Keeping a car running for years requires care and dedication, but it can be satisfying and financially rewarding. As much fun as it is to rotate through new vehicles every few years, a reliable daily driver that goes the distance can allow you to save incredible amounts of money. Of course, an unreliable long-term car can quickly turn into a bottomless pit of repair costs.

Avoiding the latter scenario is all about one thing: routine maintenance. Keeping up with a regular maintenance schedule helps to keep your vehicle running for longer and can even allow you to avoid many repair costs. If you're going to build your automotive maintenance plan, then be sure to include these three critical items.

Oil Changes

Modern manufacturers typically recommend oil change intervals from two to four times as often as the standard 3,000-mile oil change recommendation. While there's nothing wrong with these recommendations, they may not be ideal if you intend to keep your car well into six-figure mileage territory.

Newer synthetic oil does last much longer than its organic counterparts. As long as you're using synthetic, you can follow extended oil change service intervals, but it may be worth changing your oil a few thousand miles earlier than recommended. This slightly advanced service interval will ensure that you keep internal wear on your engine to a bare minimum.

Brake, Coolant, and Power Steering Fluid Flushes

Sadly, many owners neglect these three essential fluids, but changing them can help keep your car running for longer and reduce the likelihood of leaks or other failures. If your manufacturer does not recommend an interval for this service, consider flushing and replacing your brake fluid and coolant once every two years or every 30,000 miles.

Power steering fluid replacement intervals can be more contentious, but it's still generally a good idea to occasionally replace it. One option is to monitor your power steering fluid for discoloration, which may indicate contamination. Alternately, replacing the fluid every 2-3 years or 60,000 miles is cheap preventative maintenance that may extend the life of your power steering pump.

Filter Replacements

Your oil filter isn't the only filter in your car that needs some attention from time to time! In addition to replacing your oil filter at every oil change, you'll also want to replace your engine air filter and cabin air filter. Unless you dry in particularly dusty conditions, plan to replace your engine air filter every 30,000 miles or as often as recommended by your manufacturer.

The cabin air filter helps to keep your interior air quality high (just like the filter in your home's air conditioning system). In most cases, you can consider this to be a 30,000-mile replacement item, as well. If you can easily reach the filter, you may want to check it occasionally and replace it as necessary to maintain clean and fresh interior air.

Reach out to a mileage internal service professional to learn more.