Renault Master

Economies all over the world are suffering and people are looking to liquidate or down size or just get rid of anything they can to save a dollar or two. That means great deals are out there on any new or used car or van. If you are in the market for a minivan for either business or personal use there are three that you should definitely check into, OK well maybe two and one you should steer clear of. The Dodge Caravan, Honda Odyssey, and Volkswagen EuroVan all have unique qaulities and features to fit your individual needs.

The Dodge Caravan Shop Manual was first introduced in 1983 since then it has gone through many changes both inside and out and as of 2009 it was renamed the Grand Caravan. It has stuck to its roots though, as a family van that Mom can feel comfortable driving and the family is safe in. It has a long-standing record for taking safety as a major concern when designing no matter which model year you are looking into. Notably the 2009 year received five stars for safety by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the driver front impact, the passenger front impact, the front side impact, and the rear side impact. It fell one star short of a perfect score in the rollover test scoring four out of five stars. The SXT offers a Blind Spot Monitoring system and Rear Cross Path safety system as standard equipment. The base invoice price for 2009 Grand Caravan SE is twenty two thousand dollars and for SXT twenty six thousand dollars.

The Honda Odyssey Chiltons Repair Manual was first introduced in 1995 as Japans answer Detroit’s iron grip on the minivan market. Since then it has carved out a space for itself in the market as safe, reliable, powerful, and easy to handle minivan that anyone can drive. The 2009 has added some really handy features a power lift gate, optional hands free navigation system, and a Variable Cylinder Management computer overdrive that disengages two or three cylinders when not needed. This allows the vehicle to give you maximum gas mileage, the Odyssey gets 17 mpg city and 25 mpg highway making it one of the more fuel economy mini vans available in today’s market. The Honda Odyssey base invoice price is twenty four thousand dollars for the lower end LX and thirty eight thousand dollars for the high end Touring.

The Volkswagen EuroVan Shop Manual was introduced for one year in 1993 and then discontinued. The major complaint for that year was not enough power, guess the Germans didn’t think that a 7 passenger van needed more than a 2.5L 109 hp to get up and around there own Alps. When reintroduced in 1999 it came with a slightly more powerful 2.8L 140 hp V6 from the Jetta and GTI. This gives it enough power to get up and around the mountains with a light load or no load at all. The EuroVan is priced at a hefty nine thousand dollars even for the 1999 model. Guess having that Volkswagen logo helps it hold its value. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) currently has no safety data available. One shining star for the EuroVan is its reliability scoring nine out of ten stars for minimal problems.

No matter what minivan you decide is rite for you. Remember as a good tip to bring along a mechanic or trusted friend and automotive repair manual to inspect the car’s engine and underside, and if buying new from the dealer you should be shooting for the base invoice price.

Tags: Dodge Caravan, Grand Caravan, Honda Odyssey, Minivan, Volkswagen EuroVan, VW