Looking to get a minivan someone give me some pointers

[vshah]

Originally posted by: Bignate603

Originally posted by: fleabag

Originally posted by: JLee

Originally posted by: fleabag

Originally posted by: SearchMaster
I recall you were looking at a Civic, which seats 4-5. You probably won't have more than yourself at least 50% of the time. You're buying too much vehicle - have you considered a motorcycle?

that leads back to my point about the smart for two. A motor cycle gets terrible mileage for what it is and the car I want would actually be getting better mileage than the motorcycle so your point is moot. As for a Moped, they too get terrible mileage for what they are and aren't capable of safe highway speeds so no I wouldn't buy either.

Your Civic gets over 60mpg?

Since when?

It's possible to get a civic to average 60mpg, though in its stock form to achieve 60mpg, you'd probably have to average 35mph and stick with that speed. There are modifications I'd like to make to my future car that should certainly make it capable of 60mpg.

So how old are you again?

he's not going to say, because then it will give away the fact that he probably doesn't have a license.

OP, i've driven a 2008 sienna, and a 1998 dodge grand caravan, and a 2003 odyssey.

had the dodge in high school. it was actually pretty fun to drive, and I was cool in HS for being able to take everyone out to lunch. good times!

the 2008 sienna i drove felt really mushy and floaty when driving. much preferred the 2003 odyssey, was similar to the dodge but alot more refined inside. (5 years newer too...)

sienna was extremely comfy to be a passenger in though.

i don't think you can really go wrong with sienna vs. odyssey.

-Vivan

 

[steppinthrax]

Originally posted by: Naustica

Originally posted by: Fmr12B
Might also what to look into:

Chrysler Pacifica (4.0L engine preferred)

Dodge Carvan or Chrysler Town & Country. The 2008+ vans are the best of the bunch right now as minivans go. Not the sportiest but the most features for the $.

Asking OP to consider American vehicles is like asking Muslim to eat pork.

Without a budget this is a worthless exercise.

Sorry, I was considering the Chrysler grand caravan (same one my parents got). But After looking through the recent Consumer Reports 2010 and seeing the horrible reliability reports on 00 - 09 models and even reading the paragraph summary beggening with the word "Dissapointing" I would have to pass on that. The reliability ratings for the honda and toyota were extreamly good.

 

[steppinthrax]

Originally posted by: JLee
How old are you?

27

 

[steppinthrax]

Originally posted by: fleabag

Originally posted by: JLee

Originally posted by: fleabag

Originally posted by: Pulsar

Originally posted by: fleabag
Sounds like an ideal combo, van for when you need it but otherwise you use a car for everything else... My main gripe is with people who buy too much car and then get the shit mileage associated with it.

Also we're just speculating as to what the OP has and therefore this discussion seems to be pointless.

Simple point: If the OP already has a 4 door sedan, I'm saying they should stick with it until they have numerous times where they were inconvenienced by having a car over a minivan. To buy a minivan to replace your existing 4 door sedan because the thought alone that there may be a few times where the sedan isn't enough for your needs in that specific circumstance is stupid. Don't buy a vehicle for *possible needs* buy it for ACTUAL needs.

What's your malfunction?

The original poster did NOT ask for a sedan. The original poster did not ask for your life story. He also didn't ask you to come in here and tell him why what he's choosing is wrong. As several posters have pointed out - your attitude and responses are showing a significant lack of understanding (and the likelihood that may not even have a license).

With 3 kids, there is simply NO way to pack enough stuff into a standard size sedan, say, for a family trip. Even larger sedans can't do it. Never mind that in 90% of todays cars, you cannot fit 3 carseats side by side. In addition, many of those sedans don't even offer center position tie-off points, nor a center position lapbelt. Have you ever been the parents of 3 kids all within reach of eachother on a 7 hour drive? No? Ever fit 2 adults, 3 kids and carseats, sleeping bags, a tent, plus all the clothes and a pet?

There are a multitude of reasons for a minivan. Transfering the center carseat to another car from a sedan? Nightmare. Taking books / crayons / toys to keep the kids busy on a long trip in a sedan? Nightmare. Trying to fit a dog in with 3 kids and 2 parents in a sedan? Nightmare.

Back to the original topic:
The nissan quest is cheaper because it is cheaper. The quality level on the Quest is far below the Honda or the Toyota.

The Honda and the Toyota are virtually identical in terms of customer satisfaction - it really comes down to which you like the most.

Family trip to where? Like I said, don't buy shit on the idea that you MIGHT be doing something in the odd one or two scenarios. If you're going to be going on the occasional "family trip", why not rent a vehicle? 3 kids? How many kids is the OP going to have? AGAIN we don't know! With your logic, since they don't know how many kids they're going to have, why not buy the biggest thing possible! I'm saying, since they don't know, why not stick with the 4 door sedan they might have until it becomes an issue.

You don't buy a brand new minivan just for these "future trips" that you're never going to go on but sure like the thought of them. When I was growing up and my Dad wanted to go to lake tahoe, he rented a minivan or an SUV, THAT SIMPLE! A whole lot fucking cheaper too! A minivan is more expensive than a car and when you start to pile on the features can get REALLY expensive, just like an SUV. If the OP wants go the "alternative vehicle route" where they have their primary cars and then the $1000 minivan for those one off occasions, fine but don't pay new car prices for what is basically going to be a daily driver when a car is plenty suitable as a DD for the transportation of these kids.

Your failure is approaching epic proportions.

Originally posted by: steppinthrax
Most likely used will be my option.

Yeah, HOW USED? Used can be "yeah I've got a 15 year old minivan for the occasional pickup at homedepot" as suggested by another poster in this thread and the "yeah I just got a used mini van for $30,000, it was a real steal, only had 1000 miles on it and it's a 2010 model!!!!"

Most likely under 100K. I'm aiming for 50K or so.

 

[Bignate603]

Would you consider the Ford Flex? It's got quite a bit of the van functionality without being your typical van. It's gotten solid reviews so far.

 

[Vette73]

Originally posted by: steppinthrax

Originally posted by: Naustica

Originally posted by: Fmr12B
Might also what to look into:

Chrysler Pacifica (4.0L engine preferred)

Dodge Carvan or Chrysler Town & Country. The 2008+ vans are the best of the bunch right now as minivans go. Not the sportiest but the most features for the $.

Asking OP to consider American vehicles is like asking Muslim to eat pork.

Without a budget this is a worthless exercise.

Sorry, I was considering the Chrysler grand caravan (same one my parents got). But After looking through the recent Consumer Reports 2010 and seeing the horrible reliability reports on 00 - 09 models and even reading the paragraph summary beggening with the word "Dissapointing" I would have to pass on that. The reliability ratings for the honda and toyota were extreamly good.

You do know that CR is a biased and uses flawed data? They only survey people that buy their magazine and also allow their editors to add what they like to articles based on their personnel experience/bias.

Even with that though I would pass on Dodge/Chy. Products. The Minivans are nice looking and work well but the drive train I am not a fan of.

But look at the Kia Van. Better than most give it credit for, especially since they upgraded the engine and other areas.

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: fleabag

Originally posted by: JLee

Originally posted by: fleabag

Originally posted by: SearchMaster
I recall you were looking at a Civic, which seats 4-5. You probably won't have more than yourself at least 50% of the time. You're buying too much vehicle - have you considered a motorcycle?

that leads back to my point about the smart for two. A motor cycle gets terrible mileage for what it is and the car I want would actually be getting better mileage than the motorcycle so your point is moot. As for a Moped, they too get terrible mileage for what they are and aren't capable of safe highway speeds so no I wouldn't buy either.

Your Civic gets over 60mpg?

Since when?

It's possible to get a civic to average 60mpg, though in its stock form to achieve 60mpg, you'd probably have to average 35mph and stick with that speed. There are modifications I'd like to make to my future car that should certainly make it capable of 60mpg.

What car do you personally own?

 

[Pulsar]

Originally posted by: Skoorb

Originally posted by: fleabag


It's possible to get a civic to average 60mpg, though in its stock form to achieve 60mpg, you'd probably have to average 35mph and stick with that speed. There are modifications I'd like to make to my future car that should certainly make it capable of 60mpg.

What car do you personally own?

Heh. Heh. Heh. (see highlighted text).

Anyway - with regards to the Ford Flex, they are EXCELLENT vehicles - absolutely top notch. They have things that you would never even think of putting on a vehicle (Ford's getting better and better at this). For instance, when you open a flex front door, notice the odd doorframe at the bottom? The door actually wraps around the bottom of the frame. This is to keep you from getting the muddy-pant-leg syndrome where your pants brush the outside of the car and get filthy.

I wish Ford would advertise their ideas like this one - simple things that you don't even notice once you own the vehicle.

The only issue I have with the flex is price. Even used, $25k for a flex vs. $15k for a sienna / odyssey or even cheaper for an MPV.