Hello, I need a vehicle that hauls at least 7 people and I only have $4000 to spend. I am looking at a 2000 Honda Oddsey and a 1999 Mazda MPV. I know Honda’s are known for reliability, but I like the fact that the MPV is 4wd. What do you think?
“At least 7 people.”
Neither of the vehicles you list can carry more than 7 people.
Your budget is going to make this difficult.
To be honest, I’d be skeptical of an Odyssey for $4K. It must have a ton of miles on it.
Mazda vehicles also have a decent reputation for reliability. If these two vehicles are the only choices I think I’d go with the MPV.
More information about these vehicles might help.
A dodge Caravan would carry 7 and with $4K you should be able to pick a decent one up. A Honda at that price probably has high miles. I don’t know much about Mazda, but I know some of them were Mercury/Ford twins.
If you are going to transport more than 7 people, you may need to think about a full-size van such as a Ford E-150 or the equivalent Dodge, GMC or Chevrolet van. With just $4000 to spend, whatever you buy the condition rather than the manufacturer is the overriding consideration.
Looking at a car that has 4wd is good if you really need it. But if you only have $4k to spend can you really afford to run and maintain a 4wd that old ? For that price, 4wds are many times third vehicles with fewer miles of use expected on them.
There is a reason why you get an older Honda for the same price as a newer Caravan. It’s still more reliable. At $4k, you’re still taking chances, and I would vote for Honda/Toyota products over Chrysler.