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What kind of minivan should I get? Max budget 6500.00


Michelle My Bell
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So I sold my van this evening and now I am vehicle-less. It was a full size conversion van gas hog that was a thorn in my side. So now I have some cash and can get a small loan so I need to make a decision and find something. Any recommendations? Any STAY AWAY recommendations? I really like Chrysler Town and Country and their are a lot of them for sale. That is either because people really like them and there are a lot of people who have bought them or it is because they are problems for a lot of people.

 

What should I look for when inspecting a vehicle? This will be my first time purchasing something as a single adult. I am pretty nervous. Should I go for a dealer or by owner? How do I determine accurate vehicle value and how do I present the offer? Would love advice!

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My very trusted mechanic says that when buying a used Chrysler or Dodge minivan (same vehicle, different name) stick with the 3.3L engine models. He says that the ones that give the line bad WOM are the 3.8s because they tend towards serious engine trouble. My dad and brother each followed his advice and bought used Dodge Grand Caravans. My dad's 1999 has more than 200K and no serious issues. My brother's 2000 has 140ish IIRC and is in great shape. I see ones from 2005 or so for sale here for about $5-7K fairly often.

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When I was shopping for a used car, I used Edmonds.com to price/value cars. You put in the car name, mileage, color and condition and it comes up with what you can expect to pay at a dealer and a private sale. I then used that as my gauge to decide just how much I was willing to pay. Both times, I got great deals through a dealer. They were cars/vans that just came in to their store so they were more flexible on the price. I stalked the dealership websites looking for changes to the inventory. We just felt better buying through a dealership than trying to buy private. Thankfully it worked out. Both also had a 3-day guarantee so we had them checked out by our personal mechanic to make sure it was really okay.

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We are driving a Grand Caravan 2006 that we bought used and it has been fine so far.

 

I really wanted to add the suggestion to join Consumer Reports for good info. You can sign up for just a month for about $6. The reviews on CR mentioned a problem we had never noticed on our own: the van we wanted didn't have air vents in the back. This is apparently common in minivans, which is odd to me since everyone I know gets a minivan because they need more seats for kids. In Alabama, my kids would have been miserable in the back with no air except what came from the front.

 

It also reports on safety, mileage, etc. but I will sign up every time we buy another car just to read those reviews.

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Our Ford van seized on us at around 100K miles. I will never buy one again.

 

Some years of Honda Odysseys have had transmission issues, so definitely read about that before buying.

 

I personally would get a Toyota Sienna. Everyone I know who has had them has been able to get over 200K miles on them without issue. One friend is on 260K and will still drive it on long trips and not worry about it getting there.

 

Dawn

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Have loved my Dodge Caravans. My 2005 has over 180000 miles and no major issues. I have a 1999, too, with only minor issues. Before that I had a 1996 and the transmission went out around 200000 miles (and only because we hauled a too-heavy trailer across the country with it). There are very comfortable, reliable, easy to drive. Highly recommend!

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We went over 200,000 miles on our Toyota before it needed any substantial repairs. We traded it in for $2,000 when it finally needed engine repairs (it was well over 10 years old by that point) and picked up a Honda Odyssey. That van was very reliable as well, we traded it in for $5,000 when dc number 6 came along and we bought a full size van instead.

 

Toyotas and Hondas are a great value, they may cost a bit more but they will run forever and they maintain a higher resale value. Hondas do vary quite a bit by year, so do your research if you go that route.

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At the end of January, our 1993 Previa with 240K miles on it finally needed repair work done that would've cost us about $3K. We decided to go ahead and get a newer van. In our research, Odysseys and Siennas kept coming up as the best vans. I would get a month long subscription to Consumer Reports (there are a couple of years of each that you want to stay away from) and research on other sites as well (edmunds.com, for example). Other vans are good, but you can't beat Honda or Toyota for long term reliability.

 

We ended up getting a used 2005 Odyssey from a private party (actually, a boardie who doesn't post very often LOL).

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We had a 2001 Honda Odyssey and it had problems with two transmissions. The first transmission was recalled by Honda and then it began to fail after eight years or so. Our Honda mechanic said the 2001-2008 models have transmission issues. We ended up buying a new Toyota Sienna.

 

Good luck!

 

Elise in NC

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Too bad you don't live near me! I am getting ready to sell a 2005 dodge with less that 80,000 miles. :001_smile:

 

But go through individuals. I would have gotten less than $4000 for it at the dealer and they would have sold it for over $8000. I am hoping to get $6000 for it. Look on Kelly blue book to get your pricing and you can see the difference between the dealer and individuals. But, to give you an idea what your money can buy if you look around. Mine is a certified Dodge pre owned, low mileage. I installed a DVD, and MP3 hook up 18 months ago. It does not have automatic doors. You should be able to get something pretty good for your money.

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I really like my T&C - I also have AWD (they stopped making AWD a while back.) and towing that are nice features if you are carrying a family and luggage. Dh is not intimidated by snow in the least, but he really liked the AWD. (we get icy snow on steep hills.) dh occasionally talks about downsizing it (kids are moving out) - but I don't wanna. We have friends my mother's age who are on their third T&C. (I think they use it for grandkids.)

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