What’s the best family vehicle?
@mike I asked at shop (a two-man show that has been a great experience so far on every level) for what they'd recommend for a minivan out of curiousity (we're currently driving a 2017 Kia Sedona).
He said new or used, the Toyota is his recommendation for best value for the money and that with proper care, he's seen them (the basic gas engine versions at least) go 400,000km.
I recently compared all the minivans available brand new in Canada, and if you add purchase price plus cost of gas, the Toyota (only available as a hybrid here) becomes the chepest van after about 200,000 km of driving. Cheaper than the plug-in hybrid Pacifica!
@levisan the Toyota Sienna and Honda Odyssey are the ones we’re eyeing. We like the Toyota because of the reputation of reliability and mpg, but there are aspects of the Odyssey we prefer. We like how the middle row can be shifted from side-to-side, we like the center console between the two front seats more, we think it’s a more attractive vehicle, etc.
@levisan We’re looking at them super early, honestly. We probably won’t be making any purchases until next year.
But for most of our lives we purchased a new vehicle in a rush because our previous one had a mechanical issue or whatever and it wasn’t worth sinking more money in to. This next purchase will be the first vehicle where we have a lot of time to consider our options and wait until we find the best option for us.
