Best all around Mini-Van

Infi-del

Infi-del

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Apr 6, 2009
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Hey guys. So it's true, I'm looking into buying a mini-van. Still gonna keep the Dodge Ram cause every man needs to have a truck. But I carry around a bunch of crap daily and plus my girlfriend is in a wheelchair and has a 9 year old daughter to boot that always goes with us when we go out. And even though my Dodge is a quad cab we just don't have a lot of room for me, them, the chair, and my gear (Usually a backpack and a rubbermade crate filled with Emergency goods). And the more I think about it, a Mini-Van is the perfect vehicle for carrying all that stuff as long as I don't plan to take it off road (Which I don't). Plus they ride nice and get decent gas mileage. So I would like some sugestions on which to buy. I've been looking really hard at the Honda Odyssey. I've always thought honda makes a good vehicle and they seem to last a long time if properly maintained. My Dad used to have a Dodge Caravan and it was a POS. My Mom currently has a Chrysler Town and Country... it's also a POS. So I'm thinking Chrysler products are out. However I might be able to buy two Chryslers for the money I could spend on one Honda so it might still be smart money to buy a Chrysler and just chuck it after 200K miles. Would love to hear some thoughts. I'm going to buy used, probably something with about 50K on it. Figure I'll let someone else take the (Off the lot) depreciation.
 
From having worked on a few (and then some) mini-vans, I'd say this
test drive the honda, they are good, but the controls will either work for you, or not, they are a bit odd, at least the 07-08 ones.
Honestly mini-vans seem to be hit and miss, I worked on lots of old ford windstars that just would not die, and I've seen oil leaks on 30,000km old chevys. honestly most minivans are not build to the same level as a truck, just slightly large car parts so IMHO, buy one that works for you, egros and size, but don't expect it to last forever.
 
I looked into this for my sister a few years ago and the Honda won in a walk. By the time I finished looking at, reading about and checking on them I wanted one myself! She's had it for 3-4 years now and still loves it- so does my niece who liked Mom's so much she got herself one too.

As always YMMV- there's a lot about cars that's pretty subjective. There's a lot of places that have reviews, especially by owners. To me, doing your homework really pays off on cars- a lot times things change from year to year.
 
My in-laws have a Honda and it is actually really nice. Decent smooth power as well as very comfortable.
 
Honda Odessey is the way to go if you've got lots of cash to throw around. If you don't I'd go with the Toyota Sienna. It's still pricey but not like the Honda. The Windstar consistently get's poor quality ratings and I'd rather be beaten with a stick then deal with the sorry quality of the Dodge minivan. I have a friend with one of those and he's consistently in the shop.
 
Our company has a small fleet of minivans, but they are all Dodge Caravans. I would NOT recommend one of them as they seem to need a lot of maintenance. BUT I highly recommend getting something that has the seats that stow in the floor of the vehicle.

I get to take the store owned vehicle home and use it as I wish. It's nice to easily be able to change the seating around as I need between work and home settings and when you have the second row seats up you get a nice 'hidden' storage area under the floor. The ones on the Dodge are plenty big enough to hold a backpack, toolbox, etc... I keep some emergency supplies under one of them.
 
We have a 2003 Chrysler T & C.

Other than the transmission taking a dump under warranty, it has been a good van.

However, if I were to buy a new van right now, it would be a Toyota Sienna, A Honda Odyssey, or a Ford Freestar, in that order.
 
I put 80,000 miles on a Dodge Caravan without any major problems. Ran great right till the sale.

With 100k on it, it was time to find a new/used van: I searched all over and couldn't find a reason NOT to get a Chrysler T&C. Lots of features, including stow and go seats.

Sure, I wanted a Honda, but even the CRV with comparable age and miles was about 3k more expensive. The Odyssey was 5k more.

So, we got a 2007 T&C with 14k miles for $14,700 at a Chevy dealer. Half price of new, has 100k miles to go, and someone did us the favor of breaking it in for us.

Works for me. :)

Coop
 
An alternative to the Mini Van if you don't need sliding doors on the side is the Ford Flex. I drove one from the rental company when I was on a business trip and I really liked it. I would get one if my kids were still at home, but I drive everywhere by myself these days and I only have 2 seats anyway.
 
I know they have a bad rep for reliability but I have a 2003 dodge grand caravan with 305,000 miles on it that still runs like a champ. One of my friends bought it when it had about 240k on it and other than regular maitenence and some minor repairs it's been trouble free since then. There are plenty reports of the 3.3l Caravans racking up big miles out there. I will say this is about the only Chysler that I have owned or any of my friends or family has owned that has NOT had transmission issues so I consider it a miracle of sorts that this van has no issues in this area.
 
My girlfriend's parents have a Mazda 5, and I'm pretty impressed with how cool it is inside.
Lots of gadgets, and features, plus Mazda will wash and vacuum any of their cars for free at the dealership. Sounds perfect for someone with kids. I'd say look into it.
 
Sienna or Odyssey. No Chryslers for me. Personally I like the utility of vans. I drive a sedan daily but the wife's Sienna is a better all arounder for us. 4 kids.
 
I drove the Honda quite a bit in Germany. That thing is amazingly stable and responsive at about 115-120 mph on the autobahn. Felt like a really good-handling coupe. My sister brought it back to the US and drove it for another ten years with no major problems. If I were looking for a van (it's not really a mini), I'd buy one.

DancesWithKnives
 
You may know this however watch that you don't buy a vehicle with run-flat wheels/tires - high dollar to replace tires which don't provide great tread life and if you decide to switch out to conventional tires will need new wheels.

A friend bought a fine Honda Odessy TOURING..was seriously considering buy one until researched..they used to be standard on the TOURING but believe now are an option.

We wound up drinking the Toyota Kool-aid .. 2010 RAV4..no problems yet but watch your rear view mirror if one should go cruise missile in your area, LOL.
 
If you've got mechanical skills, I'd suggest the Pontiac Montana. It surely isn't the best minivan available, but with a little patience and some shopping skills, you can probably buy 3 of them for the price of a comparable Odyssey. By this time (age wise), most of them have probably had the dexcool issue taken care of and had the A/C replaced. Otherwise, they are a decent enough vehicle and the engines are strong.
 
The womenz in my family love their Hondas.
Wife drove Odyssey #1 from 2001-2005, putting 160k mi on it with the only non-routine maintenance item being a blown rear 3rd brake lite.
Traded for odyssey #2 in Jan 2006 and it currently has 140k mi with ZERO unscheduled maintenance cost. (unless you count the death of the battery which ocurred last month).
Back in Apr 09 I bought my daughter her 1st car...an '09 Honda CRV. It now has 16kmi of 100% reliability.
Me? I'll stick with my American iron truck! But those mini-vans are by far the best for family travel.
 
SharpByCoop said:
I put 80,000 miles on a Dodge Caravan without any major problems. Ran great right till the sale.

With 100k on it, it was time to find a new/used van: I searched all over and couldn't find a reason NOT to get a Chrysler T&C. Lots of features, including stow and go seats.

Sure, I wanted a Honda, but even the CRV with comparable age and miles was about 3k more expensive. The Odyssey was 5k more.

So, we got a 2007 T&C with 14k miles for $14,700 at a Chevy dealer. Half price of new, has 100k miles to go, and someone did us the favor of breaking it in for us.

Works for me. :)

Coop
Click to expand...

Selling at 100K is not an option for me. I keep vehicles until they fall apart. I need something that can do around 350K before it gives up the ghost. And from my experience chrysler products start to crap the bed around 200K.
 
wiredge said:
The womenz in my family love their Hondas.
Wife drove Odyssey #1 from 2001-2005, putting 160k mi on it with the only non-routine maintenance item being a blown rear 3rd brake lite.
Traded for odyssey #2 in Jan 2006 and it currently has 140k mi with ZERO unscheduled maintenance cost. (unless you count the death of the battery which ocurred last month).
Back in Apr 09 I bought my daughter her 1st car...an '09 Honda CRV. It now has 16kmi of 100% reliability.
Me? I'll stick with my American iron truck! But those mini-vans are by far the best for family travel.
Click to expand...


I've had my Dodge Ram now for 10 years. Other than a $2,000.00 transmission at 160K miles it's been great. Those 318 engines are built like a tank. So I'm not putting it down. But it eats gas like a fat girl at a buffet and I need a multi passenger vehicle that's reliable and good on Gas. I looked at some prices and the Odyssey is only about 3 to 4 thousand more than other vans in similar used condition. And we're talking the 9 to 13 K price range. For an additional 3 to 4 thou I'd rather have a vehicle that can do an additonal 150K miles with ease. Plus as some have mentioned the Hondas ride nice. Never been impressed with the ride of a Chrysler van personally. Now I just gotta find one of the dark gray ones in my area. Can't see myself driving a gold or sky blue van LOL.
 
I drive an Odyssey and you will love it. Drives like a car with plenty of power. I used to drive a truck but I switched to the odyssey because I needed a personal car as well as a work vehicle. Mini vans aren't cool but the people who drive them are!:D
 
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