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got my wife a new dd

Z

Zargon

Lifer
20140803_144607_zpsms5hcx4c.jpg


2014 Grand Caravan SXT 30th Anniversary Edition, with the blacktop package(wheels, grill, headlights are different)

I was out the door at invoice price on it, so about 8 grand less than the Sienna's we had been shopping, and I don't really dig the aesthetics of the Sienna, and I generally loathe Toyota for making nothing that's very fun to drive at all



I was under this weekend for its first oil change and I was rather impressed with the quality of the exhaust(all stainless, nice welds), that the engine and tranny pans can be removed without having to remove ANYTHING to get to them at all.

I need to get some interior pics, and better exterior pics as well

but its honestly great to drive, and super comphy to shoot down the interstate in, at 80-90mph
 
Why do you hate your wife so much? 😀

I have the 2009 version of that van with the 4.0L. The traction control never seems to work, and the engine is pretty torque-ee. Therefore the front tires always seem to squeal when you take off from red lights.

As a vacation cruiser though, nothing beats it. The dual DVD screens, wireless headphones, and the ability to listen to the radio/MP3 player while movies are playing is awesome 🙂
 
I've driven plenty of Caravans and rented a Sienna once. Personally, I thought the Sienna was a much better minivan but congrats.
 
JulesMaximus said:
I've driven plenty of Caravans and rented a Sienna once. Personally, I thought the Sienna was a much better minivan but congrats.
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We have carvans at work, 2012 and 2013's, that aren't near as nice as this one feels. and we all know you are a yota fan boy

but seriously....a comparable sienna was ~9k more, that's almost a 35% price premium. That was without the 30th anniversary interior improvements and extra storage provided

I didn't feel like Sienna warranted that much more $$, notice I am not arguing that it felt a little better put together, just not 35% more

and even though it had similar engine #'s it felt gutless in comparison and sounded way lamer 😛

ViviTheMage said:
but ..... minivan ...... !_!
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sure beats dropped another 20k on a used Tahoe that my wife didn't want anyways

mirageracerx said:
congrats. you are living the middle aged, middle class dream.
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Thanks, I'm only 32 so not quite middle aged. middle class? sure why not, I mean yeah I wish I could go buy a g wagon or escalade or land rover sport, but I can't.

Fritzo said:
Why do you hate your wife so much? 😀

I have the 2009 version of that van with the 4.0L. The traction control never seems to work, and the engine is pretty torque-ee. Therefore the front tires always seem to squeal when you take off from red lights.

As a vacation cruiser though, nothing beats it. The dual DVD screens, wireless headphones, and the ability to listen to the radio/MP3 player while movies are playing is awesome 🙂
Click to expand...



she insisted on it, and her reasons just make sense over anything comparable(read 3rd row corrsovers and SUV's)

significantly cheaper

better seating options, easier in and out to 3rd row with car seats in second row(in many, like a pilot, you have specific seats to be able to get into the 3rd row at all, and those base in the mid 30's)

stow n go is straight boss

MPG's

hell this thing is rated to tow 3800lbs.....I might ditch my Xterra next year and get something more sports-car-esk fun

power sliding doors and tailgate. I wont have my munhkins door dining everyone elses cars, and destroying the door sills in the process, you can all thank us later for that


so far aftrer 5 weeks we couldn't be much happier with the purchase

the sting of owning a mopar is slowly wearing off.
 
Zargon said:
she insisted on it, and her reasons just make sense over anything comparable(read 3rd row corrsovers and SUV's)

significantly cheaper

better seating options, easier in and out to 3rd row with car seats in second row(in many, like a pilot, you have specific seats to be able to get into the 3rd row at all, and those base in the mid 30's)

stow n go is straight boss

MPG's

hell this thing is rated to tow 3800lbs.....I might ditch my Xterra next year and get something more sports-car-esk fun

power sliding doors and tailgate. I wont have my munhkins door dining everyone elses cars, and destroying the door sills in the process, you can all thank us later for that


so far aftrer 5 weeks we couldn't be much happier with the purchase

the sting of owning a mopar is slowly wearing off.
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For the money, you can't get a better van. The stow-n-go seats turn it into a cargo van in a few minutes. All seats in vehicles should do that 🙂

Also, for an FYI, you can't quite get a sheet of drywall in the van, but you can fit 10x2's no problem. Just in case you need to make a Home Depot run.
 
even tilted it wont get in?

that's too bad, but I have a buddy who loves to grab coffee and hit menards any weekend morning, and I am happy to go with and let him haul stuff home for me 🙂

im overhauling the whole yard, a bathroom, and an attic right now so Im at Home Depot/Lowes/Menards weekly
 
Very nice minivan, although it looks like they are turning them into SUV-like vehicles.

You must love your wife, not everyone can set aside funds to spend on something that large as a present 😛.
 
its still very much a minivan, I need to get a good shot of it nose to nose with the Xterra, its rides much lower
 
Zargon said:
even tilted it wont get in?

that's too bad, but I have a buddy who loves to grab coffee and hit menards any weekend morning, and I am happy to go with and let him haul stuff home for me 🙂

im overhauling the whole yard, a bathroom, and an attic right now so Im at Home Depot/Lowes/Menards weekly
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Nope---the top of he van tapers. You might get one in, but that's about it.
 
I rented one of these for a vacation and it was great, sans the unrefined transmission. 26mpg cruising @ 75mph, loaded down with 4 people and camping gear.

The features/price on these are great...I only wish I was married with kids so I could buy one.
 
3.6 liter pentastar is a very nice engine. Just drove a 2012 GC from NC to PA loaded with 5 and their baggage. 26-27mpg. Made the trip with fuel to spare. Nice power, can't complain.
 
Great purchase!

Huge fan of these as for the money its the best bargain out there. Standard equipment list is quite large. It's a good looking Man Van!

Like the BlackTop package!
 
Herr Kutz said:
I rented one of these for a vacation and it was great, sans the unrefined transmission. 26mpg cruising @ 75mph, loaded down with 4 people and camping gear.

The features/price on these are great...I only wish I was married with kids so I could buy one.
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Ha...very true about the transmission. It never quite knows when to shift 😀
 
yeah ive noticed it likes to float before a gear change when you get aggressive

as long as it doesn't blow up I don't care 😛

they say do the fluid at 60k if its driven hard...so Ill probably do it at 50 because dodge


thanks guys

Im embarrassingly happy about the purchase, especially since I didn't end up buying two camry's 😛
 
I put one of these through its paces for a few thousand mikes through Texas about 4 years ago. Hadn't been refreshed then and had the 3.whatever engine in it, so slow and gutless. Damn I enjoyed it!

We have some siennas at work from 05 and 07, generally well put together and they haven't broken despite some hard driving, but they don't match the comfort or 'vanability' of the dodges. I've been trying to get one of the cargo variants added to the fleet, but the boss keeps buying priuses :'(
 
Zargon said:
We have carvans at work, 2012 and 2013's, that aren't near as nice as this one feels. and we all know you are a yota fan boy

but seriously....a comparable sienna was ~9k more, that's almost a 35% price premium. That was without the 30th anniversary interior improvements and extra storage provided

I didn't feel like Sienna warranted that much more $$, notice I am not arguing that it felt a little better put together, just not 35% more

and even though it had similar engine #'s it felt gutless in comparison and sounded way lamer 😛
Click to expand...

Well, good luck with it and congrats. How are those fold flat rear seats for comfort? I read that they aren't very comfortable for sitting on but they do make it easy to use the van for hauling stuff.

I wouldn't say I'm a Toyota fanboy. I hadn't owned one for over 10 years prior to buying the Camry. I had a Nissan and a couple Fords prior to that. My wife is definitely a Lexus fan but she would take a Benz or a Bimmer too.

I'm surprised you couldn't get a better deal on the Sienna. Toyota knocked almost $5k off my Camry hybrid.
 
JulesMaximus said:
Well, good luck with it and congrats. How are those fold flat rear seats for comfort? I read that they aren't very comfortable for sitting on but they do make it easy to use the van for hauling stuff.

I wouldn't say I'm a Toyota fanboy. I hadn't owned one for over 10 years prior to buying the Camry. I had a Nissan and a couple Fords prior to that. My wife is definitely a Lexus fan but she would take a Benz or a Bimmer too.

I'm surprised you couldn't get a better deal on the Sienna. Toyota knocked almost $5k off my Camry hybrid.
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They are/were offering 2k off on the Sienna to clear out 2014's before the 15's hit, I imagine it moves greater volume than the Camry Hybrid, hence less rebate

the seats aren't bad, I have been in one on a 2.5 hour drive and it wasn't bad, better than expected. they are a bit low to the ground, but the primary target for them is children.

I doubt Ill be in one for a while at this point, since I usually drive
 
Zargon said:
They are/were offering 2k off on the Sienna to clear out 2014's before the 15's hit, I imagine it moves greater volume than the Camry Hybrid, hence less rebate

the seats aren't bad, I have been in one on a 2.5 hour drive and it wasn't bad, better than expected. they are a bit low to the ground, but the primary target for them is children.

I doubt Ill be in one for a while at this point, since I usually drive
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We rented a Sienna a couple years ago when my sister and her husband were out visiting with their two kids. It hauled 7 of us, tightly but comfortably, all over San Diego for an entire day. I was pretty impressed with how good it was. Quiet, comfortable, plenty of power. Couldn't really fault anything about it quite frankly... except maybe the price of course. 😉

Anyway, hope you have good luck with yours. :thumbsup:
 
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