Most economical minivan?

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by Isaac Zachary

I assume this is a typo.

But if not, now I'm interested in what is your oldest vehicle.

We mostly drive the 2017 Maxda CX-5, but that's owned by the company, not me.

The 2006 Acura is the newest vehicle I own. The oldest would be a 1976 Honda CB750. The oldest that is driven somewhat regularly is the '98 Dodge Ram/Cummins. My avatar is my 2001 Honda CBR600.

[Gringo-Gaucho]

Personally, I say buy the previa. Its a nice large minivan with room for lots of passengers, gear, or a sheet of plywood. Sure, it's not perfect, but parts are available in the USA, and given the manual transmission(unavailable on a sienna) I wager you can hypermile it to a higher average than a sienna will give you. I think it might be the best option on the US domestic market.
liteace update:
I tracked down some wheels(steel, unfortunately) from a suzuki samarai in order to get 15" wheels, and a 205-70-15 tire, yielding around 10% RPM reduction with no change in tire width. On our island, at 50mph as the highest speed limit- this yields a 2300 rpm or so, which I am happy with.
before doing this, our best was 34 mpg on a road trip, averaging 60 mph/2800 rpm. It's been cold/snowy ever since, so I haven't gotten comparison numbers for our mpg with the new rpms/tires. I bet we'll be in the 35 or 37 mpg range as summer comes on.
I really like having the extra room to pick up passengers and gear as needed- previously with nothing but 5 seater civics in the fleet, the 8 person capacity is awesome. The van also proved itself capable of around 1500lbs total load. This is something our honda civic just can't do. Efficiently carrying a large load is why I would pick up that Previa- think: mpg/payload. That is the true test.

[Isaac Zachary]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

We mostly drive the 2017 Maxda CX-5, but that's owned by the company, not me.

The 2006 Acura is the newest vehicle I own. The oldest would be a 1976 Honda CB750. The oldest that is driven somewhat regularly is the '98 Dodge Ram/Cummins. My avatar is my 2001 Honda CBR600.

Ok, so the typo was in my brain. For some reason I read that a 1996 Acura was your newest vehicle.

Originally Posted by Gringo-Gaucho

Personally, I say buy the previa. Its a nice large minivan with room for lots of passengers, gear, or a sheet of plywood. Sure, it's not perfect, but parts are available in the USA, and given the manual transmission(unavailable on a sienna) I wager you can hypermile it to a higher average than a sienna will give you. I think it might be the best option on the US domestic market.
liteace update:
I tracked down some wheels(steel, unfortunately) from a suzuki samarai in order to get 15" wheels, and a 205-70-15 tire, yielding around 10% RPM reduction with no change in tire width. On our island, at 50mph as the highest speed limit- this yields a 2300 rpm or so, which I am happy with.
before doing this, our best was 34 mpg on a road trip, averaging 60 mph/2800 rpm. It's been cold/snowy ever since, so I haven't gotten comparison numbers for our mpg with the new rpms/tires. I bet we'll be in the 35 or 37 mpg range as summer comes on.
I really like having the extra room to pick up passengers and gear as needed- previously with nothing but 5 seater civics in the fleet, the 8 person capacity is awesome. The van also proved itself capable of around 1500lbs total load. This is something our honda civic just can't do. Efficiently carrying a large load is why I would pick up that Previa- think: mpg/payload. That is the true test.

Are you saying it would be easier for me to pack 7 or 8 people in the Previa than when I do that with the 5 seat, Avalon sedan?

P. S. Suzuki Samarais are awesome! Those are one of the very few SUV's I love.

[Isaac Zachary]

I just found a 1974 VW Transporter for sale.

Decisions, decisions...

[freebeard]

Not pre-68. I'd go with the Previa. An AWD, turbo five-speed Previa with the Canadian dashboard.

[Isaac Zachary]

Originally Posted by freebeard

Not pre-68. I'd go with the Previa. An AWD, turbo five-speed Previa with the Canadian dashboard.

I once saw a Previa diesel engine for sale in the USA...

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Just as a matter of curiosity, one of those Chinese microvans based on some previous generation of the Suzuki Carry. Once in a while I still see one or another roaming around in my hometown.

Originally Posted by Isaac Zachary

I just found a 1974 VW Transporter for sale.

Decisions, decisions...

You know, with all the aftermarket support you can make a VW Transporter nearly "perfect" to match almost all the needs and expectations regarding a family hauler