Was thinking about your case, then I thought maybe I should just recommend you a few budget price but decent sized MPV's plus they're quite rare so with a new number plate you can of course fool the fools
2006 Nissan Liberty - manufactured in 2003, registered in 2006, most likely a recon car as Nissan never officially sold this model here in Malaysia. This is the forerunner of the Nissan Livina, however unlike the Livina which is meant to be for cheaper Asian markets the Liberty was made for Japan domestic market and also in Europe and USA, was known as Nissan Prairie/Stanza in some markets. So because its for upper tier markets it gets accessories and specs suitable for those markets like 5 star safety ratings, double aircon blowers, etc. The engine is taken from a favorite and popular engine of the time which is the SR20DE which is also found on Nissan Bluebird, Altima, X-trail and Serena of that generation. Maintenance wise it shares similar engine and gearbox as the X-Trail so it shouldn't be any more expensive to keep than an X-Trail. Though because of its rarity you might come into issues when an accident happens and you need to replace things like doors, bumpers, etc. Although you should be able to get the parts but pricing might be on the pricey side since they don't always keep stock. Whil
2004 Toyota Ipsum/Picnic - another value buy MPV, although it looks like the Toyota Innova from certain perspective it is much much better. Ipsum is made from the Toyota Avensis platform (Avensis is a high-end luxury saloon for US/Japan markets). The one in this advert uses the 2.4 L 2AZ-FE engine which is the same one as on the Camry, as the case with the car above, normal maintenance and service is going to be relatively cheap and the car is going to be reliable with that proven engine. The only worrisome part is body panels and uncommon parts.
2003 Ford Escape - if you don't really need 7 seats then this can be an alternative, 5 seltbelts = room for 5 people, but you still get the hatch rear door/boot to open a large space to put your luggage or baby stuff like trolleys/playpen along with you for long journeys. Unfortunate for first owners as these cars depreciate alot but good news for bargain hunters like yourself as this car is quite worth it. Unlike the previous 2 above this one is sold officially in Malaysia so it is fully supported by Ford, no worries on maintenance and parts availability.
So there you go, 3 cars at half your budget which would last you quite sometime.
Many thanks for your recommendation! I assume either car is your hobby or it is your line of business. Ha.
I have a rule in not buying second hand things (car, house, etc) which are more than a year old. Why? I fear that I will be buying someone's else problems. After years of use, they tend to break down. Some companies have a policy of selling their cars after 5 years, I assume the cost of maintenance will be on the increase then.
Exora is in my list now. Will do some study and then take test drives on my top 3 MPVs. Any advice when it comes to test drive etc?
Many thanks. Cheerio.