I'm a former auto technician, and quite frankly, most new cars today are wildly overpriced and quality across all car manufacturers has dropped significantly since the pandemic (yes, even Toyotas are having issues).
A few tips for maintaining what you have:
1. More frequent fluid changes than what the manufacturer's guidance recommends. My fluid changes intervals for my vehicles are 5K for engine oil, 30K for transmission fluid and engine coolant, and 50K for rear axle gear oil on rear and all-wheel drive vehicles. I know there's synthetic oils that can go up to 25K miles, but I can tell you from experience, the folks who are still driving cars and trucks with 500K or a million miles on them do not run their engine oil past 5-6K miles without a change.
2. Wash your car regularly, especially in northern climates where salt is used. Even with all the carbon fiber and plastic in modern cars, they are still metal at their base, and rust will always be a car's enemy.
3. If you've purchased a new car recently (last 2-3 years), consider getting an extended warranty from the vehicle manufacturer. I know every financial advisor says do not buy an extended warranty because its a waste of money. Weigh the cost of paying for the warranty against having to purchase another car. I purchase extended warranties for my vehicles, and on my last vehicle (a 2017), that warranty saw heavy use.
4. Learn what frequently breaks on your car. There are a number of YT channels hosted by current/former dealership technicians who can inform you as to the "Achilles heels" on each car model. Be proactive and address these (or budget to address) before they become an actual problem.
I'm thinking now I should write up a longer version of this and post it in the Automotive forum.
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