I currently drive a paid off 2012 Mazda 3 that I purchased 2 years ago. My grandma recently passed and I am being given her paid off 2016 Chevy Cruze that she bought new and took very good care of. I only need one car so I need advice on which car to sell and which to keep. I only care about having a reliable car that will last me longer with low cost of maintenance.
I will explain the cars in detail below:
2012 Mazda 3i sedan. 2.0 skyactiv engine. 6speed manual. It has 180,000 miles. I am the fourth or fifth owner and have owned it since 2024. It has a lot of rust on the frame and some on the body. I was told I can no longer get an alignment because the rust is so bad. It was in a minor accident before my ownership and has a dent on the driver's door. Runs fine, but clunks and rattles a bit.
2016 Chevrolet Cruze Limited LT sedan. 4 cylinder turbocharged gas engine. automatic transmission. 28,000 miles. Only owner was my retired grandma who took great care of it. Only drove to church, bingo, and doctors appointments. She would also drive from New England to Florida and back like once a year. No accidents.
I know overall Mazda has a stronger reputation for reliability than Chevrolet. Mine has a reliable naturally aspirated engine and manual transmission, vs the Cruze has a reputation of issues with the small turbo engine and automatic transmission issues. But in this case, the Chevy has a fraction of the miles of the Mazda, and the Mazda has a significant amount of rust underneath. I live in New England and have brutal winters.
Is it worth it to go for the newer, low milage Chevy, or is the difference in reliability so extreme that my rusty 2012 Mazda will still probably outlast it? I don't have to decide soon, but I want to start thinking about it.