Which car should I keep, or do I keep both?

What a wonderful situation! Delightful!

Can you tell us the type of car and the year model for each?

I’m also a single person, and off the top of my head, I would say to keep only the car that is being given to you by the woman at your church and to sell your old car. There are more bills for cars than just the insurance. Maintenance is not cheap. If the car is in the shop or otherwise undriveable, you can always get a rental.

@Hawaii_Jake I know it’s a white SUV but not what specific make and model although it’s not one of the larger ones. I’ll actually get to see it tonight because she’s picking me up for our group that meets at the church once a month. It would be a 2012 model. I’m not sure, but I seem to remember that it is a Honda but I’ll know more after tonight.

My car is a 2008 Ford Fusion.

And yes, I am still sitting at lunch, rather in shock at her generosity!

If I sell a car, it would mostly be mine, especially since mine still has under 100,000 miles and I know that once you hit that 100,000 mile mark, the amount of money you can get for your car goes down a lot.

Knowing it’s likely a Honda makes my idea firm in my mind. Keep the Honda. Hondas run for 200,000 to 250,000 miles with regular maintenance.

This is a very happy thing!

@Hawaii_Jake well, that was my thought too. I know my aunt still has her Honda and I know she’s had it for something like 20 years! But I have to make sure I have that right. I’ll try to remember to come back on tonight or tomorrow and update with what I know.

I haven’t read the previous answers. I’d keep both for a while and play it by ear, meaning see how it goes. If you have both cars, you have an option. If you get rid of one now, you have no option. You could drive both and see how you like hers compared to yours. You can always sell one in the near future. If one needs a big repair you have the other one to drive in the meantime.

I was going to add, a lot of cars now will last way longer than 100,000 miles. I have a Honda and it has over 190k on it and the dealer Service guy said recently there’s no reason why it won’t get to a quarter million miles which as you know is 250k. Fingers crossed. My last Honda made it to 210k before it needed a major repair.

@jca2 I’m pretty sure she said it was a Honda but I’ll know for sure as of this evening. I’ve just about made up my mind that I will just sell my old car. I don’t drive very many miles a week so even alternating cars, it might be silly to keep both. And I do hear a lot of good things about how long Hondas last.

She won’t even have her car to give me for two or three weeks because she has to finish going through with buying her new car, so it gives me some time to decide. I just want to consider all angles.

It’s really nice that she’s giving you this car. What a great gift.

I’d keep both, especially being single. Plus resale is great right now due to the economy so people snatch up used vehicles than run well quickly.
I also have two and my insurance combines is $119 a month. Well worth taking up space and twice yearly oil changes for me.

Dump the Ford.
I wasn’t sure till you said it was a Ford.

@KNOWITALL I’m still waiting all my options, but because I don’t drive very many miles a week, even with just the one car, I would worry that I wouldn’t be able to run each car enough. So I’m not sure and, as you said, since the resale value for used cars right now is a lot better, maybe now is the time to sell one of them. And if I’m going to sell one, it will probably be the one I have now.

@filmfann I tend to agree, but I have to be honest. This is the second Ford I’ve had and, except for routine maintenance, I’ve had very few issues with it. Of course, I’m not sure what the typical longevity for a Ford sedan is after 100,000 miles.

I would keep both for a while. It is nice to have backup. The insurance increase will be minimal since you are the sole driver for both cars and can only drive one at a time.
You can alternate cars every few days and use the time to clean up and do maintenance work on the other. One car can be for dirty stuff like picking up bags of mulch or wood or whatever. The other can be for clean, higher fuel economy driving. Once you have both cars cleaned up and you have experience with them you can think about selling one but there is no hurry. They certainly aren’t depreciating significantly.

I have one concern. Some Hondas had a timing chain that needed to be replaced every 100k miles. That was an expensive job. Figure around $700 to $1000 if you have the dealer do it. Some Honda engines had an “interference” engine design that resulted in excellent power and economy BUT if the timing chain broke, the pistons would crash into the valves and result in a very expensive repair. Check the manual and see if that engine needs the timing belt changed.

@LuckyGuy do you know what range of years for Hondas had that issue? This is a 2011/12 so I wondered if that was an issue in later cars.

@LifeQuestioner Fords of that era are notorious for their aluminum heads, which end up throwing the spark plugs. Very expensive fix.

I’d keep BOTH for a while until I could decide which is the better car. Don’t know about your area, but here 10 year old Honda cars are going for $10K. Check with your DMV because you might have to pay a stiff gift tax fee if she “gives” it to you. We always put down that we paid $25 for any vehicle if it was given because we pay NO tax on that little…yet if “given it’s a high gift tax amount!!! I’ve only ever had 1 Ford & it lasted 20 years & over 350K miles. No clue about the Honda mileage. I’ve found it very convenient to have 2 cars as I also live by myself & it NEVER fails, if 1 needs to go in the shop, I’ve always got somewhere I just “need” to be!!!

She might get her feelings hurt if she gives it to you & you turn around & sell it right away. My 2 cars only run me about $100/month for insurance & that’s without having them linked to my homeowners policy. Having that 2nd car has its perks!!!

@filmfann thanks! Good to know!

@LadyMarissa yeah, I’m somewhat torn after reading everybody’s responses. One thing I’ve thought about though is that I live in an apartment complex, so although there seems to be ample parking, I don’t know about taking up two spaces. I would probably check with my rental office to be safe although I can’t see it being an issue.

I have State Farm so I’m guessing that the policies on both cars would be more than they are for you, but I would have to look into it. And great idea about the gift tax thing! I’ll have to mention it to her tonight.

@LifeQuestioner When you find out the make and model and year, call the Honda dealer and ask the service department and they can tell you whether that car has a timing chain or belt. You could also always bring the car into the Honda dealer for an oil change, even if you’re not going to bring it to the dealer in the future, you can bring it for the first oil change when you get it and they will do a look over and let you know anything that needs replacing or might be an issue. That’s how they make money, by letting you know about the condition of the brakes, the filters and anything else. You don’t have to agree to have any of the services done, but it is a good way to find out if there are any issues.

I can tell you that if they tell you that the cabin filter needs to be replaced, that’s something you can do yourself and it literally takes about two minutes. The part is less than 10 dollars on Amazon and it’s about sixty seconds to take the old one out and put in the new one (and I’m not even that mechanical) but if you get that done at the dealer, you’re looking at a sixty dollar charge, at least, with the part and labor. WIper blades, I buy at the auto part store and the auto part store guy will put them in for me, and I give the guy a five dollar tip and he’s very happy.

Well, certainly why not keep both for a month or two and see what you want to do? I have two, a safe car and a sporty one for the summer. The trouble is I’ve gotten more nervous about driving and there’s more traffic around so I don’t use the sporty one much. But it came in handy when I had an accident with my other car.

Of course if you are driving both, you will have to get insurance to cover each but adding a second car is cheaper. And if you pay to cover each and then decide to sell one, you can cancel its coverage and get a return premium but not of the whole year’s amount.

I have a second car in my driveway that was my mom’s, and it’s not registered to me but it’s here in case I want to use it. I can tell you it’s very reassuring to know that even though my mom’s car is 20 years old, if for some reason I need to use it, like if my car is in the shop, I won’t be stuck at home with no car. My car is never in the shop, knock on wood, because it’s a Honda and it doesn’t break down, (I say that facetiously) but it’s just nice to know the second car is there in case I need it.

I“m not an expert but would get rid of the Ford, myself. The milage difference is fairly negligible, but the time differences substantial. 5 years is a long time. Vinyl begins to break down, rubber seals fail, and other problems show up in older cars, even if they’re. not being driven much just due to time.

My 2005 Ford starts every time I turn the key @gorillapaws. Only reason I keep the old V8.

Hey everyone, I don’t know how I got Honda stuck in my head, but apparently it’s not a Honda, it’s a Nissan Rogue. So now I’m not quite as excited but I still am going to accept it.

Pick one. Extra belongings are a burden.

Nissan is still a good make. So happy for you!

edited…my comment was more about brands of cars and was irrelevant.

I haven’t read the answers above. What a lovely and generous gift!

I would keep both for now. If you get storage insurance on one of the cars it’s VERY cheap. Basically, it means you aren’t using that car. You can still drive it a little, you need to ask your insurance the parameters. You should be able to turn that coverage off and on and switch to regular coverage when you need to.

Is there a chance you wouldn’t use it off of your property for a while? Possibly the law only requires registration and plates if you are driving the car on the roads.

Check to see if you have to pay sales tax if it was a gift to you.

Before I retired, I kept two old cars. As you point out, it was very convenient to have a backup.

Keep both because you never know when one will quit or require repair and then you’ll need another.
It seems to me the metal in car engines is different that cars of the 1960’s. Back then, when a car had 100,000 miles on it, it was shot. Not so these days. engines seem to last longer, sometimes as much as 200,000 miles, with proper maintenance. For example, I have a 1991 Nissan pick-up that has over 300,000 miles and it still runs very well, does not smoke, and uses very little oil if the oil is changed regularly.
Another point to ponder is that if you had to get another car, it would cost a pretty penny to buy and you can avoid that cost by hanging onto the car you have been given.

Sell your old car after you make sure your new car runs well.

Unless the insurance and registration costs are prohibitive or if you have an issue with parking two cars then I would keep both Over time you will find out if you really need two or which one suits you better.
I think the “Church Lady’s” car sounds like the preferable option.

@JLeslie I live in an apartment complex so I don’t really have my own property, per se. It’s something to think about but we have to renew our registration every two years and it’s something like $140 every time so I would have to decide if I want to pay that on two cars. Also, because I don’t have a garage to keep the car I’m not using in, I don’t know how that would work with my insurance. I am still weighing everybody’s answers but I am leaning more and more towards selling my old car and keeping the newer one.

@LifeQuestioner At least in the state where I live, whether or not you garage a car does not affect insurance. But if you keep the second car, you will need to drive it or at least start it up every week or so so the battery doesn’t go dead.

Why not take both cars to a mechanic and have them tell you which is in better shape? It sounds like it may make the most sense for you to only keep one.

@janbb Garaging the car might affect whether the OP can get storage car insurance, meaning the car isn’t being used.

@LifeQuestioner You don’t have to register the car if you don’t use it, but since the car isn’t on your own property you probably would need to register it so you can insure it in case anything did happen.

If money is very tight for you it might be better to sell it. Right now I think you need to pay tax on it, even if it was a gift, so that’s another expense.