I agree with you! Having said that, we just replaced my DHs old 1998 Nissan Quest with a 2011 Dodge Caravan that only had 18,000 miles on it. Technically, we didn't need it, because the Quest ran fine; engine is in great shape.
However, the Quest does have over 130,000 miles on it and the axles needed to be replaced.
Plus, I get nervous driving a car with 130,000 miles on it.
My DH, on the other hand, thinks that the more small (not life threatening = small to him) and very annoying things wrong on a car, the more character it has. He gets to tinker with it and develop 'Rube Goldberg' work arounds for those small things.
We got the axles replaced on the Quest for $600. Less than a week later my DH heard a clunking noise from the front end. He checked it and found that the steering had rusted away from the body of the car. I am not sure that can be fixed, but he has finally fallen out of love with it. And I am very glad we bought the Dodge Caravan in time for the summer traveling we do with our 'Grands'.