Which Minivan..?

So..  Minivans are one thing that companies dont want to get wrong.  It's hard to find a "BAD" one out there now.  

Vigo said:

Do the ‘12 and later models also fall into the pita category? 

I haven't had to do much work on them but I haven't heard as much bad, plus the motor and brakes got a lot better .

These are all true.

Fueled by Caffeine said:

So..  Minivans are one thing that companies dont want to get wrong.  It's hard to find a "BAD" one out there now.  

And yet, they still suffer from the "I'd rather die than drive a minivan" perception.  Weird.

In reply to Duke :

right tool for the job..  

I always have to throw in the Mazda MPV.  It's a nice compromise of all of the best things of the rest, and often overlooked.

- Stow N Go on the rear seat, Slide N Go on the center.  I've never needed the center.

- Seating is comfortable for adults in all seats

- Sliding center seat makes access to the rear easy for adults

- Excellent long term maintenance- Mazda reliability 

- Very good price point- Much better than the rest.  No Toyota or Honda badge tax.

- Manual sliding doors on both sides which can easily be operated by a 5 year old from a seated position with one hand

- Reasonable power, sporty enough handling

- Decent looks

- I think there are 17 cupholders. 

Fueled by Caffeine said:

In reply to Duke :

right tool for the job..  

Depending on the job...

Fueled by Caffeine said:

So..  Minivans are one thing that companies dont want to get wrong.  It's hard to find a "BAD" one out there now.  

.... until they get old.  Remember that some of them are basically like a 5 series.  Heated seats, sunroof, 3 different HVAC zones with 2 control panels, DVD player, CD player, 2 different audio systems that are partially linked, power doors, power rear hatch, cylinder deactivation, etc.

Highly complex things don't always age well.  A 'stripper' minivan isn't so much of a thing anymore.

In reply to ProDarwin :

they all have that same problem..  power sliding doors are the worst.

In reply to ProDarwin :

Up until recently Dodge made the GC AVP (American Value Package) --- which is a stripper GC.   They started right at $20K.  

Here's the one I ended up giving to my mom (well, traded for her old Volvo and then sold it). It's an 06 i got for $300 with a loose wheel bearing nut, a bad tire, a bad window motor, bad power lock motor, dead battery, bad alternator, and filthy, filthy carpets. I pulled all the carpets out to clean which is actually a pretty big hassle with StownGo. I fixed all the mechanical issues, repainted all the faded trim (like those mud guards that weren't done yet in this picture), tinted the front windows, put new wipers and a used tire on it, and replaced ALL the lights (heads, tails, and 3rd brake) and got the headliner redone.  I think i have a total of ~$1k in it not counting unbilled labor of which the interior was probably the hardest part. Even if i sold it for $3k that wouldn't be that great of a deal (compared to my normal mechanic work) considering the hours i put in, which just goes to show that if you can get a van this nice for 3k you got a deal. 

^ I'm selling one in the classified ads right now for less than 3k that's almost in the condition of Vigo's above.  It definitely started out better overall (interior, power equipment, etc, etc), but being a New England car it has some rust.  Vigo's is probably in better shape now since it's a Tx car and he fixed it all up.