Do you need a car? If you are only driving 2k a year, and are contemplating $500 a month for a car payment/insurance you are talking about paying $3 a mile. In my area you could take Uber/Lyft/cabs or even a private towncar for less then that.

> I drive less than 2k a year and 90% of those miles are going 70mph or over.

Then... drive what ya got. You're going to have time-based depreciation like nobody's business.

> Would you suggest just taking on the $400-600 monthly payment of a new vehicle or stick with what I have?

At that, you'd be paying on the order of $3-4 a mile, just because the fixed costs (insurance, registration, time-based depreciation) are gigantic in comparison to the miles driven.

Were I in your shoes, I'd buy a used Leaf or something similar if you don't like the Hyundai. I can't think of any good reason to buy a new car and sink hundreds a month into something that only will get driven a couple hundred miles.

No it doesn't make financial sense to buy a new vehicle when you need $2000 worth of normal maintenance and repairs on a 7 year old vehicle that you drive only 2k miles a year. You barely drive at all. All cars are going to need maintenance, and bad tires is likely the cause of the vibrations. There is no reason you need to be visiting a dealer for any of this other than recalls or warranty work.

Most likely, the value of the car has already factored in the problems that it may or may not have, but step one is figuring out what it's actually worth.

You give us no idea of your financial status other than your credit score is good and that's an important part of can I afford a new car. I also don't understand why you would be considering a Kia if you had issues with Hyundai, they are the same parent company and share many components. The Toyota and Honda seem like much more reliable choices.

I doubt you would see any real savings from a hybrid with the very few miles you drive, and highway speeds. Any savings you did see would surely be eaten up in internet, increased insurance and registration costs from the new car.

Remember for tax credits you have to earn enough to take advantage of them too. Pretty sure Toyota is out of their allocated credits too https://electrek.co/2023/02/03/which-electric-vehicles-still-qualify-for-us-federal-tax-credit/

>At the moment I have a 2016 Hyundai Sonata 4S that has a sensor out in the back left wheel. This caused the ABS and traction control lights to turn on.

Who cares, this isn't important. If it bothers you, the part is $15 and you can put it in yourself.

>When I get up to 80mph it starts to vibrate to a degree that makes it harder to stay straight.

You need an alignment. It's about $80.

Given how little you’re driving it, and how low the mileage is I’d just get the car fixed. It’ll basically last you forever with that kind of annual use.

> It would cost $900 to repair at the dealership.

Unless the car is under warranty, and you're going in for a covered repair, you don't take it to the dealership if you can avoid it.

Anyway, everything you have mentioned here is relatively inexpensive to fix, and tires are a "wear item" that you'll eventually have to replace on ANY car.

I would keep driving it until you have an ACTUAL problem with it, like the engine issue that you mentioned. The car shaking when you go over 80mph is likely because you need an alignment, which again, is something you'll need to do periodically on any car.

> it only has 38k miles on it. I drive less than 2k a year
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>Would you suggest just taking on the $400-600 monthly payment of a new vehicle or stick with what I have?

I would suggest keeping the car you have.

I have this exact same car.

The price for the sensor repair is a rip off. You’re getting reamed if you pay that. I had mine replaced for $300, which is probably still too much.

The back handle dry rots easy, it wasn’t broken into.

You hardly drive, you need to just get it fixed

I’m guessing the OP posted this while the salesman was talking to his manager.

you want to take on a new car with higher monthly payments (also higher other costs like insurance) instead of just paying to fix and maintain the current one?

>I also have never gotten new tires or a tune up on this vehicle since I bought it (they barely pass inspection atm). The trunk also got broken into at one point so all the rubber is shredded at the handle. The only other notable thing about the car is it only has 38k miles on it. I drive less than 2k a year and 90% of those miles are going 70mph or over.

you neglect your current car and wonder why it is not good and your solution is to take on a new car and spend more money than just fixing your current one?

just trying to provide some perspective. You can spend a few thousand now getting your car in better shape or way more on a new car that you might also just let go to shit?

you are thinking in terms of monthly payments and not in terms of total cost. that is how most people in trouble financially especially with cars.

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Yeah, this is a no brainer, if you don't drive more thank 2k a year why take on debt or waste your money. You probably don't even need a car as some have mentioned, but obviously depending on where you live or what you do I'm sure it's nice to have.

Wheel speed sensor should not cost $900. For as infrequently as you drive it I probably wouldn't worry about though it does disable your abs so factor that into your safety or usage equation. Worn tires can also cause vibration, so I'd say tires and an alignment should fix your vibration issue.

I dunno how bad the engjnes reliability is, but keep the oil changed regularly, every 6 months or so regardless of mileage and run it regularly and it should last. Just take the money you would spend on a new car now and invest it so when/if the engine goes you can just dump this car and move on if you need to.

I'd look into selling it and doing short term rentals or turo or other car sharing services. I assume you live in a city with such low mileage, so between depreciation, insurance, possible parking costs, registration/taxes, it seems like you could just borrow cars and save money long term.

No way new. Repair what you have. Have you done any maintenance on it in the time you’ve had it?

No, you shouldn't. There's hardly ever a good case to buy a new car because of the depreciation alone.

You can DIY your speed sensor with simple tools and the help of YouTube videos or probably buy the sensor yourself and have a mobile mechanic install it for less than $200. I don't know about your particular vehicle but these sensors are almost always externally accessible and replaceable with simple basic wrenches and sockets. That shuddering you're feeling at 80 sounds like a tire or wheel balance issue, something you've admittedly failed to address and need to do. Tires aren't cheap, but you need them and they're way cheaper than financing + depreciation on a new vehicle.

Maintain your vehicles, it's always more expensive when you don't and you're going to end up paying for it one way or another anyway.

Believe it or not, the recalls are a good thing - it means your manufacturer is standing behind the product unlike a lot of other manufacturers who do everything to try and get out of repairing their design flaws.

Dealership are the most expensive places for maintenance, After the warranty go to a non dealership for repairs, For the recalls go to the dealership. I would just repair the car wheel sensor and tune up the engine and replace the oil with 100% synthetic oil (Non Dealership) and keep driving it until it rusts out, A vehicle is a depreciating asset just to go from A-B.

I'd consider certified pre-owned over brand new, often times you're paying a lot more for something whose resale value plummets the minute you pull off the lot.

With current interest rates anything you would put your hands on would be expensive. I would change to a newer car and would stick to toyota or honda. If ypu dont drive a lot of miles and stay under 10k u can also look for option of leasing. Sometime companies offer better interest rates like gmc is offering 2.9%. Toyota prius is a gr8 buy...i have rav4 prime plug in giving 80plus in gas mileage. Also look for a little used under 10k miles. Will save you decent amout of money.