So the great Cel. exodus is starting in 2 weeks after my house closes. Getting the hell out of Utah and moving to KCMO.

I am getting a minivan for the haul, it, for us, makes the most sense for what we need to do.

So I have been looking around the SLC area for awhile, and narrowed it down to what I would like.

I can only spend around 5K, and it will be quick as I won't have any money until after the closing and the loan funds.

I've been to small dealers and bigger ones.

I'm looking at the Honda, Toyota, and anything else. the Honda and Toyota are supposedly the best for the years I am looking, but they usually cost more.

So does anyone have advice on the others like the kia, of course the dodge caravan, etc?

I can probably get a bit newer if I go American, but they have lots of miles, and that makes me wary.

Any advice of dealers to go to, small ones?

I will have cash and a mechanic check. I will try to have a "man" with me too, as you get treated differently here as a middle age frumpy woman.

Thanks!!

Run from the chrysler products. Those transmissions never last more than 120,000 miles

This is true. But the first Dodge van dumped the tranny while it was still under warranty! After than I put another 200,000 miles on it.

My current Dodge Caravan dumped the tranny after 100,000 miles. AAMCO put in a new one and I now have over 230,000 miles on it, so another 130,000, which is not bad at all. But I also had the motor overhauled.

So, yeah, if you find one that's had the transmission repaired/replaced, you get yourself a deal!

I had a Toyta Sienna (2005 model, bought new) for about 9 years. Never had a single problem with it. Sold it with 125,000 miles on it, to an acquaintance -- they've had it now for almost 3 years, and have only done oil changes and replaced 2 belts.

Blue book on a 2005 Sienna is right in your ballpark, about $3500 - $5200.
Good luck!

I like the space from the Dodge Grand Caravan.

Welcome to KC!!

::::Children Cause Minivans::::

(U Know what causes Children :-)

"I'm looking at the Honda, Toyota, and anything else. the Honda and Toyota are supposedly the best for the years I am looking, but they usually cost more."

Correct, but they're worth it. Having had four kids, we had four different Dodge/Plymouth minivans over the years, and one 1999 Chevy Astro. They all had problems and cost money. My wife now drives a 2004 Odyssey which we paid $4500 for almost three years ago, and it hasn't given us any trouble. We sold the old Astro for $1500, so the Odyssey only cost a net of $3000. The Odyssey also gets better MPG than the others, and has more features than our older vans.

"I will have cash and a mechanic check."

Having a trusted mechanic that can check out the vehicle before buying is the most important thing. I wouldn't buy any vehicle without having my mechanic go over it first.

Here are used Odysseys in the SLC area:

https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/l-Used-Honda-Odyssey-Salt-Lake-City-d592_L35782

Here's one that looks pretty good:

https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/l-Used-Honda-Odyssey-Salt-Lake-City-d592_L35782#listing=151063637

It costs a little more than what you're looking for, but it's a 2007 model. IIRC, the Odyssey was redesigned in 2006, and the later ones are supposed to be a big improvement.

The Odyssey's up to model-year 2004 or 2005 seemed to have lots of transmission problems, IIRC. Double check this w/your mechanic and maybe Consumer Reports.

"The Odyssey's up to model-year 2004 or 2005 seemed to have lots of transmission problems, IIRC. Double check this w/your mechanic and maybe Consumer Reports."

My strategy on buying used cars is to buy the best model out there for the money, and to have my mechanic check it out first. I figure that if I don't pay big money to begin with, then if I have a major repair later, it balances out. So far, on my wife's Odyssey, we paid a net $3000 for it, and she's driven it for almost three years with no problems. So, if it died tomorrow, it would still have been a good value. Everything works on it, and it has all the nice features.

Same with my cargo van. I bought a 2008 Chevy Uplander fleet van for $6500 in 2012. Unfortunately, I've had to replace the motor and have the tranny rebuilt. Those repairs brought my total outlay up to $13k over 4.5 years. But the new motor only had 12k miles on it when I had it put in, so it should last for quite a while. So it's still only cost about $3k a year to run.

I kept my Chevy Astro for 11 years, and paid out a total of around $20k in payments and repairs over the years. So that was less than $2k a year. And I sold it for $1500. I'd rather operate this way than buy new cars and be saddled with a payment for years.

I know it's not a Minivan, but it you can get a good one, a Subaru would be a good choice. They built a great vehicle that's easy (cheaper) to repair, and hold up well.

Just be sure to get one that was made before 2013. Their newer vehicles aren't as dependable as the older ones.

My son is a Subaru mechanic (for the last 10 years), and this is his take. Himself, he owns a newer Toyota Landcruiser, and his wife also drives a newer Toyota.

Thanks. I have not ever looked on cargurus. I love Subaru but I need the space. otherwise I would go that route.

I really hate not having the money now. I see vans all the time that are perfect or the price is perfect and I just don't have any way to do it.

I did like driving both the Honda and Toyota van. I have a harder time getting into the caravan.

I will probably ssell it after I get there and get something else, and a Subaru is what I think. I have 2 dogs now and an adult kid so I don't need a van, but need room for the dogs and their crap. They are worse than kids!1

Maybe it would be cheaper in the long run if you rented a moving van? Maybe not. Just an idea.

+100

We had a caravan that went almost 200000 miles.
We have another one. The seats in the back are lot more comfortable than toyotas. I LOVE LOVE the cargo. The seats fold down into the floor so I can haul stuff any time. I don't even need a van for passengers anymore, but it's like having a truck.

Crap gas mileage (19-22 mpg).

I LOVE my Dodge Caravan minivan; it has 150,000 mi. now, but haven't had any problems with it. I bought it after I divorced and the kids were grown and gone; just bought new tires.
26 mi/gal

We have a 2003 Honda Odyssey. We bought it new in Dec. 2002. It now has about 250,000 miles on it.

It.just.won't.fucking.die.

It's actually become A joke between us, the tire shop, and our mechanic. Other than routine maintenance (and having the transmission rebuilt at 210,000 miles), we haven't done jack to it.

However, it is pretty damn close to needing to be euthanized.

Love it....our corolla was like that, ex finally totaled it at 225. Even our pos Saturn has almost 200 on it.

But yeah, I would love a Honda. I know there are tranny issues though so I have to watch out for that.

My last car was a Honda Civic which was 21 years old when it died. It would have gone further, but I didn't replace the timing belt.

I usually hear terrible things about Dodge vans, but my parents bought a 2007 Dodge Caravan, 6 cylinder but completely Bare Bones, and have had no transmission or engine problems. Just routine maintenance. They have been meticulous about maintaining it properly. It just rolled over a hundred and eighty thousand miles.

It's like a reverse lemon. It actually even gets decent highway mileage, over 20 miles per gallon. I think if you can find a used Dodge Caravan that has over a hundred thousand miles and if you get a mechanic to check it out and as far as you know is nowhere close to the engine falling apart or the transmission needing to be replaced, that might be an indicator that you have a solid vehicle. My understanding is that they sell for pretty cheap. At least, probably cheaper than a Honda or a Toyota minivan, which I'm guessing get better gas mileage and are more dependable, but might be harder to find at an affordable price. Just my input on a vehicle I have been driving for 10 years.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/11/2016 09:14AM by midwestanon.

We bought a 2004 Sienna a few years ago and it had very few problems. However, the 2004-2010 (maybe) has a timing belt which is supposed to be replaced at 90,000 miles, and I was quoted a minimum of $1,200 for the work, whether at the dealership or any of the regular mechanics I contacted about it. There were a couple of other minor niggles, but nothing major went wrong with it. We traded it in for our current Honda Fit when we realized that we didn't need the space 95% of the time, and we really like getting double the gas mileage 100% of the time.

The only van I have ever owned was a Dodge Caravan and it was a money pit from day one. Just typing those last few words about it cost me over a hundred dollars. I've owned many vehicles over the years and had the best luck with Toyota and Honda. All vehicles need maintenance of course, but the American made ones seem to have chronic issues of some kind. Hmmm, Lil Joe built an American religion that has had chronic issues and caused misery & great expense to anyone who owned it.

You are definitely in the right location to buy a minivan. We live in Boise and we have several friends who drive down to Utah to buy their minivan. It started with one couple we know. They found they saved around 2000 dollars even with paying for a hotel when they drove from Boise.

Hopefully you can get a good one. If you are having a mechanic look at it you might want to buy it off of KSL or whatever. Often the dealers just get them as trade ins or from auctions. You might be able to talk the owners down.

Good luck.

We bought an '02 Honda Odessy hoping to get a lot of miles out of it, but had bad luck with the transmission.

Based on the advice of our mechanic, we just purchased a 2002 Toyota Sienna with 210,000 miles for $2,850. Mechanic says that a lot his friends are driving them - most have over 200K miles, and he says it is not unusual for them to go 300K or more. Do make sure, however that the timing belt has been changed at least once for each 100K miles. I am hoping to drive the current one for a few years, so will see how that goes!

I don't know if this Dodge Caravan is for sale, but it runs the 1/4 in the 12's;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haPCQKOyMTo

Chrysler minivans....longstanding transmission issue...don't know if that's still the case. Check Consumer Reports or Lemonaids sites for updates. Honda and Toyota have excellent reliability reputations. Look for magazines that do four season tests. That will tell the tale.

One thing to check on older cars is if it has a timing belt vs. a timing chain. Timing belts need to be replaced a regular intervals (60-100K miles.) It is not a cheap endeavor. Timing chains are good indefinitely. I love Hondas, but one thing that sold me on a Toyota was that it had the timing chain. Check!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/11/2016 07:55PM by summer.

This is one of them. The Sienna is a great van and should last long, long into the six figures if maintained. My 2009 Ltd is going strong.

I have the AWD, which handles all New England precipitation assuredly. My model has rear seats which fold down into the rear floor, which provides an acre of nice flat floor space. But the downside is that there is no spare--it has run-flat tires. These are not always repairable, so educate yourself on that issue and buy knowledgeably.

Be sure to get a second opinion on whether you should replace a flat. My usual straight-talking NTB dealer insisted that I replace one. I drove to an independent shop, and they plugged it for $20 or so, and it's holding up just fine.