Okay....if I have to get a mini van....

[Sealy]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
Yep, august! We will keep our maxima for now with me driving the $1000 93 sentra

Be thankful it's not a '91 chevy lumina!! I guess a minivan's not as bad as that!!

 

[Sealy]

Originally posted by: PlatinumGold

Originally posted by: Sealy

Originally posted by: PlatinumGold

Originally posted by: Sealy

Originally posted by: Cuda1447
Why not an SUV instead?

Unfortunately, the seating is still only for 4 comfortably and 5 tightly. We are expecting our 2nd child in Oct. and we drive other people around, so we need something that's got more seats in it. Also we need room to put our stuff, as we make quite a few trips to my parents (about a 4hr. drive), as well as something that's gas efficient.

a large SUV will seat 7 comfortably also, but probably not as comfortably as the minivan. the minivan also has the advantage of having more headroom so that the passenger in the front can move to the back while in motion to take care of kids or whatever. my wife frequently does this.

when raising a family especially when kids are on formula etc, it really is hard to beat a minivan for convenience.

Ya I definitely don't want to drive a large SUV...we live in the city, and it's just too much on gas...I agree that a minivan is the most logical, It's just the stigma that goes along with it I guess! I'll get over it!

you see, i just don't get that.

how could you let social "stigma" influence a decision like this.

a friend of mine did the same thing, he went out and bought a Nissan pathfinder because he didn't want the stigma of having a miinivan, couple years later and much regret later he ended up buying a minivan.

he should have just bought the minivan to start off with, oh btw, there really isn't anymore room in that pathfinder than there is in my Olds intrigue. people that buy mid sized SUVs for more "space" are just lying to themselves.

That's why I hav'nt bought an SUV...and the social stigma has'nt influenced me, it's just made me look into SUV's a bit more that's all. But I realized that a minivan makes the most sense. I'll just be a "typical" mom driving a "typical" minivan, that's all. And in fact if money was'nt a factor, I would be buying the Volvo XC90, not a minivan.

 

[Thegonagle]

My favorite, appearance-wise, would be a Honda Odyssey if I was ready to really shell out for a new one. Plus, I'm a major Honda fan. Honda just makes my favorite all-around vehicles. They're easy/fun to drive, reasonably priced (new), and they just work. Too bad they're so expensive used until they're 10 years old or so.

If money was a concern, and I wanted to get a van that's not a chore or a total bore to drive and get as much as I could per dollar, it would have to be a slightly used Chrysler T&C or Dodge Caravan. Which it would be between those two would depend on what I found on the market and what features I really wanted. I've driven several: my sister and I recently rented a Dodge Grand Caravan to move a bunch of stuff up here from Chicago (02?-03? 3.0L engine); I used to run errands a few times per week in the boss' company Grand Caravan (96?-97? 3.0L engine); and my dad used to own a regular-size Voyager (94, 3.8L engine). I would need to get the 3.8 L engine, or whatever they're offering these days as an upgrade to the 3.0L. The latest generation vans drive/ride/handle very well for what they are, and the 3.8L engine has fairly satisfying get-up'n'go.

EDIT: My once stellar memory for car specs is not what it used to be--Those base engines on the rental and my boss' old van must have been 3.3 L, not 3.0 L, which, IIRC (probably not ), were Mistubishi engines, and haven't been installed in the Chrysler vans for well over a decade. At any rate, the base 3.3 L V6 is a bit of a slug unless the van is empty, so anyone looking at Chryslers for whom piling people and cargo in isn't just a novelty should try to find one with the larger engine.

Oh, BTW, my dad never had anything break on his van, and the only problems my boss had with his was with a power window and a leaking/squeeking rear strut, both of which were covered under warranty. (It was a company lease vehicle. This old "boss" is also my best friend's dad--my best friend was a bigger import fan than me--so I heard about every little thing that ever went wrong with his dad's American cars. For the record, the used Windstar he bought after the Caravan lease was up needed to have its transmission rebuilt/replaced.)

 

[Pliablemoose]

I like the slightly used Town & Country idea, Chrysler came up with the mini van concept & with a big V-6 they're an acceptable ride. Used cars make the inevetable parking lot dings a little more tolerable.

If money is no object, go for the Oddsey/Sienna, with a wild card of the new Nissan mini van.

 

[d3n]

As foster parents our family had to pick up a minivan on the fly. We traded in a Volvo 950 wagon in for a used 2000 town and country. The 950 wagon was similar to the XC90 in that it had seats for 7 that only fit grade school aged children. Also the rear seat in the wagon was rear facing. (barf bags handy?)

The minivan has hauled its weight for about two years. The only problem was a serpentine belt that popped off. The van was a deal with the trade in. Its served us well... the sliding doors on the van have been a life saver for side panels of the volvo850 turbo sitting next to it in the driveway. (big Volvo fan here)

I say go for a good certified used minivan with a DVD system. The built in DVD package is only thing I wish we had in the family van. Portable setups are a hassel.


Perhaps when the wheels fall of the 850 I might spring for a Volvo V70R or S60R f they are still available. If not I'll settle for a used XCV70 or a used XC90

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Odyssey.

- M4H

 

[thedarkwolf]

http://www.turbominivan.com/
I have one and I am single dude .

Anyway the new chryslers with the fold into the floors seats are pretty slick. I would alteast check them out. Its a pain in the butt to get the seats out of mine. That back one must way around 80lbs.

 

[bunker]

We just got this one back in October.

My wife loves it and I have to say it does ride very nice. Only thing is, Ford quit making the Windstar and it's the Freestar now.

 

[mattyrug]

I gotta say, I was afraid of the 'Stigma' but I went ahead and bought a '95 Grand Voyager (3.3L), and so far it's been the best car I've ever owned. It does pretty good on gas (24+ when empty, and like 14 when loaded). I needed the flexibility of having a passenger vehicle, as well as a light-duty van. Seating-wise It's definately more roomy, and comfortable than a lot of the SUV's out there. We were looking at a newer one, and the seating, and and cargo room seems pretty much the same. A real plus is that the seats fold into the floor, the seats in the older ones are bulky and heavy.

I beat on it pretty hard too, I haul 1000lbs of sound equipment (all my PA Gear), at any given time (almost time for new Leaf Springs ). You should see the looks i get when I pull up to a show. It had 139,500 Miles when I got it a year and 3 months ago, and I just passed 172,000. It was well taken care of, (the owners kept records of EVERYTHING!) and haven't had any major mechanical problems, yet (but I'm waiting). Not bad for a high mileage car. A lot of Fluid changes keep it regular!

 

[DT4K]

Originally posted by: tweakmm
If you are a female, driving a minivan is not nearly as bad as when you are a male.

Hey now, there's no shame in being a soccer dad. I gave up on the whole "being cool" thing a long time ago.

We just bought a Kia Sedona and so far I'm really happy with it.

If price wasn't an issue, I probably would have gotten a Sienna or Odyssey because I am a big Honda and Toyota fan and they are really nice. But with all the options we wanted, the Sedona was much more affordable for us. Not to mention it had a better warranty than any other automaker and has the highest crash test ratings as well. I was a little worried about Kia's reputation, but according to everything I've read, they have made big improvements in the past few years. AFAIK, Kia is part of Hyundai and here is what Consumer Reports had to say about them:

"CR's reliability survey also shows that Korea's Hyundai has made a striking turnaround during the past decade and - for the 2002 model year - ranks with the best Japanese manufacturers. In CR's latest survey, Hyundai tied Honda for second-place in reliability ratings for 2002s behind Toyota."

The only negative so far is that the gas mileage sucks compared to other minivans. But I'm guessing that's because it's the heaviest van. And I'm guessing the reason it's so heavy is also the reason it does so well in crash tests.

Whatever your opinion of Kia, it's at least worth taking a look at. We got our Sedona EX with power everything, AC, cruise, dual sliding doors, power driver and passenger seats, 2nd row removable bucket seats, etc, etc all for 20k with manufacturers rebates.

 

[andylawcc]

http://www.30.com.hk/main_org.htm

http://www.mitsubishi-motors.co.jp/GRANDIS/style.html


hehe... not available to US... but damn stylish.


anyway, as many here have already mentioned, you can't go wrong with Sienna, Quest (if you don't mind the funky interior), Oddessy, Grand Caravan, and Town and Country (I sat in one, it looks good and feels powerful)

 

[Nebor]

The Volvo XC90 would be like 10x safer than any minivan you can buy. Minivans are death traps.

By the way, as far as social stigma is concerned, I HATE MINIVANS. Seriously, the very idea of them pisses me off. So many of them are slow driving, road vigilantes that I just hate every minivan I see. Honestly, I don't see a minivan on the road without getting a little angry, and saying "fvcking minivan."

My newest fantasy is that one day I'll be driving down the highway and all the minivans will begin to explode, one at a time. I'll drive around the flaming wreckage, giggling gleefully. As it is, I just cut them off, tailgate them, and do anything else I can to get them back for making me hate them so much.

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: Nebor
The Volvo XC90 would be like 10x safer than any minivan you can buy. Minivans are death traps.

By the way, as far as social stigma is concerned, I HATE MINIVANS. Seriously, the very idea of them pisses me off. So many of them are slow driving, road vigilantes that I just hate every minivan I see. Honestly, I don't see a minivan on the road without getting a little angry, and saying "fvcking minivan."

My newest fantasy is that one day I'll be driving down the highway and all the minivans will begin to explode, one at a time. I'll drive around the flaming wreckage, giggling gleefully. As it is, I just cut them off, tailgate them, and do anything else I can to get them back for making me hate them so much.

:Q

You have issues.

 

[milagro]

Originally posted by: Nebor
The Volvo XC90 would be like 10x safer than any minivan you can buy. Minivans are death traps.

By the way, as far as social stigma is concerned, I HATE MINIVANS. Seriously, the very idea of them pisses me off. So many of them are slow driving, road vigilantes that I just hate every minivan I see. Honestly, I don't see a minivan on the road without getting a little angry, and saying "fvcking minivan."

My newest fantasy is that one day I'll be driving down the highway and all the minivans will begin to explode, one at a time. I'll drive around the flaming wreckage, giggling gleefully. As it is, I just cut them off, tailgate them, and do anything else I can to get them back for making me hate them so much.

did you just move to Vegas from Ohio recently?

 

[0roo0roo]

sienna or the honda one.... name escapes me at the moment, its engine is quite nice though. 240hp? i forget. eitehr way, interior room for minvans is superior to many suvs, for obvious reasons. safety is also superior, as minivans don't really do the flip over deal. minivans are also safer for other vehicles.

 

[hans007]

the all new quest is supposed to be nice. it has the same suspension as a nissan altima, so its supposedly somewhat sport for a minivan. i guess that means it'd drive like a camry.

as for the minivan's are deathtraps guy, i dont understand that. how is a mini van any more a death trap than a suv that rolls over.

i actually saw a rolled over suv a block from my house a few weeks ago, and i dont think any minivan could do that, sinc ethey are much lower.

 

[PlatinumGold]

Originally posted by: Nebor
The Volvo XC90 would be like 10x safer than any minivan you can buy. Minivans are death traps.

By the way, as far as social stigma is concerned, I HATE MINIVANS. Seriously, the very idea of them pisses me off. So many of them are slow driving, road vigilantes that I just hate every minivan I see. Honestly, I don't see a minivan on the road without getting a little angry, and saying "fvcking minivan."

My newest fantasy is that one day I'll be driving down the highway and all the minivans will begin to explode, one at a time. I'll drive around the flaming wreckage, giggling gleefully. As it is, I just cut them off, tailgate them, and do anything else I can to get them back for making me hate them so much.

hahahahaha

oh, your serious??

 

[Ornery]

I almost went down that road:

Tell Me About These Damn Minivans, Please! 09/19/2002

In the end, the Honda Odyssey seemed like the one to beat at that point in time. No way I'd spend $30K for a vehicle, though. The used domestic made more sense, because they depreciate bad, in a hurry. I'd have purchased a 2 or 3 year old Town & Country for that reason, but I got out of it:

Update: Didn't Have To Buy A Damn Minivan! 09/29/2002

Thank God!

As it is, the Grand Marquis my wife got instead is too cramped in the rear seats. It will likely be replaced by a used Expedition. If gas prices keep going up, it should be pretty cheap, soon!