My wife’s van, a Chevy Lumina [which I have always hated] came up with a nasty case of tranny-itis. Eighteen hundred beans to fix it, so I will be lobbying heavily for a new vehicle. But there’s the rub–what to buy? I have never bought a new car in my life, but I am strongly considering it for the first time. Since I trust dopers, I’ll start here.
My wife is an artist, does art fairs all over the country; she’s always hauling stuff around. We have two kids as well, 9 & 10, and do the usual chasing with them. We went the mini-van route when we first had kids. I know the real men aren’t supposed like mini-vans, but I have gotten used to them, and when I get in a car nowadays they feel cramped to me. I like riding up higher than in most cars. Am I sounding like I need an SUV? God I hope not. What are the alternatives?
Unfortunately, I think my wife needs something a bit bigger than the Lumina is/was. Whenever we were packing that thing for an art fair is seemed like we always needed a crowbar to get that last piece in. Any suggestions dopers? She’s an artist, I’m a teacher, and neither of us are good at deciding on stuff like this. That’s why we usually buy something used and drive it into the ground.
You sound like an ideal station wagon-driver. Wagons are ‘in’ now–or at least no longer completely unhip. Much cooler than a minivan, for sure. Check out the Honda Accord wagon, perhaps used; it should be fairly easy to find one in good shape for not that much money. If your budget’s higher and you’re looking for something a little more fun, take a look at Audi wagons or a Subaru (with the turbocharger). Also look at the Subaru Forester; rather like a car, but with most of the functionality of an SUV.
If I were to buy a minivan today, I’d go for the Honda Odyssey. Decent lines, roomy interior, good mileage. And I imagine the dual sliding side doors will help in the loading and unloading.
Yeah, you’re a minivan guy. Embrace the minivan ethos.
My recommendation is the 2001 Ford Windstar. I regularly put 600 lbs of industrial electronic hardware (that stands 74 inches high !) inside mine and put 15,000 miles on last year with hardly a hiccup. There should be a lot of them coming off corporate fleets this year because the Freestar is coming into those fleets.
My office has wrecked three of our fleet in the past six years, and each driver and his kids, dogs, and belongings walked away unscratched.
I think it’s the 2001 models that have the dual sliding doors. These are the best thing EVER for minivans.
I think you should consider a 2 WD SUV. I am currently looking at used Nissan Pathfinders. I also have a minivan and the gas mileage is roughly the same. You might also look at 4 door pickup trucks that can seat 4-5 and haul your wife’s things in the back. Nissan also makes a version and they are cheaper than the highly sought after Toyotas.
Get a new Ford Windstar. Not only are they safe, as Kakkerlak mentioned, but this safety gives you a noticible break on the insurance. We bought one last April and when I got home with the insurance quote and looked at it I had to go back and make sure I had full coverage. It was lower than the '97 Stratus we have.
It’s got the duel sliding doors, two removable bench seats, a very peppy engine, decent gas milage - we are getting 24-25 MPG- it rides well. They are, or at least were, selling at something of a discount due to lower demand.