I have a limited budget for a used van. What is the best value for under $ 6000 ?

Question

I was just told by a knowledgable person named "Wheeler", that "The Montana/Venture were the best in class for fuel but had big problems with their intake manifolds, there are two in my family and both have gone through this problem. The new Toyota Sienna and Honda Odyssey are big and very reliable, also very nice to drive."

Do prety much ALL Montana/Ventura vehicles have this intake manifold problem ? What is an intake manifold ? What is the average cost to repair it ? What year did the Toyota Sienna and Honda Odyssey come out, if I'd like the oldest used one for my limited budget ?

Answer 1

The Montana/Venture will get the best gas mileage, however many of them do have the manifold problem. This problem is simple if you are a mechanic, The gasket starts leaking, if it doesn't get fixed it can cause other problems. The gasket only costs around $20 but the labor is 6 hours, at dealerships your looking at about $600. But if you do it yourself it cost about $30. This repair usually lasts 80-100 thousand miles.

Now to the $6000 range, I wouldn't recommend a Sienna or an Odyssey. They are great vans but if you find one at this price it's going to be at the end of it's life. Along with the GM minivans you can find a decent Chrysler/Dodge, and a Kia at this price, It's worth it to run a Car fax and find a Mechanic to check it out before you buy it. Also Check kbb.com to find the value

Good luck:)

Answer 2

You can find a pretty late model Ford Windstar for 6K. They didn't hold value very well.