2nd gen MPV or???

Need a vehicle to haul framed artwork. Renting u-hauls is getting to be a pain.

Tried to sell mama on a used MPV as a kid-hauler, but it was "too mini-van" ish for her at the time, so we ended up with a new Mazda5. Sadly, it doesn't have much more room than my DD CTS-V, and pulling the car seats/swapping cars for kid transport is a huge PITA.

An E-series van would be the "easy button" with way more space, but the ability to occasionally haul kids with leather seats & DVD players is intriguing.

$5k MAX budget. Your thoughts?

As someone who still DD's a 2005 MPV-ES since he bought it new, I can recommend the MPV. Drives like a car, not a bus. Pretty roomy. Super dependable. Low to mid-20's MPG.

In reply to 1988RedT2:

Are the seats easily removable? Any chance of fitting a 4X8' sheet of plywood (or whatever) in the back? I'd really dig this option over a "work van" for the aforementioned reasons.

The Caddy is a decent hauler with the seats down, but the weird "trapezoid" configuration between trunk & back seats doesn't allow art to lie flat.

PS: Are they all 3.0 V6's?

I love my 2nd gen MPV.

Nope. You're not gonna fit a 4x8 sheet of plywood in it.

Rear seat folds into the floor. Center seats remove super easily with a quick release.

Yes, they are all 3.0L V6's.

Another option- Caravan with the stow-n-go.

Actually, you might be a really good candidate for an Astro, if you can find a clean one.

In reply to SVreX:

Word word. Were those all the mighty 4.3? Buy a gross count of intake gaskets & go? Noticeably more room than MPV?

Like so?

https://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/cto/6003004630.html

PS: Giggling at the fact that almost ALL of them are in Norcross/Chambodia and I can't read the ads. "Necesita Bateria" is a pretty common thread though

In reply to Smarta$$ McPoopyPants:

I've never had an Astro, and don't know much about them.

Note: the MPV, Caravan and Astro are all conflicting recommendations. One handles well, one hauls people comfortably and switches easily, the third has more cargo space and might fit a sheet of plywood.

Your goals aren't working. Gonna have to compromise on something.

I'd just suck it up and get a cargo van for the business and deal with it. Mrs Pants can drive the Caddy.

Earliest Astros had 2.8L but then all had 4.3L. Anything newer than '96 should be a 4.3L. Astros were last made in 2005. Also sold as GMC Safari so CL search that too.

I'd recommend a family version where the seats come out over a cargo version that has no provision for adding seats.

Is there any benefits to logoing the van and draw street attention to the shop while it is parked?

SVreX wrote: In reply to Smarta$$ McPoopyPants: I've never had an Astro, and don't know much about them. Note: the MPV, Caravan and Astro are all conflicting recommendations. One handles well, one hauls people comfortably and switches easily, the third has more cargo space and might fit a sheet of plywood. Your goals aren't working. Gonna have to compromise on something. I'd just suck it up and get a cargo van for the business and deal with it. Mrs Pants can drive the Caddy.

You're right. I need to pick one or the other. Main goal is "art hauler. I think the allure of the MPV was partly to show mrs. poop "See. This is what we SHOULD'VE bought instead of a mini-mini van" (The mazda5)

John Welsh wrote: Earliest Astros had 2.8L but then all had 4.3L. Anything newer than '96 should be a 4.3L. Astros were last made in 2005. Also sold as GMC Safari so CL search that too. I'd recommend a family version where the seats come out over a cargo version that has no provision for adding seats. Is there any benefits to logoing the van and draw street attention to the shop while it is parked?

Got it. Thx. YES on the logo! The new logo would look E36 M3-hot on a white panel van.

Sorry to be absent from this thread, but I see SVreX has it covered.

A friend of mine used a Safari (which I believe is a GMC version of the Astro) as a work truck, and it filled that need fairly well. The MPV is far more civilized, if that's important to you.

Smarta$$ McPoopyPants wrote: I think the allure of the MPV was partly to show mrs. poop "See. This is what we SHOULD'VE bought instead of a mini-mini van" (The mazda5)

I did the opposite. When Mrs. Rex and I went to look at a Mazda 5 (because she said she wanted a manual shift vehicle that could get 25 mpg and haul 6), I showed her the limited cargo space, and we immediately bought the MPV. It was absolutely the best vehicle for us, because its a great people hauler, and that's what we needed.

It would have been a lousy choice if we had a commercial image/ hauling need.

You need to buy a dedicated full size cargo van for the business, and forget the mixed uses. You can afford it, and it will increase your professionalism.

Yeah, I would hate to recommend a van over the MPV as a people hauler, but I agree that you really need to focus on the primary duty of this vehicle. The MPV is a great people-mover and is very good at accommodating occasional trips to the lumber store. I've gotten 8-foot boards in mine quite regularly, and it will even swallow 10-footers with the rear hatch closed without much trouble as long as you don't have too many. But there's no mistaking the MPV for a truck.

Also, could you want a small enclosed trailer?

Pros: Only use it when you need it. Either of the other vehicles can tow it.

Cons: Small trailer. Backing of a small trailer. Storage of trailer when you're not using it.

Another pro of a trailer:

You can paint it how you want (as a billboard), and park it where you choose, and there is no such thing as a sign permit.

Resurrecting this thread to say that we got a letter from Mazda Canada yesterday: our 2005 MPV (which, BTW, we traded in December 2015) has been swept up into the Great 21st-Century Airbag Recall Fail. In the Toronto area, we're put in "Zone C," which is the lowest-risk zone. "No incidents of abnormal deployment have been reported in Canada." However, Mazda doesn't have the parts to fix it, doesn't know when they will, and asks us to wait for another letter to get more information. Then, in bold italics, they say, "Until this repair is performed, do not allow passengers to ride in the front passenger seat."

That would be kind of a deal-breaker for me if I were buying a van.

In reply to Stealthtercel:

Quiet you!

Not me- it would be a total deal maker!

As the word gets out, the prices on one of the best vans on the market should plummet. I'd buy 2 if I could, and disconnect the airbag while waiting on the recall.

YMMV.