Minivan or Aston Martin for $45,000? Why Not Both?

"LongbowMkII" (longbowmkii) 05/05/2016 at 09:44 • Filed to: None

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Instead of burying my response deep in the day old recesses of a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! I decided to share it with you lucky people!

Minivan Budget- $15,000

You can find any number of ~5 year old, ~100k mile fully loaded minivans for $15,000. If you hated yourself you could probably drop that 15k on a Dodge dealership desk and walk out with a brand new Journey. Personally, I’d stick with a 2010 Sienna XLE. Take advantage of that epic deprecation only surpassed by English sports cars. Speaking of which....

Aston Budget- $30,000

Again, you have your pick of the prettier DB7s at this price point, maybe even a manual!

This is what $45,000 garages for a family of 5 are made of, well as long as you already have a reliable fall back option. Just save a few thousand for a Miata DD.

Ash78, voting early and often > LongbowMkII 05/05/2016 at 09:47

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One problem with used minivans is that they are the very definition of “Rode Hard, Put up Wet.” I’m firmly in the middle of the minivan demographic, and after nearly a year of random searching, we bought new. Simply because we didn’t want to inherit 5 years of festering vomit hiding in the carpet, along with questionable maintenance practices. Our first purchase was a 4-y-o Odyssey from Carmax — after taking it upon ourselves to pay for an independent inspection, there was a ton wrong with it (even though the interior was immaculate). If there is any class of vehicle that I would advocate buying new, it’s minivans. They are never owned by enthusiasts, and are rarely owned by people with the motivation or wallet to stay ahead of everything. (no offense intended to anyone buying them used. Kudos! We were just not fortunate enough to find any in good shape with under 100k miles for a reasonable price.) I’m now daydreaming about how to find a 2008 VR6 Passat wagon...because AWD, 280hp, cheap, practical, and fun. Dat sound.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > LongbowMkII 05/05/2016 at 09:49

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Replace minivan with swapped/refreshed Roadmaster. All the functionality. None of the minivan.

Honeybunchesofgoats > LongbowMkII 05/05/2016 at 09:51

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Based on looks alone, I’d take a DB7 over a DB9.

That ass.

Someday after I’ve wasted enough money on planned purchases of a XK8, XK, and XJS, I hope to have the privilege to burn my future childrens’ college funds on maintaining a DB7.

Tripper > LongbowMkII 05/05/2016 at 09:54

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According to autotrader, below is the only Aston available in the US for under $30k. Actually there is one more but it’s wrecked.

Link

I did find a winner on the minivan side though

Link

LongbowMkII > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 05/05/2016 at 09:54

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None of the safety. I could just sell the Murano and use the Impala as the family hauler but the thought of getting T boned in a chassis developed during the Gerald Ford administration with my kids in the car is a non starter.

/debbiedowner

LongbowMkII > Honeybunchesofgoats 05/05/2016 at 10:00

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The XK8 is my planned English GT appetizer before the DB7. Both are pretty, but I’m certain they’re going to appreciate before I can rationalize spending ~$7k on a weekend car with no safe garage.

LongbowMkII > Tripper 05/05/2016 at 10:02

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eBay has had plenty sub 30k over the last few years. I hope the train hasn’t left the station... I haven’t won the lottery yet!

Ash78, voting early and often > LongbowMkII 05/05/2016 at 10:19

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So much this. I love some Caprice/Roadmaster, but it's more for the unicorn aspect. I would never drive one daily in traffic or take my family on long trips in it.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > LongbowMkII 05/05/2016 at 10:35

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The thought of being t-boned in a massive tank that’s body-on-frame doesn’t make you feel secure knowing that the other guy’s going to be the one who’s fucked up? Can always reinforce the frame anyway.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Ash78, voting early and often 05/05/2016 at 10:35

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It’s a tank! Same thoughts on the Panther? It’s the same idea. One was just made as a wagon more recently.

Tripper > LongbowMkII 05/05/2016 at 10:36

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Couldn’t find any on ebay just now...Auctions maybe, but you can’t count them.

Honeybunchesofgoats > LongbowMkII 05/05/2016 at 10:38

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That’s my fear with the XK8 too. Not to mention that it’s impossible to find clear late production models under $10k.

I’ll probably jump on one sooner rather than later. I already DD an XJ8, so I already know the horrors that await.

Ash78, voting early and often > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 05/05/2016 at 10:40

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It’s a tank, sure, but I would still take just about any modern vehicle half its size in an accident. Advancements in crumple zones and airbags count for a lot.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Ash78, voting early and often 05/05/2016 at 10:45

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They do. So does mass. If you hit the smaller modern car, it’s not only going to absorb some of the impact through the crumple zone, but by the inertia of the vehicle. Unless you hit something super solid, it seems like the impacts will be generally over a longer pweriod than in a smaller vehicle negating the need for them. Granted, this only works because relative size. If everyone had these bricks bouncing off of each other it would be a different story and you’re fucked no matter what if you hit a truck. If you have 5000 lbs of mass colliding with 3000 lbs of mass, you have 1/2 X 2000 lbs X the speed difference in kinetic energy that’s being absorbed by the other car.

LongbowMkII > Honeybunchesofgoats 05/05/2016 at 10:47

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There’s still the one that mocks me. http://oppositelock.kinja.com/nponp-17711716…

Ash78, voting early and often > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 05/05/2016 at 10:48

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Very true, I won't dispute the mass thing. But if you think about accident avoidance, as well as the fact that most collisions are glancing blows of some kind, I still give the nod to newer cars. I'd still gladly grab a Roadmaster Wagon as a third car, I'm just saying I wouldn't rely on it as primary daily transportation for the family. I would, however, take it over just about anything else from the mid-90s from a safety perspective. The mass of an SUV with the low Cg of a car. Nice combo.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Ash78, voting early and often 05/05/2016 at 10:55

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Yeah, I’m seriously thinking about buying one. It seems to have everything I want or be the perfect compromise for me. I don’t like modern car technology (give me cruise control, a stereo, and air conditioning and I’m happy), I don’t like trucks, I often have to move a literal ton of sensitive sound equipment around so having a closed air conditioned cabin is essential, and I’d really like to stop driving my race car to the track in hopes it will survive and get me home. The Roadmaster does all of that. I can put all of my shit in it, it’s comfortable and eats up miles, it will tow 7500 lbs, it’s all generic GM SBC stuff so can be fixed and modified easily without effort (oh, and the engine bay’s massive), and with a new engine and manual swap will be as reliable as anything else on the road while being a wicked fast sleeper. All of the advantages of a truck or minivan with none of the drawbacks. I’m still under 30 and don’t have family, so I’m invincible, but personally I think safety belts are and continue to be the most important and underutilized safety device.

Honeybunchesofgoats > LongbowMkII 05/05/2016 at 11:06

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For what it’s worth, I wouldn’t touch a first year XK8 with a ten foot pole.

It’s basically the same car as my XJ8, which means you’re looking at:

Possible Nikasil lined engine (up until 01 MY, I think) aka “you’re screwed.”

Replacing tensioners, coolant reservoir, water pump, and thermostat. (Guess which of these is plastic. Yup, all of them). And a new throttle body.

Oh, and the transmission might kill itself without warning.

Basically, unless the car comes with complete maintenance records or the seller is willing to price the mandatory repairs into the car (I managed to swing that on the tensioners, roughly $1400), you’re so much better off going with 2003-2006 MY.