I'm probably overgeneralizing here, but I think the sweet spot is to buy an approximately 5k car that's known for reliability and sell it when it's about 2k. Usually this means 6 or 7 years.
rationale:
- depreciation has been paid for by previous owners who paid 25k for it.
- "end of life" hospice care will be paid for by the person who gives me 2k for it.
- At 5k I can afford to replace it by writing a check if need be, so I can afford PLPD insurance.
To minimize the maintenance, I checked out a bunch of cars that fit the bill, found one from a rich guy who bought it new and kept meticulous records. I told him the car looked great and I wanted it at his asking price, provided I could have my mechanic look at it. Gave my mechanic 40 bucks, he looked it over thoroughly, and said it looked great. Nothings a sure bet, but this process has worked for me well.
So, yeah, I'd start shopping craigslist for 5k siennas and oddesy's and do the same thing. Those seem like really good choices. Good luck!