What Minivan (or Something Else)?

In reply to Beer Baron :

My anacdata is that for the past 15k, the 2020 Voyager we bought has been fine.  No worries so far, and the easiest & fastest oil change of any vehicle I've ever owned..  that's the only maintenance done so far, to be fair.

Beer Baron said:

Does anyone have anecdotal evidence on the reliability of '17-'20 Chrysler Pacifica/Voyager? I'm most concerned about potential transmission issues. It seems like the 9-speeds might be a double-edged sword. Getting 28mpg highway is very appealing though...

I will almost certainly get a 1 month Consumer Reports subscription and see what they say about various makes/models/years I'm considering. 
Your Library likely has the copies of printed version for free review.

Weighing the merits of options like:

• 2020 Voyager with 76k odo for $20k
  • Carfax says: rental car until 12/13/2021 and 62,764.  Likely Enterprise out of Mansfield, OH.   From there it spent time on a dealers lot in PA, then NJ.  Seems it was sold in NJ/NY on 07/27/2022 at 63,791 and the repo'ed on 02/27/2023.  This Columbus dealer got it short after that and has had it since 3/25/2023.  Nine days from now he will have had the car for 30 days.  My guess is he wants it gone before 45 days when it will likely go to auction again.  Hit them with a low price before auction.   
• 2017 Grand Caravan with 85k odo for $15k
  • Carfax: Surprisingly never a rental car and always a Metro Columbus car.  Good service reports.  No accidents reported. No pictures
• 2020 Grand Caravan with 76k odo for $18.5k
  • Carfax: Was a rental until 12/29/2022 at 76,551 and the same dealer has had it ever since.  They've had it 4 months!!!  Seems they are retitling the car around their chain of dealerships.  This keeps the floor plan payments down for the dealership.  Low ball.  
• 2016 Town and Country with 85k odo for $16k
  • Not a rental.  First owner in Metro Columbus had it until 12/16/2019 at 71,782.  New owner on 01/30/2020.  Repo'ed on  01/27/2023 at 85,014.  At the Marky Mark dealership ever since.  Is actually a 2015 according to Carfax and dealer listing.    
• 2015 Sienna with 90k odo for $17.5k
  • Not a rental.  Original out of NY/NJ.  Rear accident on 08/15/2018.  Sold off more than a year later on 12/15/2019 at 39,297.  My guess is it was a lease.  New owner on 12/21/2019 at 39,308 and sold as Toyota Certified.  Then took a RF hit on 11/13/2020 (about a year later, still in NJ.)  This Columbus dealership bought it at auction on 02/25/2023 and has had it ever since.  Two months.  Lots of slow moving inventory at this dealership.  
• Any number of 2017 Pacificas with 85k-ish odo for ~$17k

Although, the right answer is almost certainly to go to the dealership with a bunch of those options and try them out. And to really get my wife's opinion.

I think the order I listed those in is probably the order of what I'd pick.

Or, fly into San Antonio, TX and choose one of the 3 Grand Caravan GTs they have all with around 40k for $20k.    I like the white one they have listed.  
https://www.aviscarsales.com/all-inventory/index.htm?bodyStyle=Van%20Passenger%20Van&geoRadius=0&geoZip=44870&accountId=aviscarsalessanantonio&sortBy=internetPrice%20asc

Two of them spent their whole life in Hawaii (rust free) and another in Utah according to the carfax in their listing.