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Dear Jack:

We have a 1990 4-door liftback Toyota Corolla. It has 277,000kms on the clock - We have the warrant of fitness done every 6 months and look after our "little red girl" quite well. The car runs fine - is a bit slow, not much guts - but good for town driving.

The problem I have is that my husband wants to eventually buy a van to replace our little red car - in the off chance that family or friends may come to visit from overseas - then we will have the room to transport.

I feel that it would be cheaper to rent. I think most vans, on the whole, would only seat 7 anyway - so you would still need a 2nd vehicle......(there would be suitcases etc too)......It would still be cheaper to rent 2 vehicles - over one month period maximum than it would to buy one van.

In the long term too - It would be wiser to replace the Toyota with a small run-about.

What is your opinion?

Sincerely,
Marianne

I think you make a lot of sense. Why buy a vehicle which may travel most of its life in your ownership under utilised.

The other point I would mention is safety. If you rent a people mover type vehicle from a reputable rental company, you will be travelling on open roads in reasonable safety. If you were to buy a van on a limited budget you may be putting the occupants at unnecessary risk.

Comfort levels as well need to considered when moving people reasonable distances.