2014 Hyundai Santa Fe with 140k miles vs. 2005 Honda CR-V with 60k miles

TrebledMind72

I currently own a 2014 with about 140,000 miles and recently the timing chain has started to go bad and needs to be replaced. In addition, the engine is burning oil.

My daughter is moving to Florida for 9 months and I'm trying to decide if it makes sense to sink money into the higher mileage Hyundai or to purchase a 2005 Honda CR-V that I found that appears to be in good shape with only 59,000 miles (original) on the odometer.

Any thoughts or advice?

stickguy

Crv is likely to cost a lot less in the long run.

xwesx

Ultimately, it all comes down to what level of risk you feel comfortable with after your sunk cost.

So, for the Hyundai, you have owned that one for a bit, presumably, and you know how it's been treated, what it needs, and what it doesn't need. You should also know what the repairs will cost.

For the Honda, you know what your cost is to acquire it. But, you don't necessarily know anything else. So, are you comfortable not knowing? Are you okay with a pre-purchase inspection (PPI) to add to that cost a bit, and then take your chances? Low miles on an old vehicle are great in some ways, as there are many parts that will be spared by less use, but it can also be bad because there are many others that might have been neglected over that time span due to the low miles. Typical components are fluids (such as differential, transmission, power steering, and possibly brake fluid), hoses, struts, and other rubber bits.

There's a risk of future cost either way, so add up the sunk cost with the pros and cons of each.

jmonroe1

TrebledMind72 said:

I currently own a 2014 with about 140,000 miles and recently the timing chain has started to go bad and needs to be replaced. In addition, the engine is burning oil.

My daughter is moving to Florida for 9 months and I'm trying to decide if it makes sense to sink money into the higher mileage Hyundai or to purchase a 2005 Honda CR-V that I found that appears to be in good shape with only 59,000 miles (original) on the odometer.

Any thoughts or advice?

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You said the timing chain is “starting” to go bad. I’m not sure what that means but if it means you are “just” starting to hear chain slap and you have stopped driving the car, and you’re satisfied with the car otherwise, I’d spend the money to have it replaced because that has to be a LOT less than buying another car, which like @xwesx pointed out, could have its own age related gremlins.

Good luck and let us know what you decided to do.

jmonroe

oldfarmer50

My natural inclination is to go with the low mileage car if it passes an inspection. The downside is the lack of modern electronic safety/entertainment aids inherent in a 19 year old vehicle. If that doesn’t bother you I would think the Honda would have better longevity.

What is the comparable cost of repairing the Hyundai vs. buying the Honda? Then there is the relative condition between the two. You say the Hyundai is burning oil, that’s not good. Is there rust on either car? Do you have any maintenance records on the Honda?