I have been a minivan owner for an embarrassing number of years. I flat out love how practical they are. I drove a Dodge Caravan for many years, and it really never had too many issues until it hit about 160k. Went from that to a 2012 Toyota Sienna. The Sienna was far more luxurious, had more room, and even got better gas mileage (about 2 mpg better). After 2 years of ownership, the Sienna started getting electrical Gremlins. I was past the warranty from a mileage perspective, so any diagnostics/costs add up quick when dealing with electrical. Both of the power sliding doors would open and close when they felt like it (never while driving thank god). Most of the time during extreme cold, they wouldn't work at all. The dealership quoted me $5k for computer replacement that would fix the door issue.

I took that van straight to a Dodge Dealership, and traded it in on a brand new Dodge Caravan with almost all the options. For me, it's Dodge or nothing when it comes to minivans. I believe they are still the only ones that hold the patent for full stow and go (front and rear passenger). It doesn't sound like much, but after not having the fronts stow down in the Toyota (had to remove them), I could never go back to another minivan that didn't have full stow and go.

We drove the Honda quite a bit when choosing between the Toyota and the Honda, but from a ride comfort perspective, the Toyota just felt more comfortable to my wife and myself.

It will disappear after about 200-300 miles. My Caravan and my Dart were the same way. The dealer told me it was some sort of coating that was on the exhaust manifolds. I bought my Caravan 6 months before the Pacifica was released. If the Pacifica was an option at the time, I would be driving one today. Very nice vehicles. I don't normally suggest extended warranties on vehicles, but I would highly suggest extending the Chrysler bumper to bumper to 100k. Mine only set me back about $1500 to add it on at purchase, and I had to use it once on my Dart (but not my Caravan). $100 deductible is all you pay when you take it in. With the advanced factory diagnostics needed today, the costs of repairs adds up quickly.

Also, that is a nice price for the Toyota. My 2012 Sienna was $48,500 at the time.... Good to see they have come down some.

Ziegler is a factory backed warranty instead of a dealer specific. My dealer sold me the ziegler warranty... http://www.chryslerfactoryplans.com

Check out ewald chrysler in Oconomowoc for comparison shopping. I found them to be a bit cheaper then milwaukee or madison, but I bought two brand new vehicles at the same time.

I also don't care about resale because we will have the vehicles 10 years or so.

Also, on the warranty pricing, check to see if the deductible is included or not. The higher cost plans are usually zero deductible.

Doesnt make a difference at all. That dealer is part of an autogroup, where they carry a large variety of vehicles. You still get full factory warranty, and you can still get extended warranty too.

The most important thing (after the sale) is finding a local dealer that has an excellent service department. Anyone can sell a new car, but not all service departments are created equally.

I drove a Malibu for a weekend with that tech. The first day it bothered me, after that I didnt really even notice it.

I love Nissans... One of the few vehicles that has/had the options for manual transmissions and roll down windows. They are super reliable too. I think the problem with Nissans is that once you start loading them up with options to make them comparable to their competition, they end up being more expensive than their competition.

Also, I believe the Quest has been discontinued.

Is it though? Maybe 20 years ago, but manufacturers can't afford to make mistakes anymore.....

There isnt a single manufacturer today I would be nervous about buying a new car and not getting 100k miles fairly problem free out of.... Only two that would give me some pause would be Subaru (gaskets) and VW (electrical)....

It sounds like your experience with Toyota is very similar to mine, and a lot of people I know. Major problems? No, not really... Inexpensive problems? No not really.... I feel like anything over $300 is an above average cost for a low mileage vehicle. I get replacing brakes, tires, etc.... I don't understand spending $800 on a PCV valve (guessing that is what you had replaced) because of $775 of labor to take the top half of the engine off to get to it.

I am sort of surprised you are still considering a Sienna given your recent track history with them.

Edit... the o2 sensor set me back $700... I replaced the PCV myself....

Looking at the dimensions, they are almost identical to the Caravan... I have done 3 Dmds in my Caravan. Two pins and a Dolly should be no problem.

Why didnt you say that from the beginning? Hold out for the 707hp Hellcat Pacifica....

https://www.topspeed.com/cars/chrysler/2017-chrysler-pacifica-hellcat-ar172693.html

I'm not gonna lie... If that thing came out and was 50k, Im all in... lol

It started at the end of 2017. It is standard on all Pacificas now. It improves city mpg by about 1mpg. It can be disabled with a button, but resets every time car is restarted.

I would look at reviews of the local dealers in your area and see who rises to the top for service. Like I said before, these days it's almost impossible to buy a brand new lemon. No matter what you choose, tou want to make sure the service you get is top notch and experienced.

I would agree with this up until I got the touch interface UConnect/ with Navigation in my Caravan, and Dart. It works REALLY well. With the additional touch controls on the wheel, it is really slick.... Press button, say what you want, have vehicle do it for you. No more reaching around (that's what she said) to get something to work.

Both of them will. Don't quote me on this, but I am 95% sure you don't get stow and go on the hybrid Pacifica because of the battery placement under the van.

The Quest was discontinued a few years ago.

It can if you get creative. It is essentially the same internal size as a Dodge Caravan. I can confirm I have had two WPC widebodies and one WPC standard in at the same time.