Anyone on here deal with used cars? I'm looking for a Minivan

L98Terror

L98Terror

Club Member
Yes it is true, a Mini Van.

I don't know much about them and not sure I want to put the effort into learning.

What I'm looking for something under 100k miles, in great shape. I'll be using it to drive the family around town every now and again, for the babysitter to drive and when we take long trips like to Boston in two weeks. I got the idea when the little one move to a full sized baby seat and now it is next to impossible to fit two baby seats and an adult in the back seat :( Not to mention luggage.

Anyone with experience what would you recommend? Venture, Town and Country, Grand Caravan what are the differences? What should I stay away from?

Let me know if you have something and are willing to give a good price.
 
Check out Jeff Benson Car Co. in Wayne. He's on Michigan Ave, on the east bound side, just west of Howe rd, which is between venoy and Wayne rd. I got a very nice venture from him last september.
 
Sell the truck, get an SUV and have a new tow vehicle out of the deal too! Mini van? Psssh, get a little creative here, Ken. 2500 Suburban maybe?
 
4 cam tbird said:
Sell the truck, get an SUV and have a new tow vehicle out of the deal too! Mini van? Psssh, get a little creative here, Ken. 2500 Suburban maybe?
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Everything is on the table, but until the old house sells money is very tight. I was going to rent for the trip but figured maybe I'll just put the $$ towards a different car.

Problem with the Suburban, it is a real PITA to get to the back seats, when the kids can climb back themselves it seems like that could be a plan but with a 1 & 3 year old and my inlaws that aren't the most moble people in the world I need something with easy access.
 
L98Terror said:
The you take the kids and parents in your car and I'll take the 20 yr old Au Pair in the Vette didn't really go over well:icon_eek:
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It seems like the perfect solution to me. :dunno:

See what Trunk can come up with on the Varsity used lot.

We just got another MKX. It's tight with the two full sized seats in the back but Andrea can squeeze in there when necessary. It's really too bad that Flexes are still expensive because that would be a great vehicle for you.
 
I got called out at the auto show talking shit about the back seat of a Flex. So I climbed back there. It definitely isn't any easier to get into the back of than a Burban.
 
I've had 3 Venture and 3 Windstar Mini-Vans. I've liked all of them. 4 of them were used and 2 Venture vans were new. All were very reliable and filled the need very well. You can haul quite a bit in them, more than you think. They all rode very weel and got decent mileage...

I prefered the Venture over the Windstar. The reason is I think the Ventures were just a little quiter, rode just a little better and got just a little better mileage. The Windstars got about 20 to 21 and the Ventures got about 22 to 23. Now, I drive about 40 miles each way to work and it is all expressway. I keep track of my mileage for every vehicle I own, so the numbers are accurate.

Even though I prefer the Venture, it wouldn't stop me from getting another Windstar, or Freestar. The differences are really, really small. It is a preference, but a very slight one......

The bad thing is GM and Ford handed over the entire Mini-Van market to Chrysler. So, you can't get anything past 2006 or 2007, unless it is a Chrysler........

Gary
 
L98Terror said:
The you take the kids and parents in your car and I'll take the 20 yr old Au Pair in the Vette didn't really go over well:icon_eek:
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nudes?



and to answer your question, I dont think anything other than the grand caravans have been decent in recent history.
 
actually the mazda5 or whatever it is, is actually a decent little minivan. We use them here at work sometimes and they can fit people in back, plus theyre built on euro ford platform
 
With most full size SUV's you can get second row capts. chairs which allows the kids to walk right back to the third row.
 
PM bigblockford (Kevin). I thought he used to have a used car lot. He may be able to help you out.
 
We've had two Chrysler corp minivans, doesn't matter Dodge or Chrysler. We loved both of them for the awesome room for hauling people or other stuff, easy to move around in and get to the back seat, excellent gas mileage (28 on the hwy at 70 mph with the 3.3L engine), great visibility and all around dependability. Sold last one at 160K miles and it still ran fantastic and original trans worked like new.
 
get a chateau club wagon
ultimate tow vechicle
you will run out of stuff before you run out of room
mine seats 7 and can tow 10,000 pounds
and you can buy a brand new one for less than 35 k
 

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Here at work (and one van at home) almost every one of our Ventures/Montanas with the 3.4 has had to have the intake manifold gasket replaced. Other than that, they are reliable and easy to find parts for.
I have 86K on my work Montana & 81K on my Venture Van, and other than the gasket replacement, my personal van had the rear windshield wiper motor replaced under warrenty. I got 55K out of the original tires and 58 K on the front brake pads. 19 to 21 MPG driving back and forth to work, 23+ MPG on the freeway.
The Ford Windstar we bought brand new had issues with the ABS almost from the start. The dealership techs never fixed it correctly so we got rid of it and replaced it with an Acadia.
 
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