My father is one of those people who think you should keep using a working car, appliance, or other items until it breaks.
Since I was a young child, he has always been this way. He would see to it that we utilized every amenity in our home. When Dad realized there were no more repairs that needed to be made, he would only purchase a replacement. My family had an outdated station wagon when I was around eight years old. Everyone else hated the car, but Dad loved it. The car started smoking in the middle of the road as we were returning home after dropping the kids off at school. It was too late after Dad pulled over and tried everything to fix it. Only after that did he buy a new car, and mom made sure it was the model she wanted and was red. In the years since not much has changed. Last summer when I visited my parents, I learned they had a problem with their air conditioning. Mom claimed that despite her insistence, dad had been resisting replacing the air conditioner. Since she knew the end was nigh, she refrained from pressing the matter, and lo and behold, the air conditioning stopped working. Dad tried to get help from the neighborhood heating and cooling company, but they were booked solid for the following three days. I had driven the day before, and now that the air conditioning was off, I was perspiring a lot. After realizing his error, dad apologized to mom and promised to fix the broken air conditioner.