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Vans & Minivans Minivans - Domestic or Foreign
3643 messages, Last post on May 20, 2009 at 6:32 AM
You are in the Vans & Minivans Forum. Your Host is Karens
A reporter is looking to interview owners of a 2007 or 2008 minivan, SUV or crossover that is loaded with two or more high-tech features such as a navigation system, DVD player, heated mirrors, parking sensors, rear view cameras, iPod connectivity, radio data system, Bluetooth, satellite radio, tire pressure monitoring, universal garage door opener, Sync, etc. Please respond to jfallon edmunds.com before Friday, October 10, 2008 with your daytime contact information and a few words about your vehicle.
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We are planning to purchase either a Toyota Sienna or a Honda Odyssey. Our three boys are 12 years old, 8 years old, and just 4 months old. Given the number of children, and the age range (baby in a car seat for a long time still, 8 year old nearly out of his booster, 12 year old getting bigger by the day), what recommendations might any of you have for 7 vs. 8 passenger style models? Any suggestions for seating arrangements which have worked particularly well for you? Thanks very much for any suggestions!
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I'm planning on purchasing a used minivan in the next month or so for about $17k. For that I can get either an 05 Sienna or an 08 Sedona, both with similar options and certified factory warranty. I'm torn because I like the reliability of the Sienna, but appreciate having more years of warranty with the Sedona. What do you al recommend?
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Replying to: wendyc5 (Oct 11, 2008 8:16 pm) All in all, I'd look at 7 passenger models; put the 12 year old and the 4 month old in the second row (the 4mo in the baby seat of course) and let the 8 year old have the third row assuming he can buckle in his booster well. Legroom is sufficient in the third row, even for me at 6'5", assuming the 2nd row seat is adjusted slightly forward. It should be fine for the 12 year old as well. Hope this helps! 
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Replying to: thegraduate (Oct 12, 2008 12:09 am) |
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Replying to: jw1127 (Oct 11, 2008 8:32 pm)
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Replying to: jpf (Oct 12, 2008 2:28 pm) That could be one reason used ones depreciate so fast. |
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Replying to: wendyc5 (Oct 11, 2008 8:16 pm) We got one, and when there are 5 of us you don't need the 3rd row at all. That means you can carry 5 and still have 99 cubic feet for cargo, more than any other van, even with 5 comfortably accommodated. For the small child, the middle seat can slide forward about 8 inches, so mom can reach the infant. It's short-term, sure, but you'll love it for the first 2 years or so. Plus, that offsets the seats, so the 12 and 8 year old will have their shoulders behind the middle seat. We have a nanny, plus 2 kids, so we drive around with 5 in the car quite often. At other times, we put the dog in a crate and he sits in the middle, between the kids. That 8th seat is incredibly useful. In fact we use it much more than all seats in the 3rd row combined. Easily. |
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Replying to: ateixeira (Oct 14, 2008 11:26 am) For me the luxury of captains chairs was no where near the value of having an eighth seat. I can have all three children ride in the van with none banished to the wayback. I have a huge space available behind the second row most of the time. Other times we can take another family of three with us in the same vehicle- a real bonus when we have friends and family come to visit. By contrast, the plus One seat in the Odyssey is a neat idea but I found it too small and uncomfortable to use on a regular basis and when it isn't in use it is in the way.
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Replying to: yatesjo (Oct 14, 2008 4:34 pm) Eh, when I was "children-sized" (  ) I know I enjoyed having some space from being crammed up against some of my cousins when we'd go in my Uncle's Suburban. I could have been beside them where they bothered me and had no window to escape to, or I could have the third row and not be banished to the middle. Unlike the Suburban though, the Odyssey and Sienna can have the 3rd row split folded, so that you don't lose the whole cargo area. Just have the seats in place that you need. In my aunt's Odyssey last year, we had one 2nd row chair, and the one-seat portion of the third row up. We then had lots of room for our cat's big kennel (big enough that her litterbox and bed fits in it). Nice to have the versatility of a minivan these days isn't it?
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