If only there was a minivan with folding seats like a Town and Country, handling like an Odyssey and reliability like a Sienna.
and with the price of an Elio.
We planned to test drive the Prius C, Mazda 5, and Outlander, but ended up only being able to drive the Mazda 5. We'll try the other vehicles next weekend.
But after more research and consideration, a Prius C is likely not practical for us despite its attractive price tag and reliability. The commenters here made a good point that longer-term a larger vehicle seems more useful (space for more passengers, equipment, luggage, etc.). So we're now considering the middle of the road as some have suggested.
We're going for "good value," so the Mazda 5 and Outlander seem to be the best candidates now. Both have 3 rows of seating with the ability to fold the back two rows flat. The Mazda 5 is a mini-minivan with sliding doors and 6 seats while the Outlander is an SUV with 7 seats.
The downside is, even thought these are Japanese brands, these aren't Toyotas, so reliability is lower. Plus the Mazda 5 has been discontinued, with this year being its last. I worry about being able to find parts later on when needed. On the plus side the price is heavily discounted because of this. We need to take a first-hand look at both to make a final decision though.
Does anyone know of any similar vehicles that costs low $20k and below? For the price of equivalent Toyota/Honda models we might as well get a lower-end Sienna.