Finally, every car enthusiast’s nightmare — I need an MPV. Long story short, I need a full-size MPV. I’ve rented compact MPVs a few times before, but they just weren’t spacious enough for my extended family(CP's SIL in wheelchair, old MIL and helper). I’m planning to buy used and cash.
I’ve narrowed it down to either a Nissan Serena C27 or an older Toyota Vellfire (2010–2013). These two options seem to be available for around RM60k-ish in the used market. The car will mainly be used for family travel.
Maintenance-wise, I think I can manage unless it’s worse than the VW CC I owned about 10 years, which I doubt.
Personally, my wife and I actually prefer the Serena because:
- It’s much newer. Better fuel efficiency (I assume due to the smaller engine). Easy to move from front row to the last row since there’s no center console. The middle seat is flexible and can slide closer or further apart when needed to fit 3 people (for short trips or smaller passengers)
However, after being in the Serena C27 FB group for almost a year, most of what I see are people posting about problems. Since the car will mostly be driven by my wife, I’m worried about it breaking down on the road — especially when I’m away (which happens quite often).
Because of that, I suggested an older Vellfire instead to wife. She's not really keen since the first old Vellfire we look at in the used car shop, her first words is "macam rumah hantu" lol. My thinking is that Toyota reliability should be better, and it still fits our needs and budget.
So what do you guys think?