I had an old used car in high school and college that only survived as long as it did because I was diligent about the maintenance and care.
That meant taking it in for oil changes and liquid top-offs.
Usually the mechanic would do a quick inspection as well to see if there was anything obvious that needed to be fixed. As long as I was smart about staying up to date on these details, my car would stay on the road with fewer issues overall. The car was given to me by my step dad and I took that situation extremely seriously, especially whenever I had repairs done to the engine for any reason. My time with this old car was instructive for me as I progressed in life. You have a lot of responsibilities where you have the lives others are put in your hands if you’re a parent or a caregiver, so why would you be careless with your expensive equipment like vehicle, appliances, and the rest? My gas furnace is a good example of this concept playing out in real time each year. I can’t afford to let the service and maintenance of my HVAC equipment falter or I will freeze to death in our near subarctic winter weather. It’s the end of April and we just had what I hope is our last snowfall of the year until October rolls around again. Furnace care is even more important with fuel systems like gas because a poorly working furnace could result in toxic gas exposure to you and your family.