With $6-8k to spend on a car...
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Anonymous
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Would you get a minivan or a sedan?
We have a decent option for a minivan - a 1999 Odyssey with 100k miles from a known seller that we trust. The price will be $6-8k. Or we could try to find a sedan in the same price range. We're a family of three. The minivan would be harder to drive and would cost more in gas, but can haul stuff and would be good for road trips. We would pay cash for either option. |
Anonymous
Which do you prefer? Do you have a lot of stuff to haul? Mini-vans are not harder to drive than any other car. Get the best car for your family. |
Anonymous
| You would do road trips in a used van with 100k? |
Anonymous
Cars with 100k miles can't do road trips? Do cars/vans expire after 99K miles? |
Anonymous
| First, good for you for paying cash for a used car. It's such a better choice than taking out a loan. I think the deciding factor for you might be the number of miles you plan on driving the car daily. If it's a lot (maybe 35+ miles/day) than you may find that the gas milage of a minivan is not worth the gas money. In addition, you'll be quickly piling miles on a car that already has a lot of miles and it may wear out sooner than you'd like. The Odyssey is a great value and should hold together for a while but it's already pretty old. Also, how often do you need a van to lug large items? It is nice to have that option on a whim but if it's not very often, then you can probably borrow a large vehicle for the once or twice a year when you need to. |
Anonymous
I'd expect a well-maintained Odyssey to go 200k. |
Anonymous
Don't confuse a Honda Odyssey for one of those American cars designed to fall to pieces at the stroke of 100k. It has plenty of good use left in it. |
Anonymous
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If money is an issue, then I would look for a good used sedan with low miles. For a family of 3, you don't really need a minivan. And the minivan is significantly more expensive to own.
First, the gas mileage is significantly less so you will be putting in much more gas. A typical fill-up for a minivan is about $50-65. A typical fill up for a small to mid-size sedan is around $35-40. For a large sedan, about $45-50. The more you drive, the more you spend on gas for a minivan. If you don't need the hauling capacity, then don't get the minivan. You can even get small SUV's that cost around the same per fill-up as a mid-size sedan but they will have bigger carrying capacity. Second, the insurance is higher on the minivan. Insurance rates are higher for minivans than either small-to-mid-size sedans and small SUVs. Depending on your age, gender and driving record, you could be spending $100-200 more semiannually for the minivan. We have a mid-size car and a small SUV for our family of four. The only time we miss the minivan is when in-laws come to town to visit and for those visits, I sometimes just rent a minivan for the week. |
Anonymous
| This doesn't seem like a good deal given the age of the vehicle. Maybe you should consider leasing a small SUV? I just got a Nissan Rogue AWD (lease) for $189/month for 36 months, zero downpayment. |
Anonymous
| The odyssey will run forever but seems a bit overpriced-what was the blue book value |
doodlebug
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| That's a lot of money to pay for a car that's nearly 20 yrs old and has a ton of miles on it. Around this time they start needing a lot of pricey work like brakes, timing belts, transmissions often start to go around this point. I wouldn't touch a car that old unless it were dirt cheap. I would (do) go car free and bus-bike-walk everywhere with an occasional uber trip thrown in. If you have a license (I let mine expire) you can sign up for zip car. |
Anonymous
| OP here. Sorry! It's a 2009 Odyssey. Does that change any opinions? |
Anonymous
I was wondering why a car so old only had 100k. The Odyssey is a great car but if you're doing a lot of driving you will not enjoy the gas milage on it. |
Anonymous
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Heh. I just got rid of my 20-year-old car that only had about 84k miles on it. They exist.
But sure, I'd consider a 2009 for that price, if you can afford the extra gas. That's not old at all. |
Anonymous
| It's certainly better than a 1999 but it doesn't change the fact that it has 100k on it and will need expensive maintenance soon. I'd be asking for maintenance records and checking the wear on the tires before committing so you'll know how much money you'll be throwing at it in the next year or so. |