That's a very valid point. I'm like you. I bought my truck new from a local dealer. I take excellent care of my vehicle from day one. I never exceed the recommended service intervals. It still looks good and it runs better than the day I bought it. I know exactly what's been done to it and for it since the first day it hit the street. At around
100, 000 miles I might get bored with it and get something else. Maybe. So far, I don't see anything on the dealers lots that I like better than what I have. OTOH, those that trade cars every couple of years don't do that. If you keep a car for 20,000 miles and then get rid of it, routine maintenance is not cost effective. Why change the oil or rotate the tires? Why service the transmission? The whole point of maintenance is to make vehicles last longer. If the service life is only 20,000 miles, it will reach that easily without ever opening the hood. Life is full of trade offs. If you only keep a vehicle 2-3 years and don't want to open the hood, then lease a new one. If you plan on trading a vehicle in every 2-3 years, and don't mid doing maintenance and doing a few minor repairs, then lease turn in's can be an excellent bargain. But don't expect to get 100,000 solid miles out them. But if you want a vehicle that you can drive for many years and many hard miles, you better buy it new and take good care of it right from the start. Most vehicles built today are of such a high quality that they will easily last a decade of solid use with much less maintenance than was previously required. Just think about trying to make a '66 Mustang last 10 years without major repairs! Didn't happen often.