The Money Mustache Community
Learning, Sharing, and Teaching => Ask a Mustachian => Topic started by: Farmer123 on January 14, 2022, 03:26:58 PM
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I am sure there are many posts about this but the recent increase in the price of vehicles has me searching for the best vehicle for a family of four and a large dog. Both kids would be in car seats since our first is about to turn 2 and our second will be born in a few months. The dog goes everywhere with us.
We had our eyes set on a minivan but with the recent run up in prices we can't find a decent one for much under $35,000 (new or used). My brother bought one 3 years ago for $23,000. Insane. Also a friend just got a brand new Traverse for $42k... so this has us contemplating going with a 3rd row SUV instead of a minivan since the price difference has seemed to narrowed between SUV & van. We also want the vehicle to be able to pull a medium size camper.
Anyone have ideas? I have been waiting to buy but with kid #2 arriving soon, we are running out of time.
Thanks in advance.
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As a 3 row SUV owner, minivans are far superior for families and dogs.
How heavy is the camper?
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Unless you are planning on doing off-roading or significant towing, the minivan is the superior vehicle. I drive a 2011 Chrysler T&C. Purchased in 2017 w/ 64k miles for $12k. I love the versatility. Stow'NGo seating is the best!
What is your definition of decent? $35k seems really steep, even with today's inflated prices.
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What about a full sized car,, if you can find one?
We had a decommissioned police crown Victoria for a while with 2 kids in rear facing car seats plus dog. It had a v8 so plenty of towing capacity. We had the kids next to each other and the dog behind my extra tall husband. Safest car you can find and tons of trunk space. I think we paid 6k and put another 100k miles on it.
. It worked OK but it was nice upgrading to an suv so the dog could go in the back part and the kids couldn't touch each other.
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We have two kids in car seats (age newborn in Chico key fit 2 and age 2 in graco 4 ever, rear facing) and have brought all 4 of us, the dog (corgi), and my dad in the 2018 Honda Fit to go hiking. Dog in the trunk with a car harness attached to an anchor point on the back of the seat. I probably wouldn’t bring a third adult for anything over an hour drive, it wasn’t super comfortable in the middle seat. But if you’re regularly only the 4 of you it is possible.
Don’t know how that will go once the kids are teens and taller. But even my 6’2 dad thinks the backseat of the Fit is roomy (when it doesn’t have car seats lol).
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How old and large are your kids and how much other crap do you need to transport? How often do you drive ve a 3rd child or 5th person?
For a long time we had a Honda Civic with two kids and it was fine. But it suuuuuuuuckked when I needed to fit 3 kids in the backseat. And we couldn't have taken a medium or large dog as well. And it was terrible game of Tetris to go camping. However when grandparents visited or whatever we just took the second car and it was no big deal.
We ultimately decided we "needed" a bigger car when the kids themselves got larger. When they were small we could get extra stuff packed in the floor of the backseat and such..as they got bigger they took up the whole back seat and then some.... They were clearly going to need more leg room.
A larger sedan will be by far the most economical.
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You've already gotten some good responses (minivan is probably your best option). You might want to look into a used Mazda5, which is a 3-row car/minivan crossover with a hatchback and foldable seats that has been discontinued. But a roomy hatchback car with a roof rack and good size carrier should be fine for a family of 4 with a dog on most road trips and activities.
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Huge minivan fan here for all kinds of reasons. That said, we had a Honda Accord that we loved - bought when I was pregnant with #1 and just sold 2 years ago (kid is now 23). 2 kids, 2 adults, 2 beagles. Sometimes with a cat in the car too. Multiple trips between Virginia and Vermont. DH is 6'3" and had tons of legroom in the back.
We put a tow hitch on that car and pulled a trailer frequently.
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I have 3 kids and have had 3 mini vans. Hands down my favorite car of all time. So convenient with the sliding doors and seating for 8 (Kia Sedona). And the different configurations you can do with folding down seats. Mine only tows 3500 pounds, so keep that in mind, you really don't want to tow something right up to the max weight. My kids are all grown now but I keep my minivan because I still love it so much. I can even sleep in it if I want to. :)
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Why the need for something so big? We've had a Mazda CX-5 since our first kid was born (and now have two kids, 7 and 4) and it's been totally fine. We once went camping in it with all four of us, a large dog, and two medium dogs (that was admittedly uncomfortable, but we made it work).
ETA: I missed the towing part. We rented and towed a cargo trailer with the CX-5 when we moved. I've looked into getting a small camper and the CX-5 could tow it, but depending on what you mean by "medium camper" it might not be able to.
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Another vote for minivan! Our Odyssey has a towing rating of 3,500lb, if memory serves. I put a hitch on it a few years ago for $200. You'll never go back.
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Thank you everyone. We have been leaning towards a minivan for awhile so this just reiterated that for us. Just crazy to see how much they have gone up in price over the last 2-3 years. Might look for a used one that is 2-5 years old. New ones are mostly over $40k now.
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Question for the group, is there a specific year/brand of minivan that is particularly frugal? I know that the Sienna and Odyssey are very popular, but haven't found much info online of which model years have important features pop up etc.
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Question for the group, is there a specific year/brand of minivan that is particularly frugal? I know that the Sienna and Odyssey are very popular, but haven't found much info online of which model years have important features pop up etc.
consumer reports should have info on that
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As mentioned upthread, I'm very happy with my Town and Country. Chrysler takes a much larger initial depreciation hit because of perception of poor reliability, which in my view ends up making them a better value. Also, can't emphasize enough how useful I find the Stow'NGo seats. If I were buying today I'd look for a 2015 or 2016 model year.
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To the OP - yes, you'll want to spring for the van over the Traverse UNLESS (as has already been pointed out) your trailer + cargo (want to emphasize that payload capacity of 3500 lbs on most vans includes people&luggage) puts you near that 3500lb limit.
If you're towing an ultralite and/or reasonably small popup, you'll be fine with a minivan (but please get a trans cooler & 7 pin trailer harness installed). But if you must tow and your payload is over that 3500 lb mark (or you're going to be doing a lot of hills in the summer), then you'll need to seek a different vehicle.
Question for the group, is there a specific year/brand of minivan that is particularly frugal? I know that the Sienna and Odyssey are very popular, but haven't found much info online of which model years have important features pop up etc.
In the context of the current market, the late '00's Sienna and Odyssey models are your best bet. I don't know as much about the Sienna powertrain, but the engine in the 3rd Gen Odyssey is the same that was used for the better part of 15 years across a wide range of Honda models. The transmission in the earlier Gen3's can be a little iffy, but if you can snag an 09/10 Odyssey with less than 150k on the clock, you'll get an easy 100k out of it (provided you keep up with maintenance).
Next best bet is the 4th Gen Odyssey (what I have), or the up until recently phased out generation of the Sienna. You can get away with an older Pacifica or a 2015+ T&C/Grand Caravan but just be prepared for lower build quality and some more service needed sooner.
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We just purchased our second 3rd generation (05-10) Odyssey. In my opinion, that is about the pinnacle. At that point, all the interior features were refined as far as needed, and the reliability is great. Later models may have more nanny features, but at higher cost, questionable utility, and awfully high repair cost. I have a friend who owns a 4th gen, and he wishes he had his 3rd gen back. It's not that the newer models are bad per se, it's just that the newer features don't necessarily make the car any better overall.
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We just purchased our second 3rd generation (05-10) Odyssey. In my opinion, that is about the pinnacle. At that point, all the interior features were refined as far as needed, and the reliability is great. Later models may have more nanny features, but at higher cost, questionable utility, and awfully high repair cost. I have a friend who owns a 4th gen, and he wishes he had his 3rd gen back. It's not that the newer models are bad per se, it's just that the newer features don't necessarily make the car any better overall.
I'll agree with you, except on two specific features that the 4th Gen has a big advantage with over the 3rd Gen - 1) The 2011-2013 Touring and all 2014-2017 come standard with the much much improved 6 speed transmission - there are virtually no widespread issues with these failing like the earlier 5 speeds, and the 6th gear really does make a difference in acceleration when the van is loaded down. 2) Most of the 4th Gen trims come standard with the proximity key, and I'll say that from firsthand experience of holding two sleeping and/or tired little kids, being able to walk up and get the doors open without rooting through the diaper bag to find the unlock button is a world-changer (when you have littles like we do).
But conversely, I could do without the dual screens in our 4th Gen - they're a huge nuisance at night and convoluted to operate at best. I'd also kill to have the seats out of the 3rd Gen - the 4th Gen are nice, don't get me wrong, but the 3rd Gen seats are heavenly.
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All this love for the Honda Odyssey, here's one for sale near me---- https://blacksburg.craigslist.org/cto/d/radford-van-for-sale/7428839103.html
2008 model asking $5,000 with 195K miles
I don't have a family, but am considering getting a minivan when my work truck bites the dust.
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$5k for a van with almost 200k miles? That's a bit rich. You ought to be able to find a better price/mileage combo.
@chemistk - I get your point about the proximity key. We're past the point of carrying sleeping kids to the van in our family, so that's not a big deal for us, and I've never really had a complaint about the transmission in our 4th gens.
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$5k for a van with almost 200k miles? That's a bit rich. You ought to be able to find a better price/mileage combo.
Good to know. All the talk about ridiculous used vehicle prices, and since I've not been looking and not in the market, I really don't know what is considered reasonable right now.
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$5k for a van with almost 200k miles? That's a bit rich. You ought to be able to find a better price/mileage combo.
Good to know. All the talk about ridiculous used vehicle prices, and since I've not been looking and not in the market, I really don't know what is considered reasonable right now.
KBB Suggests that van is worth between $3500 and $4000, depending on the final condition. With that many miles and an unknown repair history, I'd try and get that towards the low end before purchasing. You could easily end up spending $2-$4k on maintenance that would need to be done at that mileage.
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Popping in to say I LOVE LOVE LOVE my 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan. Yes, it is a dorkmobile, but it is so awesome. We got it for road tripping and daily driving when our 3 kids were younger. We are a tall, long legged family and loved the room for the kids to spread out a bit. Was great for long trips, but also for everyday school runs. We stowed one of the second row seat which created a hall way to easily get to the third row, which we call the "way back". So two kids in the way back and one in the seat by itself in the second row. Our kids played large instruments in HS (trombone and full size double bass) and we could fit kids and instruments back there. And that double bass was huge! Our kids are bigger now, one in college and one driving his own car, so I don't really need the van as much, but I love it and will drive it for many more years. I told one of my boys that he can have it when I am done with it to turn into a camping/road tripping van.
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I have a Mazda 3 hatch and its very cramped up front with two car seats in the back. I would not buy one again if it was my primary car and we had little kids. the mazda is my commuter and rarely do i have both kids so its not a big deal. Our primary vehicle is a 2018 Honda Odyssey which is fantastic for kid transport and road trips. we have had weird issues with the robot doors not always working and the city mileage is quite bad, but its great for little kids.