Used Minivan opinions please

[PrincessMommy]

We're looking to replace our  1996 - 12 passenger van (215K miles) with a older model minivan.  Most of them have over 100K but that varies.   I've been looking for several weeks and now I'm starting to do more research.  The problem is that there are so many variables!  Some people hate certain models and other's love them...who to believe!!??  I was set for a Dodge Grand Caravan (2001) but then read some reviews where it was panned.  Chrysler's Town & County's look lovely, but their pricey - and they also seem to be a bit unreliable - so why are the resale values so high??!! 

 

So, the three I'm looking at are the Honda Odyssey, Grand Caravan, and Town & Country.

 

Should I stay away from the Grand Caravan and Dodge/Chrysler altogether and only look for the Honda's?

[PentecostalMom]

Some Hondas had transmission problems.  Check edmunds.com (I think) and look at the the year models you are considering.

[Catwoman]

I don't have a clue about minivans, but I know someone who has a Toyota Sienna and she loves it.

[PrincessMommy]

I don't have a clue about minivans, but I know someone who has a Toyota Sienna and she loves it.

 

Sienna's are out of our price range.  I think they must be too new still.  Thanks though

[PrincessMommy]

Some Hondas had transmission problems.  Check edmunds.com (I think) and look at the the year models you are considering.

 

Thanks but I've been to Edmunds, several times over the last few days.  They have no review information available on the 2000 Grand Caravan I was looking at...so no help.   Mainly it seems that most people unhappy with the GC complain about bad transmissions.

[Calm37]

We have two Grand Caravans in the driveway right now that are from the 90s, still working fine. We have very little money into them. They both have 130ish thousand miles on them. 

 

I think the most important thing is to have a mechanic go over any used car that you are interested in. We were told both times that they were in great shape, one needed brake pads. Both have the "check engine light" always one for some kind of sensor. I think all 5 of our cars have the check engine light on right at the moment. Haven't hit the 2000 model years yet here, LOL.

 

Blessings!

[gardenmom5]

for used minivan's - Toyota or Honda should be very reliable.  

I have a 13yo T&C AWD - which I love.  it's bigger than the Toyota, which is why I bought it new.

 

I have considered what I will do if I have to replace my van (seems we replace cars when they get totaled.  dh has totaled his last two cars.)   while I like my T&C AWD - they got rid of the AWD (which is one of the reasons I bought it)  I will probably never buy another.   I figure it will be a Honda or Toyota SUV.

[Mandylubug]

We have a 2006 Saturn Relay (now manufactured as a Chevrolet something or another) Our van has been quirky and even though it is running, seems reliable, I don't trust it if that makes sense and if I could afford to buy another used vehicle I would RUN to it before this one starts messing up for us. lol I am under the assumption that Dodge and Chrysler vans are the same vans, manufactured together, just different packages and branding. So, if you are scared of one, you should be scared of the other. That being said, we've had a Dodge Caravan prior and it did well. We traded at 200,000 miles.

 

If I was purchasing now, it would be a Chrysler Town and Country because I like how they look. I really want a new Dodge Durango, though... but that is wishful thinking and will never happen with four needing braces soon :O

[abacus2]

We have owned a 2005 base model Town & Country for about 3 years. It now has 110,000 miles. I would not buy another one. Since we have owned it we had a major steering system repair,a regular brake pad replacement, a full brake rebuild after the brakes locked up so that I had to have it towed (dragged) out of my garage, replaced a belt and the alternator, we lost two sets of tires to an alignment problem that inexplicably continued recurring without the mechanic finding anything wrong, the headlight switch quit working properly (which we did get refunded after they issued a not-really-a-recall bulletin), and we had to have a repair related to the check engine light and failing the emissions test. We have also, of course, done routine maintenance and there may be a repair I am forgetting.

[eloquacious]

How far back are you looking to go? We just bought a 2006 Odyssey, (three would have been slightly tight in the back of our Prius) but there were plenty of earlier models for sale on craigslist. If you or your husband feel comfortable checking the engine / car fax report, etc, I'm sure there are some great ones out there.

[abacus2]

My quick google says the Toyota Sienna goes back to 1998. It seems some should be in the same price range of the vehicles you've mentioned.

[TXMomof4]

We have a VW Routan which is essentially a Chrysler T&C. I do not recommend it. It's in the shop again for the third time in 2 months. Luckily we bought an extended warranty - without that we would have half the features on our van not working or would be out close to $10,000. None of the problems have been huge mechanical problems, but it only has 80,000 miles right now.

[Soror]

We just bought a 2005 Sienna and I puffy heart love it already, it only has 35k miles and drives like a dream. From the research I did I read fairly favorable things about the Kia Sedona, Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna. I also read that if your looking for a cheaper van than go w/ the VW Routan as it is a nicer version of the Town and Country.

[Kari C in SC]

I have a 2009 Kia Sedona that I love. It does not have the automatic doors, but my hubsband is a mechanic and says it is one more thing to break. I sat in the back of a caravan and a sienna and much preferred the roominess of my Kia.

[PrincessMommy]

thanks so much for everyone's opinions.

 

I looked for Sienna's in our price range but haven't seen any.  So, I guess they're just out there in my area... lots of Odyssey's and GC.

 

Never even heard of the VW Routan - will definitely look that one up.

 

We're going for something between 2000-2006 - high milegage but definitely under 200K.   It's the extra family car that we need when we either go on family trips or college kids are home, but won't get used everyday.

 

Mandy  - you said you don't trust your van.  I totally understand.  That is exactly how we feel about our passenger van now.   It's been a part of our family for 17 years but it's day has come. 

[Berta]

I have a 2005 Kia Sedona and I love it. We bought it new and it has a little over 100,000 miles on it right now. The only thing that I have had to replace have been tires. My only complaint is the paint job, it is flaking off on the front fender and side mirrors.

[ThatHomeschoolDad]

Our 2005 Odyssey is bullet-proof.  Ought to easily sail by a quarter million miles.  Highly recommend it.

 

Although I must admit to photoshop shenanigans in my profile pic.

 

:coolgleamA:

[Pawz4me]

We've had two Odysseys.  IIRC the first one was a 1998 and the second was a 2004.  Both were fabulous, trouble free vehicles (just like all of our Hondas).

 

MIL had a Dodge Caravan.  I think it was a late 1990's model, maybe early 2000's.  It served her well with only minimal trouble.  OTOH BIL and SIL have a Dodge Durango that has been a total piece of carp.  It's unbelievable the amount of money they've spent on repairs.

[Mommyof4ks]

I loved our 03 Odessey, and I already love our 2012 that we bought last week. The body style changed with the 11 model year, so anything older than that is significantly cheaper.

[ThatHomeschoolDad]

I loved our 03 Odessey, and I already love our 2012 that we bought last week. The body style changed with the 11 model year, so anything older than that is significantly cheaper.

 

Not crazy about the new style -- I suspect they're trying to sell to hip young parents, which means I've already passed out of that demographic :unsure: .  I'll just have to drive mine till it turns to dust.

[eloquacious]

Not crazy about the new style -- I suspect they're trying to sell to hip young parents, which means I've already passed out of that demographic :unsure: . I'll just have to drive mine till it turns to dust.

Besides the fact that we are cash payers and wanted to buy used, I also agree with you about the older style vs the newer one... Works out well for me that the used one we just bought is my preferred style anyways. ;)

[eloquacious]

We just bought a 2005 Sienna and I puffy heart love it already, it only has 35k miles and drives like a dream. From the research I did I read fairly favorable things about the Kia Sedona, Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna. I also read that if your looking for a cheaper van than go w/ the VW Routan as it is a nicer version of the Town and Country.

A 2005 with 35k miles?! That's a fantastic find! It was between the Sienna and the Odyssey for us. We wound up going with a 95k mile Odyssey, but I would have pounced on that Sienna, too!

[LucyStoner]

Ok, the Chrysler Town and Country, the Plymouth Voyager and the Dodge Grand Caravan are all the same vehicles with different branding and trim levels. The Routan, which is newer, is also basically that same. It was introduced in the last 5 years though so likely out of your price range.

 

My dad and my brother both have 1999 Dodge/Chrysler minivans. My brother's has 170K miles and my dad's over 200K. My dad's is nearly dead but my brother's is still going quite strong. My dad neglects his though so it's condition is more about him than the car IYKWIM. Our family mechanic says that it is the 3.8L engines in these Dodge/Chrysler/Plymouth vans that need to be avoided. The ones with 3.3L engines have staying power if well maintained. This has been accurate for them- both have 3.3s. My brother's has needed a few belts and such replaced but nothing beyond that other than wear and tear items. If I needed a minivan and had $5000 to spend, I'd go for the 2006 or so Dodge or Chrysler.

 

The Chyslers are more because the Town and Country usually comes with leather and other luxury trim type things.

 

The maintenance is not hard to do yourself.

[Dad 4 Boys]

If you're looking at Odysseys in the early 2000s, be very careful.  This is the period when Honda had some serious transmission issues with the Odyssey.  We have a 2001 Odyssey that we drove to nearly 200,000 miles before having the transmission rebuilt.  It didn't fail, but was starting to act pretty funkily.  We went ahead and had an extensive rebuild done that included a 100,000 mile warranty.  Other than the transmission, it's been a great vehicle.  We've owned it since it was brand new.

 

However, there are quite a few people out there that weren't so fortunate.  I'm sure you can find plenty of information on this using Google or go to www.odyclub.com.  Odyclub has more Odyssey related information than you could imagine.

 

Our Odyssey replaced a 96 Grand Caravan that was not very good.  We had tons of trouble with it.  We bought it used, and fortunately it came with an extended warranty that transferred to us.  If we hadn't had the warranty, it would have been really ugly dollars-wise.

 

We've owned 2 awesome Camrys and the Odyssey.  If I were looking for a new/different van, I wouldn't consider anything beyond the Odyssey or the Sienna.

[texasmama]

I have a 2006 Odyssey with almost 150,000 miles on it which has been very dependable. Prior to that I owned a Nissan Quest, which I did not like nearly as well.

 

I will be leaving minivan-land for my next vehicle in a few years, but if I wanted a used minivan, it would be either an Odyssey or a Sienna.

[PrincessMommy]

If you're looking at Odysseys in the early 2000s, be very careful.  This is the period when Honda had some serious transmission issues with the Odyssey.  We have a 2001 Odyssey that we drove to nearly 200,000 miles before having the transmission rebuilt.  It didn't fail, but was starting to act pretty funkily.  We went ahead and had an extensive rebuild done that included a 100,000 mile warranty.  Other than the transmission, it's been a great vehicle.  We've owned it since it was brand new.

 

However, there are quite a few people out there that weren't so fortunate.  I'm sure you can find plenty of information on this using Google or go to www.odyclub.com.  Odyclub has more Odyssey related information than you could imagine.

 

Our Odyssey replaced a 96 Grand Caravan that was not very good.  We had tons of trouble with it.  We bought it used, and fortunately it came with an extended warranty that transferred to us.  If we hadn't had the warranty, it would have been really ugly dollars-wise.

 

We've owned 2 awesome Camrys and the Odyssey.  If I were looking for a new/different van, I wouldn't consider anything beyond the Odyssey or the Sienna.

 

This is helpful information too.  Yes, we are looking at models in the early 2000s.  We're not looking at anything older than that.

 

Lucy Stoner - you say that maintenance isn't hard - which type are you talking about?  I have changed head/tail lights and dh has done several batteries (those kids!), but that is the extent of our abilities.

 

[Kel & the Kids]

We have 1997 grand caravan with 260,000 kilometers on it and have put very little work into it. We bought it used and my dh made sure it was the 3.3L motor and it also has a towing package which, although never used, enhanced the transmission (I really don't know much about that end of things but I do understand it's all about the right motor!)

 

This has been our 4th Caravan with that motor and they've all been great. One I totaled and one was stolen, one we traded up for a nicer version. So we've been very happy. We were just tonight considering replacing it with a 2007 but read a lot of reviews saying the got 300,000 miles out of the same van so I think we'll just stay put for a while.

[*Inna*]

We have a 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan. Still going strong. We had minimal problems with it throughout the years.

[Lolly]

Had a lot of mini vans here! Started off with a...hmmm...not sure what it was Pontiac something..maybe...way back in 1989. Sold it to my father. It ran forever with no issues. Replaced it with a Dodge Caravan when they started putting doors on both sides (three car seats made that an almost necessary trade up!).  The caravan had a problem every time I turned around. We replaced it around 70,000 miles at the recommendation of a Dodge mechanic. Pretty much every little thing on it had failed and been replaced at least once but the transmission, it wouldn't have been long. Next, came a Honda Odyssey. It was a really good van. We had to replace a few things here and there, but nothing major had gone wrong. Totaled out at 3 yo and about a 100.000 miles when a car ran a red light and hit me. Replaced with a Kia Sedona 2006. It currently has about 150,000. No major issues. THe gas milage has decreased drastically in the last couple of years. (Started off getting better than I was supposed to at about 22/28.  Now getting around 17/22.) Check engine light comes on if I don't use 100% gas now. (Have had all services done regularly.) There is a gremlin that seems to live in the electrical system (came with the car). Stuff will randomly do weird things like change radio stations and turn warning lights on and off on the dash. Take it to the service department and everything is perfect. I've learned to ignore my warning lights-they mean nothing.   Overall, the Dodge is one van I would avoid like the plague. The rest I would purchase again.

[momofkhm]

Sienna's are out of our price range.  I think they must be too new still.  Thanks though

 

Not too new.  The Odyssey and the Sienna came out within a year or 2 of each other.  

 

We had an Odyssey and traded it in b/c dh heard the year we had was starting to have transmission problems.  We have friends who had a Sienna a couple of years already when we bought the Honda.  We now have a Sienna that is several years old.  

 

Friend's Sienna is over 10 years old and still going.  They've driven to the other side of the country and back twice now.  It's starting to have issues.  But they still have it.  Probably close to 200K miles on it.

[Stratford]

We own two Kia Sedonas (yeah, weird, I know) and have been very happy with them (hence owning two.)  One is a 2006, bought used, no problems except the A/C compressor died, but was covered under warranty.  We also have a 2012 and it's been great.  I test drove many minivans and preferred how the Kia handled - it drives more like a car.  Very comfortable.  

[Luckymama]

We have a 2001 Grand Caravan and have never had a lick of trouble. It's at 110K right now.

 

On the other hand, multiple friends had 2000-2002 Caravans and Grand Caravans and had massive transmissions issues before 50K miles. I held my breath until my van passed 80K safely :lol:

[Soror]

Yes, the early 2000s Odyssey's had transmission issues, ours was an 01 and we had the transmission replaced but we didn't pay for it as it was covered under a recall. I would definitely check the to find out what transmission work has been done on it b/c if it hasn't been done it will need to be. It still didn't shift as smooth as the Sienna does. Dh drove our Odyssey again after now having our Sienna for a couple of weeks he thinks he definitely has more pep, it is a 3.6 vs a 3.3 in the Sienna. That extra pep means less fuel efficiency though, which I'd prefer. The cabin is quieter in the Sienna, the Sienna has comfier seats but the arm rests suck. Personally, I LOVED my old Honda Civic but I'd trust the Sienna to last longer than the Odyssey or any other minivan. I found the Sienna handled better and it reminds me of driving my old Civic more, it feels like it maneuvers easier. We like to keep vehicles a good while so we felt the Sienna was the best choice due to that.

[Stayseeliz]

We have a 2003 Honda oddyssey and we did have to have the transmission rebuilt but it's been a great van otherwise. We'll probably buy another when the time comes.

[FriedClams]

We have a Ford Freestyle. They're called the Taurus X now and have a different (better) transmission. We've had minimal issues with it that weren't covered by Ford. [it had a transmission surge thing that we got fixed for $945... But 3 years later they refunded our $... And one major a/c repair for about $1000, but we live in the South and HAVE to have a/c.] It seats 7, has pretty good gas milage (26ish on highway), and good safety ratings. It was about $10,000 less than comparable minivans when we bought it. I'd say we spend $600/year on repairs, tires, oil changes, etc. I bought it with 17,000 miles 5 years ago and it has 130,000 now. The seating is definitely more of a pain than a minivan. I like it, and it's been a good fit for us, but I would love an Odyssey. :-)

[Soror]

OH, and fwiw we bought ours in the next closest city, 2.5hrs away, the selection was pretty slim locally and the prices consistently higher. I looked at hundreds of listings and looked up the values on various models w/ different trim models, years and mileage. We decided for us we'd rather have an older model w/ less miles than a new model w/ more miles as we couldn't afford to have both.

 

I shopped on every Craigslist within a 3hr range, and several sites online- autotrader.com, kbb.com, ebay, edmunds.com, etc. There are lots of sites to shop and it is even if your just looking to get an idea of price ranges.

[Mbelle]

We bought our Honda Odyssey in 2003.  Yes, it did have half the transmission replaced 3 years ago.  Otherwise it is still going strong.  

[ThatHomeschoolDad]

FYI -- Odyclub is a decent set of forums for all things Honda Odyssey, from repair quirks to parts and whatnot.  Worth a bookmark, at least.  I end up consulting it every now and then.

[ScoutTN]

We have an '03 Odyssey and love it. No repairs, only maintenance so far. 180K miles now, 65K when we bought it. We bought it in '07 from a small dealer (6-10 vans at a time on his lot) who sells them after the original 3 yr leases.  

 

We also looked at the Sienna, but it feels smaller on the inside than the Odyssey. Not nec is smaller, just feels so to DH and me, when sitting in the driver's seat. 

[Soror]

Lol, well when I got the Sienna I felt it felt bigger than my Odyssey :), which I drove for 6.5 yrs. The trunk area is certainly bigger, not sure the actually dimensions of anything else though.