On a related issues, how many miles do Mercedes last, if they’ve been well cared for? A relative has one that is a 2004 with 180,000 miles on it (he got it used and has driven 140,000 miles in it) and is wondering how much longer he should expect it to last. It hasn’t had any major issues and we have no idea about longevity.
Oh, I’m sorry: my car is a 2001 Mercury Sable. I bought it from a great aunt who only used it to go to church, Kroger, and the hospital, and I have records of all the maintenance ever done on it between the two of us.
And thanks so much, everyone, for the help!
ETA: for the record, the most major repairs thus far were brakes, compressor assembly, the blower motor assembly, and something to do with the radiator (they had to replace a tee asembly or something?). And they just checked everything and replaced a couple belts and the rotors
This isn’t really an option in Michigan and Ohio.
I just have the AAA membership here in Michigan and I’ve had to use them in several other states. (For whatever reason, my car only gets in trouble when I’m not by my house… go figure!)
Thanks, @romanigypsyeyes. I didn’t know the situation in the area where the OP would be living.
It helps to differentiate between routine maintenance and repairs. Every car will need brakes replaced at some point (although the frequency and cost can vary). On the other hand, my family has owned many cars over the last 30 years and I’ve never had a compressor assembly or blower motor assembly go. Unfortunately Mercury is not one of the best brands as far as reliability goes, but I’d still give keeping it a try. If something goes that is going to cost a couple grand to repair - then it will be time to replace the car.
Since you’ve had your car reviewed by a mechanic & repaired you trust and the mechanic says it’s in good mechanical shape, I’d be inclined to trust the mechanic and save the expense of buying a new car when you already have educational expenses to deal with. I get that there is peace of mind when you have a newer car, but both my kids have been fine with their older, well-maintained cars. D has a 2006 vehicle and I believe S has a 2004.
Having a new(er) car is no guarantee of fewer problems. I’ve had more problems with my new Oldsmobile than I’ve ever had with my kids cars or my older Honda or Toyota. Actually, newer cars make me more nervous that someone will ding or damage the exterior than the older cars that fit in better with a college/grad school campus.
“I definitely will check OH laws and will talk to our insurance agent, too. I wonder if it would be cheaper to just change everything over to Ohio? I read recently that we have the most expensive car insurance rates in MI, lol”
It really depends. Is this the only car on the policy, or is it on a policy with other cars and a multi-car discount? When we told our insurance company that we were keeping a car in another state, they made us purchase a completely separate policy in the state for that car. It we had left it on our Washington state policy, it would have been just an additional car for maybe $300-$350/year. It’s a 2009 cheap Nissan Versa, with minimal coverage, and since we had to get a completely separate policy for a different state, it costs us about $900 a year. A very bad deal, wish we never told them.
When our kids moved their cars out of HI, we had to buy new policies for them in the state where the vehicles were located and license and register the vehicles in that state. We even had to use a different insurance company, since our insurer didn’t issue policies outside of HI. The good thing about the kids having their own policies is that any tickets or accidents they may have doesn’t affect YOUR policy premiums, only theirs. In CA, you can get ticketed if you don’t switch to CA vehicle registration within a fairly short time window.
I would definitely mention to your insurance agent that you’re attending school. Our prius has been back east for a couple of years and will stay for at least two more. First with D2 in PA and now with D3 in NY. We have AAA and, as long as the kids are in college, AAA is fine with it. There are certainly advantages to having the kids NOT on their parents policy (and car ownership by kids not parents) in terms of liability so it’s important to consider the issue from all angles.
Yes, for us it didn’t matter that the kids were in school, when the cars left the state, we needed to buy new policy in new state. 
Since you are confident in the car’s reliability, buy a new car only if the relatives pushing you to buy a new car pay for the new car. I.e. they should put their money where their mouths are.
Who owns the car? When our son was in grad school, the car he used was in our name, and we were allowing him to use it. Since he was a full time student, our insurance allowed him to have our car in another state. And that other state allowed it too…because he was borrowing our car.
BUT if the car had been in his name, he would not have even been allowed to remain on our policy IN our home state. When he moved to another state and thr car was registered in HIS name, he had 30 days to change the registration to that state…and the insurance…and get his driver’s license there.
So…if the car is in YOUR (the student’s) name, you will need to check the requirements in the state in which you will be attending grad school. And of course, check with your insurance.
Thanks so much for all the advice, everyone!
To clarify, the car is registered in my mom’s name and everything goes through her. It’s similar to what someone else mentioned in that I’m basically “borrowing” the car (even though I paid for it and pay for all expenses). It’s just better to have it in her name, and it’s about $850 a year to insure my car in MI.
I think my mom and I will contact our AAA agent and ask them, hypothetically, what one would have to do if they go to school out of state. My mom says she thinks I don’t even have to do anything because it’ll still be properly licensed, but I’m just worried because Michigan is a no-fault state whereas I don’t think Ohio is.
Does anyone know if my no-fault insurance would still apply in OH?
I am listed as the principal driver, though
You will need to check your insurance company. My kid did NOT establish residency where he went to grad school, he went during the academic year…came home for all vacations and summers. Car was on loan from us.
Our insurance company was fine with the arrangement as long as he was a full time student.
YMMV. Contact your company.
To reduce car maintenance cost, you should not totally believe what the auto mechanics say. Many of them want you to fix your car so that they can get the money from you. I refused the recommendations to replace expensive parts on my car many times.
When moving to a new state, that state likely wants the car registration and your driver license in that state. Insurance should follow.
If the kiddo owns the car…then YES the new state will want it registered there. But if her parents own it, she is a student, and they are letting her borrow it, that might not be the case at all. She needs to check HER insurance…and HER state policies.
To answer your original question: NO WAY should you get a new car.in your situation. If one of those relatives wants to give you one, happily accept it. 
Otherwise, continue to keep your costs as low as possible.
AAA is just membership. Insurance is Amica.
I don’t recall why, but both wanted the car registered in MA. I transferred the Title to him. I think he had to do this to get a Cambridge parking sticker.