Best Van Under $10K

Andy Kowles wrote:$17K for a pimp sportsmobile? Those things are like $90K new, right?

rj-n-foco wrote:Big Red is a gasser. Good ole' Ford 460 big block with perfomance cams, headers, exhaust. Also, the engine and transmission are chipped.

The laws of physics being what they are, you'll have to make some kind of choice between size and fuel mileage. In a full size van the most reliable/longest lasting machine is the Ford E series- that's why thousands of fleets (and millions of tradespeople including me) own them. 16 to 20 mpg highway is about all they're good for, though. The older full size Chevy vans are pretty reliable, but the engines tend to burn oil from the valve stem seals. The newer full size Chevys have had some transmission issues, but you could do worse, and some of them are AWD. The full size Dodge vans aren't too bad either, and used prices are often lower than Fords or Chevys. The Chevy Astro/GMC Safari had a good, long lasting engine (4.3) but the transmissions have a tendency to fail, especially in the AWD models. The mileage isn't great, but slightly better than a full size. A true minivan (FWD, unibody construction) will get the best fuel mileage- 23 to 25 highway. For under 10k, you should have plenty of choices... while Toyotas are popular because of their reliability, they tend to cost a lot- they're not that much better than the other makes, and most of them have 200,000 miles on them when they go up for sale. I've had good luck with my Chrysler minivans (Caravan/Voyager), but not everyone does- beware of the transmissions. I'm not a fan of the Ford Windstar- the 3.8 engines in those tend to blow head gaskets around 80,000 miles (the Chevy Venture/Pontiac Montana has a better drivetrain). Almost everyone I know with a Honda Odyssey likes it, but like the Toyota, the resale prices are high. As with anything else, keeping some money in the bank for surprises might be better than spending your entire budget on the van itself...

Old Toyota Van "Spacecruiser". I've been living in one for 6 months. They are great. Decent gas mileage, fun to drive (get the 5 speed if you can find one), easier to get around towns in and surprisingly roomy. They can be hard to find but go for under $3k, usually much less. I have seen a lot on the west coast.