Topic: Buying a mini van *no bike content*

[cleveland]

Nothing to do with bikes, but I figure a board full of gear heads would be a big help on this.

The little lady doesn't want the car anymore.  She says it's too cramped with 2 boys and a trunk full of groceries.  So I guess it's mini van time.  Any suggestions on what models to avoid due to poor trans or engines?  I picked up a Ford Explorer last year with 110K on it only to find out the trans go around 130K and the engine follows shortly there after......   I don't want to make the same mistake with a mini van. 

What have you had that treated you well?

I though about a station wagon to cut down on gas, but she likes the idea of being a little higher (no pot involved  ) to see her surrounding better.

Thanks!

[matchanu]

The Chrysler Pacifica is a great option. Lots of room, bigger than a station wagon, smaller than a mini-van, cool factor.


Bonus, it's really a Mercedes. My neigbor used to work at a Chrysler dealership, parts and said these almost never went in for repairs and need very little maintence.

Cons, it's big, like pregnet big. You need to use the mirrors as it's a bit clausterphobic with it's blind spots.



Mini-vans actually have a lot of juice, but if you have to drive it, it's still a mini-van..........I think that's all I need to say about that.

My wife loves the Pacifica, we have two small kids.

[tsflstb]

The first step is acceptance.  That phase took me a while.

We started out with a Honda Odyssey.  The 99-05 models have a weakness in the transmission.  Honda has extended the warranty on the tranny to 7 years/ 100,000 miles because of all the problems.  There was a recall for the '02 and later models to install new or bigger oil jets.  If you're going to tow, make sure to get the Honda oil cooler to keep the warranty in place.

We sold the Odyssey just before the 100,000 mile mark.  It was nice, but with a lot of space, you just end up hauling around crap you never use.  It's a big vehicle and got about 18 mpg and was hard to park.

We ended up buying a Mazda 5, which is like a "mini" minivan.  Still has 3 rows of seats and sliding doors, but not nearly as roomy as the Odyssey.  It's a lot more fun to drive and we haven't really missed the extra space.  Our kids are both in car seats and we still haul around a double stroller.  It's based on the Mazda 3 platform and has been reliable so far.

[333]

I like the GM lines, regardless of style or type.  They stopped making my favorite van(I'm on my second one), the Astro.  I got 160k out of my first one, gave it to my son who trashed it into a curb.  I sold it to a paper delivery guy who fixed the front end and is still driving it.  I have 86k on the current one and no major problems.  What I like most probably is the all wheel drive(available on more and more vehicles these days).  It gets me through most any snow, and is very stable in rain.

Soapbox time.  Probably the most neglected part of any vehicle is the transmission.  If you are buying a used car, be wary of any car without records showing regular service including trans service.  New car or used, find a good transmission shop in your area and use them.

[bill440cars]

       I've had 2 new Dodge Grand Caravans (a 93' and my present one, an 06') Put 130K miles on the 93' with out any trouble other than normal wear and tear and shortly after 130K miles, the camshaft snap right in two. Never heard of any brand doing that.   Times were a bit tight around that time so we went with another 93' Grand Caravan (an LE) with about 55K miles and ran it up to a bit over 100K miles and bought another one (a 94' Plymouth Grand Voyager LE) while we had the Dodge. Got to thinking that we really needed a full size van for our doings and bought a 99' Dodge Conversion Van w/ a 360 motor and realized that I needed to get back into the minivan cause the gas was tearing me up! Got that big one almost paid off and was offered a deal on a new 06' Dodge Grand Caravan SXT (3.8 motor, 16" wheels, 4 wheel discs, ABS front & rear, Stow N Go Seats (rear seat eill unlock and flip over backwards for tailgate parties and powered sliding doors. Would have gotten the powered rear hatch also except they didn't have one on the lot, the color I wanted (red). Bought it a year and 5 months ago and have had no complaints at all. Have to take it easy taking off or you'll hear tire squeal. I've driven others and if I didn't get the Mopar minivan, I'd probably go for the Honda. Oh yes, I've gotten up to 25 - 26 hwy mpg & 15-20mpg in the city (depends on how agressive I drive! After driving that full size van, this one is like a Sports Car! Well, that's my experience with minivans. Oh yes, I did have an 88' GMC Safari once, for about a year and it was alright but was more like a truck as far as ride and handling goes.

                                 Later on, Bill

[GoatBaSS]

Certian Chevy Ventures. Look for the later model years 2001 on up with the double sliding side doors. Get the V-Six, Car fax report and make sure all the signals work. ( just went in mine easily replaced ) Added bonus all the seats out and you can haul a cb750. ( I did have to drop the bars and take off the sissy bar and stepped chopper seat). the straps connect to the seat bars in the floor. 

[kpier883]

My wife is driving a 2000 Toyota Sienna.  Has maybe 110,000 miles and doesn't use any oil or sound appreciably different than when we bought it with 35,000 miles.  What has broken:
Exterior door handles.  May have a lot to do with three small children yanking on them while they are still locked.
Drivers side power window stopped going up and down properly.  Replaced and no more problems
Right rear brake drum went out of round and was replaced.
Did a service at 85000 miles to replace belts and hoses etc...

What hasn't been a problem:
No radiator problems
No engine problems
No trans problems
No problems with alternator, starter, or power steering or A/C

For reference, prior to this vehicle (and the third child) we drove a '96 Chevy Blazer.  It was a piece of crap.  Alternator failed before the 50k mark.  The engine used oil from 28,000 miles onward.  The A/C went out around 55,000 miles, Brakes wore out real quick.  Noise of the engine (4.3 liter) was loud on cold mornings.  A/C drain line stopped up and flooded the passenger floor which led to an awful smell even though we pulled the carpet out and dried it.  It would run like a scalded dog though which came in handy one night taking my year old daughter to the emergency room after she locked up from a bad reaction to a drug....  another story.

Back to the Toyota - Oh yeah, we took about a 2000 mile trip across the southern U.S. - Birmingham to San Antonio, to Roswell NM, to the Grand Canyon to Denver to Steamboat Springs CO to Nashville to Birmingham shortly after passing 100000 miles.  Had zero problems.  With all the gear inside and on top and in the altitude of the mountains, it spent a great deal of time in the 4500 to 5500 rpm range and occasionally stayed between 5500 and 6000 rpm above 7000 feet (where it was short on power) on long inclines.  It never overheated or got spongy on transmission shifting.  It would finally shift back into a higher gear and slowly lose speed until it would kick back down.  I was pushing kind of hard due to following family in a Toyota with a V8 all around Colorodo.  Didn't use a drop of oil.

I highly recommend it.  However, Toyota issued a warranty extension to 100,000 miles due to a "transmission stops working" scare on these models, so you might do some research if you are interested in this model.  We change our oil at 5-7k miles and don't seem to see much discoloration of the oil.  Whatever the quick change place throws in it has been good enough. 

And that is more than .02 worth!

[mattcb350f]

I'll toss my .02 in on this one,
A friend of mine is an automotive engine rebuilder, 25yrs experience on every engine type but mostly european. He says as far as powerplants go.. the one's out of Japan are the most reliable.

I'm a Ford fella myself, my brothers' Chev and Dodge but even I wouldn't buy a domestic minivan if I planned on traveling any distance..

 Just my .02 though 

[tattoo dave]

The mazda mpv is great or the mazda 5. they no longer make the mpv,but they are great cars.Mazda also has really great rebates at the end of the year,so you could get a couple of grand cash back on the mazda 5.For some reason the dont seem to hold their value but they are great cars. I have had a protege 5,an mpv,and a mazda 6 hatch back that will go from vegas to fresno on one tank of gas, going a 100 no prob.

[mrbreeze]

Gotta go with the Toyota. I have wrenched on cars all my life (professionally the last 20 years). Fords definitely suck(Aerostars,Windstars,etc.).....they are total s%$T!!!!!.......Caravans,Voyagers better but still s$@t!!!!! Of the big 3(If you have to have American)....I would probably go GM but guess what?.....they suck too!!!!!! I just did a timing belt/water pump on a 2002 Mercury Villager with a Nissan V6 power plant last week (maintainence only.....didn't lose the belt). It was in good shape for 98K miles but still not as nice as a Toyota Sienna or likewise. I really hate to say it but the japs have the better product.If you really want to get a piece of s&%t......go European. I'm talking from a cash out of your pocket point of view.Honda's are good rigs.....don't see many of them coming in for major work.

[bill440cars]

         So Bobby,

                  With ALL of these varying opinions (REALLY VARYING, what are you thinking? In MY opinion, you should do some serious looking into what ever ones you might be thinking about and take some very serious test drives. You've heard about our experiences and opinions. What ever seems to fill the bill for your needs, is what you need to focus on. Whatever you decide on, I hope you consider seats that fold into the floor. Several offer this and it sure is nice not to have to take them out and find a place to put them while they are out. I just got through moving my daughter's stuff back home and you can put quite a bit in a them, without them seats in the way. Chrysler, Dodge and Honda offer them. Not sure about who else does. Either way, looks like it's time for some serious looking into. Lots of Luck on your quest.    

[333]

Those folding seats,while convienient, take up room somewhere.  Probably more space under the floor(using up ground clearance and unimportant to most people) and some above the floor(actually raising the floor and taking up valuable motorcycle space).  Besides, when removed, they make good seating in the garage.

[cleveland]

Thanks for all the feedback!

After looking at different vans on craigslist with her, she seems to be leaning towards the Town & Country or similar body styles.  When I asked her why, she gave some good reasons. 

She likes the idea of removing the rear seat instead of just folding it down (means more work for me, but thats par for the course).  We camp, fish, etc. and the extra room makes a difference when you are packing up the gear.  She likes the shorter front end compared to the Pontiac that were rather elongated.  This makes it easier for her to park it.  Last but not least, "they look nice."  I gave her a couple soccer mom jabs, but I got the jist of her wants/needs.

I agree with the American auto industry pumping out some real crap.  I have heard rumors that Toyota has dropped dramatically in quality over the last 10 years.  I had a Toyota corolla years ago that had over 2K on it and ran like a champ!  If it's true, it's a shame that they lowered their standards. 

So like most of my big decisions I still don't know what to get her, but the "don't get" list has gotten bigger.      So it seems that I need to find a Toyota, Honda, etc. that has a similar body style to the one she likes.

[firecracker]

Consumer Reports.  Online, or find their car-buying book.

Let her read about the various offerings.

She'll end up with a Honda or Toyota.   

[333]

The problem with Consumer Reports is that money is a factor.  You could counter with"Isn't that the whole idea?".  The answer is of course, yes, but then the rating is based on opinion, not fact.

If you have 2 products, virtually the same except one is less money- no brainer.  The cheaper one is the better deal,better buy, better product, based solely on money.  It is my contention that comparing a Toyota and a Dodge, or a Ford and a Chevy can't be done because they are not the same.  And while you can use service records to estimate which one is built better, you can't compare features.  That's where opinion comes in.  You can answer only for yourself which is better, fold down seats or dual zone climate control(features not available on ALL vehicles).

Now I don't want to give the wrong impression.  Consumer Reports has a lot of valuable information.  But only you can decide what vehicle is best for you based on what features you want and the value those features bring to the table.

[cleveland]

She picked the Honda Odessy.    I was hoping to get her into a cheaper van, but I figure I will spend the money in repairs anyways. 

[kpier883]

I think the Odyssey is definitely a quality vehicle.  Besides its a Honda, right! 

[bill440cars]

Those folding seats,while convienient, take up room somewhere.  Probably more space under the floor(using up ground clearance and unimportant to most people) and some above the floor(actually raising the floor and taking up valuable motorcycle space).  Besides, when removed, they make good seating in the garage.

        The Dodge has the gas tank & spare wheel relocated to make space for the folddown seats (not excited about the spare being under the front seats but, I've used those foldownseats quite a bit and BTW, there is NO room in my garage for those seats anyway.

        Also, my Dodge has dual climate control AND Sto-N-Go.
 seats. That "Dual Climate" deal is fantastic for me. When my wife and my daughter would be comfortable (in the previous vehicles), I'd be Cold! Now, I can be comfortable too!

        The Honda's a good choice to, I feel.

                               Later on, Bill                          

[DarkRider]

all i gotta say is avoid ford minis like the plague...If i was in the situation i needed one i would have bought the Safari my roomate had..but given what i do most of the time my Sierra does the job just as well if not better since all i carry is stuff..not people lol