*UPDATE POST 97 GOT MY NEW CAR!* Get a new car or fix existing car?

[dancin Disney style]

OP.....you said you could easily be a one car family. Why not use your DH's car as the family vehicle and get yourself a small car for the few times that you need it?

Also, we are an auto industry family. I totally agree with the comments made on Honda and Toyota (we have both worked for Toyota) and also the negativity towards the Town & Country is with good reason. My DH worked for Chrysler for 6 yrs and we will NEVER ever buy anything from them. On a daily basis he would have cars coming in that were only months old needing major repairs.

 

[Pigeon]

A Town and Country wouldn't make my short list. I live in mini-van land and know a few people who've had nothing but trouble.

 

[EMAW_KSU]

Town and Country's are not even manufactured any more. I believe that is because they didn't sell well.

They are still made. What do you consider selling well?

Top Three Selling Minivans 2012

Dodge Caravan 118,730
Honda Odyssey 107,536
Chrysler Town and Country 95,850

 

[wallawallakids]

They are still made. What do you consider selling well?

Top Three Selling Minivans 2012

Dodge Caravan 118,730
Honda Odyssey 107,536
Chrysler Town and Country 95,850

I corrected it. I was thinking of the Pacifica. My mind was on SUVs considering she mentioned in an earlier post that she wanted an SUV and not a mini van. Still would never buy a Town and Country. They do badly on Consumer reports. If I wanted a mini van I would get an Odyssey or a Sienna. I would pay more for a better rated car that needs less repairs. Of course I trust consumer reports and many do not, so to each their own. That is just my opinion.

 

[Sadie22]

If you do get a new minivan, make sure you're distributing any cargo evenly, and have your alignment checked regularly and the tires rotated regularly.

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

The Oddessy is pretty pricey, but I would consider the Sienna. I loved the Stow and Go thing in the Town and Country though. I'm bored of negotiating on the Town and Country, so I'll tell DH that we will consider Toyota Siennas this weekend then.

ETA - Just told DH and he is up for looking at both this weekend.

 

[StarWarts]

The Oddessy is pretty pricey, but I would consider the Sienna. I loved the Stow and Go thing in the Town and Country though. I'm bored of negotiating on the Town and Country, so I'll tell DH that we will consider Toyota Siennas this weekend then.

And probably that's the only thing good about the town and country. I'd go for the Honda or Toyota and that's where it ends if I'm buying a minivan. I think you can get good deal when buying a minivan because more buyers are getting crossovers ( glorified minivans) nowadays. Read more about the Toyota and Honda in Edmunds.com and other similar sites. When you are ready to buy the Toyota or Honda and I repeat..Honda or Toyota. Get price quotes from Costco.com (if you are a member) or similar sites. That will give you a baseline for negotiating a fair price.

 

[Styx Fan]

Just finished this thread and was glad the OP decided to ditch the Volvo. Just too many things going against it. That tire wear is unreal.

I knew as soon as I read the OP was considering a Chrysler there would be many posts telling her to skip it and buy a Honda or a Toyota. Better much, it seems thats where all auto talks on here end up. Even down to the suggestions to buying a used Honda or Toyota over a new other vehicle. I totally do not agree with this opinion, but thats just me. I have been more than pleased with my entire lifetime of GM vehicles. Some have been better than others, but for the prices I have paid (smaller sedans usually, currently 11 year old Olds mini-van), it has worked well. I just plain don't like the styling of either of the suggested brands either. I suggest any buyer consider all the factors when buying a car or truck. Consumer Reports has never really thrilled me with many of their product recommendations for everything from cars to soap.

The folks who have pointed out so well current prices on used vs. new cars get my vote. There are great deals to be had on new vehicles right now that make the previous advantages to buying used not the rule it used to be.

To the PP who suggested looking into Lemon Law. It has been around a dozen years, but I used to be very familiar with LL for my job. At that time, virtually all states required vehicles to be within the first 12,000 miles and 12 months (other states 24/24) to be considered...with multiple repairs for the same manufacturers DEFECT, usually safety related. Or 1 repair for a major safety item (the cutting off would count, but not as this age and mileage). Also many states required it to be a first owner. Or a 2nd owner that purchased the vehicle in the LL period. Many days out of service for warranty defects (like 15-20) during the LL time would also be reason to pursue LL. Basically, I don't remember ever seeing a state that would cover a vehicle at this age and miles. The Volvo may be considered a lemon by many of us, but not by the state laws. The tire wear on the Volvo makes me wonder if it may have been involved in an accident earlier in it's life that was not fully/correctly repaired that has led to ongoing issues.

One last thought.....in my family, we would consider the wife (me ) driving the DH SUV and my DH buying a smaller, more gas efficient car that would also have cheaper maintenance costs. I may be wrong, but many times maint costs are more on a bigger vehicle. Since the OP puts so few miles on a vehicle, it would be cheaper for her to drive the big guy. Then her vehicle is also the family vehicle. This strategy has worked well for our family. I have been driving the Olds from the start, and DH has had a couple of smaller, cheaper cars. He has a decent work commute, I am a SAHM. My van has only around 105,000. His 7 year newer car has almost the same miles, but it is cheap to keep and cheaper to replace.

Good luck OP on whatever you decide

 

[momof3ds]

Ditto, why not use the SUV as the family car and then get a smaller car, or even a Prius or ford fusion or other hybrid.

We just got a crossover and I'm so glad not to be dealing with our minivan anymore. But, it was kept as a 2nd vehicle for now.

 

[Boston Tea Party]

My two cents:

A car that old is not a lemon.

Having owned a Pacifica, I would never buy another Chrysler again.

My safety, and especially that of my children, is paramount to any costs.

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

Ditto, why not use the SUV as the family car and then get a smaller car, or even a Prius or ford fusion or other hybrid.

We just got a crossover and I'm so glad not to be dealing with our minivan anymore. But, it was kept as a 2nd vehicle for now.

OP here...I wanted to respond to why we have not done exactly this. Well, we sure did consider it...DH wanted an electric car, and I was fine with it as a commuter car. He doesn't really "commute" by normal standards, but he drives about 10 miles each way to work. He leaves the island and works on the mainland, so that is a "commute" to me

Anyways, I was fine with it as long as he agreed not to drive the kids in it. We live in FL, in true snowbird territory. Sorry, but there are a LOT of bad old-person drivers here who should NOT be on the road. I can't count the number of times one of them has almost taken me out. I don't want my kids being driven around in a small car as a result...just too much of a chance of a crash when some elderly person decides to turn the wrong way, etc. Safety is paramount when it comes to my kids...hence, the minivan. Most of the elderly drive smaller cars here, so bigger car for us, better chances if they do hit us.

 

[ManyMinnie]

My two cents:

A car that old is not a lemon.

Having owned a Pacifica, I would never buy another Chrysler again.

My safety, and especially that of my children, is paramount to any costs.

It isn't the age that determines whether it is a lemon, is it?

I thought it was multiple mechanical problems, regardless of age.

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

It isn't the age that determines whether it is a lemon, is it?

I thought it was multiple mechanical problems, regardless of age.

Lemon laws are pretty specific, and I'm also the 2nd owner of this vehicle. I never considered that I might actually qualify under the lemon law. I really doubt it. My sister had a lemon (Ford Explorer), bought brand-new, and even she had great difficulty invoking the lemon law.

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

Someone suggested that my car might have been in a wreck before I bought it from Carmax. You know, I never considered that. We have the vehicle history and there is no history of a wreck. However, if someone went outside of insurance to have it fixed, would it still show up in the vehicle history? It was VERY low mileage when we bought it 18K miles, and we got it for like 21 or 22K...super-cheap for a 1 year-old, 55K SC90. I always felt like it was a "great deal," but perhaps there was a reason that we couldn't see that it was so cheap?

 

[Tinkh]

May I suggest the Chevy Equinox? I have the 2013 model and absolutely love it. My husband is still driving our paid off 07 Vue that has never had any break down of any kind with 130,000 miles on it. Just regular maintenance has been performed on it.

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

If you take the vehicle to a body shop they can tell you just by looking at your vehicle whether or not it's been involved in a wreck that required new bumpers or panels and such.

Someone suggested that my car might have been in a wreck before I bought it from Carmax. You know, I never considered that. We have the vehicle history and there is no history of a wreck. However, if someone went outside of insurance to have it fixed, would it still show up in the vehicle history? It was VERY low mileage when we bought it 18K miles, and we got it for like 21 or 22K...super-cheap for a 1 year-old, 55K SC90. I always felt like it was a "great deal," but perhaps there was a reason that we couldn't see that it was so cheap?

 

[DisneyMomma81]

OP here...I wanted to respond to why we have not done exactly this. Well, we sure did consider it...DH wanted an electric car, and I was fine with it as a commuter car. He doesn't really "commute" by normal standards, but he drives about 10 miles each way to work. He leaves the island and works on the mainland, so that is a "commute" to me

Anyways, I was fine with it as long as he agreed not to drive the kids in it. We live in FL, in true snowbird territory. Sorry, but there are a LOT of bad old-person drivers here who should NOT be on the road. I can't count the number of times one of them has almost taken me out. I don't want my kids being driven around in a small car as a result...just too much of a chance of a crash when some elderly person decides to turn the wrong way, etc. Safety is paramount when it comes to my kids...hence, the minivan. Most of the elderly drive smaller cars here, so bigger car for us, better chances if they do hit us.

What?? You say in your first post that your DH drives an SUV. Why don't you drive that and get a small car for him to drive to work? Small cars with lots of air bags and seat belts always used are very safe.

 

[christineann]

I would definitely get another vehicle, especially if I were driving kids around. (This is coming from someone who drives a 1998 Chevy pickup, all original except the radiator, with 209k miles, so I don't get rid of a vehicle unless it's unreliable.)

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

What?? You say in your first post that your DH drives an SUV. Why don't you drive that and get a small car for him to drive to work? Small cars with lots of air bags and seat belts always used are very safe.

Yes, he drives an SUV. I was all for the small car for him to drive to work, but he would not agree to only drive the kids around in the SUV. He takes one child 30 minutes away and back for an activity once a week and drives on the I-95 death drap to do so. That was my sticking point. I don't care if he drives a small car to commute, but I don't want my kids driven in it. Seeing as most of my friends have similar rules with their spouses (due to the drivers around here), I don't feel too crazy

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

May I suggest the Chevy Equinox? I have the 2013 model and absolutely love it. My husband is still driving our paid off 07 Vue that has never had any break down of any kind with 130,000 miles on it. Just regular maintenance has been performed on it.

I'm going to look up the Equinox now. I don't know if it's an SUV or a minivan...might be worth a look.

ETA - The Equinox won't work. We need the sliding doors of a minivan so I can park in the garage.