what car did you have?
I'm not going to get into the logistics of it all but there's a domino effect. You can get the regularly scheduled maintenance but if you get behind or put off one thing like riding with one tire that's too low, or not chaging your spark plugs until your car starts misfiring or won't start or perform correctly there's basically a chain effect that starts and if you get too far behind basically you're effecting the total lifespan of your car and you're going to have to do something major like steering correction or engine repair. I know because I've done it myself and I've witnessed it more often than not by people who just neglect their cars then every 3-5 years are like "I need a new car." Not want, need. "Well it's been doing this, this and this..." "I'm starting to take it in more and more ...."
It's just like going to the doctor to get a physical or general checkup. If you only go when your sick, by the time you just get a physical or general check up to see how you're doing (when there's not anything wrong) there's going to be a laundry list of things you need to work on, manage, monitor.