Get a minivan. If you're lucky, you can find a 4-cylinder Sienna. They only made it for a couple years.
There is also the Transit Connect
There is also the Transit Connect
Thoughts and opinions on family haulers
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Originally Posted by Pew
I wouldn't. The last thing I would want is for my family to be stuck on the side of the road
Is it really that bad with the advent of cell phones, towing plans and Uber/Lyft? My 2 daughters/I broke down in my 07 MDX into a parking lot. She played her iPad off the public Xfinity wifi while I called an Uber to take us home. I left the key in ignition and had a tow truck haul it off to mechanic not present. It was an alternator failure.
The whole thing cost me $500 to fix alternator and $40 Uber ride home. My kids enjoyed it.
I wouldn't. The last thing I would want is for my family to be stuck on the side of the road
Is it really that bad with the advent of cell phones, towing plans and Uber/Lyft? My 2 daughters/I broke down in my 07 MDX into a parking lot. She played her iPad off the public Xfinity wifi while I called an Uber to take us home. I left the key in ignition and had a tow truck haul it off to mechanic not present. It was an alternator failure.
The whole thing cost me $500 to fix alternator and $40 Uber ride home. My kids enjoyed it.
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I third the minivan choice, go with the Sienna or Grand Caravan. I can't recommend the Odyssey due to VCM and while the tranny issues have been fixed on the last generation model, current gen uses the ZF 9HP.
The new generation of 3-row SUVs are just too cramped for a family IMO. Unless of course, you buy a Suburban/Tahoe or a Transit/E-Series/Express.
The new generation of 3-row SUVs are just too cramped for a family IMO. Unless of course, you buy a Suburban/Tahoe or a Transit/E-Series/Express.
Originally Posted by KrisZ
But people assume Sienna will automatically inherit Corolla reliability and Odyssey Accord reliability. But nothing could be further from the truth.
You are wrong! I have had my Sienna for going on 15 years and almost 180k miles. It has been completely reliable, not one problem, NOTHING, not even an A/C problem. Maintenance and maintenance related parts replacements ONLY. It runs and drives as good as the day I bought it and has been the best vehicle I have ever owned. It was worth every penny of what I paid for it.
OP, the very best thing about owning a minivan when you have small children is... SLIDING SIDE DOORS!
A 3-row SUV will not have enough cargo carrying capacity to go on a trip with 6 people on-board, especially with children, unless it is a Suburban.
But people assume Sienna will automatically inherit Corolla reliability and Odyssey Accord reliability. But nothing could be further from the truth.
You are wrong! I have had my Sienna for going on 15 years and almost 180k miles. It has been completely reliable, not one problem, NOTHING, not even an A/C problem. Maintenance and maintenance related parts replacements ONLY. It runs and drives as good as the day I bought it and has been the best vehicle I have ever owned. It was worth every penny of what I paid for it.
OP, the very best thing about owning a minivan when you have small children is... SLIDING SIDE DOORS!
A 3-row SUV will not have enough cargo carrying capacity to go on a trip with 6 people on-board, especially with children, unless it is a Suburban.
Originally Posted by wag123
OP, the very best thing about owning a minivan when you have small children is... SLIDING SIDE DOORS!
A 3-row SUV will not have enough cargo carrying capacity to go on a trip with 6 people on-board, especially with children, unless it is a Suburban.
That's a big bonus.. when I got my van I was like, how the heck have I lived without these.
OP, the very best thing about owning a minivan when you have small children is... SLIDING SIDE DOORS!
A 3-row SUV will not have enough cargo carrying capacity to go on a trip with 6 people on-board, especially with children, unless it is a Suburban.
That's a big bonus.. when I got my van I was like, how the heck have I lived without these.
The recent generation of odyssey and sienna are more towards average reliability. So no free lunch there. They also seemed to both have a tough of el cheapness wand vs past ones.
Are dual sliding doors standard equipment these days on MVs? With a family of 6 to load in and out, having a door on both sides would be a big plus in my book.
Someone earlier mentioned not being able to afford a Suburban. FWIW, I bought an 03 Suburban last February, cost me $5400 from a private seller. I paid my mechanic to change every fluid and a few minor things (just under $900). Everything else I've done has been cosmetic, stripping out the interior to clean the carpets, adding a console in place of the front bench seat, and minor body work to fix deep scratches in the paint as well as a few dents. All in I'm at about $7500, and I can get every bit of that back out of her if I were to sell it today. 3 row seating with excellent access, and roughly 2.5' of cargo space with the 3rd row seat in place. With the 3rd row folded up, 4' of cargo space. With the front bench she'd seat 9, with the console it's 8. Mileage ranges between 13 and 17mpg, not the greatest, but not horrid either.
Someone earlier mentioned not being able to afford a Suburban. FWIW, I bought an 03 Suburban last February, cost me $5400 from a private seller. I paid my mechanic to change every fluid and a few minor things (just under $900). Everything else I've done has been cosmetic, stripping out the interior to clean the carpets, adding a console in place of the front bench seat, and minor body work to fix deep scratches in the paint as well as a few dents. All in I'm at about $7500, and I can get every bit of that back out of her if I were to sell it today. 3 row seating with excellent access, and roughly 2.5' of cargo space with the 3rd row seat in place. With the 3rd row folded up, 4' of cargo space. With the front bench she'd seat 9, with the console it's 8. Mileage ranges between 13 and 17mpg, not the greatest, but not horrid either.
Originally Posted by A_Spruce
Are dual sliding doors standard equipment these days on MVs? With a family of 6 to load in and out, having a door on both sides would be a big plus in my book.
Dual sliding doors have been standard on every minivan for probably 20 years
It's a more recent development (last 10 or so probably) that they're also power open & close on almost every model. There might be some base models that are still manual opening.
jeff
Are dual sliding doors standard equipment these days on MVs? With a family of 6 to load in and out, having a door on both sides would be a big plus in my book.
Dual sliding doors have been standard on every minivan for probably 20 years
jeff
Originally Posted by madRiver
The recent generation of odyssey and sienna are more towards average reliability. So no free lunch there. They also seemed to both have a tough of el cheapness wand vs past ones.
They serve purpose. But quality is subpar. Still, bcs they do really good waht they are design for, I would again buy Sienna. But, every time I sit in the vehicle, I just cringe.
The recent generation of odyssey and sienna are more towards average reliability. So no free lunch there. They also seemed to both have a tough of el cheapness wand vs past ones.
They serve purpose. But quality is subpar. Still, bcs they do really good waht they are design for, I would again buy Sienna. But, every time I sit in the vehicle, I just cringe.
Originally Posted by wag123
Originally Posted by KrisZ
But people assume Sienna will automatically inherit Corolla reliability and Odyssey Accord reliability. But nothing could be further from the truth.
You are wrong! I have had my Sienna for going on 15 years and almost 180k miles. It has been completely reliable, not one problem, NOTHING, not even an A/C problem. Maintenance and maintenance related parts replacements ONLY. It runs and drives as good as the day I bought it and has been the best vehicle I have ever owned. It was worth every penny of what I paid for it.
OP, the very best thing about owning a minivan when you have small children is... SLIDING SIDE DOORS!
A 3-row SUV will not have enough cargo carrying capacity to go on a trip with 6 people on-board, especially with children, unless it is a Suburban.
Your 15 year old sienna is not the same as the new one. The new ones have gone downhill both in quality and reliability, while Chrysler improved their minivans by quite a lot.
The new Pacifica is both a better quality vehicle and is very reliable. There are some long tests done by various groups and they all have very good experiences with it.
Originally Posted by KrisZ
But people assume Sienna will automatically inherit Corolla reliability and Odyssey Accord reliability. But nothing could be further from the truth.
You are wrong! I have had my Sienna for going on 15 years and almost 180k miles. It has been completely reliable, not one problem, NOTHING, not even an A/C problem. Maintenance and maintenance related parts replacements ONLY. It runs and drives as good as the day I bought it and has been the best vehicle I have ever owned. It was worth every penny of what I paid for it.
OP, the very best thing about owning a minivan when you have small children is... SLIDING SIDE DOORS!
A 3-row SUV will not have enough cargo carrying capacity to go on a trip with 6 people on-board, especially with children, unless it is a Suburban.
Your 15 year old sienna is not the same as the new one. The new ones have gone downhill both in quality and reliability, while Chrysler improved their minivans by quite a lot.
The new Pacifica is both a better quality vehicle and is very reliable. There are some long tests done by various groups and they all have very good experiences with it.
Originally Posted by KrisZ
Originally Posted by Pew
Originally Posted by supton
Originally Posted by Pew
I wouldn't. The last thing I would want is for my family to be stuck on the side of the road
Sure--so he should buy new, and then replace every 3 to 5 years, so as to avoid any possibility of failure? Is there no happy medium?
I'm talking about buying a Sienna Or Odyssey over a Grand Caravan even if the Grand Caravan is $5K cheaper, assuming everything else is the same/similar.
When was the last time you saw a Grand Caravan stranded on the side of the road? I have not seen one, like ever.
Sienna, Odyssey and Grand Caravan/Town & Country are pretty much on par as far as problems go.
But people assume Sienna will automatically inherit Corolla reliability and Odyssey Accord reliability. But nothing could be further from the truth.
Sorry, but I'm not buying that the Caravan is as reliable as the Toyota or Honda...
Originally Posted by Pew
Originally Posted by supton
Originally Posted by Pew
I wouldn't. The last thing I would want is for my family to be stuck on the side of the road
Sure--so he should buy new, and then replace every 3 to 5 years, so as to avoid any possibility of failure? Is there no happy medium?
I'm talking about buying a Sienna Or Odyssey over a Grand Caravan even if the Grand Caravan is $5K cheaper, assuming everything else is the same/similar.
When was the last time you saw a Grand Caravan stranded on the side of the road? I have not seen one, like ever.
Sienna, Odyssey and Grand Caravan/Town & Country are pretty much on par as far as problems go.
But people assume Sienna will automatically inherit Corolla reliability and Odyssey Accord reliability. But nothing could be further from the truth.
Sorry, but I'm not buying that the Caravan is as reliable as the Toyota or Honda...
Originally Posted by KrisZ
Originally Posted by wag123
Originally Posted by KrisZ
But people assume Sienna will automatically inherit Corolla reliability and Odyssey Accord reliability. But nothing could be further from the truth.
You are wrong! I have had my Sienna for going on 15 years and almost 180k miles. It has been completely reliable, not one problem, NOTHING, not even an A/C problem. Maintenance and maintenance related parts replacements ONLY. It runs and drives as good as the day I bought it and has been the best vehicle I have ever owned. It was worth every penny of what I paid for it.
OP, the very best thing about owning a minivan when you have small children is... SLIDING SIDE DOORS!
A 3-row SUV will not have enough cargo carrying capacity to go on a trip with 6 people on-board, especially with children, unless it is a Suburban.
Your 15 year old sienna is not the same as the new one. The new ones have gone downhill both in quality and reliability, while Chrysler improved their minivans by quite a lot.
The new Pacifica is both a better quality vehicle and is very reliable. There are some long tests done by various groups and they all have very good experiences with it.
If there's any truth to this, and I doubt there is, the Toyotas and Hondas are still better vehicles than the Chryslers...
Originally Posted by wag123
Originally Posted by KrisZ
But people assume Sienna will automatically inherit Corolla reliability and Odyssey Accord reliability. But nothing could be further from the truth.
You are wrong! I have had my Sienna for going on 15 years and almost 180k miles. It has been completely reliable, not one problem, NOTHING, not even an A/C problem. Maintenance and maintenance related parts replacements ONLY. It runs and drives as good as the day I bought it and has been the best vehicle I have ever owned. It was worth every penny of what I paid for it.
OP, the very best thing about owning a minivan when you have small children is... SLIDING SIDE DOORS!
A 3-row SUV will not have enough cargo carrying capacity to go on a trip with 6 people on-board, especially with children, unless it is a Suburban.
Your 15 year old sienna is not the same as the new one. The new ones have gone downhill both in quality and reliability, while Chrysler improved their minivans by quite a lot.
The new Pacifica is both a better quality vehicle and is very reliable. There are some long tests done by various groups and they all have very good experiences with it.
If there's any truth to this, and I doubt there is, the Toyotas and Hondas are still better vehicles than the Chryslers...
I will most likely by a minivan I think the consensus is overwhelming. I will likely trade the dart in and put 5k down on a 10-12k van to keep the payment reasonable.
I do still own the ram BTW but I don't drive it the cab mounts are gone so I have a truck but cannot use it. That being said maybe I'll buy a cheap cheap 1,000 beater truck for when I need one that's once in awhile or maybe not . But the minivan is definitely what we will be doing
I do still own the ram BTW but I don't drive it the cab mounts are gone so I have a truck but cannot use it. That being said maybe I'll buy a cheap cheap 1,000 beater truck for when I need one that's once in awhile or maybe not . But the minivan is definitely what we will be doing
You could get a 2002-2006 Tahoe/Suburban or Yukon/Yukon XL for cheap money. Strong. Reliable. Guzzles gas but easy cheap and fun to work on compared to (for example) a Toyota Sienna. And she won't feel like soccer mom.
The big feature that I like in the Odyssey (EX and EX-L trims) is the removable (and in some models, stowable) 8th seat. We are a family of 6, so it's nice to be able to carry two friends or two grandparents on occasions. Also, the 8th seat in the middle row gives flexibility to fold down seats in the back and still carry everyone. For smaller families, the 8th seat will probably just live in the garage, lol.
Otherwise, I would probably consider the Caravan, since they seem like better values.
Otherwise, I would probably consider the Caravan, since they seem like better values.
Tough situation being that you owe more on the Dart than it's really worth. I'd look at trading into a mini van for sure. You may have to eat a few grand but easier than trying to sell outright. I'm over messing around with facebook, craigslist etc unless you have lots of time.
we picked up a low mileage 06 sienna when we outgrew cars/suv's and don't know how we did it before that. Previously we had a 2013 Ford Explorer with the 3rd row. It was a pain loading and unloading compared to a van.
Nothing can match the versatility of a van. The sliding doors with the remote open is super handy when loading the kids up. Press the button and the sliding door(s) open, kids hop in. Low step in height and just general flexibility can't be had in anything else. Gas mileage is usually pretty good too, I believe we averaged 24MPG in our van. Also, you can load full sheets of plywood in it, 8' 2x4's etc. Our van saw lots of hauling duties during renovation projects. Better than a truck IMO.
When shopping we also test drove a new KIA Sedona and Dodge Caravan. They were really nice, but its a kid hauler and I couldn't bring myself to have those payments on something that kids were going to get all grimy etc.
we picked up a low mileage 06 sienna when we outgrew cars/suv's and don't know how we did it before that. Previously we had a 2013 Ford Explorer with the 3rd row. It was a pain loading and unloading compared to a van.
Nothing can match the versatility of a van. The sliding doors with the remote open is super handy when loading the kids up. Press the button and the sliding door(s) open, kids hop in. Low step in height and just general flexibility can't be had in anything else. Gas mileage is usually pretty good too, I believe we averaged 24MPG in our van. Also, you can load full sheets of plywood in it, 8' 2x4's etc. Our van saw lots of hauling duties during renovation projects. Better than a truck IMO.
When shopping we also test drove a new KIA Sedona and Dodge Caravan. They were really nice, but its a kid hauler and I couldn't bring myself to have those payments on something that kids were going to get all grimy etc.
Originally Posted by brages
Also, the 8th seat in the middle row gives flexibility to fold down seats in the back and still carry everyone. For smaller families, the 8th seat will probably just live in the garage, lol.
It's a cool little trick that little filler seat to make both 2nd and 3rd rows full bench seats.
One cool thing about the Chrysler vans, except the Pacifica IIRC is the Stow & Go seating. Having taken out the 2nd row captain chairs many times on the Sienna to haul stuff around like bikes, it's not exactly a fun nor tedious task but not back friendly.
Also, the 8th seat in the middle row gives flexibility to fold down seats in the back and still carry everyone. For smaller families, the 8th seat will probably just live in the garage, lol.
It's a cool little trick that little filler seat to make both 2nd and 3rd rows full bench seats.
One cool thing about the Chrysler vans, except the Pacifica IIRC is the Stow & Go seating. Having taken out the 2nd row captain chairs many times on the Sienna to haul stuff around like bikes, it's not exactly a fun nor tedious task but not back friendly.
Originally Posted by nthach
Originally Posted by brages
Also, the 8th seat in the middle row gives flexibility to fold down seats in the back and still carry everyone. For smaller families, the 8th seat will probably just live in the garage, lol.
It's a cool little trick that little filler seat to make both 2nd and 3rd rows full bench seats.
One cool thing about the Chrysler vans, except the Pacifica IIRC is the Stow & Go seating. Having taken out the 2nd row captain chairs many times on the Sienna to haul stuff around like bikes, it's not exactly a fun nor tedious task but not back friendly.
This is a good point about the chrysler products, stow and go is really handy. What we found is the seats are not comfortable compared to the competitors. The design that allows them to fold also makes the cushions etc thin. Not a huge deal for smaller kids, just something to think about. I also didn't like the seats in the newer Sienna. Our older one I found to be much more comfortable.
Originally Posted by brages
Also, the 8th seat in the middle row gives flexibility to fold down seats in the back and still carry everyone. For smaller families, the 8th seat will probably just live in the garage, lol.
It's a cool little trick that little filler seat to make both 2nd and 3rd rows full bench seats.
One cool thing about the Chrysler vans, except the Pacifica IIRC is the Stow & Go seating. Having taken out the 2nd row captain chairs many times on the Sienna to haul stuff around like bikes, it's not exactly a fun nor tedious task but not back friendly.
This is a good point about the chrysler products, stow and go is really handy. What we found is the seats are not comfortable compared to the competitors. The design that allows them to fold also makes the cushions etc thin. Not a huge deal for smaller kids, just something to think about. I also didn't like the seats in the newer Sienna. Our older one I found to be much more comfortable.
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