Most economical minivan?

[redpoint5]

Sounds not doable given the constraints.

I'd be squirreling away whatever surplus as a downpayment on a house to prepare for favorable market conditions.

Can you get a lot more than you paid for that Prius? Won't ever have such favorable used car prices again probably. Gets a project off your plate too.

I've been saying I'm going to sell my truck. Just haven't got a round tuit yet.

[Isaac Zachary]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

Sounds not doable given the constraints.

I'd be squirreling away whatever surplus as a downpayment on a house to prepare for favorable market conditions.

Can you get a lot more than you paid for that Prius? Won't ever have such favorable used car prices again probably. Gets a project off your plate too.

I've been saying I'm going to sell my truck. Just haven't got a round tuit yet.

Ya, the Prius is going up for sale. I can't find one for less than $4,000, which is a lot more than the $300 I bought it for and even the other parts. Even at $2,000 I'd be very happy.

I'll be saving too. Who knows what the future will bring.

[rmay635703]

Economical

[Isaac Zachary]

Originally Posted by rmay635703

Economical

Front Wheel Drive V8! Woohoo!

I do like that drive train in the GM Motorhome.

Maybe if our van were our house...

I don't think they ever had a manual transmission with the FWD V8 design, did they?

[freebeard]

I don't have a picture of it, but one of my uncles built a 2x2 and aluminum motorhome on a Toranado donor with a third axle.

My clark Cortez had a slant six and a four-speed floor shift with a big chrome lever and a billiard ball knob.

[Caddylackn]

I will throw my best mpg van entry into the mix:

'97 Honda Odyssey with the 2.2L. These could get 30 mpg and they have a good following. My sister had one. Basically a '97 accord drivetrain in van shape. The '98s were good too, but they had the VTEC 2.3L and couldn't get the same gas mileage as the 2.2L.

You can find these for about $1,000 now. Hard to find one with under 300k miles though.

No the front wheel drive V8 motors of the 70s (Cadillac, GM motorhome, and Oldsmobile) didn't come with a stick shift option. They used the THM425, which was basically the TH400 with bellhousing flipped and the tranny direction reversed so it sat under the engine and driven by a big drive chain. The front wheel drive V8 engine faces the front the same as the rear wheel cars. The differential was built into the end of the transmission and was under the oil pan. It was a pretty smart design that used most of the same internals as the TH400. It made removing the engine a rear bear though, as the axles had to be removed to take the engine and tranny out as a unit.

They used these TH425 trannys in the Toronados, Eldorados, and the GM motorhomes. The motorhomes came with different gear ratios.

[Isaac Zachary]

Cool!

I googled Odysseys and got one 1997 in North Dakota for $900 with over 400,000 miles on it and a lot of rust. Then there's one in Montana for $2,150 with 200,000 miles. I couldn't find any other 1997's with a quick few searches, but that's a start.

I like these carlike minivans, like the Mazda5. How many seats do these old Odysseys have? The Mazda5 only has 6 seats. Ideally I'd prefer 8 seats if I did a minivan.

[redpoint5]

Good find. Those vans are well rated by the critics and owners alike.

Fuelly is showing both 1997 and 1998 getting about the same MPG.

The 0.1L extra engine size in the 1998 also increases horsepower by 10, bringing it up to a whopping 150hp.

I have a feeling the thing would often be driven full throttle just to safely enter freeways. That's acceptable to me. I'd just plan to never pass someone. People don't like to be passed by a minivan, and they can prevent it with their greater ability to accelerate.

[Isaac Zachary]

At my altitude we lose about one third power, so 100hp. Good thing we don't have freeways.

Speaking of full throttle, the Previa is said to get worse than average fuel mileage due to it's "underpowered" engine. My thought is if I just accelerate at a not-full-throttle load then I should be able to get better fuel mileage regardless of the vehicle.

It's climbing mountain passes that do put that to test though as I've had cars that could barely keep it at 25 or 30mph going up a steep pass that's rated at 45 to 65mph.

[redpoint5]

1/3rd loss equates to about 12,000 ft elevation.

I just discovered the Kia Sorento Plug-In, which is a 6-seater (apparently 7 seats on other markets).

Turbo engine, so it shouldn't lose so much power at elevation.

Cost is insane, but it qualifies for the federal tax credit.