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Greetings,
I'm thinking about possibly buying my first used minivan. What would be a good, used minivan to look at for, say, around the $8,000 price point with plenty of good useful life left in it?
Thank you
For that low of a price point, you'll want to evaluate Specific vehicles not just blindly trust that a given model from whatever brand is the right one. That means looking at what's available to you locally and deciding what's important... older with lower miles, newer with higher miles, specific sizes, etc....
I'd go Caravan. 3.6L and six speed automatic, seems like a good combination. I believe in 2014 all of them got the improved brakes (prior years, if not with heavy duty brakes, were known for going through pads). I've heard differing opinions on stow and go, and on the AVP (the cheapest one); but I'd be tempted to go that route.
Honda might have finally fixed their automatics, but VCM is a known issue. Toyota seems to be low problems although watch out for 3.3L (and older) V6's, as they are timing belt; the 3.5 isn't bad but the 3GR-FE has had a bit of a reputation for bad water pumps. AWD may be tempting but it's all the more parts to break; at least for Toyota they ditched the spare and got run-flats, which are expensive and not known for "good" ride. Can't speak as to the Kia/etc competition. Mazda5 may be too small, but it tends to be well liked.
The older Caravan's with 3.3 and 3.8's are good, if not nickle and dime vehicles; the 3.8's can burn oil, and the 4 speed automatics can be hit or miss (quite often miss). But on the good side, parts are cheap. If you see a 4.0... avoid at all costs. It's timing belt, and I do believe an orphan motor. VW in nature? Totally pass on the Routan as it's an orphan that neither VW nor Chrysler want to acknowledge.
Whatever you do, make sure you have some $$$$ set aside, just in case. Electric doors are pretty much a constant: they all break, and they all need repair. Very common.
Honda Odyssey, 2005-2010 (3rd generation Odyssey). My 2011 Honda Accord V6 sedan has a VCM engine like the Odysseys of that vintage, it's got 100,870 miles and the engine runs like it's brand new. Just remember to change the timing belt somewhere around 100-120k miles. Your best bet for reliability and safety would be the 2008-2010 Odyssey. Side curtain airbags and stability control (both very important safety features) are standard on all 2005-2010 Odysseys.
Honorable mention would go to the 2004-2010 Toyota Sienna. If you get an '04 or '05 Sienna make sure to get one with side curtain airbags. They came standard on all 2005-2010 Odysseys and 2006-2010 Siennas. Another option box that should be checked is Vehicle Stability Control. It's optional on 2004-2007 models and standard for 2008-2010. If you go with the Sienna, the best years are 2008-2010.
Both of these vans were redesigned for 2011 but I don't think you'll be able to find one for 8 grand without making major sacrifices on mileage and options, if at all.
Not quite as good, but still worth considering is the Kia Sedona. The 2002-2005 models aren't very good, but the 2006 redesign vastly improved this van. Kias depreciate faster than Honda or Toyota, so you'll probably be able to get a newer (2010-2011, 2012 if you're lucky) van. Reliability is good (not quite up to Honda or Toyota standards, but fairly close) and side curtain airbags and stability control are standard on all 2006 and newer Sedonas.
I wouldn't touch any 1996 to 2010 Chrysler minivan with a 10 foot pole. The newer Chrysler minivans (2011 and newer) seem more reliable but they're still nowhere near as good as Honda or Toyota.
For your budget you should make sure to get good IIHS moderate overlap front and side impact crash test ratings. Rear impact ratings aren't as high of a priority, but if you can get one with good rear impact ratings as well. The Odysseys and Sedonas of the suggested years get good front and side crash test ratings, as do the Siennas with side curtain airbags. The 2008-2010 Odyssey gets good rear impact ratings, as does the 2006 and newer Sedona. The Odyssey also has rollover sensors for its side curtain airbags, meaning if you flip the side curtain airbags will deploy to keep you from being ejected or hitting hard objects. The Sienna and Sedona's side curtain airbags did not have rollover sensors until much later, I think 2015.
A true SUV would suggest looking into a Early to Mid-00's Chevy Tahoe/GMC Yukon or Chevy Subruban with the 5.3L or 6.0L Vortec V-8's (or the 8.1 in the 2500HD if you can find one) if you plan to tow/haul the Subrban will have more fuctional useable interior space and ride better due to the longer wheelbase.
plus those Vortec V-8 are cheap to find parts for and any DIY or independent shop or mechanic can work on them.
They were build to last just do not expect great fuel econmy but pretty much everything else is not really an issue in those SUV's sure their may be a few little things.
But one could get many years of hard use and cheap to maintain/serviceablitywith very little drivetrain or major mechanical issues on a well looked after used GMT800/9th Gen Surburban or Yukon/Tahoe in that price range.
Unless you have some compelling need like towing, Toyota Camry. You should be able to buy a 6 or 7 year old 4 cylinder Camry with less than 100,000 miles on it for $8,000. It should give you another 100,000+ trouble-free miles.
If you want a good deal on SUVs, wait for the next time gasoline prices spike.
If I hauled stuff regularly, I'd get the Chrysler just to get the Stow n Go seats.
Removing seats sucks!
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