Keep the CR-V or move on to an X1?

Question

Dear Scotty,

I'm a longtime follower of your videos and am hoping to get your advice - my wife and I have owned a 2009 CR-V since its "birth" and have performed meticulous maintenance on it. We currently have 103k miles but are currently trending at ~6k miles per year. We're new parents and with a growing family, have considered either moving on to a larger and newer vehicle or staying put with our CR-V for a few more years.

My mother-in-law has offered to hand down her 2017 BMW X1 with 45k miles to help us move into a newer vehicle, but we're hesitant to do so given the repair track records of Honda vs. BMW and the cost of maintenance. We're contemplating whether we might be able to get 5 yrs safely from the BMW without too many headaches given our low mileage driving as my wife would love some of the upgrades (heated seats/steering wheel, heads up display, additional hp).

If we found a trustworthy mechanic who worked on BMWs in our area and continued to put low miles on our vehicle, do you think we'd be ok moving on to the BMW, or is it likely more trouble than it's worth?

Sincerely,

"We Should Know Better By Now"

Kaizen · Accepted Answer

I’ve had both a Honda and a BMW.

1999 Honda Accord going on 270K miles.

2007 BMW X5, hand me down in 2016 at 160K miles.

I can tell you that I’ve spent more money maintaining the BMW in the last 4 years than the past 21 years of the Honda.

Don’t get me wrong, they a great cars. But they do cost an arm, leg, and torso to maintain.

InThrustWeTrust · Answer

First off, the X1 is not a real BMW & in many ways a downgrade from a CR-V. With that out of the way, does your life lack excitement with your newborn that you need to introduce a BMW into your life & ruin your peace of mind by constantly tending to a petulant vehicle?

If your CR-V is performing flawlessly, continue to drive it till the wheels fall off (which will be a while with your low running).

Don't spend sleepless nights worrying about any unforeseen astronomical repair costs with the X1. Instead spend that time with your child.

Congratulations on being new parents & don’t make a foolish decision this new year.

Kerem · Answer

The CR-V is a reliable car and you know the history of it.

The BMW X1 would be a much more exciting car as you never know when the junky plastic engine will blow up or will leave you stranded on the highway. Creates some tenseness in your life.

Stay with the CR-V for now the 09 is a very good year and the car is awesome you will put more than the value of the CR-V into the first years' repairs of the X1.

At the end of this hard 2020, don't make a fool of yourself by throwing money for no reason on a pile of junk cheap BMW.