Which car should I keep?

We have an '02 Saturn S series with 156,000 mi on it. It gets 38mpg, has manual transmission, manual windows, manual locks–all the things we like. We haven’t had any major problems with it, and my husband is diligent on preventative maintenance.
Enter my 93 yr old father-in-law, who can no longer drive, so he just gave us his '06 Taurus which only has 48,000 mi. But it gets less than 28 mpg, it’s all automatic, has a transponder key, etc, all the things we don’t like. We should only keep one car.
Would it be unwise to sell the Taurus and keep the Saturn? Is it nearing the end of its trouble-free existence? Are Tauruses reliable enuf to make it worth the significantly lower gas mileage?

You’ve gotten the best years out of your Saturn. It will not continue to be trouble-free forever.

If someone GAVE me an '06 Taurus I’d gladly drive it as long as I could. The Taurus has a pretty good reputation for reliability, and a free car is tough to beat.

Your other option would be to sell the Taurus and put the money in the bank. When you need to replace the Saturn, the money will be there. Who knows, maybe the Saturn will last a few more years.

I agree with “mc”. It’s down hill from here on with the Saturn. A problem with selling is usually the feelings of those who gift you the car. Other than that, the advice gets a second from here.

Lots Of Variables, Not Much Information.

At first glance this looks like a no-brainer . . . keep the Ford.
However, we don’t know how far you drive per day/week/month, if you need money, if cars rust where you live, etcetera.

I think that you could adjust to liking the Taurus, but you could sell it and bank the money so that when the Saturn gives it up, get a car more to your liking.

Give us more information and you’ll get some better advice. It’s like me asking if I’d be better off with new basketball, running, walking, or cross-training shoes. I haven’t given you an idea of what I’m using them for, my lifestyle, the price of the shoes, etcetera.

Fill in as many blanks as you can. Pint us a picture of how the car is to be used and when you plan on replacing the Saturn. Also, have you thought about a replacement choice for the Saturn (Pssst . . . They don’t make them anymore.).

CSA

Why only keep one car? Both are paid for. The Saturn can be your car to use most of the time. The Taurus is a good long trip car, back up when the Saturn needs time in the repair shop car, or when you need to take 4 or 5 people somewhere car.

If you sell the Saturn you’ll miss the 38 mpg in times of expensive gas. If you sell the Ford and the Saturn needs an expensive repair you’ll be sorry since you’ll pay dearly for an equivalent car to replace the Saturn.

Only sell a car if you really need the money, such as to pay off high interest credit card debt.

I’m With Uncle Turbo. We’ve Got A Driveway Full Of Cars. Most Are Commuters, But The Minivan Is The Family Road Trip / High School Sports Events Vehicle.

At least keep both vehicles and use them long enough to make a better decision.

CSA

The Saturn is approaching the end of reliable performance and parts availability. Sell it while you still can, and keep the Taurus, for which Ford will supply of economical parts for the next 20 years.

"The Saturn is appraoching the end of reliable performance and parts availability."
I Care To Offer A Different Opinion.

That Saturn’s just getting broken-in. We generally run our GM cars (and Chrysler) well beyond 200,000 miles and sometimes 300,000 miles and disagree that they become unreliable after 156,000 miles. Rust (^%$@ salt !) is what finally takes them off the road.

Also, on cars like this (age, miles) I generally shop for used parts, except mechanical parts, which I would think will be available for quite some time, not necessarily from a dealer. Heck, I’ve got 2 Fieros much older than this Saturn.

CSA

I’d keep them both and carry the lowest collision insurance on the Saturn allowed by law. You don’t need comprehensive insurance, either. If it is listed as your commuter car, then the Taurus is an occasional use car. It will carry a low insurance premium because it is not driven during rush hour. Talk to your insurer and see if it makes sense. You might even pay less than you do now if you have not taken these steps already on the Saturn.

Keep both, drive the Taurus less than 3k per year and the insurance won’t be too bad. As for the Saturn, I too have an 02 SL, 5 speed, manual everything but with air (the “Silver Blue Special” but mine has 235k miles.

Runs good, everything works, burns a little oil. I can see a trouble free moonshot in its future (248k miles) but now that I’ve retired, I don’t drive it much anymore. It has been the most reliable car I’ve had to date, including a slew of Honda’s, Toyota’s and Nissan’s. It has only needed two intake manifold gaskets (go aftermarket, OEM sucks on this) and a rear wheel bearing.

My vote is for keeping both. Drop the insurance on the Saturn except for liability, unless this has already been done.

I would never dream of being down to a 1 car household. There are many times the old secondary beater can be put to good use and save wear and tear on the newer one.

Is it just the two of you or are kids involved too? You both work, & both commute? Some things to consider as to keeping both cars or not. If you don’t need two I would sell the Saturn. Why pay for insurance & upkeep on two when one will do. The Taurus has a pretty good track record.