Van Purchase Sweet Spot

[vndd]

What is the price vs condition sweet spot for a used van? That is, at about what age/mileage has a van's depreciation started to slow down but still has years of sound mechanical life left?

 

[GotSmart]

That depends on the original owner, vehicle year, make, motor, options, body condition, service paperwork, and what part of the country you are in.

 

[MrNoodly]

Whatever the criteria, they're pointless if such a van just isn't for sale at the time you're shopping. I looked for four months in six states before I found something close enough to what I wanted.

 

[Wanderer]

What is the price vs condition sweet spot for a used van? That is, at about what age/mileage has a van's depreciation started to slow down but still has years of sound mechanical life left?

Funny how I was on another website and one guy has a car that just hit 300K. This shows that with proper maintenance and knowing when to hit the mech has great value even with older cars.

http://www.city-data.com/forum/automotive/2702457-went-over-300-000-miles-today.html




[font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]First time for me reaching this milestone, tho I've gone over 250K in each of my last 2 vehicles a '91 Cutlass Supreme and a '00 Pontiac Grand Am. Now driving an '05 Chev Impala. These past 3 have all been 6 cy and a great majority of freeway miles where the tach sits at about 2,200. Admittedly not the greatest (or willing) auto mechanic but have most things fixed when they go bad which has been not very frequent with "blackie". Tend to change the oil soon after the oil life sensor says so which seems to be around every 8 - 9,000 miles and generally use Mobil 1 and the high mileage Fram filters. [/font]


[font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]Hoping to be more alert for 333,333.[/font]

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Ideally, I look for a 4 to 5 year old vehicle with no more than 50 to 60 thousand miles on it.  That avoids the worst of the depreciation - on average - and I expect to get another 100 thousand relatively trouble free miles out of it , provided I stay on top of all the routine maintenance in a timely manner.

https://www.carfax.com/guides/buying-used/what-to-consider/car-depreciation

 

[ArtW]

I really don't care about depreciation, and i've gotten way more than 150k out of some vehicles, I go purely by condition, period, a good running, good driving van that's 15 years old, purrs like a kitten with 200k on it, and rives like a dream will get the nod over a 2 year old, 20k van that doesn't run right, or is ragged out
That said, OP's approach is a solid one, and my uncle Mac (an honest used care salesman, though not a nice person otherwise) would give about the same advice

 

[WakeUpDead]

I have owed 6 vans, 2 Mini and 4 full size conversion 3 Ford E-150s and 1 Chevy 1500? I have to say its all about who owned them, how well they maintained them and or kept them out of the weather. I had a E150 I loved that I put two trans in before I gave up on her, she had like 250k miles. I got another one that sat in a garage for like 4 years and was in perfect shape, but after 3 hours driving the thing would stop, every time I had it looked at it was a different thing they said was wrong. I sold it as is, I couldn't use a van that only drove 3 hour radius. My first E150 I loved it and why I bought two more. The Chevy was just a van I didnt want to see go to the junk yard, I bought it for like $1500, drove it a little but mainly I fixed it up and sold it for $2500. Just look at what type you want, full size, shorty, one with a topper, one with a large topper with a push out front? Then Model, Ram, Ford, Chevy, I liked my E-150s. Then just look at it like a car, how are tires, breaks, miles on it, all the normal stuff. Test drive it, and ask a lot of questions. The number one thing everyone should do when buying anything used, "have a professional look at it for you". Ask to drive to your mechanic to have it looked at, they will tell you if its worth it and what repairs you will most likely have to deal with and when. Thats it, if you only do one thing, take it to have it looked at by your mechanic, that alone will save you many many headaches.

 

[cortttt]

Just a word on another car that may be helpful. I bought a Toyota pickup that I assumed would be bulletproof but which showed signs of heavy usage. I didn't take it to a mechanic and it wasn't bulletproof at all - cost me a lot of money in repairs over time. 

I picked up a GMC Savana at 64,500 miles about a year ago from Penske.  I've put 20K of pretty rough riding on it - so far so good.  I'll know much more in 5 years.