Wouldn't touch an R500 with a ten foot pole. Get a Honda or Toyota minivan and call it a day
Wouldn't touch an R500 with a ten foot pole. Get a Honda or Toyota minivan and call it a day
I still say Flex. 
I will say that the 2nd and 3rd row seats in the Grand Caravan are not as comfortable as the 2nd and 3rd row seats in the Toyota and Honda vans (or the Flex)
This all becomes a trade off/compromise. The Dodge rear seats do the folding tricks. I liken the Dodge 2nd row seats to patio furniture and the other's 2nd row I liken to living room upholstery furniture. But, my most likely 2nd row passengers are in booster seats for some years to come so these differences will be lost on them.
Summary:
All the minivans were 3 jump seats across in the third row, which is useless. I need to haul 6 total full size humans, not 2 full sized and five miniature ones. Sienna and Odyssey were the same.
Non turbo Flex is too slow and lethargic.
MKT is really nice but has no third row headroom at all! The hatch hinge is literally above your head and at least 6" less than the Flex.
ecoboost ford transit?
Test drive a Pacifica as well, when I was passively looking, they were around $20k from Hertz with 50k or so on them. We had one for a week as a rental in FL, and I loved it. It was easily the most sporting minivan I've ever driven.
I found a 12 Titanium with 75k miles that I really like. 2 owner, clean Carfax, but it's $17k...
In reply to dj06482 (Forum Supporter) :
We love our Pacifica hybrid. The non-hybrid is no slouch and pretty much refined what makes a minivan.
The Sienna (while ugly) is certainly good, as is the Ody (also not that attractive), the Kia is decent and less offensive to look at, IMO.
Shop for a flex without the stuff ya didn't like on the one that sunk. I'm gonna assume ya did better than trying to trade it in, so its prolly for the best!
I got caught by dodge proprietary computer diagnostics with my magnum, so I won't ever buy a dodge product till they release codes to the aftermarket like the other makes do. I can justify a $1200 computer with occasional subscription charges, but $25K and a couple grand a year is just a bit out of my budget. And since 80% of the dealer mechanics (99% in my personal experience) don't know how to use them to troubleshoot, I prefer to do my own.
I like the Oddy, but the furry kids don't mind the tiny jump seats as much!
If my finances ever improve, we will unload the highlander (ok but disappointed in lack of fuel mpg and no rear air) and get an 11 - 15 Oddy.
What about the ford transit connect? I think they made them with the focus st motor for a short amount of time. It is a commercial grade interior so no luxuries and no touchscreens.
ojannen said:What about the ford transit connect? I think they made them with the focus st motor for a short amount of time. It is a commercial grade interior so no luxuries and no touchscreens.
But I've heard mentioned that the commercial grade interior, SOUNDS like a commercial grade interior, and some folks are not caring the that!. I haven't driven one so I can't say, myself.
I think the Odyssey and Sienna have the most space, followed by the Pacifica. The outboard seats in the second row are very comfortable, and the third row has plenty of room for adults, as well. I've even sat pretty comfortably in the 3rd row in our Pilot (I'm 5'10").
The second row in the Grand Caravan is not as comfortable as the others. If you do any long road trips on a regular basis with full-size people in those rows, I'd look into the comfort of the second row.
No sage advice as I never shop for these types of vehicles, but based on used prices I'm seeing on other stuff, this seems like a crummy time to HAVE to shop for something.
In reply to z31maniac :
Yes, yes it is. Luckily I bought my Flex cheap and I'm "downgrading" a generation, so I should come out okay.
It looks sinister (in a good way.) I'm not sure I've ever seen black trimmed headlamps like these but they work here. Factory?
The included Carfax reads good. My bet is 1st was a lease and always to dealer. The 2nd was never serviced at dealer. The not always bad, it just doesn't show up. The 2nd only put on about 10k miles per year.
Sure seems to have all the options!
In reply to John Welsh (Moderate Supporter) :
Factory! That's The uber-rare "Titanium" trim. I don't typically like the murdered out look, but I dig this one.
In reply to Javelin (Forum Supporter) :
I like that a lot. Seems to still have crappy touchscreen interface, though. Did they make any with a regular old radio?
In reply to slowbird :
In this generation the touchscreen only does the NAV. If you look below it there is all of the audio controls. The screen also shows the backup camera. It will show some audio info, but the audio itself is controlled from below. You can get them without NAV/backup camera, but all it does is move all the buttons up.
In reply to Javelin (Forum Supporter) :
Oh okay. I thought those were HVAC controls. 
In reply to Javelin (Forum Supporter) :
Has the payoff been settled up on the Blue Flex yet? It would sure seem to me that this black one is the perfect comparable to the blue one. The blue was one year newer, which should be worth more, but had more miles (115k vs 75k, I seem to remeber), which should be worth less. Those two differences seem to negate each other to me making for a perfect comparable.
I believe you paid quite a bit less for the blue but also the market has changed post Corona. What you paid for the blue should have no bearing on what it is worth, now, today.
Also ask for not just the $17k retail for the car but the entire bill, including tax which is likely closer to $19k. I'm not trying to be greedy but if the goal of the insurance company is to "make you whole" then there should be no cost to you for putting another, very similar, Flex back in your driveway. Good luck.
You can get a Kia Sedona with absolutely KILLER second-row seats.
In reply to John Welsh (Moderate Supporter) :
You have it all correct. I paid $11,500 for the blue one back in February. It should be worth $17k today, plus taxes and registration. I should be able to put that black one in my driveway with no out of pocket.
Initial offer from insurance was $12994 for the Flex and after taxes, title, fees, etc (and less my deductible) total payout was $14107.64.
I laughed at them.
Closest comp I can find year/trim/miles is this guy: 2014 Limited EcoBoost w/99K miles which is listed for $19392.
Of the three comps they used, one was not even an EcoBoost, one had 162K miles (which was only docked $1348 to mine 115K mile one for mileage difference), and the one that they had right on trim/miles (but nowhere close on options) their report stated the price as "$10,990", yet I googled the VIN and...$15,990 is the actual price!
I'm thinking mine is realistically worth between $17k-$18K plus tax/tag/title.
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