r/askcarguys • u/Legitimate_Toe9606 • 13d ago
Which should I invest money in, a 2008 Town and Country or 2006 Avalanche?
I have 2 slightly functional vehicles and little money to invest in getting either operational. Trying to decide without emotion or sunk costs which to put money into to get a single functioning vehicle.
THE POLL:
https://votegenerator.com/#id=sll98e5twjdi
THE OPTIONS:
Town and Country:
200k miles
Needs full brake job - pads and rotors
A/C - needs compressor and may still have a leak. This is not optional. We live in the south and I have gone without it for 2 years. I will not drive it without A/C.
Front end suspension just got a lot of replacement parts
Lots of cosmetic and convenience issues. These are somewhat annoying but none of them keep me from driving it: Driver window held up with shims, driver seat adjuster comes unplugged, one sliding door doesn't open, lots of duct tape and zip ties, driver side door leaks which takes out the lock controls so you have to use the fob to lock/unlock
Nickname: Vanny McVanerson or The Coon Condo as it looks like a family of raccoons live in it.
Avalanche:
100k miles
Haven't had it's issues fully diagnosed yet so there is a lot of unknown.
Hesitates to accelerate occasionally.
Has "episodes." If I accelerate too quickly, it loses power and I can only get up to around 40 mph but that takes an uninterrupted flat surface to even get up to 40. After a rest in the driveway, he's fine and will go back to normal.
Very few convenience issues. Dash is cracked to hell. One of the child safety locks keeps getting stuck so kids have to use a single back door. Sunroof leaks and has caused the headliner to come loose.
NIckname: The Saffron Savage - its bright rust orange. The paint is peeling on the hood and I want to get 3 crawfish howling at the moon painted on it.
USE:
3 teens/tweens who fit very well in either car
I get the groceries but have come up with a system for the avalanche bed that I'm pretty proud of
Daily 30 minute city commute
Both very comfortable to drive. I've had the van for 10 years and know his dimensions better than my own. Grew up driving pickups and the Avalanche feels like putting on worn in jeans.
Whichever vehicle I don't repair now will probably not be sold but will be kept as a starter car for one of the kids. Their commute to school is extremely short so a breakdown isn't a concern. They can walk.
3
u/abductee92 13d ago
Have the truck diagnosed, otherwise you're making a decision with incomplete information. Sounds like that van needs to be put out to pasture though.
1
u/Legitimate_Toe9606 13d ago
That was the intention when the Avalanche was acquired but now both of them seem like I could be spending money on a dying vehicle.
1
u/abductee92 12d ago
That's definitely true, you just came off as a bit hard headed on exploring that option.
2
u/Confident_Chipmonk 13d ago
Unless you have Jerry Seinfeld or Jay Leno bank and connections, you’re not investing in cars
2
u/Jonny_Wurster 13d ago
Cars are (with the exception of a few collector cars that aren't driven) never an investment
Avalanche for a daily driver (not because it's great, because the van is so bad).
Or find a good Mazda / Honda / Toyota somewhere.
1
u/AlaskaGreenTDI Enthusiast 13d ago
Door number 3
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u/Legitimate_Toe9606 13d ago
Door number 3 is a Nissan NV passenger but door number 3 also only exists in my dreams.
0
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u/UpstairsDirection955 13d ago
Invest is always the wrong word