Minivans!

[Ktulu]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
Why don't you just rent a van for the few trips you take each year?

You sir are a genious.

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Originally posted by: Ramma2
We have a Mazda MPV, its nice and serves us well. I do believe it is actually classified as a wagon, so my man cajones are still intact..

Unless you're sportin' the old-school, 5MT, 4WD version that makes for one hell of an unstoppable winter beater - turn 'em in, you own a minivan.

- M4H

 

[cKGunslinger]

Originally posted by: AnyMal
Yup. We're about to trade our '03 Caravan for either Odyssey or Sienna.

Those are the Top 2 I was comparing, with a Mazda MVP in a distant (and cheaper) 3rd. Both have great reviews and good options with decent power and performance, but are each sitting at the extreme upper end of what I'm wanting to pay, unless I get a bare-bones, slightly used model.

I'm also slightly considering a cheap used anything for a while longer, as next year, we'll have a much larger and more stable car budget. Having 1 vehicle was a sacrifice we made for a while for $$'s sake, but with both kids in school, it's really starting to take it's toll.

 

[cKGunslinger]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
Why don't you just rent a van for the few trips you take each year?

A reasonable suggestion, to be sure, but we're in the market for our next vehicle anyway, so that's why I'm considering one.

After 6 years in this little compact, we'd really like something a bit more expansive...

 

[d3n]

I would have said Toyota or Honda a while back, Now I would say your first stop should be Hyundai, say no no no to the extended warranty when you buy and send out for some email quotes to different dealers after the purchase. Same warranty half the price if your lucky.

Edit: Btw I drive a Sienna XLE for the family now. The power sliders are the way to go with kids.

 

[JDub02]

It's hard to beat a minivan for trips. My grandmother has a Chrysler Tow & Country. I really enjoy being able to recline the rear seats.

The Nissan minivan looks pretty slick. Not sure what it's called. Hard to beat a Honda or Toyota for a family hauler, though.

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Originally posted by: JDub02
It's hard to beat a minivan for trips. My grandmother has a Chrysler Tow & Country. I really enjoy being able to recline the rear seats.

The Nissan minivan looks pretty slick. Not sure what it's called. Hard to beat a Honda or Toyota for a family hauler, though.

Nissan Quest.

While I applaud the use of MILFs in their advertising campaign, I'm not a fan of the vehicle itself.

- M4H

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: cKGunslinger

So, are there any family-folks here who made the dreaded minivan purchase? Is the Honda Odyssey the one to beat? I'm really not wanting to spend over ~$22K on the next large family vehicle, which probably means a 2005 or so.

The reason I'm looking at minivans is for the 5-6 trips per year we take to visit family. Our little Mazda Protege gets pretty cramped, especially at xmas time with the 4 of us and presents for ~400 miles each way.

Maybe a decently large SUV with good gas mileage? I think I'm planning on buying next month sometime.

Open to any family vehicle advice.

The Odyssey is junk. My wife calls it "the gutless wonder".

Her favorite is the Toyota Sienna. Personally I like the Saturn Relay van - DVD system (think of your kids here!), dual automatic doors, etc. The base is $22,335 and has a 240hp V6. If you get them used, even a year or two old, you can a heap of money.

Why does she call it "gutless"?

Is she trying to do 0-60 in 6 secs to get on the freeway or something?

 

[athithi]

I bought a 2007 EX-L Odyssey last month for $28,797 OTD. I do know it's the most popular and best-reviewed minivan by far - except there are some reports that the new Sienna might be just as good or even a little better. It's quite pleasant to drive - like driving an Accord with an SUV-like view of the road It's smooth, spacious, comfortable, reliable, safe, not a gas-guzzler - just about everything my family needs in a vehicle. The audio system is very ordinary and the console is not fancy. The remote open sliding doors are also very convenient.

 

[tw1164]

My wife got an Odyssey last summer, and she still loves it. We got a 2002 w/ <60k miles for about $14k. My only complaint is that you can't open the hatch w/ the remote.

 

[SearchMaster]

We have an '07 Odyssey - it's hardly "gutless". We were pretty much sold on the Sienna but got a better deal on the Odyssey, so we went with the Honda. After ~6 months, we don't have any regrets. Minivans get slightly better mileage than most SUVs but we still only get ~20mpg city, 25mpg hwy, which is okay but not outstanding.

However, unless your wife is the carpool queen, or you're planning to have more children soon, a minivan seems overkill for 2 adults and 2 kids.

 

[rivan]

My dad's got a Sienna. It's pretty darned comfy.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: cKGunslinger

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
Why don't you just rent a van for the few trips you take each year?

A reasonable suggestion, to be sure, but we're in the market for our next vehicle anyway, so that's why I'm considering one.

After 6 years in this little compact, we'd really like something a bit more expansive...

Well, you could buy a decent fullsize sedan and still rent a minivan for those trips. You might even find that the sedan is adequate for one or two of those trips and only rent the van for the Christmas time trip.

My wife and I have a son and two cars. One fullsize (Nissan Maxima) and one compact (Lexus IS250). When we drive up to see her family (about 80 miles each way) we always seem to take the Maxima.

BTW-We rented a Sienna a while back when my sister and her family came out to visit. We wanted to go do some things (7 of us total) and rather than take two cars we rented the van. It's a nice van but I don't think I'd want to own one personally.

 

[xanis]

If there's only 4 of you, why does it have to be a minivan? What about a Subaru Outback 2.5i?

 

[AnyMal]

Originally posted by: cKGunslinger

Originally posted by: AnyMal
Yup. We're about to trade our '03 Caravan for either Odyssey or Sienna.

Those are the Top 2 I was comparing, with a Mazda MVP in a distant (and cheaper) 3rd. Both have great reviews and good options with decent power and performance, but are each sitting at the extreme upper end of what I'm wanting to pay, unless I get a bare-bones, slightly used model.

I'm also slightly considering a cheap used anything for a while longer, as next year, we'll have a much larger and more stable car budget. Having 1 vehicle was a sacrifice we made for a while for $$'s sake, but with both kids in school, it's really starting to take it's toll.

You may want to look at used vans. We're looking at '04 - '06 range and you can find them (at leaset here, in Louisville, KY) in a $20k range for a nicely equipped low-milage vehicle.

 

[JRock]

My wife is in the market for one also (trading in the 2005 Volvo S60) and it's a toss-up between the Odyssey and Sienna. Both got great reviews so it may just come down to price. Though I like the look of the Sienna a little bit more.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: JRock
My wife is in the market for one also (trading in the 2005 Volvo S60) and it's a toss-up between the Odyssey and Sienna. Both got great reviews so it may just come down to price. Though I like the look of the Sienna a little bit more.

Go with the Sienna. My wife has driven both for about a year each (daytime nanny). She LOVES the Sienna.

 

[vi edit]

If there is anything that's a gutless wonder it's the Mazda 5. Gas milage is as bad as a V6 equipped Minivan. Slow and no real savings in gas, and smaller. Only thing going for it is price.

As for the big two - Toyota for floating luxury ride, Honda for a bit more responsive steering. The new 3.5L from Toyota is a pretty smooth, powerful, and efficient motor. They definitely have a leg up on Honda in that reguard. I think the Honda is a better looking van though. I think the previous gen are better looking than the current one.

My wife is ultra anti-minivan (she used to drive a Passat wagon and currently a Highlander) but I'm still pushing for when we have kids. The sliding doors just seem like a huge benefit. Easy to load kids up in tight parking spaces. No worries about your kid bashing a door into somebody elses car. Plus if you have your arms full that power sliding door is helpful. Captains chairs in the 2nd row keep kids happy on long trips and then you have room for friends in the back row. There really isn't a true replacement for this type of vehicle.

 

[RKS]

We priced out a new Toyota Sienna (over the Odyssey) and it was nearly $40K with all the goodies. There was no way in HELL I was going to spend that much on a vehicle that would give me ZERO driving satisfaction. It was a great mini-van but still a mini-van.

We then decided to suck it up and just cram into a G35 sedan then changed our mind again and got a gas-guzzling, earth-raping, greehouse-gas-contributing, carbon-emissions-producing extra-large 8 passenger SUV. We still barely have room with all of the 'stuff' that goes along with a relatively short trip.

BTW my wife loves her many pairs of Birkenstocks.

 

[cKGunslinger]

Yeah, the one thing (other than price) I was concerned was that a full-sized minivan is almost too-much vehicle for a family of 4 (not growing - snip/snip.)

I'm gonna keep looking at this Mazda5. It's looking promising, on both size, utility, and cost. We don't get a whole lot of extra storage with it, but probably more than the trunk of our Protege. And the ability to seat 6 could come in handy (although I'd prefer a bench for the 2nd row, rather than a pair of bucket seats.)

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: dmcowen674

Originally posted by: cKGunslinger
Maybe a decently large SUV with good gas mileage?

Unless it's a hybrid good luck with that :laugh:

Depends on how you define "large." It's not like minivans get particularly good gas mileage. A new Honda Odyssey only gets 18/25 EPA. Any SUV is that $22k price range is going to have to be a smaller crossover, like the Toyota Rav4, whose 269 bhp V6 gets 22/29 EPA.

Sorry if this post didn't comply with the stupidity inherit to your black-and-white worldview.


BTW, cKGunslinger, my dad has a newer Rav4, and I would strongly recommend it over the Odyssey as it doesn't sound like you'll need the Odyssey's 3rd-row seating with just 4 passengers plus cargo. Plus the Rav4 is more versatile, can tow, doesn't have the minivan stigma, etc.

 

[nakedfrog]

My friend just bought a used Chrysler Town & Country (with the stow and go seating, handy) with something like 15k miles on it for $14k, IIRC.

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Originally posted by: Vic

Originally posted by: dmcowen674

Originally posted by: cKGunslinger
Maybe a decently large SUV with good gas mileage?

Unless it's a hybrid good luck with that :laugh:

Depends on how you define "large." It's not like minivans get particularly good gas mileage. A new Honda Odyssey only gets 18/25 EPA. Any SUV is that $22k price range is going to have to be a smaller crossover, like the Toyota Rav4, whose 269 bhp V6 gets 22/29 EPA.

Sorry if this post didn't comply with the stupidity inherit to your black-and-white worldview.


BTW, cKGunslinger, my dad has a newer Rav4, and I would strongly recommend it over the Odyssey as it doesn't sound like you'll need the Odyssey's 3rd-row seating with just 4 passengers plus cargo. Plus the Rav4 is more versatile, can tow, doesn't have the minivan stigma, etc.

Ooh, I never even thought about the RAV4. :Q

That'd be a good one. Room for the crew, easy for the wife to handle, and enough muscle to manhandle punk high school kids in Mommy's Corolla.

- M4H

 

[thedarkwolf]

I'm a single dude and have a old dodge caravan. I also have a 2 seater sports car so the minivan comes in handy when I need to drive in the winter, haul something, or the rare time I actually need to take more then 1 person somewhere. My friend has an explorer but anytime one of us needs to haul something of decent size it goes in my minivan. You can't fit squat in the back of most SUVs. If you're worried about being seen in a minivan you won't be seen. Minivans come with stealth capability standard. Nobody pays attention to the minivan especially cops.

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire
Ooh, I never even thought about the RAV4. :Q

That'd be a good one. Room for the crew, easy for the wife to handle, and enough muscle to manhandle punk high school kids in Mommy's Corolla.

- M4H

Do you Canucks get those "life changing horsepower" Toyota commercials up there?


Seriously, the Rav4's are great. My dad just bought one last fall, and he's as liberal/anti-SUV as they come. But at the same time, he needed something that was somewhat roomy/versatile, could tow a smallish trailer, and got decent gas mileage. Didn't hurt that he's a Toyota whore too.