Politics & Current Events
KateAggie
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Tell me about your (used) MiniVan.
I think it looks cooler with the unexpected capitalization.
I'd like to spend $25K or less, with leather. That's really the only criteria.
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Re: Tell me about your (used) MiniVan.
Ooh ooh ooh!!
The 2008 Chrylsers had transmission issues. Halfway through the production year they corrected the problem but it can obviously be hard to tell which one you get. My dad (king of research and consumer reports) says that Honda Odysseys from 2008 had the same issue but I can't find validating information for that.
Chryslers tend to be cheaper, then Siennas then the Hondas. I found a huge difference in how the Chryslers drove compared to the Sienna and Odyssey. In short, the Chrysler felt like a minivan to me. It wasn't bad, and had we not driven the Toyota or Honda it would have been fine I think. For 25k you can get a really nice used Chrysler. I think you can probably get a decent Toyota or Honda too for that price.
We bought a 2008 Sienna. I freaking love it. We paid 18k for it at car max and it has power sliding doors (the power doors were my must have) but is fairly basic beside that - no entertainment system, no navigation, but it does have a CD player (woohoo) and a MP3 input. We wanted to stay below 20k but for 25k I think we could have gotten leather. Ours had 39k miles on it - higher than I wanted but for a Toyota I was okay with that. For the same price for a Honda we would have not gotten the power doors and probably higher mileage. We found the 18k to be a pretty fair price compared to other dealers in our area.
I also preferred how the Sienna drove over the Odyssey (DH preferred the Odyssey.).
I can't tell you how convenient and wonderful the Sienna is. And this is still an inside baby!! Haha.
You know, for exactly 25K you can get a brand spanking new Mazda 5 fully loaded with everything, including leather seats (it's called the Grand Touring edition).
The Mazda 5 is smaller than a traditional minivan, more like a station wagon, but it has a third row and sliding doors on both sides. But smaller-than-a-minivan = much better mileage than a minivan, so way lower cost of ownership.
Used, they can be found for half that, but finding a used one with leather might be harder.
...we looked at a lot of used minivans (we were considering buying, but opted to wait) and discovered that although Siennas and Odysseys were great, at this price point, you'd be looking at a LOT of miles.
The other mini-van like vehicle you might want to look at, which is find-able used in that $25K price range, is pretty much the other end of the spectrum... The Mercedes Benz R Class.
For about 20-25K, you can find one of these puppies from round about 2006, with under 70K miles on it. About what you'd pay for a Sienna or Odyssey with good options and similar mileage, at least round these parts.
I'd recommend the R500 over the R350. Apparently the V8 engine in the R500 is a workhorse that can't be killed, but the engine in the 350 isn't as good. The R500, when the car sold in 2006, would have gone for round about $70K.
The thing is loaded. And when I say loaded, I mean loaded, the way only a top of the line Mercedes can be. It's luxe. It drives so beautifully. It's nice to sit in all three rows of. And you can find them with things like a panoramic roof.
Biggest drawback: the back doors don't slide, they swing. And they're pretty big.
Good luck, we've been considering a mini in the same price range for a while, and it's a little frustrating!
I am the 99%.
Momi, that Mercedes is beautiful. But my #1 reason for the minivan=sliding doors. The wind here is brutal. At least once a week I get my legs slammed by the door as I'm buckling Natalie in. Hurts like a mofo, and I think it's just a matter of time until it's a hand/finger/etc.
The Mazda5 just feels too small, and I really want a 7 seater so I can haul my friends' kids, too.
I curse you, Mercedes!! Don't you know that if I'm gonna drive a minivan it better have the best feature of the minivan?!?!
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I had this mercedes. I loved the way it drove, but I hated getting the kids in and out of it. The doors are huge and if anyone parks near to you you can't get the baby carrier out of the car.
Also it was really hard to get to the third row. The storage sucked as well. When the 3rd row was up I couldn't fit my Bugaboo stroller in the back (FWP). Even the a big load of groceries wouldn't fit in the boot with the 3d row up.
As for other ones. I think Chrysler is very good for the money. You get a lot more options than you will with a honda, toyota. I also find it the easiest of the minivans to access the 3rd row because the 2nd row seats fold flat so you can sit on them. I also like the swivel feature.
I have town and country and a 2011 nissan quest now. The T&C drives more like a truck. The nissan drives much more like a car --smooth and quiet. That said, It isn't as easy to get to third row to buckle car seats. The storage in both is very good. The nisssan took a little adjusting to as it feels wide.
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