I'm having some cognitive dissonance about this. My family of three has one car, a 2004 Honda Civic Hybrid. It's only got 92K miles on it, and we drive around 7-8K miles per year. I replaced the hybrid system IMA battery in 2015 ($2,500), and it's still under warranty for another two years. Neither my wife nor I commute by car, and we probably drive the Honda 3 or 4 days per week depending on circumstances.
It's a good car for most things. From time to time, I want more space for things like camping equipment (when we go on trips) and big things I get at Home Depot (only a few times per year, and we've always seemed to get by, so... yeah). I also want something with a little more room in the backseat for when my son gets bigger. He's 3 now. Maybe the extra backseat space is something I should only worry about if it actually becomes a problem?
If – and it's a big "if" – we get a different car, it would probably be a hatchback with less than 100K miles on it that I get for less than $9K. I'm looking at used Nissan Versas, Toyota Matrices, Pontiac Vibes, and Hyundai Elantras. If we get a a hatchback, I'd sell the Honda. So the net cost of the "new" car would be $3K-$6k or so. Paid in cash, of course. I don't really care about the extra gas we'd be buying since we don't drive a whole lot as it is.
Does this seem worth it? I'm not quite sure. I could add a hitch + carrier and a roof rack + box to the Honda for around $700 bucks, which is way cheaper. You know, turning a little car into a big car :).
Or should I be open to hatchbacks that have more than 100K miles on them, given how little we drive? It just seems a bit odd to buy a car with more miles on it than the one I've already got.
Regarding safety: Would these small hatchbacks be any safer than my small Honda? I guess they weigh more, so there's that.
Anyway, these are the questions I'm pondering. Any insights would be much appreciated!