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Right now we drive a 2000 Ford Windstar that I hate and have always hated but we needed a minivan because we have 4 DDs, 2 of which had to be in carseats. The van will be paid for in December. Problem is with gas once again at $3 a gallon it's gonna cost a minimum of $140 a month in gas to drive most likely more because of all the dr appointments and things the girls do during the summer. DH is talking about getting another cheap car to drive around and just parking the van in the garage and only using it when we all go some where together. Which is maybe 2 or 3 times a month. Do I want another small payment on a older car plus another car to insure?
My other option is to sell the van and get a newer car. We found a 2007 Ford Tauras prgram car with 25,000 miles on it for $12000. If needed all 6 of us would fit in it. Payments would most likely be cheaper than what we are paying for the van right now plus gas would be about half of what we pay. Also if I sell the van out right we could probably make $1000 to $1500 on it to be put towards the loan. Not that I'm thrilled to drive a Tauras but there not alot of options out there to seat 6. Or I could find a 5 seater and when we needed to all go somewhere we would have to take two vehicles.
What do you think we should do? I'm just at such a loss at the moment and I need some good words of advice.
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Before you had to pay on the van AND pay for gas. Come December all you will have to pay for is gas. So you want to buy a different car and have a car payment to save a few dollars on gas? Unless you can find a better car for a payment of less than what you'd be saving in gas, I'd drive the van until it just wouldn't go anymore. Keeping the van will save you a lot of money in the long run.
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To me it doesn't sound like selling the van is a great option. Would you really be saving money? Granted you would be paying less in gas, maybe, but you would be also tying yourself into a car payment that you'll have to make for a while. If you would be happy with a different car and it would be worth starting over with a loan that's fine. But it doesn't sound like you'd be happy with the Taurus.
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Can you fit 6 passengers in the Taurus all with their own seatbelt and children riding in the back? Or 1 would have to ride in the front (not the safest place for a kid) I would think even in that scenario it would still not be the most comfortable ride, for anyone.
I personally would not do it. I would rather have a comfortable ride and just try and cut back on my driving around to conserve gas.
If money is the main worry here then I would definitely nix DH idea of a second car...Sure that second car would be less money is gas...but where are you saving any money? You're not..you're adding an expense of another car (purchasing, maintaining, insuring) and you're buying gas for it that you wouldn't have bought if you didn't own it, KWIM?
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I agree with all the others, I think that you should just keep the van cause you will cut that payment off your expense list and that would more than make up for the gas money you spend.
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I agree! Keep the van!! When your done paying it, you wll ONLY have the gas bill, which is probably a quarter of what the van payment is. I love my Windstar, but I don't like the gas bill either. I've gotten so, I walk everywhere now with the kids so I don't use up the gas thats in the van for a quick trip downtown.
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I agree too! The van is a keeper! Spending the extra bucks on gas is nothing when you don't have the van payment anymore! I would love to trade my TAURIS in for a minivan - want to trade Just kidding, mind is getting up their in age and I have decided to drive it until it dies - no car payment for that one. They are super comfortable cars and I haven't had many issues, but I don't think it would work very comfortably with 6 people. The person in the front in the middle needs a 8 inch wide butt to fit! But it does work and I have been that butt in the middle before - although much larger than the capacity of the middle seat! Good luck with whatever you decide. I know how tempting those new cars can be. I want to save for a bigger house rather than pay a van payment right now.