Welp, going to be in the market again.
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Tackled the Pacifica’s oil cooler yesterday. All went well and i tackled some other things while it was apart.
Well, almost all went well. Other than the oil being dark chocolate milk when I pulled the plug….. and the rear head being coked inside..So it seems the notorious head gasket is striking. Not a job I’m tackling, nor can I afford to pay someone else, so it’s time for it to go.
This of course means replacement.
Want 7 passenger comfortably, but would maybe settle on a roomy 5.
Going to try something non mopar, but sienna and odyssey are out.
Minivan or wagon are my first choices. Sedona or Outback 3.6R are on the shortlist right now, but I’m open to suggestions as well.2019 Chrysler Pacifica S.
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@CoolMinivan-Nobody Just buy a Chebby Express Passenger and be done with it.
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I'm sorry to hear about that. Is it possible some of the oil and coolant mixed from the cooler failure? From what I heard, most head or head gasket issues were the early Pentastar V6s. Mine was either fine or already changed under extended warranty before I got it.
If you decide to go forward with the change, I highly, highly recommend the final gen USDM Nissan Quest. Ours has been bulletproof. Yes, we maintain it, but it's our primary family vehicle and we USE it. If you can find one with lower miles and a good service history, and there's no other red flags, I would recommend it in a heartbeat. The CVT on ours is holding up fine, but there's nothing wrong with changing the fluid every other oil change, it's easy to do. At this time, it's without a doubt the best minivan value on the market that meets your criteria.
60% of the time, my Jeep runs every time.
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@CoolMinivan-Nobody you are so so so pro-mopar I think you should go with something mopar-adjacent. Maybe Daimler-Chrysler era. Obvious choice is obvious. Gotta be an R-class!
2022 Defender
2023 Ducati Desert X -
@AMGtech I only seem pro mopar because they’re the only ones who make things I like driving. If the sienna and odyssey didn’t drive like hot garbage, I’d consider one.
2019 Chrysler Pacifica S.
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@Man-With-A-Reliable-Jeep something about the Pacifica and voyager, they’re notorious for hg failures. It seems to be all of them. The other gen 2/3 vehicles don’t share the issue.
I’ll scope the quest, but man they’re ugly..,
2019 Chrysler Pacifica S.
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*has head gasket trouble*
*shortlists a Subaru*Just kidding of course. I am a Subaru fanboi so… do it!
I’m a thousand miles from nowhere, time don’t matter to me
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@beefchips said in Welp, going to be in the market again.:
*has head gasket trouble*
*shortlists a Subaru*Just kidding of course. I am a Subaru fanboi so… do it!
I mean, na Subaru tends to be fine.
2019 Chrysler Pacifica S.
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@CoolMinivan-Nobody with Honda and Toyota out, that really only leaves the Mazda5 for JDM. Not very roomy though.
Does it make sense to get something smaller and rent something larger as needed?
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@CoolMinivan-Nobody said in Welp, going to be in the market again.:
If the sienna and odyssey didn’t drive like hot garbage, I’d consider one.
Yes, but you prioritized alleged driving dynamics and chose a vehicle that was "notorious" for this particular failure anyway. Perhaps it's time to reevaluate what you want out of a vehicle.
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@CoolMinivan-Nobody The Traverse and its GM siblings are some of the best non-minivan minivans out there. Maybe look for a lightly used previous gen?
Also: Sedona. I've test driven one, I like them, and you can easily find one with a shit ton of warranty left.
The person reading this is a doo-doo head
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@CoolMinivan-Nobody yes and the outback is a genuinely great car. Uber practical plus just enough ruggedness to handle 99% of situations.
I’m a thousand miles from nowhere, time don’t matter to me
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@CoolMinivan-Nobody said in Welp, going to be in the market again.:
@Man-With-A-Reliable-Jeep something about the Pacifica and voyager, they’re notorious for hg failures. It seems to be all of them. The other gen 2/3 vehicles don’t share the issue.
I’ll scope the quest, but man they’re ugly..,
I can't dispute your last point... actually, I don't mind the side profile. It's the front end that's not great. If you can get past that, they're good and cheap.
Otherwise, there's the...checks notes...Kia Carnival? (AKA Sedona) Other oddball suggestion is the Transit Connect passenger van, but it's a Ford and I'm not particularly confident about their products.
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@CoolMinivan-Nobody NA Subarus are the ones that blow the head gaskets. Every NA EJ will need them around 120k miles, FB engines are known for oil consumption and I think bearing issues, the 6-cylinders are better, I think, but I’m minimally familiar. Turbo Subarus are generally more robust and don’t blow their headgaskets, because they’re not an open deck, iirc. Instead, they suffer from bad owners, specifically the many that turn up the boost.
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@Dr-Zoidberg said in Welp, going to be in the market again.:
@CoolMinivan-Nobody said in Welp, going to be in the market again.:
If the sienna and odyssey didn’t drive like hot garbage, I’d consider one.
Yes, but you prioritized alleged driving dynamics and chose a vehicle that was "notorious" for this particular failure anyway. Perhaps it's time to reevaluate what you want out of a vehicle.
Regardless, I won’t buy a vehicle I don’t enjoy driving, period. I’m not going to hate everyday behind the wheel and pay for it. No reason something can’t be both reliable and enjoyable.
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@EssExTee traverse and acadia are notorious for driveline issues.
2019 Chrysler Pacifica S.
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@DasWauto said in Welp, going to be in the market again.:
@CoolMinivan-Nobody NA Subarus are the ones that blow the head gaskets. Every NA EJ will need them around 120k miles, FB engines are known for oil consumption and I think bearing issues, the 6-cylinders are better, I think, but I’m minimally familiar. Turbo Subarus are generally more robust and don’t blow their headgaskets, because they’re not an open deck, iirc. Instead, they suffer from bad owners, specifically the many that turn up the boost.
I never had a problem with head gaskets, but my leased 2013 Outback NA burned enough oil to trip the light from full over 190 miles of highway driving.
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@CoolMinivan-Nobody NA EJ series 2.5L engines were the ones with the problem. The FB series engines don’t have the issue, and the 6 cylinders never did.
The EZ36 in the 3.6R is a robust engine. Not as powerful as some other 6 cylinders, but torquey down low. The only big drawback with the EZ36 is the water pump is timing chain driven if you ever need to replace it.
2010-2014 with the 5 speed auto are better performing then the 2015-2019 with the CVT, but the CVT isn’t bad. Go for the newest model year you can as Subaru was continuously improving the CVT between model years, and any documented maintenance is a big plus.
My dad has owned his 2012 3.6R since new and has been very happy with it.
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@CoolMinivan-Nobody Your shortlist consist of two brands that have well documented (and common) engine issues, but driveline problems in a Chevy are a dealbreaker? With any manufacturer these days it seems you just gotta roll the dice and hope you get a good one.
The person reading this is a doo-doo head
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@CoolMinivan-Nobody Honda pilot.
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@DasWauto Spot-on with NA 2.5L EJs and head gaskets. It should be said that the biggest cause was not using the more expensive MLS gaskets that the turbo engines got. The FB oil consumption issue was resolved in 2015, but it was a big problem in the early engines. I’m not familiar with widespread bearing issues.
The EZ 6 cylinders are probably some of Subaru’s best engines.
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@EssExTee experience with both the gm offerings. Bout 60k and they need transmissions due to and internal solenoid that fails.
Both the 2017+ Sedona and the 3.6 powered outback’s are notoriously solid vehicles.
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Try head gasket sealer first! Bars Leaks HG-1 is good stuff that I can vouch for. I've heard good stuff about Blue Devil Pour-N-Go too. You have nothing to lose. Worse case scenario is that it buys you more time to look for a car.
If you catch it early, the sealer will not be a problem, especially if it hasn't overheated yet.
inb4 you have a bad head gasket and considering a Subaru
yeah I know the H6 doesn't do it as much, but still
If not the transmission, then the head gasket, right?
Mazda5, Kia Rondo, or maybe a Chevy Orlando if you want to import from Canada. Autopian did an article on them, and they are legal to import here
What is your budget? Maybe you'd like a Transit Connect. What's wrong with the Sienna? Toyota makes the best cars. I can understand why you don't want the Ody, since they have transmission problems.
Don't forget about the Nissan Quest from 2011-2016 ish.
Maybe the E-Class wagon with the third seat might work for you. If the third seat isn't required, there's the TourX and Prius V.
The 4-cylinder Journey is as simple as a new car can get that seats 5-7. There's also the Outlander PHEV, if gas mileage is a concern.
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@dogisbadob the sienna drives terribly and is sooooo loud on the road.
Transit connect is on the list as well as I really enjoy them and the 2016+ is supposed to be damn reliable.2019 Chrysler Pacifica S.
