I drive a 1997 Honda Accord maybe 6,000 miles each year. In past years, I've driven about 12,000 miles per year and changed the oil about every 3,000-4,000 miles, or about every three months.
When should I get my oil changed now that I'm driving less? Should it be by mileage (~six months) or do I need it changed earlier than that?
Accordng to this Honda Maintenance Calculator, you should be changing it every 3 months. At least, if you live in Canada.
If you're interested in reducing the change interval, consider going to a full synthetic oil which, depending on formulation (and marketing) would probably be good for 6 months to a year between changes.
If you don't drive a vehicle frequently enough and long enough, moisture will get into the oil. Following the manufacturers spec for mileage and time is usually a good idea, every X miles or Y months, whichever you hit first.
First thing I do with my summer car when it comes out of the garage for the season is an oil change, regardless of the mileage on the oil (which usually isn't much).
I don't know if we use different grades of oil, but most UK spec cars I have dealt with have had an oil change interval of 6 months, not 3, and some have been longer than that - more and more newer cars tend to be going towards 12months or 10-15000 miles
I have a 1997 Accord and I still have the original owner's manual. According to the Maintenance Schedule in the manual:
Under normal conditions and occasional severe conditions, you should change the oil every 7500 miles or 12 months (whichever comes first).
Under frequent severe conditions or if you live in Canada, you should change the oil every 3750 miles or 6 months (whichever comes first). See the linked image for a list of things that constitute "severe conditions".
