I have two options: 2008 Kia Rondo V6 54,000miles $10,000 or 2006 Ford Escape Hybrid 4 cyl. 50,000 miles $10,000
I like the power of the Kia but prefer the looks and hybrid aspect of the Ford. Any thoughts? Thanks
Buy the Ford.
Is the Kia an LX or EX? The price is good either way, but it is great for an EX. That’s also a great price on the Ford. Are these private sales or dealer sales? What condition are they in? Are there any flaws that you can see or hear? Be sure to get a trusted mechanic to evaluate the one you choose to make sure that there are no flaws you need to be aware of. Edmunds estimates maintenance of $5360 and repairs of $3574 over the next 5 years for the Escape and maintenance of $4195 and repairs of $1876 on the Rondo for the same time period. Fuel estimates on the Rondo are $11,335 and $7793 for the Escape Hybrid. You are about $700 ahead over 5 years with the Ford. Maintenance and fuel costs are easy to figure out, but repairs are not. Since the costs are so close, it would make sense to choose the one that is in the best condition.
The institution from which I retired in May has several Ford Escape Hybrids in its fleet. I drove one on a 400 mile round trip to a conference. I was impressed with this Escape as was my research partner. I am 6’ 2" tall and I could find a comfortable seating position. She is 5’ 2" tall and very petite and she was comfortable driving it as well. Her own car is a Honda Civic–has driven Hondas for years, but she was impressed with the Escape. I have a Toyota Sienna and a Toyota 4Runner and I would consider buying an Escape if I needed a car. I think we averaged 32 mpg on the trip.
I no* nothing about a Kia Rondo.
*no = know
“I no nothing about a Kia Rondo.”
Isn’t that I don’t not know nuthin no-how? Watch your homonyms, professor. 
You caught me on that one.
Triedaq
Never, EVER believe Edmunds’ estimates of repair and maintenance costs. I’ve NEVER had a vehicle cost me as much as they claim… but manufacturers also seriously toy with their maintenance schedules to get low costs listed there. Toyota, for example, does not list transmission fluid or brake fluid changes on the schedules of many of their vehicles. They DO list “inspections”, which are essentially free, but then if you don’t change the fluid like they’re going to tell you to after the inspection, they might just void your warranty. Even if they don’t, you should still get the work done to extend the life of the vehicle…
If you do a lot of stop and go city driving, get the hybrid
“Never, EVER believe Edmunds’ estimates of repair and maintenance costs. I’ve NEVER had a vehicle cost me as much as they claim…”
Neither have I, but we take great car of our cars and do a lot of the work ourselves, unlike most others. They have maintenance done at the dealer and are not quite as attentive to details. Don’t consider yourself anywhere close to average, eraser1998. You are way below average. Cost-wise that is. You are way above average in attention to detail as far as your ride is concerned.
“You caught me on that one.”
You probably did that to see if The Great Unwashed, like me, would recognize the “error”. You dog, you.
“You dog, you”.
jtsanders–Ironically, the name I use on this board, “Triedaq” was my late dog (Triedaq 1978-1993). My son, who was not quite 5 years old at the time, named the puppy Treeda for unknown reasons. The name didn’t seem appropriate since the dog was male and Treeda seemed like it was Latin feminine. In order to keep the dog from getting a complex, I ended his name with a “q”. The “q” is silent and his name was pronounced “Tree-dah”.
Triedaq was a rescue pup–he was about 8 weeks old when we got him. He never complained and was friendly to everyone, but didn’t nose around into other people’s bsuiness. He was generous–I would feed him and he would eat what he wanted. He would then let the birds finish what was left. In fact,the birds would yap at him to hurry up. Triedaq was a loyal friend with qualities I try to live up to.
It’s amazing how a dog can insinuate itself into your life. All these years and you still have a soft spot. I also have a soft spot for my wife’s dog at the time we were married, and the dog we now have has become my 4th daughter.