Minivans!

[mercanucaribe]

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: Ktulu

I see you buy into that marketing, eh?

All right Mr. Smartypants, why are Acadias and Outlooks minivans? I'm all ears.

fwd? check
awd rather than 4wd? check
unibody? check

Definately a minivan

 

[iamwiz82]

Originally posted by: mercanucaribe

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: Ktulu

I see you buy into that marketing, eh?

All right Mr. Smartypants, why are Acadias and Outlooks minivans? I'm all ears.

fwd? check
awd rather than 4wd? check
unibody? check

Definately a minivan

Hey now, it's lifted 2" over a standard minivan, it's a crossover!

 

[Robor]

Originally posted by: Toasthead
We just got a '06 Pilot. Its basically an Odyssey without the lameness of a minivan

A Pilot is nothing like an Odyssey. You've got small rear doors and they are no where near as convenient for getting things and people in and out of them. But at least you still think you look cool in your SUV. :roll:

 

[Chaotic42]

What about a Dodge Magnum?

 

[kmmatney]

We have a 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan All-wheel drive. It's been a great van, and has 130K miles on it so far. The best part is how well it handles the snow, which is important in Colorado. They stopped making the AWD version to add the stow and go seating, though. Overall, we have been very happy with the Dodge.

 

[erikistired]

i put off the minivan for a bit by buying a honda element. it's roomy enough for the four of us and our stuff, but doesn't have that minivan stigma. a station wagon (like the outback) just wasn't roomy enough for long trips. if i do end up with a minivan the odyssey is certainly on my short list.

 

[kumanchu]

Originally posted by: thomsbrain
that said, for something like a minivan, i'd seriously just get a Kia or Hyundai. it's just going to get trashed in 2 weeks, and it will never be fun to drive regardless... so why blow your dough on a tool when you can save it and make your next real-car purchase a nicer one.

i agree with the hyundai / kia
http://www.edmunds.com/kia/sedona/2007/review.html

cheap + warranty + EXTREMELY HIGH safety ratings (good when thinking about the family), seems to be a pretty decent vehicle in all respects, and has a not so shabby 250hp motor

i'd rather get one of the kia's than a used toyota / honda.

 

[HomeAppraiser]

I am still waiting for a 6+ passenger hybrid minivan before buying a new one.

 

[Dravic]

Went from an MDX 03 all decked out to a 05 ody all decked out



love the ride

far more space and utility then the MDX(SUV's).


I'll go back to an SUV when the kids dont need all the car seats and help getting in and out of the vehicle.

Its just faster and easier to get in and out of the minivan. We often remove one second row seat so an adult on there knees can deal with getting the kids in and out of the van without issues.

 

[nycdude]

2006 Sienna owner here. I needed it after my son was born 3 weeks ago along with the 2 daughters I currently have.

 

[sindows]

Originally posted by: nycdude
2006 Sienna owner here. I needed it after my son was born 3 weeks ago along with the 2 daughters I currently have.

Why? Back when I was a kid, families put 3 kids in the back because there was room for 3...now people get a 7 seater vehicle just to seat 5 people(in your case, 2 parents and 3 children)

Why does one need the extra space? If you want more people to ride along, you put the kids on the laps of the adults. If the kids were too big for that, well you did it anyways...thats what we did growing up and I'm not that old...

 

[Dravic]

Originally posted by: sindows

Originally posted by: nycdude
2006 Sienna owner here. I needed it after my son was born 3 weeks ago along with the 2 daughters I currently have.

Why? Back when I was a kid, families put 3 kids in the back because there was room for 3...now people get a 7 seater vehicle just to seat 5 people(in your case, 2 parents and 3 children)

Why does one need the extra space? If you want more people to ride along, you put the kids on the laps of the adults. If the kids were too big for that, well you did it anyways...thats what we did growing up and I'm not that old...

up hill both ways uh huh....snow too, i see

i grew up poor in a family of 5, and we packed them in too when extra guest came along.. but if you dont have too, why? minivans dont cost any more then SUV's and full size sedans anyway, and have the same gas mileage.

I dont NEED the extra space, i LIKE the extra space - as we all like our conveniences.

but maybe i'm wrong, maybe you are writing on this forum using an old pII 450.

 

[nycdude]

Originally posted by: sindows

Originally posted by: nycdude
2006 Sienna owner here. I needed it after my son was born 3 weeks ago along with the 2 daughters I currently have.

Why? Back when I was a kid, families put 3 kids in the back because there was room for 3...now people get a 7 seater vehicle just to seat 5 people(in your case, 2 parents and 3 children)

Why does one need the extra space? If you want more people to ride along, you put the kids on the laps of the adults. If the kids were too big for that, well you did it anyways...thats what we did growing up and I'm not that old...

Its because we went up from a Pathfinder which can't fit more than 4 total, with 2 max in the back. Me, my wife, 4 year old in a booster and a 2 year old in a Britax. With a baby in tow, it seems to make sense. Besides, if you ever want to tow, say a mother in law to help out, no problem.

I knew we were going to have a family and should have thought ahead and gotten a vehicle with more room. The minivan is not for everyone. You can always go with a cross-over vehicle like my cousin.

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: sindows

Originally posted by: nycdude
2006 Sienna owner here. I needed it after my son was born 3 weeks ago along with the 2 daughters I currently have.

Why? Back when I was a kid, families put 3 kids in the back because there was room for 3...now people get a 7 seater vehicle just to seat 5 people(in your case, 2 parents and 3 children)

Why does one need the extra space? If you want more people to ride along, you put the kids on the laps of the adults. If the kids were too big for that, well you did it anyways...thats what we did growing up and I'm not that old...

Car seats. Those things take up an enormous amount of space...especially the infant car seats. I can't even get three car seats in the backrow of my mini-van. When I had my sister, mom, and nephew over to go to the Georgia Aquarium, we had two car seats in the middle bench and the two smallest adults and a car seat on the back bench.

And don't think it is as simple as sitting a kid in your lap. You'll get pulled over by the cops and get a visit from your state's child services for any young child that isn't in a car seat these days.

I traded in my Mustang for a mini-van when my second child was born because it just wasn't practical until my kids get out of car seats. I could barely fit my son in his carseat in the backrow and that was with the passenger seat pushed almost all the way forward. Two carseats just wasn't going to happen.

 

[exdeath]

Guess I didn't have to deal with cramped cars growing up. My dad has always been into old classic cars and hot rods and would rather restore a chassis he picked up for $100 than loan $20,000 for a new car. I rode around in the back seat of a 1958 Chevy Del Ray (mmm 402), 1970 Challenger, and a 1964 Plymouth Fury (mmm 440) with two sisters. No I'm not that old, this was in the 80's/90's. Always plenty of room. And power was never lacking, I guess thats why I wasn't impressed with or interested in sports cars in my youth; IROCs and Corvettes didn't have squat against that Del Ray; anything new just seemed lesser of a car. Hand ported and polished heads, lumpy cam, headers, and 4" side exhaust would make your knees buckle if you were standing next to it at idle.

I also vaguely remember sitting sideways on the transmission hump in the front of a pickup for short trips with more people than could fit on one bench seat, as well as riding in the back without a seat, and this was in the city. Ah back when this country was America, people did what they wanted as long as they didn't bother others, people took responsibility for their own actions, and before we became too civilized and politically correct for our own good. Now we have thought police and have to wear helmets to walk on the sidewalk or face threat of force or prison. :roll:

The 2006 Avalon has the interior space of a minivan but only one back seat. The windshield feels like it's 20 feet away when you are sitting in the back seat. 280 HP with 32 mpg as well. It's funny smoking people in a stock non flashy desert gold 'old peoples' car. Smoked some black Lexus GS with a spoiler, tinted windows, chrome rims, etc on the freeway on the way out of Phoenix; we had five people and a trunk load of luggage, he was by himself Passed him with ease and he had it to the floor trying to prevent it. The Avalon is all the things people like in a Lexus, without the gaudy label and tacky gold emblems and teen bling appeal, and $10k+ less. And it's a Toyota so it will last longer than I will.

The Cobra? Forget it, I don't even know why it has a back seat... at least there is a place to stuff a third and forth buddy when we go out for pizza or something and go out for a cruise or go rice hunting (there are no real performance import tuners around here, they are all riced out Sentras and Civics, and not even SI hatches). If it was a Corvette or Boxster I wouldn't get to take it out some weekends because of that, thus defeating the whole purpose of a car like that in the first place.

 

[cKGunslinger]

[Update]

Well, we decided to push off a new car purchase until this time next year, when our budget will have a bit more flex. In the meantime, we still needed a second vehicle until then, for convenience's sake, so we started shopping for cheap used cars.

A friend of my wife's mentioned that they still had their old minivan in the garage, going unused. There's a bit of history as to why it's unused ( Short version - they lost a child to illness a few years back, and they used the van for taking him to doctor appointments and treatments. After he passed, they just didn't have the heart to keep driving it daily. ) They did keep it running, maintained, inspected, etc.

It's a '97 Doge Caravan with 112K miles. Pretty clean inside and out - doesn't look like a 10-year-old vehicle. Runs good - new tires, belts, brakes, filters, plugs, battery. Not the best gas mileage - we've only had it a day, but I'm going to guess it's getting about 18-20mpg.

Gave them $2K for it.

At the very least, we'll have something to trade in (or sell) for our new vehicle next year. Should probably pay for itself by then.

 

[Tiamat]

My dad has a 96 town and country (I think the first year of the "new" style). Although i doubt it has more than 70k on it, it was pretty rad when I got to drive it. Note, the only other car I have experience driving is an 84 caravan. On a good day, you will get 24 mpg out of the van. Should definitely be a decent interim car.

 

[KK]

Originally posted by: cKGunslinger

[Update]

Well, we decided to push off a new car purchase until this time next year, when our budget will have a bit more flex. In the meantime, we still needed a second vehicle until then, for convenience's sake, so we started shopping for cheap used cars.

A friend of my wife's mentioned that they still had their old minivan in the garage, going unused. There's a bit of history as to why it's unused ( Short version - they lost a child to illness a few years back, and they used the van for taking him to doctor appointments and treatments. After he passed, they just didn't have the heart to keep driving it daily. ) They did keep it running, maintained, inspected, etc.

It's a '97 Doge Caravan with 112K miles. Pretty clean inside and out - doesn't look like a 10-year-old vehicle. Runs good - new tires, belts, brakes, filters, plugs, battery. Not the best gas mileage - we've only had it a day, but I'm going to guess it's getting about 18-20mpg.

Gave them $2K for it.

At the very least, we'll have something to trade in (or sell) for our new vehicle next year. Should probably pay for itself by then.

Sounds like a very good decision on your part. :thumbsup:

 

[thedarkwolf]

Can't beat that. If you last a year or two you win and being $2k will make up a lot for its lower gas mileage. I have an 89 caravan myself as a beater I picked up 6 years ago for $800. Mine hasn't been super reliable but then it is turbo charged and I haven't left it stock . Its made a good beater.

 

[cKGunslinger]

Yeah, I think this will turn out decent. I would like to improve the gas mileage, but it is a 3.0L V6 in a vehicle with a curb weight of ~3500lbs. Probably not much that can be done other than to drive it sensibly and infrequently.

On a side note, I was somewhat surprised to see that it only has 14" wheels - same as my little Protege. They look a bit small on the frame. Also, it has a cassette player. ^_^

I think I might take it out tomorrow, have an MP3 player installed, and maybe get the windows tinted - it sure does have a lot of clear glass. What would be an ~price to get the two sliding door windows and the read hatch window tinted?

My wife and kids are going out of town next week, so maybe that'll make their ride a bit more comfortable.

 

[SearchMaster]

You made a good choice. If you do decide to buy a new vehicle in a year, you'll get back at least what you paid for the Caravan.