I am a crafts vendor, my '89 Toyota Corolla station wagon does not fit all my equipment into it and still give me visibility. I’m looking for an older minivan, I don’t care about looks, but need easy to fix, and good gas milage. My mechanic says that Previa or Sienna are harder to fix, so I don’t want one of them. Ideally I would like an Isuzu Oasis, but havn’t found one. Suggestions please
The Honda Odyssey was an Oasis while the Oasis was built. You might look for an Odyssey. It will cost more than the Oasis, so keep looking for the Isuzu. How much are you willing to spend? That will help us narrow down the list. A Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable wagon (same car) also comes to mind.
The 1998 and earlier Honda Odyssey’s were rebadged Izuzu Oasis’s. However, I believe Izuzu is leaving the North American market so parts availability may become an issue in the near future.
Ed B.
They might not be exactly glamourous, but I’d say a 1987 to about 1996 Dodge Caravan or Plymouth Voyager with the 4-cylinder engine would fit the bill nicely. You can probably pick one up for 500 bucks or so. Maybe 1000 for a really nice one. They’re pretty reliable, really easy to work on and they get good mileage, especially if you’re lucky enough to find one with a manual transmission.
All of the Japanese car-based minivans are pretty hard to fix and you are going to pay a premium for them that, in my opinion, is not justified, especially if this is only a second vehicle for you. If you insist on Japanese, you could look for an old boxy Toyota or Mitsubishi van, which were truck-based. Those are both pretty good vans, especially the Toyota ones, but they haven’t been sold here since about 1990.
i agree with greasy jack. i have had two caravans w/a v6 engine. 225k on the first one, and 125 (so far) on the second. i do all the maintenance on mine, and have nothing but praise for them. my wife still cant figure out how to do with out a van, even though the kids have left the house. and i routinely haul sheets of plywood, bales of hay, and peat moss. (although not at the same time!)
i didnt want to get rid of the older van, but i didnt need my own van, but the better half wanted a new one.
the most expensive thing i had to do to the van was to rebuild the transmission. i attributed it to the stop and go driving the better half was doing delivering flowers for three years. so i didn’t hold it against the van! even that was 800.00 so for 12 years other than brakes that was all i had to do on that van. the current van has only needed brakes and one wheel bearing.
OTOH, Maggie could get an Isuzu Oasis repaired at a Honda Dealer, or with Honda parts at any repair shop.
Look at domestics. They are much cheaper to purchase so you will likely get one in much better condition. For example three years ago my MIL purchased a 1998 Windstar for $3500 with 50k on it. It now has 100k and had few issues since then.
thanks for all the good advice, the bottom line is not glamour it’s safty and cheapness. And I’ve heard good things before about the Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager, so am now looking for one of these. I’m in Bellingham Wa. and am watching Craigs list, as well as siccing my friend’s husband on the lookout.
as for the Isuzu Oasis, been looking for one of those for one year, seen one at a dealer for %5,000. No Thanks.
I beleive its the other way around. The Oasis is a rebadged Odyssey. The Honda Passport of the same time frame was a rebadged Izuzu Rodeo.