engines and oil have come a long... long way since the recommended 3k mile oil change. personally, in our vehicles i let them go 7-10k miles. there was a guy in California who ran is late 90's dakota 25k miles between changes, every oil analysis was normal. conventional oil not synthetic.
best thing you can do is check the oil and makes sure it is filled to the correct level. if you drive more city miles, especially in winter, you need to change oil more often or go for a long (hour or so) drive every couple weeks.
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