Most economical minivan?

[Isaac Zachary]

My sister-in-law suggested getting a van from an auction. Good idea? Bad idea?

[redpoint5]

I dunno. Always was curious about auctions but you're up against the best. The other problem with auctions from a consumer economics standpoint is the item sells for the highest estimated value of all participants.

Experiments have shown that people produce a large range of estimates, for example, the quantity of jellybeans in a jar. Any individual estimate is likely wildly off, but the average of all estimates tends to be accurate.

In an auction, the highest estimate wins. My worthless anecdote is my BIL bought a 2012 Nissan Leaf for my parents at auction. In my view, paid too much, because the battery is at 2/3 capacity.

Regarding OBD, I've got no experience with OBDI. I drove a '69 Beetle, '80 Dodge Ram van, 1976 CB750, and '85 Volvo 240 in my high school years. Went straight to a 1996 Subaru Legacy as my first vehicle purchase (having driven the family fleet prior to that).

I bought an OBDII reader for $99 on sale back then. Nowadays I use a $5 ELM327 and Torque to read codes. I find it easy since it will tell you exactly which cylinder is misfiring when replacing the crappy coil packs on a Lexus ES300.

I'm surprised a 5 digit LCD was never standard equipment on vehicles to show the codes. Probably increase the cost of the vehicle $4 including a pushbutton to cycle and clear the codes.

Anyhow, saw the Goo Goo Dolls last night and piled into a friend's Pacifica hybrid along with 5 others. I like it. Probably get one when dealers are desperate, or buy a used one... but I'd still rather get an old Model S with 7 seats, or a Y, or X if by some miracle those were ever lower priced.

[freebeard]

duckduckgo.com/?q=barret+jackson+1967+vw+bus&ia=web

[Isaac Zachary]

Ya, the torque app is great as I can see how each block of battery cells are doing in the Prius. I haven't figured out how to do the same to the Avalon, however.

I did put a bid on a 1962 VW Bus. I was quickly surpassed by other bidders way above my budget.

I keep coming back to the Mitsubishi Outlander. 8 seats, 10 years old, under 100k miles, under $10,000, 30mpg. But it also has a CVT that I'm not sure what to think about.

[redpoint5]

I join a vehicle specific forum when I start getting serious about owning a vehicle. You'll find out if the CVT is a problem or not hanging out there.

On the subject of CVTs, I wonder what types of operation are hardest on them? Probably high torque low RPM I imagine. Perhaps steady cruising at the same exact spot for long periods wearing a groove in them? I really have no idea what kills them.

[Isaac Zachary]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

I join a vehicle specific forum when I start getting serious about owning a vehicle. You'll find out if the CVT is a problem or not hanging out there.

On the subject of CVTs, I wonder what types of operation are hardest on them? Probably high torque low RPM I imagine. Perhaps steady cruising at the same exact spot for long periods wearing a groove in them? I really have no idea what kills them.

There are two things I'm worried about. One is longevity of course. Well three things, longevity and cost to repair. It seems things with rubber belts in them need a new belt every once in a while anyway. I just don't want to pay $2,000 for a belt.

The other thing is how it drives. I have lots of mountain passes and have been in at least one vehicle (I wasn't driving) that lost its brakes when they overheated from not downshifting properly. I hate riding the brakes, period. The Outlander has three "gears" you can choose from to go forward, D, sport and L. The CVT's I've been in feel like they are either in neutral or break-through-the-windshield, crawl mode between D and L when engine braking I wonder what the sport mode feels like for engine braking.

[Isaac Zachary]

I just found my dream van.
1991 Toyota Previa AWD 5 speed stick shift with 8 seat configuration.

From the photos the paint and interior look impecable. Owner says he had the head gasket replaced recently (cringe!) and the rear wheel bearings (ok.)

But it's got 214k miles is up for $6,500 and it's 10 hours from here.

BUT I WANT IT!

[freebeard]

Good luck.

What color is it?

[Isaac Zachary]

White.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Isaac Zachary

I just found my dream van.
1991 Toyota Previa AWD 5 speed stick shift with 8 seat configuration.

From the photos the paint and interior look impecable. Owner says he had the head gasket replaced recently (cringe!) and the rear wheel bearings (ok.)

Odd enough, I guess there is no manual Previa in my country, and neither any AWD one. But anyway, I'd be more concerned about that head gasket than the rear wheel bearing. I still remember how shocking it was for me to find out the original Previa had a solid rear axle...