Buying a used minivan - any tips?

Senior Member Joined: Jul 27 2007 Posts: 240

B"H we are expecting our fourth child in 2 months so we are looking to purchase a minivan to fit our family.

We aren't fancy people - right now we drive a 97 lumina with 100k miles that we were lucky to "inherit" - and it does the job. (One car for both of us.)

Any ideas based on your own experience what model would be good value and reliability?

I don't want to buy a really cheap van and need to bring it in for repairs often. On the other hand, don't want to spend unnecessarily on a more "primped" vehicle.

What are your experiences?

I bought a used Dodge Caravan two years ago. I like it.
With american minivans, they are much much cheaper used. The repairs are cheaper for domestic cars, and they do the job. As long as they do the job, I don't see the advantage of buying a Honda or a Toyota for triple the price. Is it really going to give you triple the service or last three times as long? And within your budget, you can get a much newer used Dodge with less milage for you money. I think ours was still within warranty.
I also got some scratches on it, minor cosmetic bumps (while parking in a narrow city garage), and guess what, I don't care and won't repair them. If it was a more expensive car I would probably be more upset and spend money on repairs...

I havea 1996 toyota previa

got it for under 2K, it has all wheel drive.. B"H the cost to maintain is relatively low, toyota is a reliable car.

My kids call it the moon vehicle, because it's kind of funny looking..

BTW the all wheel drive comes in handy in the winter months.

My only issue is in the summer, it's the old style of AC, so the front area is freezing and the back area not so cool..

do yourself a favor and don't buy a ford- it stands for FIX OR REPAIR DAILY.

Silver Member Joined: Dec 01 2006 Posts: 688

I would buy a used Honda or Toyota with 100K miles on it. (I haven't had any luck with American Cars. Although they tend to be cheaper, in the long run they need A LOT more maintenance.) If the car was well maintained and you continue to maintain it then you can have it run for another 100k. That being said, you could probably buy one for under 10k. When buying a used car always check the Kelly Blue book value, carfax, and make sure to get papers documenting it was maintained. Even the best brand of vehicles if not well maintained, won't last. Also if you have lemonbusters in your area I would call them. They can tell you if the car was in a wreck and put back together.

Silver Member Joined: Mar 07 2006 Posts: 573

...and check the VIN number on carfax.

I am personally biased to Toyota, we have the Sienna which we were fortunate enough to buy new. It is effectively a repair-free car. Just keep up with the oil changes, inspections etc, and we haven't had to fix anything in 3 years.

Ours also seats 8, where most minivans seat only 7.