Used minivan for grad student (me)?

[pjc30943]

Good afternoon,

Perhaps you all can help me? My situation is unique, at least from what I've heard from other people, and I have so far gotten no usable advice.

I'm looking for a used minivan. I'm 23, male, a grad student, and live alone.
Minivans appeal to me because of their ability to carry bulky gear (camping, sports gear, etc), and act as a small room if needed (a covered truck comes close, but not the same). Basically, to me minivans are more versatile except for their lack of acceleration, towing / heavy carrying capacity that trucks have.

I have a silver 93 Chevy Lumina minivan right now, but it is dying away slowly. It does not have the features that I want in the next one.

In order of importance: car condition (can be any year, but should have enough life left), good gas mileage , power (acceleration, etc), and looks. It cannot be one of those curvy teddy-bear vans. For example, Mazda MPV looks good, but has bad gas mileage, and they are very expensive.

Budget is very important, but I will basically not buy a car for any price that is not sufficient. Let's say 3k tops for now:(. I know I am asking for the holy grail, but I'm willing to spend time and energy to find a lucky deal.


Can anyone please suggest a suitable minivan for this? I don't even know what to look for. In all my research, gas mileage was the downfall for all minivans. Would you suggest I look into getting another vechicle type?


Yes I know, others look at me strangely with their souped-up CRXs, etc, but the practicality of minivans to me outweighs the peculiar comments.

Thank you,
Paul

[ccc880]

What about a SUV?

[pjc30943]

Thanks for yor reply.

You are right, that is one thing I strongly considered.
The cheaper SUVs are usually pretty large, and the gas mileage is not good for all the models I've looked into. Mid-sized SUVs are a good idea, but their gas mileage just seems sub-par to other vechicles, even thought they have the power and space I'm looking for.


I'm actually also considering getting a truck with a truck top. But, I'm having a hard time finding a truck with good gas mileage (25-30 HW) and enough power and acceleration to get by on highway driving, passing, and going up hills...


Paul