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Minivans - Domestic or Foreign

3643 messages,  Last post on May 20, 2009 at 6:32 AM

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What is this discussion about? Toyota Sienna, Dodge Caravan, Chevrolet Venture, Mazda MPV, Kia Sedona, Honda Odyssey, Chevrolet Uplander, Nissan Quest, Hyundai Entourage, Van

#3612 of 3643 Re: First Minivan [hjc1] by kbella3 Mar 30, 2009 (4:58 am)
Replying to: hjc1 (Mar 30, 2009 4:52 am) Don't forget Kia. I have an '08 Kia Sedona and simply LOVE it. Replies to this message: hjc1 (Mar 30, 2009 4:07 pm) ateixeira (Apr 03, 2009 10:42 am) thegraduate (Apr 03, 2009 3:44 pm) fmichael (Apr 04, 2009 12:40 am) and 2 more...
#3613 of 3643 Re: First Minivan [kbella3] by hjc1 Mar 30, 2009 (4:07 pm)
Replying to: kbella3 (Mar 30, 2009 4:58 am) OOOPPs forgot about sister company.......Both great cars :=) Replies to this message: ateixeira (Apr 03, 2009 10:42 am) thegraduate (Apr 03, 2009 3:44 pm) fmichael (Apr 04, 2009 12:40 am) thegraduate (Apr 04, 2009 7:09 am) ateixeira (Apr 10, 2009 7:51 am)
#3614 of 3643 Re: First Minivan [hjc1] by ateixeira Apr 03, 2009 (10:42 am)
Replying to: hjc1 (Mar 30, 2009 4:07 pm) They don't offer an 8 seater, though ("we need to transport eight people"), so cross the Sedona and Entourage off the list right away.   I don't think the Dodge/VW vans come in an 8 seater, either.   The only two 8-seater options are the Odyssey and the Sienna.   In the Ody I think you have to get the EX or higher, and then you get a little bridge that goes between the two captain's chairs in the middle row, so you can squeeze an 8th passenger between the other two.   To be honest, I wanted an 8 seater also, and for me the Sienna 8 passenger was the best by far, because the middle seat is adult-sized, about 20" wide.   What Toyota did was they set the outboard seats farther apart to make room for a real, adult-sized chair. You do give up the arm rests on the outer chairs, but the middle chair folds so you still have inner arm rests.   The catch is it's only on the CE and LE models, so you can't get a loaded up 8 seater. That should be OK, the LE packages offer plenty of equipment.   We're happy with ours. The engine is the most powerful in the minivan class and still returns very good MPG, and there's room for us, our 2 kids, and up to 4 friends plus cargo. Hard to beat combination.   Here is a big photo of the 2nd row, the middle seat can even be moved forward, for easy access to a toddler when needed:   http://www.toyota.com/img/vehicles/2009/sienna/gallery/full/2009-Sienna-15.jpg   Here is the Ody's 2nd row. As you can see, your back actually rests on the folded arm rests, not ideal but I suppose it works in a pinch for short distances:   http://media.photobucket.com/image/odyssey%202nd%20row/firemomof3_photo/2ndrowod- - - yssey.jpg Replies to this message: thegraduate (Apr 03, 2009 3:44 pm) fmichael (Apr 04, 2009 12:40 am) thegraduate (Apr 04, 2009 7:09 am) ateixeira (Apr 10, 2009 7:51 am)
#3615 of 3643 Re: First Minivan [ateixeira] by thegraduate Apr 03, 2009 (3:44 pm)
Replying to: ateixeira (Apr 03, 2009 10:42 am) Of course, you might want to adjust the captain's chairs to line up with the middle seat in the Ody.   Having ridden in that middle row to dinner across town, I can say it isn't bad. Same seat cushion feeling (not a hard hump like some sedans) as the other captains chairs so your rear doesn't get numb!
#3616 of 3643 Re: First Minivan [ateixeira] by fmichael Apr 04, 2009 (12:40 am)
Replying to: ateixeira (Apr 03, 2009 10:42 am) What's the quality (size, and comfort) of the outter capt. chairs with the Sienna LE 8 when compared to the Sienna LE 7?   I do know that the Sienna LE 8 is a better option if you're looking for a proper 8-seater when compared to the Odyssey EX; wife, & I are on the fence if we should get a 7, or 8 seat configuration. Replies to this message: thegraduate (Apr 04, 2009 7:09 am) ateixeira (Apr 10, 2009 7:51 am)
#3617 of 3643 Re: First Minivan [fmichael] by thegraduate Apr 04, 2009 (7:09 am)
Replying to: fmichael (Apr 04, 2009 12:40 am) If you are carrying eight passengers very often, I'd go with the Sienna. If you occasionally need the eighth seat, the Odyssey with the PlusOne seat is definitely the way to go; those armrests make a big different in seat comfort (the 8-pass Sienna doesn't have them in the second row).
#3618 of 3643 Re: First Minivan [fmichael] by ateixeira Apr 10, 2009 (7:51 am)
Replying to: fmichael (Apr 04, 2009 12:40 am) grad - LOL, not my photo, that's the only one I could find.   I measured at one point and the outer chairs on the 8 pass. Sienna are 22" wide, while the center chair is 20" wide.   My office chair is less than 20" so I consider all 3 of those adult sized, even for long distances.   What you give up are the arm rests, but the middle chair would not fit between them if an armrest was there, so you can't have your cake and eat it.   All 3 chairs recline and are IMHO very comfortable. We took the van to Florida and drove for hours at a time. One very nice feature is that the front passenger chair folds flat, so you can recline the 2nd row and put your feet up on it. It's almost like a bed. I drove with my brother for 7 hours and we each took a 3.5 hour shift driving, the other half virtually lying down and watching a movie on the 12" DVD screen I had installed.   So 3.5 hours driving, 3.5 hours watching two movies.   Now that's a road trip.
#3619 of 3643 Honda vs Dodge by voiceofstl Apr 20, 2009 (1:44 pm)
Lets say I agree that the Honda and the Toyota are the best vans. Don't they cost $10,000 more then the Dodge or even the Kia? I say for the biggest bang for the buck you can't beat the dodge with the 3.8 or the 4.0 motor and I love those stow & go seats, its the only van that does that. After the Dodge i'd say the Kia is the best buy for the money?   comments.......... Replies to this message: sebring95 (Apr 20, 2009 2:00 pm) ateixeira (Apr 21, 2009 6:17 am)
#3620 of 3643 Re: Honda vs Dodge [voiceofstl] by sebring95 Apr 20, 2009 (2:00 pm)
Replying to: voiceofstl (Apr 20, 2009 1:44 pm) I bought back in 2005 and as close as you could outfit them, the T&C was $5,500 less than the Odyssey we bought. The T&C was heavily discounted, employee pricing plus several thousand $$ rebates. Odyssey I negotiated $500 over invoice with no incentives (good deal at the time). We liked the Odyssey a lot better so it really wasn't a money thing, but I wanted to know really how much the difference was. Fast forward four years and 50k miles, KBB says private party value on the exact same vans is $17,000 for the Odyssey (EX-L with NAV and DVD) vs $11,000 for the T&C (Touring with NAV & DVD and extras). Based on how heavily Odyssey's were being discounted last year, I'd be surprised if there's more than $5,000 between them now and no way is there $10,000. But someone else can do that math.   Considering we're already a year longer than we would typically keep a vehicle (still very happy with it) I'd say we've done just fine on the bang-for-buck factor.
#3621 of 3643 Re: Honda vs Dodge [voiceofstl] by ateixeira Apr 21, 2009 (6:17 am)
Replying to: voiceofstl (Apr 20, 2009 1:44 pm) I paid about $25k for my Sienna LE with power sliding doors on both sides and a trip computer. There's no way you could find a Dodge or Kia for $10 grand less than that at the time, probably not now either.   At the time, a similar Dodge van was $22-23k and did not have the 8th seat I wanted. A 7 passenger Sienna was $24.7k. So it was more like $2 grand price advantage, not $10.   The Ody EX, which is the model with the power sliders and 8th seat, was $26,883 at the time, but came with some extra equipment I didn't necessarily want. It costs a bit more but you get the extras.   I actually looked at the Entourage more than the Sedona, though they are clones, and the Entourage was $23,317, and though it still didn't have the 8th seat and a couple of things my Sienna had, it had a backup sensor and heated front seats. So I'd consider the equipment level roughly similar.   I did see one bargain Entourage for $19,799, but it has no power doors and no 6CD changer, so it was pretty bare-bones. Still, a bargain.   I also saw a left over 2006 Dodge minivan for $20,600, but it was the old model, and already looked so outdated.   But you'd have to compare those to a Sienna CE, which was a little under $22k.   So $2-3 grand price edge for similar equipment, maybe, but not $10, no way no how.   Sure, you can price a Sienna sky high, but only if you get things that other vans simply do not offer at all, and that's not really fair. I'm talking about AWD and laser cruise control, stuff like that. Not comparable to any other van, so why compare?   We should not penalize Toyota for offering more options, especially if you don't have to pay for them. Very few Sienna were over $33k when I was shopping, and the funny thing is those were the ones that sold first, because some customers want everything. So they were actually hard to find. Go figure.   Those were prices in the Spring of 2007, and I bet they are down for ALL vans. I know the new Sienna is a few hundred cheaper at least. The Ody's price has dropped even more.   All the better for the van shopper, it's a buyer's market.

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