Which Van- GRM Edition

Somebody whom goes to my church is in the market for a minivan for his family and asked me for recommendations. They have two kids and a third on the way. They aren't looking to spend big bucks. I'd say $10k would be a rough estimate on what they want to spend. I automatically told him Dodge Grand Caravan with the stow and go is the best bet. Sienna's and Odyssey's are probably going to be too high mileage and big bucks still. I've found mid 00s Sedona's in the price range. Also, I have found Chevy Uplander's. Is a Grand Caravan the sure shot here or should Sedona's and Uplander's be explored? Any other options i'm missing?

My sister and parents both have Grand Caravans. They seem to be very good for the price as far as utility and tolerating my sister and husband's neglect of maintenance.

Mazda5 Sport

Either the Grand Caravan or Sedona. I've had two Sedonas (still have the second one) and swear by them. It's been the family trickster for our three kids and have been dead nuts reliable and a great vehicle to beat on.

I would recommend 2006 and up on the Sedona.

That will get them the v6 with the timing chain instead of belt, better corrosion resistance, and also more space behind the 3rd row compared to the earlier models.

We have almost 70k on our 2010 and the only non-maintenance item has been a cracked Evap canister.

He is trying to buy something from the group o dealers I work for and I think it's down to either an 08 Grand Caravan w/ 86k miles or a 10 Sedona w/70k miles.

I would go with the Sedona in that case. Most pre-'11 Grand Caravans had undersized front brakes that seem to cause a lot of internet weeping and gnashing of teeth. Also, '11-up came with notably better drivetrains, too.

Kia, 100,000 mile powertrain warranty, transferable.

Dodge, unlimited powertrain warranty, not transferable.

Just something to keep in mind.

-Rob

In reply to rob_lewis:

My understanding is the Kia (and Hyundai) 10/100 power train warranty is only available on new or CPO.

Non CPO vehicles are limited to the 5/60 standard warranty.

Just something to watch out for in the fine print.

I don't know about Sedona's, but no stow-n-go = no-go in my opinion. I haven't had any trouble with the brakes on my 150k 2005 T&C, seems like routine wear to me. We also have a new Mazda5 which is a great runabout, but there's not a lot of room in it with all three kids in there. We just got the 5, but based on brake dust I'm imagining that it'll eat through brakes a lot quicker than the 3 that it replaced (to be expected with the extra weight, to be fair).

The stow n go is a personal thing. Been driving Sedonas for 8 years and have yet to wish we had it. Maybe we just don't use the van in a way that would make it valuable. Our current Sedona is a '10 and our last was the same generation. The only thing I don't like is mpg is worse than the GC. Otherwise it's a trooper. Tows, hauls, transports, runs with just basic upkeep.

WonkoTheSane wrote: I haven't had any trouble with the brakes on my 150k 2005 T&C, seems like routine wear to me.

2008 was the first year of the current body style, which was pretty much new chassis-wise, and a fair amount heavier than the older ones. I never had trouble with the brakes on my 2000 GC, either.

Klayfish wrote: The stow n go is a personal thing. Been driving Sedonas for 8 years and have yet to wish we had it. Maybe we just don't use the van in a way that would make it valuable. Our current Sedona is a '10 and our last was the same generation. The only thing I don't like is mpg is worse than the GC. Otherwise it's a trooper. Tows, hauls, transports, runs with just basic upkeep.

It's the Odyssey without the Honda premium.

No one ever comments on the 2004-09 Nissan Quest.
I think the best looking of all the vans. The same 3.5L as every other Nissan. Update the plastic chain guides to metal on the early years and should be good to go.
No CVT in this era.

Am I missing something? Are these to be avoided?

Get a full size van. Much more room and V8 power for about the same money.