Used minivan opinions?

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Huie83

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Good Morning-

The lease on our 2013 Explorer is up in a few months. We had our 3rd child a year ago and decided we'd like the convenience of a minivan as well as dumping a car payment.

I have been looking for a van in the $6-7K range that I can purchase outright. So far I have found the following:

*2002-2006'ish Honda Odyssey with ~150K+ miles. Closer to $6-7K. Not sure due to alleged tranny issues.
*2002-2006'ish Toyota Sienna with ~150K+ miles. Closer to $6-7K
*2004-2007 Ford Freestar, some with sub 80-100K miles, price is more in the 4K range.
*2004-2007 Chevy Uplander (or the variant Buick/Saturn etc) , some with sub 80-100K miles , price in the 3-4K range.
*2005-2007 Hyundai Entourage, around 100K miles, $5-6K

Out of these what is your opinion for a smart buy? I'd like to stay domestic if possible, I like the Ford and Chevy but reliability reviews online are scarce. I left Chrysler off the list, I just can't get over the "old person van" look they have going on. No offence to anyone that has one, just not my style
smile.gif


The Honda of that generation seems iffy. Never have been a huge fan of Toyota but they seem very reliable. I don't know if the difference in mileage and $ is worth it though. The lifecycle of this van for us will probably be in the 3-4 year range. I think once the wife goes back to work she'll want something newer as a daily driver. Right now this will serve the purpose of local kid running around and grocery getter. Maybe the occasional 200 mile trip to the cabin and back.
 
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The Dodge Caravan circa 2007 with the 3.3 is probably a better deal. The Odyssey is overpriced with a history of A/T issues in the years in question. The Hyundai is known to be hard on gas. The GMs have intake manifold gasket issues on the 3.4 and 3.1 used in those models. The Sienna are good but pricey. The Ford I know little about...
 
I have looked at the MPV. From the reviews it is a little too cramped, especially access to the rear. From what I can see, the side doors don't open wide enough to allow access to the 3rd row, you have to go through the 2nd row.

Also, they seem rust prone up here. All the MPV's I have seen are rusted behind the rear wheels and bottom of the doors.

Thanks for the suggestion though!
 
Originally Posted By: pbm
The Dodge Caravan circa 2007 with the 3.3 is probably a better deal. The Odyssey is overpriced with a history of A/T issues in the years in question. The Hyundai is known to be hard on gas. The GMs have intake manifold gasket issues on the 3.4 and 3.1 used in those models. The Sienna are good but pricey. The Ford I know little about...


Is the 3.9 in the Uplander trouble prone? All the ones I have looked at have the 3900 V6. We have a 2010 impala with the 3.5 that has been trouble free for 100K so far.
 
Skip the LIM and tranny issues of the Uplander/Relay/Terraza

Skip the tranny and general ineptitude of the Freestar/Monterey (not far removed from it's Windstar origins)

Villager/Quest is too old, and the newer Quest's aren't paragons of reliability or build quality either

Odyssey is overpriced used (Because Honda?) and has it's fair share of common issues (Trans, VCM, brakes)

You knocked ChryCo vans off, they'd be fine at there lower price offering if you see the tranny problems going in

MPV is a no go either

Start looking for a good Sienna, I don't know much about Sedona/Entourage

Have you considered leasing a Mazda 5?
 
Late 2004 -2006 odysseys had the internal fix to the transmission and do not have the problems of the years before- ask me how I know- I have a late 2004 with internal fix- 266k on original tranny.
 
Originally Posted By: michaelluscher

Skip the tranny and general ineptitude of the Freestar/Monterey (not far removed from it's Windstar origins)


They changed the name ... and the wheel bolt pattern!

And , uh ... yeah that was all they changed.
 
Thanks for all the feedback.

The Sienna seems to the go to van in the minivan crowd, I'll dig into that one deeper to see if I can find a suitable in my price range.

Good to know on the 2004-2006 Odyssey tranny update, that puts it on my list of test drives also.

I'm not sure I can get the wife around the Chrysler van stigma, but I'll definitely put it in the list for her to look at again. I may be able to find a new generation in the $8K range which is a huge step up styling wise over the old.

Still intrigued on the entourage, I had a 07 ELantra that was trouble free for the 117K I owned it.
 
Never been a huge Chrysler/Dodge fan, but IMO they rule the roost in the minivan world.
 
My vote goes for the Chrysler van also. We picked ours up 4 years ago for $5k with 85,000 miles on it. Sitting at 131,000 right now with very minimal issues over the course of that time. It has been a reliable as any other vehicle we have ever owned. Gets 23-24 mpg on long road trips. The 3.3 is a solid engine. Our van has been great enough that we fully intend to replace it with another Caravan when the time comes.
 
With 3 kids you will appreciate the minivan. The Mazda 5 looked really good to me until I sat in one. The rest will fit your needs well.

To each their own, but I didn't want the reliability history of Chrysler products to save a couple thousand dollars. The Edmunds long term test of a 2008 had something like 6 warranty items in 20,000 miles which didn't sit well with me either:

http://www.edmunds.com/dodge/grand-caravan/2008/long-term-road-test/wrap-up.html

With the Honda you have the timing belt to deal with, and transmission issues in some of the older years. The Sienna is quite bland but we're pretty happy with it.

I would see if you can get a Sienna with the 3.5 vs the 3.3, I believe starting on 06. If you can get a Chrysler with 75,000 fewer miles for the same price, though, I might head in that direction. 150,000 miles is a lot for any car.

EDIT: Like this: "We picked ours up 4 years ago for $5k with 85,000 miles on it." is pretty awesome if you can find a deal like that.
 
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FWIW I think the 2001 - 2007 Chrysler mini-vans are the best looking mini-vans out there, even compared to the more modern competition. I'm not a fan of Chryslers newer design. My 2007 has gone through a few water pumps (slow leaks), and the power door lock on the passenger sliding door stopped working, but, nothing catastrophic.
 
My uncle and aunt seem to have good luck with their T&C Chryslers. They buy a couple years old and run them to near 200k miles, then repeat.
IME, the Sienna feels cheap inside for how much they cost, the Oddy is nicer, the Chryslers interior is in between, but for the price it seems good.
Maybe look at the Dodge Journey too? A 4 cyl fwd one may have half the age and miles for the same price as the Japanese vans? Perhaps the Journeys milage is better too? It will be slower for sure.
 
If you can find a '10+ caravan/tc in your range, think about it. The only people I've seen that have issues are those who tow heavily. The other common issues are cooler lines seeping as well as p/s pressure hoses.
They seem to have stepped up in that era
 
Originally Posted By: Oldmoparguy1
The Chrysler minivans are the best bang for the buck. I'm on my 7th. one, all bought used.


This. You'll get a MUCH better car if you buy a Chrysler/Dodge in that price range. Lower mileage, newer year, probably cleaner. You'll mostly find worn out clapped out junk in that price range if you stick with Honda and Toyota, due to the resale value.

I'd stop worrying about looks and start worrying about getting the best car for your dollar.

I just checked my area and you can get a 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan with 130K miles for about $7000, or a lower mileage 2009 Dodge Grand Caravan with 70K miles for the same $7000.
 
Originally Posted By: Huie83
Originally Posted By: pbm
The Dodge Caravan circa 2007 with the 3.3 is probably a better deal. The Odyssey is overpriced with a history of A/T issues in the years in question. The Hyundai is known to be hard on gas. The GMs have intake manifold gasket issues on the 3.4 and 3.1 used in those models. The Sienna are good but pricey. The Ford I know little about...


Is the 3.9 in the Uplander trouble prone? All the ones I have looked at have the 3900 V6. We have a 2010 impala with the 3.5 that has been trouble free for 100K so far.




No, these use a different lower and upper intake that is not a leak prone one.
Some are also flex fuel, too... if that matters - may by you in MN.
These do not have a history of trans issues in these model years - esp 06 07 +

BurrWinder
 
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