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
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.
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
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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