Minivan opinions and going to be applying for my first car loan!

[fan-of-fans]

My mother has a 99 Pontiac minivan. It has been reliable, granted she only has 70000 miles on it. But even the latest GM vans in 2007/08 were very similar. The crash ratings weren't the best compared to others, I don't think. They never had curtain airbags, but side airbags were available, my mother's has em.

I used to ride around in a 2005 Sienna a lot and loved it, granted it was a Limited trim, but it was a nice van. I don't know much about them, but in your price range they and the Honda in the year range you are looking for are going to be basically nil.

Personally, I'd get the Chrysler or Dodge. We had a 98 that had a lot of issues, but I think most were taken care of by the 2001-07 generation. I would particularly look for a 2005 or newer model - as those have Stow N Go if you are looking at a long wheelbase model. You could probably find one around the top of your price range. I would get an SXT if it's the Dodge version, as those also have the bucket seats in the center row that fold flat. SE models got a bench in that row that had to be rolled out if you wanted clear floor. But both SE and SXT have stowing 3rd row and the bins are there in the second row too. SXT will get you power sliding doors and liftgate typically, which you may think aren't very necessary, but they are very useful to have, IMO.
Some of the later ones in that gen were even available with navigation and bluetooth!

I can't say much about the Mazda MPV and 6, they are quite uncommon around here too, but I find them interesting mini minivans.

As far as building credit, I've found it's best to start small. A secured credit card often does the trick - your credit union likely offers one, maybe not even secured. You don't have to pay interest - ever. Just charge a small amount to the card each month, and pay it off in full every month. Soon you will have a credit file established, and after a while of on time payments, you will have a good score and will begin to build a file. Then I would open another credit card and do the same thing with both.

 

[washer111]

Toyota Sludge

The problem back then with Toyota was they were pushing something like a 7,500 miles interval on conventional oil - which might be alright if you followed the schedule, but throw in short trips, and people who don't care about their cars and you have a problem. 

 

If the car is serviced regularly, and with a synthetic oil, there should be no issue. But check under the oil cap, just in case. You can often get a good look at the valvetrain by doing so. 

 

And unless a car was placed in severe service, (as stipulated in the owner's manual), there is no reason to service more than what the manufacturer recommends, unless you are 100% positive it is better for the car. Recent research suggests changing your oil very frequently (i.e. 3000 miles/5000 km) produces more wear on the engine than changing at longer intervals. Besides its incredibly wasteful and/or anal-retentive with today's technology. 

My vehicle has run 7,500 mile intervals from the factory in 1993, with conventional oil, initially, than the later synthetic offerings. Although... The sumps in many Euro cars hold astronomical quantities of oil compared to Asian/American offerings (we're talking about 7.0 quarts for a simple I6), so that gives it an unfair advantage. Still, no sludge! And still going strong at 122K miles!

 

[super32]

I have to vote for the Chrysler/Dodge. Im a 6'4" male. Import cars dont seem to cater to tall or large men very well. At least i have never been in one that does. The Chrysler was the only one i could fit in reasonably. The stow and go is great! Open up, fold down, boom its done. No lifting, or finding a place to hide or store the seats. And if your out, and happen to come across a machine that you just HAVE to have, you wont have to run home and dump the seats. We all have had those "have to have it" moments....lol Chryslers reliability has been spotty thru the years. The earlier generations could not keep transmissions. That seems to be better in newer generations. Im currently driving a 2013 TC with about 25k. So far so good. 

 

Before this TC i had a 08' Sienna. I will never own another Toyota product!

 

Many in this thread have mentioned the credit union which is a great idea. I would not totally dismiss dealer financing. If the dealer is reputable and also sells new products, they often will have good used car financing. After all, it is their business to sell cars. I have found the interest rates to be very competitive. 

 

[mattl]

The wheel bearing is a non issue. I drove with a bad one for almost a year, annoying but it's not going to fall apart.

I to would look at single owner vehicles, especially from olde folks - they are more likely to have done the mainline as recommended.

 

[norgeway]

CHRYSLER!!!

Or Dodge is to me the ONLY van, the stow and go sears will let you haul anything you want, and they ride and drive great.

 

[norgeway]

SPELL CHECK!

Sears-= SEATS!!!LOL

 

[combo52]

I would diffently only get a Chrysler product

Between my brother and I we have bought 15 Chrysler minivans since 1984through 2015. We still have 8 of these vans. None of these vans have been lemons and all that we have gotten did of had 150,000-300,000 miles on them.

While a Toyota van is a good. Van they are much more expensive new and a poor value used because they hold their value much longer. For 4,000-5,000 a Toyota would probably have 200,000 miles on it, while you could still get a good Chrysler for this price.

 

[washer111]

A vehicle holding value longer is a sign of high demand - and there is a good reason for that. 

Japanese imports have outsold many domestic car makers (both in Australia and the U.S., from what I understand) for quite some time now; vehicles that are very cheap on the used market are either lesser-known vehicles that never sold well in the first place (for whatever reason), or vehicles that had bad reputations - where so many people are selling their cars they over-supply the market and push down the prices. 

 

The good thing about buying a car that is likely to hold value is you get more of your money back in the end - not that you'd sell a very reliable car until it became utteryly impossible to repair economically. You should expect plenty more miles out of a well-cared for car than 200K, our older LandCruiser is an example of that, and would still fetch at least AU$7000 in its condition - the 1HZ engine was and still is practically bulletproof, so you could reasonably expect double the mileage it has now with the rebuilt engine. 

 

[ronhic]

Firstly

The Mazda 626 was, and has always been, a Mazda design.

 

Yes, Ford had part ownership of Mazda for many years....and FORD used to effectively badge engineer the 626 in a couple of markets, most noticeably here in Oz where it was marketed for a number of years from 1983/4 until about 1996 as the Ford Telstar. It was never as well made as the 626 until Ford began importing them direct from the Mazda factory in Japan.

 

I find it quite gob-smacking that Americans have found Mazdas of any sort to be unreliable. I've yet to hear a negative report about them here....and the same goes for Hondas. Nissan, on the other hand, have started to go to pot here....especially Thai built ones.

 

[hydralique]

Hondas and Acuras are usually very reliable, pretty much on par with Toyotas. However, they had a nasty bout with bad automatic transmissions about ten to fifteen years ago in the V6 products, especially the Odyssey minivan and well optioned Accords. I’d research that one very carefully before buying any of those products.

Nissan is usually pretty decent. A buddy of mine recently got a new Mazda 3 to replace his 2003 Nissan Altima 3.5. The Nissan didn’t have a huge number of miles on it, a little under 150,000, but it had lived its’ entire life battling West LA traffic: his commute is about 10 miles on the 10 into Santa Monica but that usually takes 45 minutes in peak traffic. What finally killed the Altima was a bad coil on number five cylinder, this is up against the firewall and requires removal of the intake manifold to replace. After spending $800 to do that it ran fine but two weeks later popped another check engine light that turned out to be a bad catalytic converter, which made sense given that a failed coil would cause incomplete combustion that could damage the cat. Unfortunately nobody but Nissan makes catalysts for the Altima 3.5 that are CARB (California Air Resources Bureau) approved so it could have required three new OEM cats at $600-$700 each plus installation. Given that it was due for a smog check anyway the owner found it simpler to just buy the new car. Aside from the coil and catalyst problem and some oil usage the Nissan still ran well, the transmission shifted fine, climate control worked, etc.  It was also quite powerful if not economical.

The above illustrates one problem with the common transverse installation of V6 or V8 engines: accessing the rear bank of cylinders can be a real PITA. Transverse engines work very well with an inline four, five or six but just don’t make much sense with a V, those should be longitudinal. If I were looking for an inexpensive used car I’d much prefer to avoid the V6 in favor of an inline four because if something does break it will be far simpler and cheaper to fix.

Chryslers are an attractive used buy because their resale value is often well below that of other major makes. Another friend of mine got a great deal on a low mileage Dodge Caliber about four years ago that has turned out to be a very solid and reliable car. Hopefully Fiat has done something to fix Chrysler’s spare parts problems. Back in the nineties or early 2000s they were just awful with supplying anything in a timely manner for a car more than 4 or 5 years old. My mother had a ‘92 that went nine months with the brake alert light on under warranty because Mopar was back ordered on the part needed, and a few years after that they were able to supply a new water pump in two days but it took ten days to get the O-rings needed to install it!

I’d not count Ford out. There is an ‘04 Ranger (badged Mazda B-2300) truck in my family that has been the most reliable vehicle I’ve ever known from new. It was built in New Jersey and based on it I’d be happy to rely on anything built there.

 

[dustin92]

ronhic-

My Mazda 626 WAS at least, in part, made or built by Ford. I lost count of the pieces and parts that had the Ford logo stamped into them, one for sure being the oil filler cap, and I once had to have a replacement key made, it too was Ford- the only one that would fit, and had Ford stamped into it. The engine was definitely Ford, I had to have the timing belt changed at 105,000 miles, as required, and the mechanic said he couldn't find the part for a mazda, but found the same part number under (I believe) a Ford Focus. 2.0 4 cylinder engine. The car gave me nothing but trouble from the day I bought it, and the dealer wouldn't stand behind the warranty I was given. It had barely 100,000 miles on it, all one owner, when I bought it, and by 120,000 it needed either the engine rebuilt or replaced. Burned more oil than gas, lost compression on one cylinder, and ran terrible. Was stalling constantly and smoking like a freight train when I sold it. Apparently the new owners replaced the engine, because I've seen it several times since. The transmission was terrible and jerky, the only things that ever worked properly were the windows and air conditioner.

 

[DADoES]

 
1993 626 was the best car I've had thus far but I don't imagine that has any bearing on today's offerings.

 

[ronhic]

That's a new one on me.

 

I worked around the motor industry until 2000 and am a keen motorist with more than a passing interest in the geekier, statistical side of cars more than the performance.

 

Only the first Odyssey was sold in this country with a V6 and then only the top model. All the rest have been 4cyl. We get both the Accord Euro and the American Accord, both badged as Honda Accord. I've not heard of any issues with the V6 or gearboxes, but then Honda Australia are pretty snappy to fix these things given the Marques reputation.

 

Mazdas in Oz have never suffered in that way. No doubt because they were Mazda manufactured in Japan using only Mazda parts. That the gearboxes (and other parts) in certain 626 models in the US have a Ford product that became known for high fail rates is simply appalling. 

 

When Ford was assembling the 626 here and selling it as the Ford Telstar, we had some minor issues....mostly quality control related rather than engineering related. Certainly nothing that would cause component failure. But then, Ford were assembling a Japanese designed car in its entirety, not splicing major, locally sourced parts into it which was simply asking for trouble.

 

Auto Alliance International have a LOT to answer for.

 

 

 

[dustin92]

I think I've narrowed it to a short list, based on reviews and my preferences- Time will tell once I've actually applied for the loan and actually do some shopping, but here goes- 1. Mazda MPV-2004/2005, 2. Chrysler/Dodge 2004+, 3. Toyota Sienna 2003+
I found mostly glowing reviews on the MPV, and like the looks more than the other two, not so "soccer mom's carpool" if that makes sense. I have mixed thoughts about giving Mazda a second chance. The Dodge/Chrysler vans seem to have mixed reviews, but there are a lot of them out there- they do have the lowest resale values of the bunch, which can be a good and bad thing. I don't necessarily hate the looks, but not my absolute favorite either. The interiors of the MPV and Chrysler vans are nicely laid out and comfortable. I have found fairly good reviews on the Toyota Sienna, it seems when they are good, they are really good, but when they are bad it can be a nightmare. Not particularly fond of the exterior looks on the 2003 or 2004+ Siennas, and have not seen the interior yet. The Toyotas have the highest used resale value, which again could be a good thing or a bad thing. I'm thinking on going to apply for the loan this week, just to see where I get. I will need a bit of time to put together the $ for a down payment, so likely won't make a purchase for at least a few weeks. At least this time I have a vehicle to drive in the meantime, I didn't have that luxury the last time around- I needed a car and I needed one NOW and cheap. Found the Impala within a week.

 

[ronhic]

Well from what I can gather, the Mazda MPV from 2002 came with a 3.0 V6 and 5spd automatic.

This is a Mazda AJ series motor.

The previous, smaller V6 was a Ford motor.

 

[combo52]

Mini-Van Choices

Hi Dustin, One thing I forgot to mention that you may want to consider is a NEW Dodge Caravan, Chrysler just stopped building the current DCs [ they are still building the Chrysler T&Cs ] but there are still some on dealer lots at great prices. My brother picked up one at the end of last year for UNDER 18,000.00 out the door and another friend here on AW just bought a loaded one for around 23,000.00. All the current vans have the same great engine and transmission, and Jeff has been getting over 30 MPG on his appliance acquisition trips.

 

If you let the dealer do the financing you may be surprised how affordable a NEW van might be. Just go in and take a test drive and look you might be surprised, you are young it not like you will not need this van in a few years, LOL.

 

Another great thing about a Dodge Caravan is DC has the highest percentage of US parts and build content of ANY car-truck sold in America @ 74%and it is union built. I have never been able to understand why any American would want to drive around in a Japanese car, especially when living in Michigan.

 

Cars in the Midwest get pretty rusty, if I was looking for a used car I would go farther south to find one. Also it is not a good thing that a car brand holds its value well when buying a 10 year old car. You are paying too much for it, its not like you are going to sell it in five years for a profit.

 

Toyota's are very good cars for folks that can afford NEW ones, but they are expensive to repair and maintain, reliability data really only goes back about 6 years in sources like CRs, so there is no real proof that a 10 YO Toyota is any better than a 10YO Chrysler van.

 

[washer111]

Toyota's Are Expensive?

I don't know where this comes from, in all honesty. 

 

Sure, if you service them at a $tealer (or an Indy that prey upon people's stupidity), like any car, that gets expensive. Especially when they con owner's into needing "Power Steering Flushes" every service, and other ludicrous things that are something you do every 50K miles or something. 

 

Basically, what got our LandCruiser to where it is now until the Engine rebuild (and of course, some work on the transmission, and ORIGINAL clutch not long before) - Frequent servicing. It basically only ever needed tires, fuel and some basic servicing. A local, trustworthy independent took care of all this for many, many years, for a good price by Australian standards. 

 

On the other hand, for several of those years, we owned a domestic EB Ford Falcon from the same year (1993). Same mechanic. 

Head-Gasket was done at least 3 times (common problem on these vehicles)

Warped brake rotors (Another common issue)

Plus other silly stuff that kept breaking when it shouldn't had (there was also plenty of major work coming up too). The car only had half the mileage; at about 150K, and was a highway car for all its life till we had it. The LandCruiser was always a highway car, from the time it was bought (about 1995), and never needed anywhere near this much work.

We spent about 3x what the Falcon was worth in the 4 years before we got the Corolla. And that was a car manufactured domestically. Ford and Holden wonder why people don't want their cars, and why the Government won't subsidise them anymore - They can't build a competitive product. Their cars are oversized, unreliable (in comparison with the imports) and people don't want them. Let them crash. Serves them right for holding out their hand, promising the world and delivering NOTHING to the taxpayers. 

THAT is why people don't want domestics, even in the heart of Michigan. If they're not as good as the competition, why bother?

 

OTOH, the Corolla has been the same as the LC - Cheap to service and run since we got it in 2009. Doing the same duty as the Falcon. 

(Heck, even my '93 Bimmer has gone better than the Falcon. Longer service intervals, 30mpg on the highway, and 25 in the city. Who could ask for more?)

 

Why do people drive Japanese cars? Because Toyota built their reputation they have on very reliable, economical cars. This is reflected in the purchase price. They are hard to break! 

Toyota made sure their cars coming from the factories were built to very exact tolerances. They had very high quality-control standards, whereas domestics didn't. The Camry is the best-selling Mid-size car (sedan) in Australia for 20 years now - and there is a very good reason for this. 

Even our taxi fleets are progressing onto the much-maligned Camry's, Avalon's and Pri-i - and cannot get enough of them. The economy and low cost of maintenance is what wins them over. 

 

[fan-of-fans]

I found the interior in my friend's 2005 Sienna to be very nice, although it was an XLE model. The only issue was the seats were a bit uncomfortable, but they were leather and you mention you wanted cloth.

I looked on cars.com to get an idea of prices, and most in the 2004-05 range shown seem to have over 130k miles on them and are listed at $7500.

I'm seeing around the same prices on Dodges from that area with a little less miles.

The idea about getting a new Dodge is a good one, if you were comfotable spending that much money. Personally, I don't think I'll ever buy a brand new car, but the prices noted seem to be pretty good for what you would be getting, and can only get better since it is a discontinued model.

 

[retro-man]

Picked up a Chrysler Town and Country van yesterday at the dealership, when I dropped my Jeep off for servicing. It is a 2015. 3 rows of leather reclining seats. Top of the line with all options I think. 1st time driving one of these, its like driving a living room. I don't for one care for this at all. Not that I haven't had or driving large vehicles before, but this just seems large and unresponsive in handling. I hope you test drive all these vehicles to see what you are most comfortable in and driving comfort. I don't understand how all these soccer moms drive these.

Jon

 

[dustin92]

Update! Did some car shopping today with my Dad, who worked for Chrysler for years, and does 99% of the repairs on our vehicles- so he knows his stuff. I looked at several, but narrowed down to a couple that just stood out. The first was a 2002 Chevy Venture- this one was marked $3995 but we had a talk with the salesman and I can get it for $3500 with no trade, or $2500 with my car, so a trade of $1000, which I feel is fair. It has 129,000 miles and was a southern car so not a speck of rust, although there is a spot on both bumpers where the paint is beginning to peel. No real dents though, and it still looks nice. However, the interior is a bit rough. The drivers seat has some wear and a small rip, and the other seats are dirty so will need to be shampooed. We found a couple issues that the dealer agreed to fix if we decided to buy it, but nothing horrible. Has everything I wanted except a CD player. Not a deal breaker. My Dad is concerned about the engine's reputation for leaking intake gaskets and head gaskets- which don't seem to be leaking yet, but it does have the same engine as my Impala, which has had the intake gaskets done twice and the head gaskets once since I've owned it. The second vehicle, which I actually perferred, was a 2009 Dodge Grand Caravan. It was in overall excellent condition inside and out, and we didn't find any issues, but it was owned by a delivery service for the first 3 years of it's life, so it has high miles, 250,000. The first 200,000 were put on by the delivery service, then it was bought by the dealer for his family. They no longer need the extra seating, so it is for sale. My Dad said it has an excellent engine so should run for many more miles if I maintain it- which I have done religiously with every vehicle I've owned. He figured it could go 400-500,000. The mileage is my only concern, but what eases that somewhat is that it is still new enough to put a new engine or transmission in if it fails. The asking price on that one is $4995, but my Dad figures we could get it for $4000-4500, because it's been there for a while. I didn't ask at that dealer about a trade in, but I don't have a problem selling mine privately for around $1500. We didn't drive either of them, but started the engines and both sounded really smooth, no ticks or rattles, the Dodge actually sounded a bit better than the Chevy, which sounded as if there could be a minor exhaust leak somewhere. I think I'd be happy with either of them, but if I had to make a decision not based on price, I'd go for the Dodge, even with it's quarter of a million miles. I'm going to sleep on it tonight, then I think go apply for a loan tomorrow. We will see what the outcome is.