We have a 2000 Honda CRV, purchased used, in 2003. It has 71000 miles & is in excellent running condition. We put about 7500 miles/year (I am retired). Question: Sell it now, get about $7000 & purchase a used 2005 model CRV for about $17000, or run it into the ground & then get a replacement at some future date?
If it were me, I’d keep it. I’m currently driving a '96 ES300 with 120k miles, runs great, so I’m not planning to trade any time soon. Only reason to trade would be if you were wanting to get out of a gas hog. But you do want to spend the money to keep it in top shape, a tiny fraction of what you’d spend to trade in.
If you take care of your current CRV it could last you for another 10-15 years and go for 200,000+ miles.
What would your purpose be in moving to the new car? If you’re looking to save money, then keeping your current car is definitely the route to go. If you want higher reliability or newer features, then only you can decide if that’s worth the extra cost to you.
If you keep this car, I’m guessing you’re due for a timing belt change about now. If so, make sure you do that. Otherwise, you risk major engine damage if it breaks.
By all means, keep driving the car. It’s a well built machine with a very long life expectancy. My neighbor’s wife bought one in 1998; she’s a teacher and needs a reliable car. It has been serviced regularly and essentially runs like new. Her current mileage is about 160,000!! She can easily afford a new car, but is totally happpy with her CRV. When it comes time to trade, she’ll have another CRV.
In your case, you have the ideal situation for not needing a new vehicle for the next 10-15 years at least. Put the money for a replacement in an investment account and drive this one till the end of its natural life, which is about 300,000 miles, or 30.5 more years of driving, at your current rate, if the body does not rust out.
As mentioned before, you cannot find a more reliable SUV than the Honda CRV.
With the money your investment account generates, you can travel all over, if you like and enjoy life.
I just hope they fix the problem with the new CRVs. I sat in one at the dealer show room the other day, and, honestly, I’d almost consider getting one. The biggest problem with it, the pedal for the parking brake is directly over the foot rest for your left foot. It would be very easy to put your foot on the brake pedal while trying to rest your leg, or get it caught trying to get out of the vehicle.
I’m facing the same dilemma: my 2000 Suzuki Swift hatchback has 108,000 miles and is still running great – no complaints – but I don’t want to end up stranded when it starts NOT running so great! I do a lot of driving on lonely backroads in rural areas and am a woman alone (helpless; can’t even change a tire); in addition, my cell phone doesn’t have service everywhere. If I did strictly in-town driving, I’d drive it till the engine died and couldn’t be revived, but that’s not the case, so I have to consider my personal safety as well as thrift (and I’m VERY thrifty). Hence, I’ve decided to go ahead and order a 2009 Yaris (no big hurry, since mine’s running fine) and, when it arrives, sell this little gas miser for a bundle.
otterhere; pia’s situation is different; she’s retired, and does not appear to travel in the boondocks. When you are in such a situation, all you need is a cell phone and a AAA membership; if the car breakks down (not likley), you just get home a little later.
In your case, otterhere, you should take a “car ownership for women” course typically taught at the YWCA or community college. My wife took it and benefited immensely from the common sense approach to managing car ownership. She routinely goes into the mountains with a 14 year old car and never worries about breakdowns. If necesary, she can change a tire!
Women travelling alone need to be proactive and able to anticpate probelems. Since the car is an essential part of our lives, understanding how cars be behave and what can go wrong with them is a necessary skill.
Unless you’re a very young retired person, I’d keep the CR-V until you stop driving. This car should be easily capable of exceeding 150,000 miles. It will take you 11 years to get there. If you don’t appreciate the entry height yet, you will as you age. I know people with back and joint problems who drive CR-Vs and are quite satisfied with them.
I agree; her situation is different and, as I said, I think it’s fine to drive a car just in town for as long as it runs; I only wish I could… As for the car class, am sure I should, but I probably won’t…