Hey fellow mustachians,
Last week I picked my mom up from the airport with the kids in the back of my most mustachian 99' Prism since my wife was out of town with our nicer '04. It was a miserably hot, loud and depressing 40 minute ride each way. Other than the Outback, I usually bike most places with the youngsters (and these less expensive cars afford me some flexibility in acquiring most beautiful bikes), but this particular drive had me hating that car's size, age and crap-factor. In fact, so much so (combined with a couple of other recent issues) I'm now thinking about an inexpensive minivan for these occasional trips that we have with the second car. (Kia Sedona, old Toyota Sienna, other ideas?)
I recognize the MPG on these minivans is atrocious and I'm a little offended that I'm thinking of this but the extra space for kids, occasional trips to home depot, camping in the mountains and bringing tools to/from my rental property have me thinking it might be worth spending $3-5000 on a used minivan. It doesn't need to be new, but reliable and affordable.
So I ask a mustachian: 1) Am I insane for wanting a larger vehicle for these occasional trips? (our second car sees very little use right now, but when it does we are usually in a 'pinch') 2) If you think I'm insane, are there any suggestions for higher mileage cars that can provide the same affordability, space but with better MPG?
Please help.
-onemorebike