I currently own a reliable, paid for, economical car. I bought my 2010 Sentra new and have maintained it myself, with a few trips to the dealer for things I didn't want to do myself or to maintain its 10 year/100k mile CVT warranty. The car has no issues other than some undercarriage rust on the joint between the cat and the muffler. No codes, no lights, no problems at all.
My wife and I had our first child in September 2019. The Sentra is very cramped with a rear facing child seat. More troubling, with the winter sun low in the sky, the sun can shine right in my son's eyes though the back windshield. Now I know why so many parents end up in SUVs. The long roof largely prevents this from happening.
My Father in Law is about to buy a new vehicle. He was lowballed on trade by a couple dealers who offered him 2000-2500 dollars for his 2008 Pilot EX-L. His Pilot has 170k miles but has been maintained by a local independent since new. It received a replacement transmission in 2018 at 155k miles. It needs new TPMS sensors and is throwing a code for its vehicle stability system. It also may need a new catalytic converter to pass state emissions inspection (due in 2022).
Should I keep my Sentra and squeeze another 3-4 years of reliable daily driving use from it? My FIL feels he'd be doing us a big favor by selling us his Pilot, which he thinks is an upgrade in terms of safety and comfort. Will this Pilot be reliable to 220k miles and beyond with routine maintenance?
My wife and I had our first child in September 2019. The Sentra is very cramped with a rear facing child seat. More troubling, with the winter sun low in the sky, the sun can shine right in my son's eyes though the back windshield. Now I know why so many parents end up in SUVs. The long roof largely prevents this from happening.
My Father in Law is about to buy a new vehicle. He was lowballed on trade by a couple dealers who offered him 2000-2500 dollars for his 2008 Pilot EX-L. His Pilot has 170k miles but has been maintained by a local independent since new. It received a replacement transmission in 2018 at 155k miles. It needs new TPMS sensors and is throwing a code for its vehicle stability system. It also may need a new catalytic converter to pass state emissions inspection (due in 2022).
Should I keep my Sentra and squeeze another 3-4 years of reliable daily driving use from it? My FIL feels he'd be doing us a big favor by selling us his Pilot, which he thinks is an upgrade in terms of safety and comfort. Will this Pilot be reliable to 220k miles and beyond with routine maintenance?