At the risk of sounding dramatic, owning a car is like being in a relationship. It takes time to get to know your car when it’s brand new, and then as time goes on, you spend money and effort on treating it well, ensuring that it’s always looked after, and making sure it looks good. Because of that, we end up feeling emotionally connected to our vehicles. That’s why we give them names and talk to them as if they were people! Also like most relationships, though, there comes a time to let go. The car just isn’t what it used to be. It’s not you; it’s them. You need something new in your life, and you can’t have it while this old car is still hanging around.

Knowing the best time to cash in on a car and trade it in isn’t easy. Most cars lose value over time, and even when they don’t, the market is extremely volatile. We can honestly say that we’ve played high-stakes online slots that are less volatile than the used car market. We can also say that the UK slots online are sometimes more predictable – at least they have the good grace to make you aware of their volatility before you start spinning the reels! When it comes to trading in, though, we want the exact same thing that all online slots players want – a jackpot. If you think the time has come to say goodbye to your current drive and hello to a new one, here are five key signs that will confirm that you ought to trust your instincts.

You’ve Passed One Hundred Thousand Miles

Even the most finely-tuned, well-cared-for car has limits. Just as an athlete who trains every day and lives healthily will start to feel the effects of wear and tear on their joints when they reach their late thirties, a car will begin to feel the strain of its long, busy life when it passed the one hundred thousand mile mark on its odometer. Don’t get us wrong – we’ve known and loved cars that have traveled much further than that, but once you’ve reached six digits, you’re likely to be looking at more frequent mechanical issues and higher maintenance costs. Your car’s expenses are going to become a steep upward curve from now in. The days of its best performance have come and gone, and it’s time to say goodbye.

You Can’t Find A Cheap Insurance Quote

You can often get a sense of what the market feels about your car from the insurance costs you’re asked to pay for it. Granted, there are many strange reasons why car insurance prices might increase, and you can generally bring them down again by spending a little time shopping around. If you can’t solve the problem by shopping around, though, chances are the problem is the car and not the insurance provider. Something about your vehicle makes insurers think that it’s become risky – and if you don’t have any recent points or violations on your license, it’s not you! Unless your car is rare or expensive – in which case insurance will always cost a lot – rising costs are usually a sign that insurers are aware of a safety issue on the vehicle or know that it lacks a new piece of technology or equipment that would otherwise make it cheaper to insure. Your car’s fallen behind the times.

You’re Forever Calling Mechanics

At the risk of being a little morbid, we all know when it’s time to have a family pet put to sleep. It’s when you’re always in and out of the vets, and even the vet has started subtly suggesting that it might be kinder to you and the animal to send them on their way. That same logic can be applied to cars. If it breaks down over and over again, and no amount of attention from a qualified mechanic can keep it on the road for a few weeks or months at a time, it’s past the point of no return. Your vehicle has developed a fundamental flaw, and you should get whatever value you can for it before things get even worse, and it’s worth nothing at all.

The Interior Is Worn Out

Owning a car that looks great on the outside is vanity. Owning one that looks and feels great on the inside is sanity. You’re probably going to spend a lot of time in your car. For that reason, it’s important that your seat is comfortable, the interior is clean, and nothing is shabby, worn out, or missing. Over time, though, damage and staining are inevitable. You’ll spill a coffee on the passenger seat. You’ll drop food somewhere it’s impossible to retrieve it from. The sun will discolor your seat covers or your dash. Cracks and abrasions begin to appear. Eventually, the inside of your car becomes an ugly, miserable place to be, and you no longer enjoy driving it. Cars are too expensive to keep and maintain for you not to enjoy them. Let someone else worry about replacing the interior and trade it in for a newer replacement.

Fuel Efficiency Is Dropping

It’s not your imagination – it really did once cost less to keep your car full of gas than it does now. That’s not totally down to your local gas station increasing its prices – gas prices have been fairly steady for several years now. It’s because your engine is getting old, and old engines suck up more gas than new ones do. This is down to wear and tear on your engine. You could replace the engine, but to be perfectly honest, the cost of replacing an engine on an old car is often more than the car is worth. Newer cars come with new technology and better fuel efficiency, so while you might pay more upfront to own one, you’ll pay less over time keeping it running. So long as you can absorb the initial costs, you’ll reap the long-term rewards.

We know that saying goodbye is sometimes hard to do. We’ve been there. Take your beloved old car for one more long drive, make your peace with it, and then bring it to a dealer to cash it in. There’s a new car out there somewhere waiting for you to fall in love with it – and when you do, you’ll forget all above your old love!