I’m toying with the idea of selling my 2009 Honda Accord EX-L V6 for a smaller, more economical vehicle like the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, or Mazda 3.
Could someone look over my thought process and give me their opinion?
Accord:
- 100% paid for
- 69k current miles (should last well into the 150k mile range, correct?)
- Purchased in October 2013 from a local, private company (salesman owned car)
- Detailed maintenance records prove this vehicle was maintained correctly
- I have had zero issues in the year that I have owned the car
- Tires will need changing in the spring ($600 – 800 installed)
- Fluids will need changing in 2015 (brake fluid, power steering, coolant – few hundred bucks)
- Belts are original and may need changing for preventative maintenance
- I have only put approximately 5,500 miles on the Accord in a year. I live less than 5 miles round trip from work, which is majority of my driving. Plus, I commute as much as possible during the summer months on my motorcycle.
- I average around 19 MPG
Pros: the smooth and peppy V6 engine, styling, I know the history of the car, top of the line model and well equipped
Cons: some annoying rattles known on this model Accord, will need to put money (approximately $1k) into it in 2015, fuel economy could be better but not a deal breaker by any means
The reason I am interested in the Civic, Corolla, 3 vehicles is because I can get them with about half of the miles of my Accord, 2-3 years newer in model year, better fuel economy (not a major concern, but is nice – my guess is I would average around 29 MPG), cheaper tires when it comes time to replace, and should be cheaper to insure. No loan will be taken out to purchase the new to me car. The downside is that I will have to pay roughly $1k in sales tax. The way I view it, I will be paying $1k either way; keep the Accord and pay $1k in maintenance or buy the Corolla and pay the $1k in sales tax.
Am I crazy for considering this?
Please share your thoughts.
Could someone look over my thought process and give me their opinion?
Accord:
- 100% paid for
- 69k current miles (should last well into the 150k mile range, correct?)
- Purchased in October 2013 from a local, private company (salesman owned car)
- Detailed maintenance records prove this vehicle was maintained correctly
- I have had zero issues in the year that I have owned the car
- Tires will need changing in the spring ($600 – 800 installed)
- Fluids will need changing in 2015 (brake fluid, power steering, coolant – few hundred bucks)
- Belts are original and may need changing for preventative maintenance
- I have only put approximately 5,500 miles on the Accord in a year. I live less than 5 miles round trip from work, which is majority of my driving. Plus, I commute as much as possible during the summer months on my motorcycle.
- I average around 19 MPG
Pros: the smooth and peppy V6 engine, styling, I know the history of the car, top of the line model and well equipped
Cons: some annoying rattles known on this model Accord, will need to put money (approximately $1k) into it in 2015, fuel economy could be better but not a deal breaker by any means
The reason I am interested in the Civic, Corolla, 3 vehicles is because I can get them with about half of the miles of my Accord, 2-3 years newer in model year, better fuel economy (not a major concern, but is nice – my guess is I would average around 29 MPG), cheaper tires when it comes time to replace, and should be cheaper to insure. No loan will be taken out to purchase the new to me car. The downside is that I will have to pay roughly $1k in sales tax. The way I view it, I will be paying $1k either way; keep the Accord and pay $1k in maintenance or buy the Corolla and pay the $1k in sales tax.
Am I crazy for considering this?
Please share your thoughts.
