Author Topic: I want to sell my car and get a van  (Read 2988 times)

jnw

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I want to sell my car and get a van
« on: March 03, 2019, 11:18:52 PM »
Not having a vehicle is not an option for me (I'm disabled) and I am not concerned with cost of gasoline (I don't drive much each month).

I have a nice car but I want to sell it and get a van.  I don't want to pay insurance on two vehicles and have two vehicles depreciating at same time.

The reasons I want a van:
1) I need to be able to put a mattress in it for when I travel cross country.  I have circulation issues and need to lay down every couple hours of driving.   Or if my boyfriend is driving, I can just lay in the back while he drives.
2) I need to be able to get used furniture and items from the hardware store (for diy repairs) every so often, for my home here.
3) I do part time reselling ... buying used things from flea market and selling on ebay and facebook marketplace/craigslist.  Would be nice to be able to buy a storage unit if I wanted to from time to time.

Here's my question, what's the best van to get which is most efficient, doesn't cost all that much?  What should I watch out for?  I am worried about transmission and other mechanical problems of course.  Who makes the most reliable van? I've owned a Lexus sedan for a while (which I got on the cheap) which has been extremely reliable.

I need the van to be able to park in standard garage, so it needs to have enough vertical clearance.

Any suggestions?

Dicey

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Re: I want to sell my car and get a van
« Reply #1 on: March 04, 2019, 01:24:58 AM »
I had a 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT as a company car. I could carry 4×8 sheets of plywood laid flat. The Stow & Go seats were awesome. I drove it for 100k miles. When it was tIme for a new company car in 2008, I bought it and sold it to my sister who put another 100k on it.

I then found out that the new company cars weren't going to come with "magic" doors, because Dodge had made them only available in a package with a bunch of options the company wasn't willing to spring for. Gah! I loved those doors! I asked our awesome Fleet Manager to root around and find me a car that was already in the fleet. They came up with a 2007 that only had 30k miles on it. I grabbed it and they passed the brand-new model to a colleague. I happily drove the 2007, right up until they phased out the company car program (asshats). Since I was driving an older model year, I was able to buy it for cheap. If I had gone with the new model, it would have been a lot more expensive to buy out of the program. I drove that 2007 GC until I retired in 2012. I kept driving it until it hit 150k miles. I only replaced it in 2016 because DH insisted we sell it before something happened to the tranny. Since he did all the maintenance, I acquiesced,  but I still miss it sometimes. He sees it on the road occasionally, so we know it's still going strong.

Oh, and the colleague who got the brand new model? Her "old" 2007 Dodge GC only had 70k miles on it and looked great. I arranged for my neighbor, an artist, to buy it. She loves it and is still driving it.

I know, Dodge doesn't have the best reliability record, but I loved that car. It was easy to drive, held a lot, started every time, and was cheap to insure.

Oh, and we rented a brand-new Grand Caravan in Denver in 2017. Top of the line GT, luxury everything (for a screaming deal, naturally). We drove it over the Continental Divide to Aspen and back again. It was awesome! Made me miss my old van(s) all over again.

Cranky

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Re: I want to sell my car and get a van
« Reply #2 on: March 04, 2019, 05:15:07 AM »
We had a Caravan when our kids were the ages when we needed a van. We bought it used, and we did need to replace the transmission at one point (right after it went out of warranty, so that was annoying) but it ran for many years and many miles after that. By the time we junked it, it was pretty much held together with duct tape and bungee cords.

MayDay

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Re: I want to sell my car and get a van
« Reply #3 on: March 04, 2019, 05:19:31 AM »
We had a Caravan when our kids were the ages when we needed a van. We bought it used, and we did need to replace the transmission at one point (right after it went out of warranty, so that was annoying) but it ran for many years and many miles after that. By the time we junked it, it was pretty much held together with duct tape and bungee cords.

My parents owned 3 successive caravans from 1988 until mid oughts, and 2 of the 3 had transmission failures. It is a known issue. What is puzzling to me is how they haven't fixed it by now! 1988!

Jon Bon

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Re: I want to sell my car and get a van
« Reply #4 on: March 04, 2019, 06:34:16 AM »
Stow and go or GTFO!

Seriously Chrysler knows what they are doing when it comes to a minivan.  Sure its reliability might not be up to Honda/Toyota standards but you pay a nice premium for those products so it evens out.

Grand Caravan/T&C are great Cars. I have heard really good things about the Pacific as well.  I know with the Pacifica prices on the GC and T&C have really dropped.  Mileage is good enough, only thing it would be bad for is a 75 mile per day commuter.






WhiteTrashCash

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Re: I want to sell my car and get a van
« Reply #5 on: March 04, 2019, 06:57:52 AM »
From the OP's description, it sounds like a van would be a Mustachian purchase in their situation. It's a utility vehicle that would be getting utility, especially if it's being used to make money. I say do it.

ender

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Re: I want to sell my car and get a van
« Reply #6 on: March 04, 2019, 07:38:26 AM »
Stow and go or GTFO!

Seriously Chrysler knows what they are doing when it comes to a minivan.  Sure its reliability might not be up to Honda/Toyota standards but you pay a nice premium for those products so it evens out.

It's actually annoying to me how Chrysler has a monopoly on that feature :(


ixtap

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Re: I want to sell my car and get a van
« Reply #7 on: March 04, 2019, 07:45:04 AM »
Please do not lay down while someone else is driving. I know how annoying it can be to make frequent stops on a road trip, but safety first!

jnw

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Re: I want to sell my car and get a van
« Reply #8 on: March 04, 2019, 08:43:25 AM »
Please do not lay down while someone else is driving. I know how annoying it can be to make frequent stops on a road trip, but safety first!

Fortunately it wouldn't be very often.  Yeah it would be a gamble.

jnw

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Re: I want to sell my car and get a van
« Reply #9 on: March 04, 2019, 08:45:59 AM »
Thanks for the replies.  Yah the Dodge Caravan seems like a good deal.  I really like the styling of it over the Toyota Sienna.. the 2011 and later Dodge Caravan that is.   Price is incredibly low.. wow they depreciate a lot!

I wonder if people's transmissions go out because they let the transmission oil get dirty and never change it.  Once it gets dirty the car dealers say it is too dirty to change and it will probably ruin the transmission changing it.   I do things differently though.. every oil change I do a drain/fill of the transmission, refreshing the transmission oil every 3000 miles.  It's just a partial change, the drain fill.. maybe 1/3rd of the oil. But it does keep it from getting dirty.  I haven't had a problem with transmission yet doing this.

daverobev

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Re: I want to sell my car and get a van
« Reply #10 on: March 04, 2019, 11:24:45 AM »
If you're getting a Grand Caravan, don't pay (much) extra for stowing middle row seats - you can take the bench out very easily and either just not take it with you if you don't need it (and have extra cubbies that are empty in the floor, where the stowing seats go), or buy one or two stowing seats at a breaker's - they are not expensive.

The newer ones with 3.6 and 6 speed are decent. Not Toyota decent, but decent for half the price.

Dicey

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Re: I want to sell my car and get a van
« Reply #11 on: March 05, 2019, 08:25:55 AM »
If you're getting a Grand Caravan, don't pay (much) extra for stowing middle row seats - you can take the bench out very easily and either just not take it with you if you don't need it (and have extra cubbies that are empty in the floor, where the stowing seats go), or buy one or two stowing seats at a breaker's - they are not expensive.

The newer ones with 3.6 and 6 speed are decent. Not Toyota decent, but decent for half the price.
Pretty sure they're standard on the Grand Caravan. They are the bomb, for a lot of reasons. You don't have to store them somewhere else. They're easier to raise and lower than wrangling a bench seat. They stay clean. When the seats are up, the wells make great stealth storage, which can be challenging in a van. They also pinch hit as coolers, which is awesome if you don't forget the food you put in there. The giant hole for the split back bench seat is just as useful when the seat is up, and it a breeze to raise, lower and flip for tailgating. BTW - I have no idea what a "breaker" is in this context, but I'd bet it's far safer for passengers to use the seats the vehicle was designed for.

The other great thing about these vans is they're not bloated, overpriced Honda Odysseys. Honda has done a great job of convincing parents they need all that crap for their precious cargo, which depresses the price of every other minivan,  evil marketing geniuses that they are. This, of course, creates an opportunity for smart mustachians, heh heh. Minivans also depreciate like crazy, so gently used and well maintained is the way to go.

daverobev

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Re: I want to sell my car and get a van
« Reply #12 on: March 05, 2019, 10:10:35 AM »
If you're getting a Grand Caravan, don't pay (much) extra for stowing middle row seats - you can take the bench out very easily and either just not take it with you if you don't need it (and have extra cubbies that are empty in the floor, where the stowing seats go), or buy one or two stowing seats at a breaker's - they are not expensive.

The newer ones with 3.6 and 6 speed are decent. Not Toyota decent, but decent for half the price.
Pretty sure they're standard on the Grand Caravan. They are the bomb, for a lot of reasons. You don't have to store them somewhere else. They're easier to raise and lower than wrangling a bench seat. They stay clean. When the seats are up, the wells make great stealth storage, which can be challenging in a van. They also pinch hit as coolers, which is awesome if you don't forget the food you put in there. The giant hole for the split back bench seat is just as useful when the seat is up, and it a breeze to raise, lower and flip for tailgating. BTW - I have no idea what a "breaker" is in this context, but I'd bet it's far safer for passengers to use the seats the vehicle was designed for.

The other great thing about these vans is they're not bloated, overpriced Honda Odysseys. Honda has done a great job of convincing parents they need all that crap for their precious cargo, which depresses the price of every other minivan,  evil marketing geniuses that they are. This, of course, creates an opportunity for smart mustachians, heh heh. Minivans also depreciate like crazy, so gently used and well maintained is the way to go.

They are not standard; the America/Canada Value Package comes without (for about... $8k difference in price).

Breaker = wrecker = where broken cars go. U-pick? Sorry, I'm losing my North American and reverting to British English.

(Edit - and I'm talking about getting Dodge/Chrysler stow seats from a written off/dead vehicle, not random ones from other types of van- they are all the same for the last several years).
« Last Edit: March 05, 2019, 10:12:25 AM by daverobev »

Dicey

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Re: I want to sell my car and get a van
« Reply #13 on: March 05, 2019, 10:41:33 AM »
Not enough of those base models sold in the US, plus all of them are so cheap on the used car market that I would do the opposite and look for a loaded one. Lots of grandparents go nuts and buy a mini when their first grand is born then realize they don't need it or worse, pass away. That's my target seller. Vans from people with actual children tend to be worn a lot harder. And there are goldfish crackers everywhere, lol.

sith02

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Re: I want to sell my car and get a van
« Reply #14 on: March 05, 2019, 07:32:28 PM »
You can't go wrong with Dodge Caravan. I was at my buddy's garage helping him installing the railings, tonnopro tonneau cover and headache rack for kayak mounts on his truck when his aunt arrive on her Caravan. She travels a lot and carry stuff and the inside is very spacious for her to sleep. 9 years without major issue.

jnw

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Re: I want to sell my car and get a van
« Reply #15 on: March 05, 2019, 10:16:27 PM »
Can the 2011 to present Dodge Caravan hold 4x8 sheet of plywood/mdf and be able to close hatch?

jnw

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Re: I want to sell my car and get a van
« Reply #16 on: March 05, 2019, 10:33:56 PM »
Wow, just watched a video review of a 2013 Dodge Caravan and I'm impressed!  I love how those seats flip down and disappear in seconds!  My goodness!  This is a dream for both hauling stuff and carrying a lot of passengers when needed!  I definitley want one of these!   Flip them down and toss in a roll up foam mattress for a bed when needed as well.  Seems like it would be a blast for camping as well.

2Birds1Stone

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Re: I want to sell my car and get a van
« Reply #17 on: March 06, 2019, 09:13:57 AM »
PTF, and chime in "me too!".

JoJo

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Re: I want to sell my car and get a van
« Reply #18 on: March 06, 2019, 09:27:35 AM »
I changed from a car to a Ford Transit Connect Cargo Van last year and I love it.  I put in a bed.  It saves me so much money when I travel because I can stay at campgrounds, Walmart, rest areas, etc. 

Spiffy

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Re: I want to sell my car and get a van
« Reply #19 on: March 06, 2019, 02:09:28 PM »
I have a 2013 Grand Caravan and I love it. We call it the living room on wheels. The two oldest kids sit in the "way back". Third kid sits in back seat chair and we keep the other backseat chair stowed. It makes it so easy for all kids to get in and out. Oldest child is 6 feet tall, but can stretch his legs out full length because there is nothing in front of his spot. Sometimes on road trips we change drivers and I take a turn sitting in the way back. It seems huge from back there. And with all of the seats stowed you can fit a lot of stuff. I have not tried plywood, but I once put in two large upholstered rocking chairs at the same time. And my husband put in his sailboat (an 8 foot Naples Sabot if you are interested) just to see if it would fit. It did!

Dicey

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Re: I want to sell my car and get a van
« Reply #20 on: March 07, 2019, 07:46:55 AM »
Oh, here's another Grand Caravan Story: After my mom passed away, my dad was adamant that he wanted to go lve with my brother in PHX. He was in hospice care and no longer ambulatory. The transit costs from his home in SoCal (Inland Empire) to PHX were astronomical. My sister, DH and I drove our GC's from NorCal to our parent's house. We spent a few days cleaning the house and packing up the things my dad wanted to take with him. We loaded my van with his stuff and tricked out my sister's van as a transport vehicle by dropping all the seats and creating a comfy bed in the back with futons and lots of pillows. Then we "caravanned" to AZ. Five hours later, dad was ensconsed in his new home. My sister ("Sue" if you've peeked in my journal) and DH & I returned to SoCal, worked on the house for a couple more days, then headed home in tandem.

We saved a ton of money this way, and transported Dad on his last big road trip in style.