6+ Passenger Vehicles

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by JSH

You want a minivan and $500 a month will just about pay for the Sienna. Why not let your company buy you a minivan. (Of course that assumes you are going to be working for this company and getting a car stipend for 8 years - I'm assuming you are going to max the loan term as you like using other people's money) Also - as I understand it gas is free but you pay for electricity out of pocket even when travelling for work.

I need to clarify further; if I choose "on menu", I pay $100/mo to allow myself and wife to drive the vehicle for personal travel. It includes a gas card for unlimited fuel on the company dime. Nobody else is permitted to drive the vehicle, including baby sitters or parents.

If I choose to purchase my own vehicle, I get reimbursed ~$500/mo for whatever I choose. Must not be more than 4 years old. No gas card, but business miles are reimbursed at 25 cents/mile. I'm responsible for all expenses, but that means others can drive the vehicle.

Extra info; if I buy an EV "on menu", home charging is not reimbursed, but business travel would be on the corporate credit card when using DCFC. Getting the stipend provides me the incentive to choose efficiency since I pocket the savings.

The questions then is, Toyota Sienna or Pacifica hybrid?

[JSH]

Ah - so $500 a month is really $600 a month when taking into account the $100 you aren't paying the company to use the company car. Most definitely buy and take the $500 then.

Sienna vs Pacifica? Personal preference - they cost about the same after the $7,500 Fed and $2,500 State credits. (Note the Oregon tax credit has not been reauthorized yet - it ran out of money last year and hasn't received the 2024 pot of money yet)

Do you drive more highway or city miles? Pacifica has a clear advantage in the city but on highway it is only rated at 30 mpg vs 35 for the Sienna. Do you care about AWD - Sienna has it / Pacifica doesn't. Do you trust a Chrysler product?

[redpoint5]

It seems clear that taking the stipend is the better financial move, but for those who don't want to bother maintaining a vehicle, insurance, etc, getting on menu is the way to go. It covers absolutely everything. I would also have to log every business trip I take if I go the stipend route, which is annoying.

Originally Posted by JSH

Do you drive more highway or city miles? Pacifica has a clear advantage in the city but on highway it is only rated at 30 mpg vs 35 for the Sienna. Do you care about AWD - Sienna has it / Pacifica doesn't. Do you trust a Chrysler product?

Daily my wife drives 5 minutes to school, then 5 minutes to her work, then 5 minutes back home at the end of the day.

That said, I'm thinking to give the vehicle to the baby sitter so she's not having to drive her car (and leave child seats in it) when she takes the kids places.

The only out of town driving is occasional camping trips, but when we have 3 kids I'm considering driving to Colorado (20hrs) instead of flying. Undecided on that considering winter driving can be a poor choice.

I don't trust Chrysler products. The Town and Country I drove for a year didn't have a smooth transmission that inspired long term confidence. Nothing on my Dodge Ram 2500 is reliable except the Cummins motor. I was hoping you had more input on the reliability/repair front.

The other thing is the Sienna came out in 2020, but the Pacifica is getting long in the tooth at 2017, we're into the 7th year of that design. The new model has to drop any moment.

[JSH]

I don't have any insider info on Chrysler reliability. My personal experience was poor but that was in the 90's so is irrelevant today. On the other hand they rate poor on pretty much every industrial rating.

The Pacifica Hybrid has been recalled multiple times for the battery. Somebody here on Ecomodder has or had one.

Below in the JD Power dependability ratings which are based on the first 3 years of ownership. It is a general indicator but I don't find it very useful because it only record complaints not real problems and all complaints are rated the same. Somebody that complains they can't figure out how to pair their phone is waited the same as an engine failure.

[redpoint5]

The Kia EV9 looks interesting and is in the same price neighborhood as the Pacifica... but I simply can't justify spending $50k on a vehicle that's going to get trashed by kids.

I'm seeing a couple 2021 Pacifica hybrids listed for ~$24k, which seems too good to be true considering these are $50k new. $24k sounds reasonable to me. I set 2021 as the oldest I would consider because I can't get anything more than 4 years old, and the Pacifica got some updates in that year.

[JSH]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

The Kia EV9 looks interesting and is in the same price neighborhood as the Pacifica... but I simply can't justify spending $50k on a vehicle that's going to get trashed by kids.

or - don't let your kids trash the car. My parents had a no eating / no drinking in the car rule until we were in our teens. How else do kids trash cars besides spilling crap all over? I guess if you have kids with motion sickness issues that could be a problem.

Originally Posted by redpoint5

I'm seeing a couple 2021 Pacifica hybrids listed for ~$24k, which seems too good to be true considering these are $50k new. $24k sounds reasonable to me. I set 2021 as the oldest I would consider because I can't get anything more than 4 years old, and the Pacifica got some updates in that year.

They aren't $50K new - they are $40K after credits and rebates. 40% depreciation in 3 years sounds right.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

During summer I see a reasonable amount of 7-seater and 8-seater JDM Toyota minivans with Paraguayan plates. Their size is often more convenient than a stereotypical American minivan.