Does a new to me used car make sense?

[clevelandc]

I purchased a used minivan 3 years ago. It is a 2009 with 50k miles. According to KBB I should be able to sell it for $14k.

I found a used mazda 5, a 2006 with 98k miles for $4k. I could sell my van, buy the mazda, and invest the difference. (less ttl and all that BS)

Would it be worth it? Or should I stick to what I have - a nicer car with fewer miles that I know has been well maintained.

[gimp]

Not enough information. Why did you buy a minivan? Do you need it to haul a litter of children? Building supplies? Nobody buys a minivan by accident, especially not a fairly new one. If you have hauling needs, have they changed? Were they not really needs? If you didn't have hauling needs, why did you buy it over something more standard?

If you don't need anything a minivan offers, sure, sell it and buy the cheaper car. 2006 with a hundred on the clock should be okay, probably around equivalent or better mileage with better handling. I haven't heard of them being particularly unreliable, but that's just me, I don't hear much about most cars unless they're great or they suck.

[clevelandc]

We bought the minivan when I got pregnant with #3. I actually wanted a mazda 5 then, but my husband didn't think it was roomy enough.

We have used the minivan to haul about 20 loads to the dump and buy some larger items (bathtub, cement board, etc.) so that cargo space has been a nice feature. I hadn't really thought about that.

[gimp]

3 will fit in a sedan - though the period between them growing older, but not old enough to have one sit on the front seat, will be a little squishy. Or for a family of five. They'll live, you might not :)

On the other hand, if you're using its cargo capacity all the time, it may not be a good idea. If you're using its cargo capacity a couple times a year, it might be cheaper to just rent something for a couple hours. It also depends on the TCO of your car vs the mazda (gas costs? maint costs? maint frequency?)