Hello. About 4 months ago I got a 2011 Toyota Corolla made in Japan for $7,400. It now has 147,000 Miles. Recently I saw not too far from me a 2012 Honda Civic Hybrid with only 87,000 miles for $9,000. Would it be a good idea to trade in? I'm concern with rising gas prices and future government regulations. I expect to keep cars for a long time and take care of them.
No way would I do that. First off, Honda has never been known for a good hybrid.
The corolla is rock solid, and gets pretty good mpg. The Civic gets 44mpg, and being as it is older, it likely doesn't get that. I would also fear that it is about due for a new battery. Just a rough estimate, but you will only save about $2500 over 100k miles driving the civic. The Honda hybrids have had more trouble with batteries than toyota. You will likely spend more owning the Honda than the Corolla.
I am not against Hybrids, I loved my prius, but when I stopped driving a ton, I sold it. If you must get a hybrid, get toyota, they really make good ones. However, as you already have arguably the most reliable car on the planet, if you just take care of it, you will likely save far more keeping it, than buying some other car.
- I would stick with the Corolla they usually have less problems than hybrids and you're probably getting decent miles per gallon
Which engine do you have in the Corolla? How many liters?
My Corolla is a 1.8L 4 cylinder engine.
My Corolla is a 1.8L 4 cylinder engine.
I’d keep the Corolla. If it were the 2.4L I’d consider getting rid of the Corolla because it has been known as an oil burner. But the 1.8L is decent to my knowledge.
Keep the Corolla. Unless you do a massive amount of stop-and-go traffic you'll never make back the money you spent on the hybrid even if and when gas gets more expensive. (Also, as others have pointed out, the Honda hybrids are not that great and you'll likely need to spring $$$$ for a new battery soon on that one - possibly other very expensive repairs as well.)
