What car thread, with a twist

Within the next year and a half, the wife and I will be taking a cross country trip (LA to NYC). We'll be hauling two small dogs and most of our personal effects (roughly 1 small bedroom worth). We're looking for a vehicle with the following characteristics:

1) Reliable

2) Great interior volume

3) As close to 30mpg (or higher) as possible

Currently renting a u-haul will cost us  $5000-7500 to make that trek. Hopefully the  car market and gas prices will settle down by 2024, but currently the thought of spending that much money with nothing to show for it makes me grind my teeth.

The twist is that, upon arriving in NYC, we will no longer have need for a car, so it has to be something with relatively broad appeal, as we'll have a short window to sell it and recoup some of our money. Absolutely willing to price it  under market in order to make this happen.

Currently my short list includes: Older 240 wagon, Sienna with the 3rd row stowed/removed, maybe a Prius V wagon? I'm sure I'm missing some winners, what say the hivemind?

Datsun310Guy said:

My son moved from Irvine to Boston one summer.  

Any chance of selling your stuff and rebuying in NY?   That Uhaul price is nutty.

Negative. We'll be boarding a cruise ship, so we'll have a week, at most, to sell the car. Definitely not long enough to repurchase stuff

Mazda5, Prius V, Highlander Hybrid

It'll take longer to sell a 240 wagon, even under market. Not many buyers. I'd say minivan, really doesn't matter which one in the price range. 

I thought about the Mazda5. Trades marginally better MPG for much smaller interior space. For a van, the Mazda is  very small.

Sienna hybrid, 36 mpg

Less initial cost would be Pacifica at 28 mpg

Either of them can haul about 3500 #, so small trailer, too?

Moper Minivan.  Stow and Go will allow to make the seats go away for the travel but then allow for all the seats to re-appear for the sale of the van.  Minvans are hot sellers right now so you'll have no problem unloading the minivan for the same price when you arrive in NYC.  

Detailed here, my recent all hyw travels of 76/77 mph returned 27 mpg

If you can get your hands on a new Toyota Sienna, the hybrid minivan that gets 36 mpg, you could likely then sell it for more than you paid once arriving in NYC.  Just a lot more financed that way.  

In reply to John Welsh :

I have yet to have a good experience with a single MOPAR product, certainly not enough to test my luck driving one 2700 miles

In reply to calteg :

I read this as what clean California car does an East Coast GRMer want us to delivery to NYC for them. 

What's the budget? 

For a quick turnaround  you'll be stuck with mainstream family cuvs/minivans.

I think the 2nd gen Highlander hybrid is a solid choice if it fits your budget/space requirements.

Mazda5? Ford flex?

Could be an option buying something newish (like a cx-9) and just CarMax/carvanna it when you arrive.

Long shot...find someone who is bi-coastal who wants there van, minvan, wagon, etc moved from LA-ish to NYC-ish

Years ago, the site uShip used to offer a matching service for pairing drivers with people who need a car moved.  That site has changed over the years.  I am not sure if they still offer this kind of pairing. 

I like the Highlander idea.  Looks like a Flex gets closer to 20mpg though. 

A Transit would be ideal, but  that segment of vans is insanely expensive currently.

Theorhetically no budget limit, but I like my chances of recouping my money on a cheaper vehicle

In reply to John Welsh :

Looks like uship is now called shiply, but the functionality still exists. Don't know if how they would react to their  vehicle having 3,000 additional miles though.

Shiply United States > Search Shipments

Eco boost Ford Flex?

Are you only using this vehicle for this cross country trip? The difference in fuel consumption between at 20mpg car and 30 mpg car at 3000 miles is 50 gallons. That's 'only' $250 at 5$ a gallon or $300 at $6 a gallon.

Might be worthwhile shifting your focus to your other requirements if that's the case.

Its going to be tough since the market near nyc will be much cheaper  compared to socal. The cars that fit your criteria won't really have enthusiast appeal, so rust free California car won't really add much, save for maybe a manual mazda5 or tsx wagon.

lnlds said:

Are you only using this vehicle for this cross country trip? The difference in fuel consumption between at 20mpg car and 30 mpg car at 3000 miles is 50 gallons. That's 'only' $250 at 5$ a gallon or $300 at $6 a gallon.

Might be worthwhile shifting your focus.

 

Good point. Hopefully gas will  be much cheaper by then, but it's too far in the future to accurately predict

In reply to calteg :

Hint hint ... I like 245s and I've never done a fly and drive ...

I assume in CA the tags stay with the car, and you'll just have the seller sign a blank title? If not, the logistics alone could be too long for the time you have, if the title needs to be put on your name. 

Buy the best Sienna or Odyssey you can find and then sell it to a NY cabbie or Uber driver. 

calteg said:

I like the Highlander idea.  Looks like a Flex gets closer to 20mpg though. 

A Transit would be ideal, but  that segment of vans is insanely expensive currently.

Theorhetically no budget limit, but I like my chances of recouping my money on a cheaper vehicle

In reply to John Welsh :

Looks like uship is now called shiply, but the functionality still exists. Don't know if how they would react to their  vehicle having 3,000 additional miles though.

Shiply United States > Search Shipments

Uship is still around, I have a car needing transport listed there right now.  I don't know if the functionality described earlier still exists, but Uship still does.

I would say any minivan of your choice.  I have 300k+ of experience with the Kia Sedona...the '07 to '14ish generation...and was never left stranded once.  MPG sucks, but if the buy-in price is right, you can make up for that when you go to sell it.

calteg said:

In reply to John Welsh :

I have yet to have a good experience with a single MOPAR product, certainly not enough to test my luck driving one 2700 miles

If Mopar does one thing well, it's minivans.  I've owned two and under 200K miles, they're pretty much as reliable as rocks.  The Stow-&-Go seats will allow you to do what you need. In your situation, removable seats aren't worth anything if you have to haul them with you.  This essentially negates any hybrid model.  The MPG requirement will be tough. My 2017 model can get in the upper 20's once in awhile, but it's rare.  Hwy trips are usually in the mid-20's.  

Granted, a lot of this depends on what you need to move.  A minivan has a lot of space (more than any of the SUV or wagon options), but as soon as you start packing furniture, you'll run out of room really fast.