Question Best Minivan Under $5000?

Mach Knockers · Jan 15, 2010

I LOVE the Odyssey. We came pretty close to being a decked out, brand new one a few years ago and decided against it b/c it was $43000 once configured how we wanted it.

We're also not really fans of buying brand new, so it hurt just to think about it.

Anyway, we are looking for a minivan. Safety is the #1 issue, followed by carseat fitment, features, etc. I love the Odyssey, think the Sienna is probably quite similar but ugly (but, hey, I'd still drive it.) I have driven older Freestar/Windstar rental car models and thought they were nice. Ihave a pretty rabid dislike for the Chrysler/Plymouth varieties and unless they stand out grandly in some unforeseen way other than low price, they are off my list. Chevys are okay, but they don't really "send me." But, despite all those things, I reiterate that safety is first.

Thanks, all. I really appreciate your insight.

crunchierthanthou · Jan 15, 2010

Mach Knockers said:
I have a pretty rabid dislike for the Chrysler/Plymouth varieties and unless they stand out grandly in some unforeseen way other than low price, they are off my list. Chevys are okay, but they don't really "send me." But, despite all those things, I reiterate that safety is first.

Well, GM vans are pretty much at the bottom of the list for safety ratings. Chrysler doesn't stand out in any way, unless you get a 2001 for full LATCH in all 5 rear positions.

The Kia Sedona didn't have all that great of ratings before 2005, but did very well after that. According to Edmunds.com, you should be able to get a 2005 for around $6,000.

The Fords are decent options in that price range. The Windstar had LATCH in all positions, but were discontinued in 2003 and are aging fast.

The Odyssey and Sienna do rate high in safety in recent years, but you'd have to go back to 2000 or so to get under $5k.

check out www.informedforlife.org to see ratings (they integrate NHTSA and IIHS data).

jujumum · Jan 16, 2010

MPVs tend to be the most bang for your buck with 2000-2005 minivans. Their safety ratings are fair, not overly good according to crash tests and poor for side impacts. However, if you read the fine print, they only tested models without side impact airbags, whereas many of the other vans they tested had the side impact air bags. Go figure.

Here are some crash test results (the first link you can check the results for any vehicle):
http://www.iihs.org/ratings/
http://www.iihs.org/ratings/rating.aspx?id=19
http://www.iihs.org/ratings/ratingsbyseries.aspx?id=379

I personally put a lot of weight on the real world data from IIHS in their Insurance Losses by Make and Model Reports. These figures evaluate actual crash data and costs. This link lets you search for reports.

http://www.iihs.org/research/hldi/composite_intro.html

Here is a link to the report to some early 2000 models:
http://www.iihs.org/research/hldi/ictl_pdf/ictl_0904.pdf

Mach Knockers · Mar 31, 2010

In case you all would like an update, tonight we bought a 2001 Odyssey. It's not decked out on options, but is in VERY nice condition with 74k miles. Looking forward to picking it up tomorrow.

Thank you very much for the advice and links. We made quite good use of them.:thumbsup:

crunchierthanthou · Mar 31, 2010

That's a pretty good choice. Thanks for the update.

Remember that the 3rd row TA can be moved to any position (or you can even buy the parts and add the others).

Question Best Minivan Under $5000?

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