Need to get a minivan, but can't decide which car to get rid of to make room...help!

[mintchoco]

We're looking at getting a mini-van as we'll need one for when we have two kids.

We currently have the following:
- 1997 Acura 1.6EL
- 2010 Subaru Forester (lease, 2 years remaining)

Which vehicle would you get rid of to make room for the mini-van? The 1.6EL has new tires and auto-starter put in recently and is still very driveable, although I predict it might meet it's doom within 3-5 years and we'll have to get a new vehicle. If lucky, I think we can sell it for $2k as it is in mint condition. The Forester I love and will last a long time, but I guess it's a gas guzzler to have an SUV and minivan if the SUV will only end up being used for commuting to work. Also, two lease payments will be expensive to keep up with. A mini-van is needed as we will need to drive grandparents around.

For those who have kids, if you have a minivan, what is your 'other' vehicle? Is it helpful to have an SUV as the 'other' vehicle vs. a sedan?

Which vehicle would you keep? :cry:

[Voltex]

Why do you have to have a minivan? How many kids do you have?

EDIT: Fail, I didn't see you mentioned 2 kids. Well, I'm suit's only 2 kids, I really don't see why you HAVE to have a minivan.

[Rehan]

For those who have kids, if you have a minivan, what is your 'other' vehicle? Is it helpful to have an SUV as the 'other' vehicle vs. a sedan? I bought a 2010 Odyssey (4 kids, so we need a van), then realized that 90% of our driving is with just 1-4 people in the vehicle. So then I got a 2012 Civic, which has basically cut my fuel costs in half ($2000+/year savings).

The minivan still gets used when there are 5-6 of us heading somewhere, or when I have to haul stuff back from Home Depot. But otherwise, the Civic gets the bulk of usage and it has been more than adequate for us.

I don't see why you would need the utility of a sport utility vehicle when you already have a minivan.

Edit: But one important factor in why I chose a new sedan instead of an older used car was safety. The minivan has lots of safety features (traction control, stability control, curtain air bags, etc.)...and while my main reason for buying the Civic was to lower fuel costs (and have the convenience of a 2nd car), I was not willing to significantly sacrifice safety. I'd much rather pay a few extra bucks than to kick myself after an injury-causing accident happened just because I was being cheap. I know other people may not consider that a big factor, but it was for me. So in your case, the newer Subaru has much better safety features than the older Acura, so that may be a reason to go with the Subaru even though it uses more gas.

[IamToronto]

1.6 el = cheap on everything but also SLOWWWWWWWWWWW
forester = little more to maintain but worth it

except, whats the use of a big forester when you have a van

id say sell them both, get a van and a nice car

[DJ_Peanuts22]

You won't get much for the EL since it's old.

Get rid of the Forester.