Should I trade in my Subaru for a Honda?

[I_hate_haggling]

I have a 2011 Subaru impreza that gets about 24 mpg. I could trade it in for a 2012 Honda civic and lose about 5k value in the car itself, but begin getting 32 mpg. I don't drive a lot (15 minute commute to work, 40 minute commute home), and rarely does my driving benefit from the 4wd of my Subaru.
I also have an extended warranty on my Subaru that I will get back if I do not use it for the lifetime of the warranty (I think it's worth a couple grand). I will (mostly) lose it off I trade in the car, it's worth a couple k.
Obviously, in hindsight, it's obvious that I should have just gotten a civic or similar vehicle to begin with, and opted out of the extended warranty, but I caved to my husband desire for a nice sporty car and heated seats.
Next time I need a car (15+ years hopefully) I will get the more practical option, but for now will I save enough on gas to make trading in the car worth it?

[Reddleman]

I agree.  When you don't drive that much the much larger cost of a car is reliability and repairs- gas becomes a relatively minor expense. 

I drove a 98 Cherokee for years, even though it got 19mpg on a good day.  I only drove about 2000 mi. a year.  At that rate it's more about what car does fine sitting for extended periods of time while I biked to work. 

Luckily it was built like a tractor, so I spent pretty much nothing on repairs- so it was actually a good option.

As for Subaru vs. Honda- both of the ones you're looking at have similar reliability- so enjoy the heated seats.

[DarinC]

That depends on how much you drive over the life of the car. It's pretty straightforward to calculate.

miles/mpg_car1-miles/mpg_car2=extra cost of car/price of gas

Given your situation, if you expect to drive more than ~125k miles, get the Civic. Less than ~125k, you'll come out ahead keeping the Subi.

[Bateaux]

Keep the Subaru.   Nothing wrong with a Honda, just not a Subaru.

[alsoknownasDean]

If you're actually spending another $5000 as part of the change, then no. If you're able to free up a significant amount of capital (such as if changing it for a 2005 Civic rather than a 2012), then go for it.

Think about it, if you invest the $5000, you might make enough in returns to cover the extra gas anyway.

If the Civic is $5000 more than the Subaru, and it uses 32mpg, whilst the Subaru uses 24mpg. Let's assume that your post-tax investment returns are 7% and you drive 9600miles a year. If you keep the Subaru and invest the $5000, you'd earn $350 on that investment, whilst using 100 gallons of extra fuel. If fuel's $3.50 a gallon, all else being equal, it's pretty much line ball.

[RapmasterD]

Keep the Subaru....but then don't ever buy another one....says the guy who has owned a Subaru for 14+ years. They're simply more quirky than Toyotas and Hondas.