Monthly Car Lease
Minivan vs SUV
By the time my oldest child entered high school, my wife and I had really grown tired of driving a minivan around town. We had just assumed that we had outgrown Minivans. We stopped buying them after trading in the 2000 model Chevrolet Venture in 2007. … We seemed too old for it.
I believe that a great deal of us feel this way as we get into our late 30s or 40s and are no longer lugging strollers, walkers, bikes, carriers and toddler toys wherever we go. So, while the feeling is mutual, is the disdain for minivans rational from a practical standpoint? The next logical progression for a parent who has seeming outgrown minivans is of course, the SUV. While I loved the Hyundai Veracruz SUV that we leased for two years, I had a hard time justifying the extra cost of the all-wheel drive and diminished gas mileage. What I do miss, however, is the extra cargo and passenger space the Veracruz provided.
Passenger and cargo room are certainly things you get from a minivan and they are great on vacations. Now that the kids are grown, perhaps you enjoy road trips and are realizing how convenient it would be to have two automatic sliding doors for easily lifting your cooler and luggage items in and out of your vehicle? Or, perhaps you'd like to throw a bike in back and still have room for the dog? The truth of the matter is that there is pretty much nothing an SUV can do that a Minivan cannot do.
… It really amazes me how many people will pay good money for an SUV with front wheel drive only. There is definitely some psychological materialism involved in the decision to buy a vehicle that looks like an SUV, but is more expensive and less practical than a Minivan. So, with the high popularity of SUVs, you might expect to find better leasing and financing offers for them. This is not the case.
Best Minivan Deals
Minivans have gotten better. Dual sliding doors are practically standard on most models and the seats are designed in such a way they either fold down into the floor board or cleverly flat in such a way you can turn them into great cargo haulers. Also, most of them produce good power and reasonable gas mileage.
I was happy to see that Toyota, Honda, Chrysler, Mazda and Volkswagen ALL have attractive offers on their Minivan models, whether it's a Lease or a Low-Interest Loan. Chrysler, for example has 60 month 0% APR / 72 month 1.9% APR specials on the popular Town and Country. Nothing, however, beats the 2010 Volkswagen Routan which can be purchased at 0% APR, Nothing Down for up to 72 Months. That is a sensational value. The VW Routan is a actually designed by Chrysler, then modified by VW to give it a sleeker appearance and sportier, more euro-like handling on the road. I think it looks pretty cool. Who says a Mini-Van cannot be sexy?
The oddball of the bunch is probably the Mazda 5 which is really more of a compact minivan with smaller engine and seating capacity. All Minivans seat 7 or 8 passengers, but the Mazda 5 only seats 6.
I have sorted out the best lease specials and 0% or low APR finance offers and listed them below in order from 1 - 6. These ratings are based on the return in value for the monthly payment. Leasing the Toyota or Honda certainly offers the lower payment, but there is no equity at the end of the term. As we mentioned in prior Lease vs Buy Car articles, it's hard to beat a 0% or 1.9% 60/72 Month Finance Deal. So, before you make up your mind on a Minivan vs SUV, consider these 6 Special Purchase and Leasing Offers below.
Minivan Ratings
Mini Van Term Payment
1 2010 Volkswagen Routan S
72 $368.00 Buy at 0% for 72 Months (Good for all Models)
2 2010 Chrysler Town & Country
60 $422.00
Buy at 0% APR for 60 or 1.9% for 72 Months
3 2010 Honda Odyssey LX
36 $249.00
36 Month Lease with $1999 Down
4 2011 Toyota Sienna LE 8 Passenger
36 $279
36 Month Lease with $2999 Down
5 2010 Kia Sedona LX 7 Passenger
60 $455.00
Buy at 2.9% APR for 60 Months
6 2010 Mazda 5 Sport Automatic
36 $299.00
36 Month Lease with $2894 Down
