Good morning! Today we’re going to look at a couple of old minivans. No, they’re not cool, but they are incredibly useful, and you’re probably not as cool as you think you are, anyway. I know I’m not. A cool car isn’t going to change that, so why not embrace practicality?
I confess I was surprised by the result of yesterday’s vote. I expected the much cheaper Mitsubishi Galant to win, but it lost by two-to-one to the Volvo 850. I guess the niceness and solidness of the Volvo was just worth it for most of you. And I must admit that I don’t think I’ve ever met a dissatisfied Volvo owner. To know those cars is to love them, it seems.
But I’m a cheapskate, and the $1,450 price difference between the two is not something I can ignore. In fact, I could probably fly to Portland, have a friend drive me to Richland, pick up the Galant, and drive it home to Michigan for less than the Volvo that’s only an hour away. That’s not nothing. And I bet the Galant would be cheaper to maintain, too.
Unless you’re specifically looking for a cheap car with a lot of seats, an old minivan is probably not something you’d think of buying. But maybe it should be. Compared to a cheap old SUV, a minivan is going to get better mileage, probably ride more smoothly, and offer more vehicle for less. And you still get the nice high seating position and big cargo capacity. What’s not to like? Oh right – being seen in a minivan. Let’s see which one of these you would deign to drive.
2005 Kia Sedona EX – $2,900
Engine/drivetrain: 3.5-liter DOHC V6, five-speed automatic, FWD
Location: Puyallup, WA
Odometer reading: 140,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
I still think it’s strange that I have had a driver’s license longer than Kia has been selling cars in this country. And based on the early Sephias and Sportages I saw, I wouldn’t have imagined it would turn into such a powerhouse manufacturer. This Sedona was built just a decade after those early models, but it’s as different from them as night and day. This thing is nice.
Kia almost went belly-up in the 1990s and was rescued by Hyundai, and it’s probably the best thing that could have happened to it. Early Kias borrowed heavily from Mazda designs, but once Hyundai came on board, the two firms joined forces and shared platforms and drivetrains. This Sedona is powered by a Hyundai V6 engine and a five-speed automatic, and from what I’ve heard, it’s a pretty good combo. It’s a one-owner van that has been well-maintained from the sounds of it, and it runs and drives great.
It looks clean inside, but the photos aren’t giving a good view of the driver’s seat, which is a little suspicious. All the other seats are shown clearly in the ad. Are they hiding something? I don’t like to think so, because the ad sounds so earnest. The seller does say that everything works, which is something.
Man, I miss two-tone vehicles. Does anybody make them anymore? I can’t think of any. I mean, they’re boring colors, but when there are two of them, they’re significantly less boring. It’s in nice shape, too. Someone really took care of this van.
2006 Dodge Caravan SE – $2,000
Engine/drivetrain: 2.4-liter DOHC inline-4, four-speed automatic, FWD
Location: Mesquite, TX
Odometer reading: 160,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
Long before Kia ever set foot in the US, Chrysler was changing the automobile market with its “garageable vans.” The Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager were overnight successes and set the template for the entire minivan market. Other formulas were tried early on, but eventually all manufacturers adopted Chrysler’s front transverse engine/front-wheel-drive layout. This is the fourth generation of Dodge Caravan, in its short-wheelbase configuration.
Early Caravans all had four-cylinder engines, but once a V6 became available, most buyers opted for it. The base engine remained a four-cylinder throughout this generation, however, and apparently Chrysler did move a few of them. This van has the same 2.4-liter four-cylinder and four-speed Ultradrive automatic as your neighbor’s PT Cruiser. It’s not a ton of power, but it probably gets a lot better mileage than the V6 versions. And there’s another big advantage to the four-cylinder, if you’re a DIYer: it’s a lot easier to work on than a transverse V6. It runs great, according to the seller, but that’s about all they say.
It’s in decent shape inside, with one exception: the headliner is falling down. Why does that happen to so many cars? Surely this is a solvable problem. I’ve tried gluing them back up; that never works. I’ve stuck them back up with thumb tacks, but I’m always worried the tacks will fall out over a bump and land in my lap while I’m driving. Anybody else got a good cheap solution? I’m all ears.
Outside, its biggest flaws seem to be some peeling clearcoat and cheap window tint that’s turning purple. Other than that, it looks clean. It’s a Texas car, so it probably hasn’t seen road salt, so rust shouldn’t be an issue. It’s a good color, too.
I’ve thought about a cheap minivan a few times. It makes sense as an only vehicle, because it can do pretty much everything. If you don’t need the extra seats, yank ’em out, and you’ve got as much space in back as a pickup with a cap on it. Or throw a mattress in the back, and you’ve got an instant ersatz camper. But unlike a big pickup or an RV, you can park it anywhere. You just have to not give a damn about what anyone else thinks of your vehicle choice. Which one of these looks like a better way to get into a minivan?
I’m not sold on a 4 banger with an auto. And also, not eager to deal with a bad headliner. Kia it is.
I went with the Caravan as it’s CHEAP.
Plus parts and service is likely to be easier and cheaper.
The Texas sun beating on the roof basically dissolves the very thin layer of foam that is between the fabric and the cardboard that it is attached to. When my Ford squire wagon did that, I pulled the headliner out and scraped all the foam off. A roll of the foam backed headliner fabric and a spray can of 3M contact glue made it all better.
I would much rather try to find parts for the Caravan than the Kia, honestly. And the rare time I do see a Sedona, the thing looks and sounds ready to fall apart. Those Caravans though? So long as rust doesn’t get to them, they don’t want to die.
Caravan!
One hundred percent taking the Caravan if this is something you’re gonna keep long term. Both of these vehicles are old now. Good luck finding a first gen Kia Sedona in your local junkyard.There’s a reason why Daimler Chrysler sold over 3 million vans of this generation, while Kia sold… maybe 50,000? Even in 2026,take your Caravan to AutoZone and they’ve got almost anything you need.
I think folks have forgotten how good the 3rd generation Chrysler minivans really are. Yes, the 2.4 is slow, noisy, and barely gets better mileage than the V6, but they’re very hard to kill. I bet someone could scoop this up for $1,800 and have a perfect knock-around vehicle for trips to the dog park or Home Depot, while not having to give two s**ts about what happens to the car. They’re even still fairly safe vehicles, by modern standards.
The siren bzzz-tick of the Ultradrive calls to me.
In all seriousness, the sheer ubiquity of mid-2000s Chrysler vans makes parts finding easier versus a van that sold 1/5th the volume. The $900 you save is icing on the cake and likely will go to repair/maintenance regardless of your choice.
The 3.3L pushrod V6 was a much better option versus the underpowered four, even if it means serviceability was compromised. It’s not like the V6 really had problems that required tons of fixing, but the four is fine…I suppose.
Since the ad’s gone now, I presume somebody got a decent deal.