I have a 1995 Ford Windstar that has broke me financially in repairs and now I have to get a new (used) Van. I would love to have a Honda or Toyota but can't afford them. ( They hold their re-sale value to high for me). So, I have to look for a North American manufactured Van. About a 2005 or 2006. Does anyone have any recommendations, I have lost confidence in the "big 3" and would welcome any suggestions from someone who is pleased with their choice. Serious answers only please.
2007-03-18 14:28:16 · 6 answers · asked by glencairngirls 2 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Buying & Selling
I should add that my 6"3" Husband has a bad back & cannot get in & out of the smaller cars.
We have no children so that is not a consideration. Also we are in Canada so we do not have Sheriff sales that I am aware of.
2007-03-18 14:48:03 · update #1
Hondas and Toyotas are much more reliable ... so get a 2003 or 2004 rather than a 2005-2006 North American van.
It'll be the same or lower purchase price and you'll have less repairs. There are car auctions in Canada, but most of the autos are in rough shape. You will get some good deals looking for companies that sell off leased vehicles. Check the link.
2007-03-18 14:53:06 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
In my opinion (and I deal with all these vans at our car lot) none of the American vans really stand out from the others as far as reliability. It really comes down to what features tickle your fancy. The Toyota and Honda vans are much more reliable. So is the Nissan. You will however as stated before, have to choose a slightly older and higher mileage version to stay in the same price range. If it was me, I would look at the newer used Toyota, Honda, and Nissan vans if you plan on keeping it for more than 125k miles. I am not saying the American vans will not go farther than 125k miles because they most certainly will, but it's a matter of the repairs that will ultimately start popping up.
2007-03-19 01:41:48 · answer #2 · answered by Jim 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You might seriously reconsider the whole van thing. They suck up a lot of gas, and we've had more trouble with our Presage than any of our other smaller cars. (Although, once it was fixed, it has been running fine for the last 18 months.)
If you have more than three kids, though, you'll need one for family outings, at the least. Look for advice from Consumer Reports, and you might check out the Sheriff Sales, where they sell cars that have been confiscated from criminals.
Good luck!
2007-03-18 21:39:14 · answer #3 · answered by Madame M 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
your ford is 12 years old. i know allot of people are going to disagree with me here but a jap vehicle that is that old is going to break down to and there more expensive to fix. ive had very good luck with the big 3. i currently have a pont montana and it has not failed me yet. but Ive herd horror stories about them to. you just need to look around and find something with low miles in your price range they say the gm minivans after 2001 are pretty good. and Chrysler also has been making mini vans for 20 years. a newer one of them would be good to. or you can spend the big bucks for the jap vans. but what if you spend that big cash and it turnes out to be a lemon. it's a lot easier to find someone to work on that big3 vehicle. good luck
2007-03-18 22:51:55 · answer #4 · answered by doug h 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
try a ford freestyle-awesome vehicle, more a crossover than a minivan.
2007-03-18 23:10:01 · answer #5 · answered by justcurious 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
u have kids if not DONT get a van
2007-03-18 21:36:52 · answer #6 · answered by baby_girl_061192 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋