What’s the Best Used Three-Row Vehicle for Someone Who Wants Reliability But Isn’t Totally Dead Inside?
As much as we hate to admit it, our lives are often defined by those specific situations that push everything to the limit. Take electric vehicles, for instance. Range anxiety keeps many buyers away, even though the daily commute for the average American is only around 40 miles. Or consider pickup trucks. People will drive them year-round for the few times they need to haul mulch or tow a boat. Most of us don’t need more than 200 horsepower, but sometimes, you just need to feel the rumble of power under your foot.
The reality is, even considering their compromises, it’s often better to have a vehicle capable of handling those edge cases. Most people like the option of taking a road trip, hauling gravel, or accelerating at irresponsible speeds, even if those activities are rare compared to everyday driving.
That realization hit me while discussing a replacement for my current car with my partner. My initial plan was to grab a decent Lincoln Town Car for around $7,000. It’s a roomy, comfortable sedan designed to float serenely over our roads’ many potholes. The final form of the venerable Panther platform, it has been honed to a near-perfect state by evolution, with all the kinks worked out over countless miles in taxis and police cruisers. These cars, with minimal maintenance, can seemingly last forever. I enjoy working on cars, as long as it’s not something that I find annoying, which, unfortunately, has been the case with my current Continental. With another child potentially on the way, my free repair time will become increasingly limited. I wanted something roomy, comfortable, and dependable for daily use. I figured the Town Car would be perfect for two car seats and all the gear needed for young kids.
But I overlooked a critical edge case. Every couple of months, we need to transport another person, usually my mother-in-law. It could be a quick trip to the mall or a children’s play gym, or a longer drive to visit family a few hours away. Squeezing between two car seats over a long distance wouldn’t work. Later, as the kids grow older (my son is currently 3), we may need to transport their friends or initiate carpools. We needed something with a third row of seats.
I even tried to bring up the Town Car’s wonderful front bench seat that could fit three across, knowing the ridiculousness of that argument. My Town Car dream died, and now I need a more versatile vehicle for the future. Therefore, I’m seeking advice from the knowledgeable community here. I did a lot of research and test drove several cars, and I was surprised by a type of vehicle I had somehow overlooked over the past couple of decades of driving. I value real-world advice. Please let me know what you think and any vehicles I missed.
Here are my criteria:
- Price: Under $20,000, preferably closer to $10,000.
- Third Row: The third row doesn’t have to be huge, as my mother-in-law is only about 5 feet tall, and I don’t need a vehicle with excessive legroom.
- Reliability: Dead nuts dependable is a must. I don’t mind regular maintenance but rather spend my time working on my other vehicles. I don’t want to get stranded regularly or deal with constant repairs. I’d like to keep this vehicle for a while, so longevity is key.
- Comfort: I’m 40 now, and I’m getting old. My days of driving tin cans on dodgy springs are behind me. Our roads are bad, so comfy cruisers are desired.
- Gas Mileage: Only somewhat important. Vehicles with third rows are necessarily big. I work from home most of the time but drive the kids 5 miles to daycare every day. I drive around 1,200 miles a month. Most long trips are for work, and I get reimbursed for gas.
The Sensible Choice: A 4th Gen Honda Odyssey
I’m not above driving a minivan. Of all the vans available, the 4th-generation Odyssey seems like the sweet spot. We have a 2018 Accord that’s been dependable, so we are Honda fans. Some of the newer 5th-generation vans are under $20,000, but I’ve read multiple comments from Odyssey owners saying they preferred their older 4th-gen models over the latest. I personally think Chrysler vans look better, but they are mechanically temperamental from what I’ve heard. These Hondas seem to last forever (well past 200,000 miles), but they’re not without their issues. They have the excellent 3.5L J35Z8 V6, but the transmission needs its fluid changed every 30,000 miles to go the distance. They also have an Eco mode that deactivates some of the cylinders, which can cause the spark plugs to foul or, if unlucky, damage the piston rings. This is why most owners recommend an aftermarket part to disable Eco mode.
I can easily find Odysseys for sale in the mid-teens price-wise with 80,000-120,000 miles, which is still relatively low mileage.
I test drove one, and it is functional. It’s a giant box, giving it the most room in all the rows. It drives decently, with no real complaints. The 250-horsepower V6 performs adequately and sounds better than a minivan has any right to. The dashboard setup with two screens is odd, but I could get used to it. I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it. For fuel economy, it’s about 22 MPG combined, maybe slightly better than my current vehicle but not much.
The Non-Minivan: Ford Flex
People either love or hate the Flex, but I love it. Its distinctive design provides a lot of practical space inside. Its wheelbase and dimensions are all within an about an inch of the Odyssey. The one I sampled was a high-mileage example, but it drove surprisingly well. Its driving characteristics felt better than the Odyssey, for some reason. You can get a regular V6 with 287 horsepower or a turbocharged six with 365 horses. The naturally aspirated six I drove had plenty of power, and the Ecoboost model is an unlikely sleeper. The instrument cluster, with dual screens surrounding an analog gauge, was attractive and practical. The dashboard had a lot of “fake” touch sensitive buttons, which isn’t ideal, but they seemed to work well enough.
One drawback is the third-row seat access. You have to completely fold the second-row seat-back down and flip the whole seat forward to get into the back, which is impossible with a car seat. Luckily, second-row captain’s chairs are an option, which would make getting into the third row easier. Researching Flexes (Flexors? Flexii?) online, owners seem to love them. They have such a following that multiple people claim to own two Flexes. I’ve seen this in person: a house I drive by every day has two of these wagons in their driveway. They seem to be fairly reliable except for one issue with the Ford V6: a timing chain-driven water pump in the middle of the engine. It can fail at any time, leading to a surprise timing chain job that can cost about $3,000-$4,000, or a weekend of wrenching. This was such a problem that there was a class action lawsuit against Ford. It seems to happen randomly. Some owners get 250,000 miles on their engines with the original water pump, while others have failures under 100,000 miles. This isn’t a deal-breaker, but it gives me pause. For MPG, it’s roughly the same as my Continental. Thankfully, Flexes are abundant in the Detroit area, giving me plenty of options.
The Paradigm Shift: Lexus GX 460
I wasn’t prepared for this test drive. I’ve never really focused on luxury trucks as they aren’t really my thing. I’d never heard the word “Prado,” which is the name the rest of the world knows this truck by. I spotted a top-of-the-line 2014 model in the dealer lot after test driving the Flex. Without any expectations, I asked for the keys and took it for a spin. It blew me away. I know it sounds dumb that a luxury SUV, rightfully criticized as being old by the automotive press, would floor me, but it did.
This GX had almost 180,000 miles on the odometer but looked and drove like it had 60,000. It had some of the best seats I’ve experienced and, more importantly, the most comfortable ride. The technology was a little outdated, but I like buttons more than touchscreens, and the interior felt like it was assembled with care. At speed, it was quiet, almost serene. The Mark Levinson speaker system sounded rich and detailed. The balloon-like tires and body-on-frame construction handled potholes with ease. I feel like a broken record complaining about the terrible Detroit roads, and here I was piloting a vehicle that turned them to glass. No more scanning for craters, cringing every time a frost heave threatened to bend a wheel, or busting a control arm like a fat Steven Seagal.
I felt at ease, melting into the seat like butter in a baked potato. I could’ve kept driving all day without complaint. Am I stupid? Have I been a truck person all along? Maybe. This Lexus truck-pilled me.
After getting my brain back in order, I started looking at the vehicle objectively. The third-row seats aren’t as large as the Odyssey’s, but they would work well for my needs. Cargo space with both third-row seats up shrinks a lot, but that’s an edge case. With only one third-row seat up, cargo is fine. The rear hatch opens to the side like a large door, which is quite nice. You don’t have to wait for an electric motor to raise the hatch or risk bumping your head. The glass pops up to easily throw something in there.
The V8 is thirsty, but the insurance costs are lower. For the two kids and an occasional fifth passenger, the GX would work great. Most importantly, if what everyone says is true, this is the most reliable modern vehicle. The reliability ratings are literally pegged at 100%, as high as they can go. Like the Town Car, the platform was produced for over a decade without constant redesigns. It’s proven itself in tough conditions.
Consensus is that you’ll only need to open the hood to change the oil and refill the wiper fluid. Where many auto journalists saw a reluctance to change, Toyota saw it as sticking with what works, letting other automakers struggle with half-baked technology that failed prematurely.
The Disappointment: Chevy Tahoe
Fresh off my Lexus high, I wanted to check out some other trucks. I especially wanted to get back to my Chevy roots and test a Tahoe or Yukon. The one I drove had 160,000 hard miles on it. The seats weren’t as comfortable, and the interior materials weren’t as nice as those in the Lexus. The Tahoe’s dash was attractive and had all the features. The third-row seat and cargo space situation were similar, but you buy a Suburban if you need more space.
Older Tahoe/Yukon trucks from the past 5-10 years are some of the best-looking SUVs out there. It could be the perfect family vehicle.
So what’s the problem? Everywhere I look, people say these are maintenance nightmares, with owners needing to replace engines and transmissions. According to Dashboard-Light.com, quality dropped after 2014. The trucks in my price range have over 100,000 miles, and a surprising number of ads say things like “200,000 on body, 80,000 on engine” or “transmission just replaced.” I saw one review by a Chevy tech who said they were replacing multiple transmissions a week. This is a bummer because I’d seriously consider one, but every resource says to avoid it. Not worth the risk.
The Wildcard: Dodge Durango
The Durango is an attractive SUV. Like the Charger and Challenger, subtle updates over the years kept a handsome shape looking fresh. I drove one at the SRT experience at Michigan International Speedway over a decade ago and was blown away that it beat the Chargers and Challengers in a tight autocross course. I read that the V6 Pentastar engines had some issues. I found a 2017 Durango Citadel with the 5.7L Hemi and 107,000 miles on the clock to test drive. Surprisingly, it was in mint condition, and even the engine bay looked almost new. The interior materials aren’t anything special, but it looks nice and was fairly well laid out. The Durango’s cabin is a nice place to spend time. The sound quality from the stereo and the Hemi’s exhaust note were a highlight.
For practicality, the third row had the most room except for the Odyssey, and there was still good cargo space with the seats up. It has the worst MPG out of the four vehicles, and being the sporty choice, it’s harder to keep your foot out of the gas. Reliability seems tentatively positive for the 5.7L. People report premature water pump issues and some electrical gremlins with the stereo. Compared to the Flex, the water pump on the Hemi is in a more accessible location, and it’s easy to service. I have a co-worker who has two Durangos and loves them. They haven’t reached the 100,000-mile mark, but he hasn’t had any issues. I’d have no problem driving this truck every day.
Final Thoughts
There’s one thing that struck me doing this research besides the revelation that I might want to drive a truck daily. In this $13,000–$20,000 price range, all these vehicles are of a similar vintage (2012–2019) with 80,000–180,000 miles on the clock. It’s remarkable how, in almost every category besides interior space and looks, the Lexus wins handsomely. The ride, interior layout, build quality, stereo sound quality – the GX takes the cake.
And after several decades of wrenching pain, it would be great to have a daily driver that I don’t have to worry about. I’d also be perfectly happy with the Durango or Flex. There are way more examples to choose from, but I might have to live with a little worry about potential reliability problems. For pure pragmatism, the Odyssey wins. It has the most room in all three rows, including the cargo area, though it may be overkill for just two kids. The gas mileage isn’t great, but it’s better than the competition here.
So, dear friends, what do you think? Am I just trying to rationalize some hidden insecurity about buying a practical car? Are there other vehicles I need to test drive before making a decision? My fate is in your hands, dear Autopians. I look forward to your thoughts.
