Question about buying a minivan before July 2022

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mortalsonofmortal
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Question about buying a minivan before July 2022

Post by mortalsonofmortal »

I wanted to get your input on what would be the right approach to buy a minivan. Here is my situation. We currently have two cars neither of them has any loans on them. We rarely use one of those cars since Covid started in 2020. We have one child who is 11 years old(using a booster seat). We are expecting twins in July. With the family getting bigger and possibly inlaws coming to support us, we would need a minivan that could seat 7 people.

I realize this is one of the worst times to look for a new/used car. As I have no clue if the car market will get better or worse from here, I have a few options in front of me.

1. Sell the unused car (will get approx $6,000 as per kbb) and buy a minivan now
2. Sell both cars now (will get approx $16,000) and buy a minivan now
3. Delay buying till May-June and go with option #1 or #2.
4. Manage with the cars that I have now until the vehicle market eases. One is a sedan and on an SUV.

Which one of these options or any other option would you go with and why?

For minivans, my budget is $35,000 and leaning towards Toyota Sienna (Suggestions for other Makes/models welcome).
psteinx
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Re: Question about buying a minivan before July 2022

Post by psteinx »

Lots of different opinions on the car market, but *my* opinion is that prices will start to ease, and you'll probably do a little better car shopping circa June 2022 than you would shopping today (in January 2022).

And if you *did* need to use the SUV for a while after the new arrivals, that wouldn't necessarily be tragic.

If you truly don't need the new car, sell it now.
SilverSmurfer
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Re: Question about buying a minivan before July 2022

Post by SilverSmurfer »

order/get on a waitlist NOW for a Sienna. You might have to call around to find a dealer that will sell at MSRP, and they'll have a waitlist. Otherwise you're at the mercy of the market.

I'd sell both and get the Sienna - very practical, great mpg (no compelling reason to keep previous vehicles), not a bad price at MSRP for the LE, either.
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mortalsonofmortal
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Re: Question about buying a minivan before July 2022

Post by mortalsonofmortal »

psteinx wrote: Tue Jan 25, 2022 4:32 pm Lots of different opinions on the car market, but *my* opinion is that prices will start to ease, and you'll probably do a little better car shopping circa June 2022 than you would shopping today (in January 2022).

And if you *did* need to use the SUV for a while after the new arrivals, that wouldn't necessarily be tragic.

If you truly don't need the new car, sell it now.
Thank you for your input. Why do you think that June 2022 will be better? I frankly don't know anything about the car market or why there is a price surge now, so I can't even make an educated guess. So, just asking out of curiosity.
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fetch5482
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Re: Question about buying a minivan before July 2022

Post by fetch5482 »

Our family wanted the Minivan and purchased a used 2019 Honda Odyssey after test driving all the 4 major manufacturers that have a minivan (Toyota Sienna, Honda Odyssey, Kia <i forget the name before Carnival came>, Chrystler Pacifica).

Toyota and Honda ofcourse were the top two we considered. We were definitely seduced by the Hyundai Palisade (3-row SUV), but the extra pricing over MSRP did not make sense.

The main thing that caused us to consider Toyota Sienna was the AWD. We do make occasional trips to Tahoe and that would come in handy. However we did not like how the Toyota drove (it felt like a boat!) and the tech inside the car was very poor (no Android Auto). I believe the newer Sienna now have AA, but the used model years we considered did not.

Honda Odyssey feels nearly like a SUV in how smoothly it drives - acceleration is well, and overall it feels like a good car. The fact that we can remove the middle seat in middle row to convert it from a bench to captains chairs was also a huge plus for us.

Like with the stock market, I do not have a crystal ball to predict how the supply chain shortages, inflation and prices will trend; so I cannot comment on timing the purchase.
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JackBoglereader21
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Re: Question about buying a minivan before July 2022

Post by JackBoglereader21 »

mortalsonofmortal wrote: Tue Jan 25, 2022 4:23 pm I wanted to get your input on what would be the right approach to buy a minivan. Here is my situation. We currently have two cars neither of them has any loans on them. We rarely use one of those cars since Covid started in 2020. We have one child who is 11 years old(using a booster seat). We are expecting twins in July. With the family getting bigger and possibly inlaws coming to support us, we would need a minivan that could seat 7 people.

I realize this is one of the worst times to look for a new/used car. As I have no clue if the car market will get better or worse from here, I have a few options in front of me.

1. Sell the unused car (will get approx $6,000 as per kbb) and buy a minivan now
2. Sell both cars now (will get approx $16,000) and buy a minivan now
3. Delay buying till May-June and go with option #1 or #2.
4. Manage with the cars that I have now until the vehicle market eases. One is a sedan and on an SUV.

Which one of these options or any other option would you go with and why?

For minivans, my budget is $35,000 and leaning towards Toyota Sienna (Suggestions for other Makes/models welcome).
Depending on what Fed/State EV credits you might qualify for (and price of gas in your zip code), you might consider Chrysler Pacifica Plug In Hybrid. A terrific driving experience and lovely not to have to buy gas. We helped a family member buy one recently and they were surprised how much they liked it over Honda/Toyota product.
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Watty
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Re: Question about buying a minivan before July 2022

Post by Watty »

I would start shopping right away, you may have to wait months for a new car.

When looking at used cars keep in mind that a lot of new advanced safety features have been added in the last few years so a 2017 may be very different than a 2022 even if they look the same. Toyota made a lot of advanced safety features standard equipment in 2018.

Your 11 year old may be learning to drive in that minivan in about five years. :shock:

Having a lot of the advanced safety features could be good thing.
mortalsonofmortal wrote: Tue Jan 25, 2022 4:23 pm 1. Sell the unused car (will get approx $6,000 as per kbb) and buy a minivan now
2. Sell both cars now (will get approx $16,000) and buy a minivan now
Check web sites like CarMax and Carvana to see what they will pay for your car. It only takes a few minutes and they may offer more than you are expecting.

In some states trading in a car will save you having to pay sales tax on the trade in amount.

Normally I would sell my old car myself but I ended up trading in a late model car instead of selling it because of the sales tax savings.

Dealers are hurting for used cars to sell right now so if a dealer knows that you have two cars to trade in that might encourage them find a mini-van that you can buy.
mortalsonofmortal wrote: Tue Jan 25, 2022 4:23 pm For minivans, my budget is $35,000 and leaning towards Toyota Sienna (Suggestions for other Makes/models welcome).
One of the keys in this car market is to be flexible.

It would be good to make a list of other acceptable minivans and then shop to see what deals are available. You may need to settle for your second or third choice if it is available or there is a better deal.
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mortalsonofmortal
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Re: Question about buying a minivan before July 2022

Post by mortalsonofmortal »

Watty wrote: Tue Jan 25, 2022 8:34 pm I would start shopping right away, you may have to wait months for a new car.

When looking at used cars keep in mind that a lot of new advanced safety features have been added in the last few years so a 2017 may be very different than a 2022 even if they look the same. Toyota made a lot of advanced safety features standard equipment in 2018.

Your 11 year old may be learning to drive in that minivan in about five years. :shock:

Having a lot of the advanced safety features could be good thing.
mortalsonofmortal wrote: Tue Jan 25, 2022 4:23 pm 1. Sell the unused car (will get approx $6,000 as per kbb) and buy a minivan now
2. Sell both cars now (will get approx $16,000) and buy a minivan now
Check web sites like CarMax and Carvana to see what they will pay for your car. It only takes a few minutes and they may offer more than you are expecting.

In some states trading in a car will save you having to pay sales tax on the trade in amount.

Normally I would sell my old car myself but I ended up trading in a late model car instead of selling it because of the sales tax savings.

Dealers are hurting for used cars to sell right now so if a dealer knows that you have two cars to trade in that might encourage them find a mini-van that you can buy.
mortalsonofmortal wrote: Tue Jan 25, 2022 4:23 pm For minivans, my budget is $35,000 and leaning towards Toyota Sienna (Suggestions for other Makes/models welcome).
One of the keys in this car market is to be flexible.

It would be good to make a list of other acceptable minivans and then shop to see what deals are available. You may need to settle for your second or third choice if it is available or there is a better deal.
Some very good points. I will keep those in mind and will also check carvana. Thanks!
EHEngineer
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Re: Question about buying a minivan before July 2022

Post by EHEngineer »

mortalsonofmortal wrote: Tue Jan 25, 2022 4:23 pm I wanted to get your input on what would be the right approach to buy a minivan. Here is my situation. We currently have two cars neither of them has any loans on them. We rarely use one of those cars since Covid started in 2020. We have one child who is 11 years old(using a booster seat). We are expecting twins in July. With the family getting bigger and possibly inlaws coming to support us, we would need a minivan that could seat 7 people.

I realize this is one of the worst times to look for a new/used car. As I have no clue if the car market will get better or worse from here, I have a few options in front of me.
For flexibility you're better off with two 5-person vehicles than one 8 person vehicle. You're not taking road trips with newborns so there's no need to get more than your 5 in one car. It's nice to get a new vehicle, but I would wait it out. Maybe 6 months or maybe 2023.

Congratulations on the growing family.

PS. You might try costco auto. I bought my last car in 2019 through them (pre-pandemic). It was a good experience.
Or, you can ... decline to let me, a stranger on the Internet, egg you on to an exercise in time-wasting, and you could say "I'm probably OK and I don't care about it that much." -Nisiprius
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Watty
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Re: Question about buying a minivan before July 2022

Post by Watty »

EHEngineer wrote: Tue Jan 25, 2022 10:44 pm For flexibility you're better off with two 5-person vehicles than one 8 person vehicle. You're not taking road trips with newborns so there's no need to get more than your 5 in one car.
I doubt that you could fit two infant car seats and an 11 year old in the back seat of many cars.
dink2win
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Re: Question about buying a minivan before July 2022

Post by dink2win »

I second the Chrysler Pacifica reccomendation. There should be a big used market, as lots of rental car companies use them in their fleets which drives down the value of used ones.

The car looks nice and drives pretty well. All the back seats (both the middle captain seats as well as the rear bench) fold away into the bottom of the car, which is actually really nice. You don't have to mess with physically pulling out the middle seats. Adds a lot of flexibility and practicality.
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Re: Question about buying a minivan before July 2022

Post by tibbitts »

dink2win wrote: Wed Jan 26, 2022 1:01 am I second the Chrysler Pacifica reccomendation. There should be a big used market, as lots of rental car companies use them in their fleets which drives down the value of used ones.
Although that might have been the case with the Grand Caravan and to a lesser extent Pacifica before and into the early parts of the pandemic, I think the inventory surplus has been more or less exhausted at this point, and prices are just as inflated as with other vehicles.
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Re: Question about buying a minivan before July 2022

Post by Rudedog »

Wife drives a 2007 Sienna that we bought new. Its been a great vehicle, no major issues, we plan to keep it a while longer as she loves it.
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Re: Question about buying a minivan before July 2022

Post by dknightd »

Watty wrote: Tue Jan 25, 2022 8:34 pm I would start shopping right away, you may have to wait months for a new car.
I agree!
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EHEngineer
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Re: Question about buying a minivan before July 2022

Post by EHEngineer »

Watty wrote: Tue Jan 25, 2022 11:15 pm
EHEngineer wrote: Tue Jan 25, 2022 10:44 pm For flexibility you're better off with two 5-person vehicles than one 8 person vehicle. You're not taking road trips with newborns so there's no need to get more than your 5 in one car.
I doubt that you could fit two infant car seats and an 11 year old in the back seat of many cars.
Let's ask and find out.

OP, can you fit 2 cars seats plus your 11 yo in either of your cars for the next year or so?
Or, you can ... decline to let me, a stranger on the Internet, egg you on to an exercise in time-wasting, and you could say "I'm probably OK and I don't care about it that much." -Nisiprius
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Re: Question about buying a minivan before July 2022

Post by rkhusky »

dink2win wrote: Wed Jan 26, 2022 1:01 am The car looks nice and drives pretty well. All the back seats (both the middle captain seats as well as the rear bench) fold away into the bottom of the car, which is actually really nice. You don't have to mess with physically pulling out the middle seats. Adds a lot of flexibility and practicality.
We use the wells under the middle seats for extra storage on trips - beach towels, sleeping bags, etc. Stuff we won’t be needing while driving. And the extra deep storage in the back is nice too.
finite_difference
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Re: Question about buying a minivan before July 2022

Post by finite_difference »

I would sell one car that’s oldest or you like the least (get quotes from CarMax, Carvana) and buy a Sienna, Odyssey or Pacifica. With $35k you should be able to get a great minivan, but might take a while.

I think the chips they need will be constrained for a while, and don’t see the car market getting any better until that’s fixed. If you buy new it’s not that bad right now. Used is also still a good deal.
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simplesimon
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Re: Question about buying a minivan before July 2022

Post by simplesimon »

I bought a Sienna in November and don't regret it at all (replaced a 2008 Subaru Outback, we had our second child in October), but one thing you might need to be flexible on is the budget. I got the XLE for MSRP + standard taxes/delivery fee and it was about $46k. It'll be less if you get the LE but I don't think it will be $35k.

I got really lucky and found a dealer that had an allocation available for me so I only had to wait about six weeks. All the other dealers I spoke to had 4-6 month lead times or didn't bother talking to me at all (on top of that they all charged $2-3k above MSRP). This seems to be consistent with what I've seen on the Sienna forums and FB page.

Good luck!
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mortalsonofmortal
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Re: Question about buying a minivan before July 2022

Post by mortalsonofmortal »

EHEngineer wrote: Wed Jan 26, 2022 9:30 am
Watty wrote: Tue Jan 25, 2022 11:15 pm
EHEngineer wrote: Tue Jan 25, 2022 10:44 pm For flexibility you're better off with two 5-person vehicles than one 8 person vehicle. You're not taking road trips with newborns so there's no need to get more than your 5 in one car.
I doubt that you could fit two infant car seats and an 11 year old in the back seat of many cars.
Let's ask and find out.

OP, can you fit 2 cars seats plus your 11 yo in either of your cars for the next year or so?
I can only see hooks and belts for fixing two car seats in the back row of my SUV. I wonder if I can fix the booster seat for the 11 year old in the front row.
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Re: Question about buying a minivan before July 2022

Post by Lou Sevens »

I really like my Ford Escape, the Edge is a little bigger I tried that as well but went with the Escape. - Would it be better to buy sooner as once your children are born you will be that much busier-
I don't know about prices but it seems my dealer for instance has an increase in inventory vs. last year for now. However. I think people are still not paying below MSRP.
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Re: Question about buying a minivan before July 2022

Post by 8foot7 »

We were faced with a similar situation so I understand the deadline of "oh crap how I am going to carry all of my children everywhere?!" but I would exhaust all possibilities under options 3 and 4. I would also get on a waitlist for a new van now - no one says you have to purchase once your name comes up, but options are good and in your case putting a deposit down would not be the worst thing in the world.
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Re: Question about buying a minivan before July 2022

Post by mortalsonofmortal »

Lou Sevens wrote: Wed Jan 26, 2022 7:43 pm I really like my Ford Escape, the Edge is a little bigger I tried that as well but went with the Escape. - Would it be better to buy sooner as once your children are born you will be that much busier-
I don't know about prices but it seems my dealer for instance has an increase in inventory vs. last year for now. However. I think people are still not paying below MSRP.
How high is Fords maintenance costs compared to a Honda or Toyota?
Lou Sevens
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Re: Question about buying a minivan before July 2022

Post by Lou Sevens »

For routine maintenance - every six months mine is about $50 now- but I got a 3 year promo so it is covered.
To be honest on my fusion I was pretty clear until year 8- luckily I had an extended that in my estimates saved me perhaps $1,200 for years 8-9-10.
Tires- my Taurus lasted 8 years on first pair, my Fusion- 4 years (bad winter) and then 6 years.
Let me know if there is anything else I can answer for you.
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Re: Question about buying a minivan before July 2022

Post by LadyGeek »

This thread is now in the Personal Consumer Issues forum (minivan).
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mortalsonofmortal
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Re: Question about buying a minivan before July 2022

Post by mortalsonofmortal »

Lou Sevens wrote: Thu Jan 27, 2022 4:15 pm For routine maintenance - every six months mine is about $50 now- but I got a 3 year promo so it is covered.
To be honest on my fusion I was pretty clear until year 8- luckily I had an extended that in my estimates saved me perhaps $1,200 for years 8-9-10.
Tires- my Taurus lasted 8 years on first pair, my Fusion- 4 years (bad winter) and then 6 years.
Let me know if there is anything else I can answer for you.
Thanks for those data points!
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