Here’s the latest reader question – along with my reply!
Daniel writes: I am a 69 year old who had a major, debilitating stroke a couple of years ago and am seriously concerned about my life expectancy. I am trying to get my wife settled for life after I’m gone. We currently own a 2020 Kia Sportage with 25k miles that is paid for. This Kia will either be the last car my wife will own, or the next car we buy will be the last car she owns. I say “she” because I’m blind and, of course, do not drive. So, the question is do we trust that our Kia will get my wife through the next 10-15 years, or do we purchase a 2025 model?
If we choose to buy a 2025 model, we are looking at the Honda CR-V, Kia Sportage, Toyota RAV4, Hyundai Tucson, Mazda CX-50, Subaru Forester or Nissan Rogue. We are considering a gasoline-only engine and definitely have no interest in an EV. Given the current political atmosphere, and considering the next 10-15 years, is it wise to purchase a gas only vehicle? If we lived in California, gas only would be out of the question, but we live in Texas.
So, there are two questions. Do we stay with the 2020 Kia, or look to purchase a 2025 model while we can still afford it? And is it wise to purchase a gas only engine at this time. I would appreciate your opinion herein. T
My reply: I think the main variable as regards whether to keep the 2020 Sportage is how many miles you expect your wife to drive it over say the next ten years. It appears – based on the current mileage – that she averages about 5,000 miles per year, which is great in that it means the Kia would only have accumulated another 50,000 miles over the next ten years, so a total of just 75,000 miles – which is very low miles for a vehicle that would by then be 15 years old. It would realistically still have another five or even ten years of reliable service left, especially if well-cared-for (e.g., oil/filter changes at the specified intervals; use the “hard use” standard rather than the “normal” use standard).
I think it makes sense to keep the Kia for this and several other reasons – including lower insurance costs (vs. a new vehicle) as well as less lower costs of ownership since you won’t be making payments on a new/replacement vehicle. If your 2020 Kia is paid for, then you have essentially no carrying costs other than routine maintenance, insurance and the occasional bill for repairs as they become necessary – which will your wife will likely not have to deal with for many years to come as your 2020 is currently a near-new car with very low mileage.
There is another factor to consider as well. Anything new will be laden with (my opinion) obnoxious “driver assistance” and similar “technology” that is not only (again, my opinion) obnoxious but also adds complexity, which increases the possibility of problems down the road. The 2020 is also less mechanically complicated and for that reason apt to be more long-term reliable. This is especially so if your Kia has the standard 2.4 engine – which is not turbocharged. I would avoid a turbocharged anything for long-term durability reasons.
I hope this helps – and I’m sorry to hear about the health issues.
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