Repair / replace / upgrade
Do not upgrade just because the new one is smarter.
An upgrade is worthwhile only when the work, downtime or capability it improves is worth more than the net premium, subscriptions and replacement friction.
Use three checks
What job is currently failing?
If the existing setup still completes the job, the upgrade needs to earn its price through lower attention, lower cost or new capability you actually need.
What is the net premium today?
New price minus resale/trade-in, plus subscriptions, accessories and installation. Do not compare list prices from different dates.
What does failure cost?
If repair is cheap and downtime is tolerable, keeping the old product can dominate. If failure is expensive, support and reliability deserve more weight.
Next step
Compare the new price against the replacement alternative.
If the upgrade is nearly the price of two simpler replacements, the premium should have a clear reason to exist.
