Minivans: How much does the brand matter?

[Sentient Loon]

I just finished college and am hunting for a minivan to get back on the road (goal: semi-nomadic graphic designer). Most reviews I’ve read point to the Honda Odyssey (past tranny issues) and Toyota Sienna as the best options. However, for the price of a Honda/Toyota, I could get a different brand for the same price with far fewer miles. Are there other brands I should take into consideration? Most vehicles in my current price range are 2006-2010 models with 60-100k miles. I live in the Seattle area so lots of options, but high prices.

In the meantime, I was very generously gifted a 97 Subaru Outback with 248k miles to “drive till it dies” and help me extend my reach. I’m going to try camping in it soon to see how I’d feel sleeping / working / lounging in a smaller vehicle. …plus I’ve got raging cabin fever and haven’t owned a car in several years.

 

[MrNoodly]

I think most vehicle reviews split hairs. I'd be more concerned about the condition of an individual minivan than I would about the brand. Has it been taken care of or beat to hell? Is it clean or does it smell like kid vomit, dog piss and mold? How does it drive? Does it make any weird mechanical noises? Do all the switches and buttons work? And so on. I'd compare internal dimensions to find out which year of which model of which brand has the most room.

 

[Sentient Loon]

I think most vehicle reviews split hairs. I'd be more concerned about the condition of an individual minivan than I would about the brand. Has it been taken care of or beat to hell? Is it clean or does it smell like kid vomit, dog piss and mold? How does it drive? Does it make any weird mechanical noises? Do all the switches and buttons work? And so on. I'd compare internal dimensions to find out which year of which model of which brand has the most room.

Thank you for your input. I will be doing the whole test drive, pre-inspection, KBB, Carfax song and dance before buying any vehicle. As for dimensions, my previous camper was an Isuzu Oasis (rebranded 1st Gen Odyssey), which is considered small compared to most modern minivans. That worked for my needs very well, but then again I wasn't trying to run a business or bring along a date at the time 

 

[John61CT]

There is a very rational reason Toyota and Honda depreciate so slowly; their reputation for longevity and reliability is deserved, low overall repair costs per mile.

Keep up with proper maintenance 200-300+ K on the original drivetrain is the norm. In salt areas the body falls apart first.

Would be nice if an also-ran brand like Nissan or Kia became as good and, you got a great deal before everyone else new about it.

Yes ask for records, get a thorough inspection, many owners are abusive.

And of course great MPH but limited space.

 

[GotSmart]

Before you buy ANYTHING ~~~ go to this website and input the vehicle.  

http://www.carcomplaints.com/

See real world problems people have had with that model. 

Best of luck.

 

[CautionToTheWind]

 http://www.carcomplaints.com/

See real world problems people have had with that model. 

Thanks for the resource GotSmart! 

I input both my mother's car and mine... I notice "activity or lack of" is key with this website. I'd be leery of mine car (based on website results) and my mother's sedan is nearly ace. Quite opposite here.

 

[Urban Fisher]

I agree with John61CT. The Hondas and Toyotas hold their value for a reason. They are some of the most reliable cars out there. As also mentioned look at the Kia...or more specifically the Sedona. Kia has been winning a lot of recognition for the reliability and affordability of their vehicles lately. I bought mine about 2 years ago. 2005, decent shape (few small dings on it which doesn't bother me...it's going to get that from camping anyway) with 90k miles on it. I live in Texas so it has no rust what-so-ever. Only paid $2k for it. I have put $ into it, mainly getting everything "caught up"...brakes, tires, fluid changes, light bulbs, windshield wipers etc. but I will admit the biggest expense was a new timing belt. Even though mine drove just fine, those belts are suppose to only last 60-80k miles. If they snap on you, it will destroy the engine. So for safety and reliability sake I just had it replaced. It cost me about $700.00 for the new belt and water pump (new pulleys and such). The mechanic told me the engine should be like new now and I should get another good 80k miles out of it before I have to replace it again.

I just wanted to bring the timing belt thing up because it is one thing to consider. I can't quote the specs for other companies and the life span of their timing belts, but Kia is not the only company that uses them. If the seller can prove it has been changed within it's recommended servicing then fine. If they can't, great negotiating tool and if it's around 100k miles with no proof the timing belt has been replaced, add that to the cost of the vehicle.

 

[PineyCruisin]

I can only share with you my own personal experience.

In the past 20 yrs I have owned a Plymouth Voyager, Dodge Grand Caravan, and now a Chevy Venture and all 3 of them started to have transmission problems somewhere around 100,000 miles (now that I'm looking at conversion vans...doesn't seem to be much different with them either). The repairs on the Plymouth and Dodge ,in addition to the transmission, starting to add so much around the 110K mark that they weren't worth spending the money to keep anymore so gave them away.

The Chevy now has 113,000 and has a slight slip in the lower gears (its hardly noticeable) and our transmission guy said he is not sure how long it will last. Could be months....could be years. Besides this it has been a very good vehicle for us....no major repairs just little inexpensive things like the electric window switches, back brake light panel, and O2 sensor. (But maybe only inexpensive b/c hubby did all the repair/replacement work himself).

Out of the 3, the Chevy has been the most reliable by far but with the transmission problem looming, I can't say now that I could even recommend it highly anymore to anyone buying a used with over 75K mi. 

Don't know if this info helps at all but good luck on your decision.

 

[Alcatraz]

I apologize to all that own one in advance.
I consider them all 'throw away' vechicles.

I agree, the Toyota and Honda would be the best of the lot.
If you have to get one, get the base model. Less crap to break.
Don't worry to much about it retaining its value.
They are worthless when the transmission goes out.

I have consider buying 2 of them and cutting them up and making them into a 6x6 van.

Then I think why bother it would still be a throw away.

 

[user 37446]

All the GM minivans from the later 90's thru mid 2000's had intake manifold gasket problems on their V6 engines. Just google it and you will see.
The Ford Windstar and Freestar had numerous issues as well, again, google it.  You already know that Honda covered up their expensive tranny failures of the mid 2000's. Dodge/Chrysler has been much maligned in the auto world about their quality. In the US many of the vehicles in the mid 2000's were of suspect quality as the economy crashed and the companies were trying to save money on repairs, warranty work and design. 

In general, any vehicle with known issues (brand specific) should have a repair receipt for that particular problem. My personal misfortune was with a 1999 and a 2003 Buick V6 with the intake manifold gasket failing due to the Dexcool debacle.  Again, look it up. Mine cost me $1100 and $900 respectively...

As long as your poison, I mean minivan of choice has documented repairs you should be better off. I didn't say/mean "ok" because if the same faulty OEM part was used, it likely will fail again. 

I wish I could definitely point you towards a particular brand drivetrain that is "rock solid" but I cannot. With used vehicles at or over 100K it's a crap shoot.

 

[highdesertranger]

for todays vehicles to make it 20 years is rare, to make it 30 years I don't think many will. to make it 40 years, how many of these 40 year old reliable vehicles do you see on the road? how many 40 year old Toyota's and Honda's do you see in everyday use? we have become a throw away society, computers, phones, vehicles, etc. terrible troll we are taking on the environment with this attitude. my 2 cents. highdesertranger

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

I'm a fan of new vehicles and currently drive a 2013 Silverado, I would guess that 20 years would be it's absolute maximum life span. Hard to argue with your logic.

 

[Awntehloose]

Well I used to build race cars with a few friends on the weekends and we worked on cars of coworkers during the off season to afford the hobby. Coming from IT during the day job you get lots of well paid coworkers with car issues they gladly pay to have handled at lower than mechanic prices and the team lead was a network engineer And ASE certified mechanic. So we'd work on trucks, it's the south after all, and minivans. My buddy cussed his family's Odyssey and all the others we worked on due to the transmission work being tedious. And it was. But what most people don't realize is the prevalence u-haul hitches in the back.

The odyssey and its ilk have car transmissions a lot of times and many are aluminum. When you pull a riding lawn mower on a trailer or that small road runner with all the soccer equipment it that puts stress on the tranny. Or even just driving in hilly areas with a load of kids, pets and gear.

Put a transmission cooler on one and the problems go away unless there is a legitimate mechanical defect. Honda even officially rates the Towing capacity higher with a transmission cooler installed.

There are a lot more crappy minivans out there but Honda, Toyota and Kia do well especially when a few investments are made. I personally wouldn't full time in one but I'd spend a few weeks to a month in one for sure. At the end of the day I think a Toyota Sequoia or Chevy Suburban SUV platform a better mechanical investment than a minivan albeit less convenient.