As much as I try to avoid "make-a-choice-for-me" threads, I find myself in need of some input. Since my partner and I have both found more favorable working schedules, we're finding ourselves with more time to do the things we like to do--namely camping, traveling, and road tripping. Early this summer we took a road trip (20 days) through the southwest visiting national parks and generally enjoying the vibe. This was all done in my DD, a 180,000 mile '04 Highlander which did phenomenally well and didn't miss a beat (admittedly, I was nervous about taking a 20 year old trucklette with nearly 200k on the clock on a 8k mile road trip, but hey...it worked). However, we found that setting up camp every night and breaking it down a night or two later became tiresome fast. This led to us having discussions about what our next road trip vehicle should be. My thoughts skew minivan, hers full size SUV. Our family size is just me, her, and our 35 pound pitbull mix.
My vague requirements are as follows:
* Relatively spacious and reconfigurable (i.e. the back could be used for storage or sleeping)
* Ability to tow a small landscaping-type trailer with maybe 500lbs of gear on it
* Decent gas mileage (I don't need 50+, but I'd like to avoid 8)
* A comfortable, controlled ride for long 11+ hour days on the road
* Purchase price <10k (but, really, as cheap as possible while still remaining reliable and not turning into a project)
Initial thoughts:
2011+ Grand Caravan. I'm not a fan of Chrysler products overall, but I hear pretty good things about the last iteration of the GC. I rented a '21 Wrangler last August to do some four-wheeling through the northwest and found the Pentastar mated to the Torque-flight a nice combo. Not sure how this translates into front-wheel drive minivan world.
*Pros: THE quintessential minivan, stow and go seating, infinitely reconfigurable
*Cons: It's a Chrysler, the interior seems cheap and dated, not sure about long-term road manners.
3rd ('05+) or 4th ('11+) generation Odyssey. I've driven Hondas for years and generally like them. I hear the Odyssey is a different beast, though with so-so reliability and potential for transmission problems (but fixed in '07/'08 with the Ridgeline transmission).
*Pros: It's a Honda, ride quality is probably better than the GC, interior is a decent place to spend time, there's literally dozens of them for sale at any given time
*Cons: Potential transmission problems, engine bay is cramped and hard to work in
2nd ('03+) or 3rd ('10+) Sienna. This has more or less the same engine and drivetrain configuration as contemporary Camrys or Highlanders. However, they seem to suffer the most from the Toyota tax making them the most expensive compared to the two contestants listed above.
*Pros: Basically a Camry with a boxy body, available with AWD, decent--if spartan--interior
*Cons: Toyota tax
Full size SUV contestants are likely any of the GMT 800s or 1st gen Seqouias which I've a decent amount of experience with and find them perfectly acceptable.