a problem. Traveling full time w/o owning a house wasn't that expensive. Of course the capital outlay buying 2 trucks and 3 fifth wheels were large costs but we didn't have property taxes, homeowner fees, and other costs associated with owning a home.

I hope life on the road suits you and that you have many happy adventures. As far as your car keep in mind that properly maintaining a car that is driven very little may cost some money but your overall costs will be low since you don't drive it much.