What is the most inexpensive 6-passenger vehicle?

[Mississippi Mudstache]

My 2007 Prius is about to bite the dust. My wife and I have 4 kids, and the Prius hasn't been able to hold the whole family since the 4th was born anyway. My wife has had both a Mazda 5 and a Honda Odyssey. I'm considering making the move to a 6-passenger vehicle as well. Are there any options cheaper than or similar to the Mazda 5? (We hated that car, by the way...always something wrong with it from the moment we bought it).

It wouldn't be the end of the world if we only had one car that would fit the whole family, but honestly it would be nice to have two. I just want to know exactly what it would cost me. Thanks for any suggestion.

[ForeverPoor]

Buying new or used? You'll want a car that can take a beating with the # of people in the house.

[Mississippi Mudstache]

Buying new or used? You'll want a car that can take a beating with the # of people in the house.

Used, naturally.

[Tester]

Not giving answer, but asking how do you manage the mazda 5 with 6 people plus baggage?

[Mississippi Mudstache]

Not giving answer, but asking how do you manage the mazda 5 with 6 people plus baggage?

Trailer hitch or roof rack. But more realistically, we would take the Odyssey on a trip that requires luggage. You wouldn't believe how much we carried in the Prius as a family of 5 using nothing more than a trailer hitch luggage carrier.

[HPstache]

Most inexpensive is probably the Dodge Caravan.  We personally love our Mid-2000's Honda Pilot, but it's not going to compete price-wise with a Caravan.

[daverobev]

Ford Crown Victoria! Or a Buick sedan of similar vintage!

Mazda 5.

[JAYSLOL]

A 2000s Toyota Sienna or Honda Odyssey, or if you want to avoid a minivan, a used Kia Rondo or Mazda 5.

[Mississippi Mudstache]

Thanks for the thoughts so far. I'll add a bit of my own research into small SUVs for anyone reading along who might find it useful:

Volkswagen Tiguan: Optional 3rd-row seating; rated 22 city/29 hwy
Mitsubishi Outlander: Standard 3rd-row seating; rated 25 city/30 hwy
Dodge Journey: Standard 3rd-row seating; rated 19 city/25 hwy

Currently planning to test drive the Volkswagen and Mitsubishi to see how I like them. Both are reasonably inexpensive on the used market and get decent gas mileage for 6-passenger vehicles. The Dodge reviews poorly, and I've had my own shitty experiences with Dodge in the pass, so that one's getting a hard no from me.

[nereo]

cheap to buy, battery powered, cheap to operate.
/s

[Mississippi Mudstache]

cheap to buy, battery powered, cheap to operate.
/s

Hmmm...Tempting, but I suppose I'd have a hard time talking my wife into it.

[chemistk]

You almost gave me a heart attack mentioning the Journey. In my own used car research, I came to learn that even the slimiest dealers felt horrible selling a Journey to people, new or used.

As for your other two options - the Volkswagen is expensive to repair and while I'm not too familiar with the Mitsubishi as far as reliability goes, I do know that generally they're considered 'Entry-Level' for a reason. You're probably going to be crammed in any of your 3 options like a can of sardines so chances are, the whole family isn't going to want to ride in your car. I get you had issues with the 5 in the past, but honestly it's your best 6-seater option. If not that, you're going to be much better served by a used minivan.

How often will the whole crew be in your car? One trip a week? Is that worth getting a car that has significantly poorer reliability and/or costs more to repair?