Shopping for a minivan (and should I be?)...

[BeckyFL]

I've been sick and in bed and that has led to internet research that perhaps I should not have been doing. We have a 2000 Honda Odyssey with 169K miles that we just put another $1100 into for a broken motor mount, brake drums and pads and the gas petal sticking. A couple of months ago it was the serpentine belt that broke plus more for $1000. Now it's slipping gears when it's cold. We're on our 4th transmission with the car and this time it's lifetime guaranteed through AAMCO, but I guess I'm starting to feel less than confident about the van in general. We DO have a lot of miles on it.

So... because I have been sick, I have been looking at Siennas as I don't want a repeat of the transmission issues.

Am I doing the right thing?

We have no debt at all and we would have to have a car loan to get something.

We have never had a new car, but I'm wondering if it might be wise this time.

Here are the kind of prices I'm finding...

2007 Sienna LE Mileage 35,857 $18,995

2011 Sienna CE (totally new style and lot of changes) $24,000 4 years of free maintenance (oil changes, etc)

Or should we keep what we have and stay out of debt? Dh is disabled so our income is set. We can afford the payment, but it will make things tighter. Of course we won't be paying for repairs either.

Edited December 28, 2010 by BeckyFL

[MamaAkins]

I've been sick and in bed and that has led to internet research that perhaps I should not have been doing. We have a 2000 Honda Odyssey with 169K miles that we just put another $1100 into for a broken motor mount, brake drums and pads and the gas petal sticking. A couple of months ago it was the serpentine belt that broke plus more for $1000. Now it's slipping gears when it's cold. We're on our 4th transmission with the car and this time it's lifetime guaranteed through AAMCO, but I guess I'm starting to feel less than confident about the van in general. We DO have a lot of miles on it.

So... because I have been sick, I have been looking at Siennas as I don't want a repeat of the transmission issues.

Am I doing the right thing?

We have no debt at all and we would have to have a car loan to get something.

We have never had a new car, but I'm wondering if it might be wise this time.

Here are the kind of prices I'm finding...

2007 Sienna LE Mileage 35,857 $18,995

2011 Sienna CE (totally new style and lot of changes) $24,000 4 years of free maintenance (oil changes, etc)

Or should we keep what we have and stay out of debt. Dh is disabled so our income is set. We can afford the payment, but it will make things tighter. Of course we won't be paying for repairs either.

 

Honestly, 169K is not "that" many miles. Can you start saving now, while still driving the older van....hopefully by the time you would have to get a new one, you would have a nice chunk of money saved to put toward the new van?

[Parrothead]

I'm looking at your kids' ages and am thinking there is only one or two at home. Why the mini-van? If it were me, I'd look into a small car. Something like the Hyundai Elantra or the Kia Forte you could buy new (in your above price range) and have a warrenty. The cost of gas would also go down.

[BeckyFL]

I'm looking at your kids' ages and am thinking there is only one or two at home. Why the mini-van? If it were me, I'd look into a small car. Something like the Hyundai Elantra or the Kia Forte you could buy new (in your above price range) and have a warrenty. The cost of gas would also go down.

I thought of that too, but we end up using the space too often. Oldest ds is out of state and we travel out to see him (5 of us plus luggage). When he and his wife come here, we all pile into the van to go here and there. We end up transporting friends sometimes or things that we buy used, etc. I can't imagine not having a van.

[KellyGirl]

The second you drive off the lot, that brand new van becomes worth a heck of a lot less. The last time we bought a van, we bought one that was less than a year old. It was still covered under the original warranty and was new enough that it didn't feel like a crappy used car.

 

I second the idea of saving for a while if you can. When we paid off our van, we started making car payments to our savings account to cover repairs and eventually (we hope) pay cash for the next van. Also, paying a payment to yourself for a few months will give you a really good idea what life will be like with a car payment.

[BeckyFL]

The second you drive off the lot, that brand new van becomes worth a heck of a lot less. The last time we bought a van, we bought one that was less than a year old. It was still covered under the original warranty and was new enough that it didn't feel like a crappy used car.

 

I second the idea of saving for a while if you can. When we paid off our van, we started making car payments to our savings account to cover repairs and eventually (we hope) pay cash for the next van. Also, paying a payment to yourself for a few months will give you a really good idea what life will be like with a car payment.

 

Sounds good except that we have to keep spending any payment money on repairs. :-(

[KellyGirl]

If it continues to be a case of huge monthly repair bills then maybe it's time for a change. But if you happen to get a few good months out of it now, you should be able to save. I hate that whole "is something else going to break" thing...trying to decide if it's worth it to keep the car any longer. Been there, done that, and I don't envy you.:grouphug:

[texasmama]

It sounds like you have put a lot of money into this van recently. How it is now? Any more repairs anticipated? What does the mechanic say? I would get the advice of a good, honest mechanic about what money might need to go into it. At some point, you reach the place at which you have fixed the major issues and the vehicle will go for some time without significant repairs. Cars are unpredictable, though. Keeping it is a gamble, but it is a cheaper one (most likely) than a car payment.

 

We recently sold dh's 2001 Altima which had over 200,000 miles on it after a series of pricy repairs after an incident in which it died on him and we had to have it towed to a repair shop ($150 for a tow). The day he traded it in, the door handle broke off. It was just one thing after another and I no longer felt comfortable driving it if he needed my van for some reason. I didn't want to be by the side of the road with the kids. It was a good car, but it was old and tired.

 

My brother kept a small car running almost to 400,000 miles, but he is a mechanic. (I think it was a Kia.)

[texasmama]

Also, we never buy new. We always buy used with lower mileage. The ideal situation is a lower mileage used vehicle which is still under warranty. We found my Odyssey on ebay (local dealer). My dh found his online, as well.

[AFwife Claire]

Wow, I'm sorry to hear about all the troubles ewith your Odyssey! we also have a 2000 Odyssey with almost 170,000 miles, and so far we haven't had any of the troubles you have had--we've never even had to change the transmission. Your tale has me worried though!

 

I am not sure what I would do in your situation, but I did want to say that we also have a 2007 Sienna (which we did buy new), and we have had absolutely no problems with it at all. It has been a wonderful van. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a Sienna that was from around 2007.

[Night Elf]

I was happy to trade in my 2nd Odyssey last June. Just like our 1st Odyssey, we started having check engine light problems that no one could identify. Because of the age of our children, we decided to go with a sedan that got good gas mileage (30 mpg absolutely rocks because of the distance I drive when in school) and rent a van the one time per year we need it.

 

But if you really want to keep driving a van, I say buy used. I just think they are much better deals, especially when you get one that is under warranty. Honda dealerships have Certified Used Cars. Check them out.

[Perry]

We have never had a new car,

Just one tip, if you are going to buy a new car. Use the Edmund's website to learn how to negotiate price. The TMV site will teach you everything you need to know. We just bought a new Honda CRV and saved quite a bit of money. Having all the information made the whole experience much less painful than usual, and we saved quite a bit of money.

 

Good luck!

[plansrme]

I have a 2004 Sienna that I bought brand spankin' new. It has 170K miles on it as of yesterday. Other than new tires and other wear items, and accidents that were caused by other people, I have spent less than $1,000 in repairs its entire life.

 

I do not take care of it other than an oil change every 10K miles or so, maybe, if I think about it. It thrives on neglect. I live in Atlanta, so that is largely stop-and-go driving.

 

If you are going to get a van, I would not hesitate to buy another Sienna.

 

Terri

[Catwoman]

I voted to buy a new mini-van (or car, or SUV, or whatever!)

 

The warranty and free maintenance will keep you worry-free for years to come. Just make sure the maintenance covers some of the wear-and-tear items -- some car companies even cover things like brakes, which are expensive to replace.

 

You could also buy a certified pre-owned vehicle, but be sure the savings are enough to cover the free maintenance you won't be getting on many pre-owned vehicles. Sometimes pre-owned is a bargain, but often, the savings aren't great enough and the warranty may be shorter, as well.

 

It's such a nuisance to shop for cars.

 

Cat

[MaMa2005]

I have a Sienna and like plansrme, live in ATL and do a lot of driving. My Sienna is 2 years old and we bought it used with only 6000 miles on it. I do the oil changes, have replaced the tires and just got the brakes re-done. I am lucky as oil changes cost me $20 and the brakes were only $70 - DH works at a high school that has an automotive class so the students provide the labor and we provide the parts.

 

I would buy another Sienna in a heartbeat.

[BeckyFL]

Here's the verdict. We went through USAA's site to get their price on both the Sienna and the Highlander. This was quite a bit lower than even all the year-end deals at dealerships within 100 mile radius. We then went to the dealership to look at both used and new. After a lot of negotiation to get it even lower than the USAA price, our trade value up and anything else we could possibly get to keep the payment low..... We drove home with a brand new (first ever in our lives) Toyota Highlander!!!!! The only options it had on it was the towing package and the technology package but I LOVE the technology package with bluetooth hands free, etc. I didn't know if I liked the color but it was the only 4 cylinder (cheaper) on the lot and my husband really liked it. It's not that I don't like it, but I might not have chosen it. It's nautical blue. Anyone want to tell me they love that color? lol We ended up with a payment for 6 years right at $400 and we have free regular maintenance for 4 years. It came with 3 year/36K bumper to bumper but we bought the extra warranty to bump it up to 7 years. So.... no more $1000 layouts. It's $400/month steady. It is the highest car payment we've ever had. Hope it was a good decision. We sure prayed about it, but I'm hoping we got the right answer. Thanks so much for all the good advice!

[Random]

Congratulations! Sounds like a fun SUV to drive, and it will be so nice to have the peace of mind that comes with having a new car. Enjoy!

:auto:

[Mommyof4ks]

Congrats on your new vehicle!!!

 

Just a tip for the future, those motor mounts that are uber expensive to replace are not necessary to replace. Our Honda van is 7.5 years old, and all four motor mounts have been broken for a year. The Honda service guy told me they were not vital and we did not need to fix them, and so far so good. Don't forget to look for coupons on the dealer's website for repairs too!

[Veritaserum]

I love my 2011 Sienna, but in your situation I would by a used, roomy sedan. We had a Chrysler Concorde that had a massive trunk (way more cargo space than any minivan) and the back seat was like a park bench. If you want a van for when you have visitors, rent or borrow one. :)

[MaMa2005]

Congrats on the new car! My in-laws had a Highlander for years, finally traded it in for a Matrix and within 18 months had traded the Matrix for another Highlander. They love that car!