Here’s the latest reader question, along with my reply!
Boone asks: Do you have thoughts on buying for seven passengers in this wildly inflated used market?
My reply: If you need a seven passenger vehicle and not looking to pay a grossly inflated price, I’d suggest a minivan – the least popular kind of vehicle on the market right now. Avoid three-row crossovers/SUVs that seat seven – and not just because the prices are skyrocketing. They are much less spacious for seven than a minivan, by the nature of their design. Minivans are immensely space-efficient and the access to the interior space is not equaled by anything else. They also have lower step-in and load height, which makes getting in and out (and loading an unloading stuff) much easier.
The Chrysler Pacifica and Kia Sedona are both very nice vans; also of course the Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna.
Another possibility is a used full-size van like the Ford E series. Or the smaller Transit, which can seat seven – but be aware it’s a fairly crude little vehicle as it comes. But that ought to mean a lower buy-in cost!
. . .
Got a question about cars, Libertarian politics – or anything else? Click on the “ask Eric” link and send ’em in!
If you like what you’ve found here please consider supporting EPautos.
We depend on you to keep the wheels turning!
Our donate button is here.
If you prefer not to use PayPal, our mailing address is:
EPautos
721 Hummingbird Lane SE
Copper Hill, VA 24079
PS: Get an EPautos magnet or sticker or coaster in return for a $20 or more one-time donation or a $10 or more monthly recurring donation. (Please be sure to tell us you want a magnet or sticker or coaster – and also, provide an address, so we know where to mail the thing!)
My eBook about car buying (new and used) is also available for your favorite price – free! Click here. If that fails, email me at EPeters952@yahoo.com and I will send you a copy directly!
Eric, just put in a similar question (without reading existing questions), but do you think if used prices are inflated its not a bad time to get a new car ? And do you expect this shortage to continue, or is it a temporary (or “transitionary” in fed speak) phenomenon ? Has this sort of thing happened before in the time you’ve been covering cars?
Hi Nasir,
What’s going on now is something I’ve never seen – and is something no one has seen. The skyrocketing of used car prices has no historical precedent that I am aware of. Part of it is of course driven by inflation but I strongly suspect much of it is driven by New Car Hesitancy – about which I may write some more!