The_buster Posted January 20, 2015 Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 Not in the market yet. Just wanted some feedback. The wife graduates in spring, and should hopefully have a job in the fall, she has to wait until July to take the big nursing test-nclex or whatever. So she wants to upgrade from the crv to something with less miles a little nicer and roomier. She's looking at things like the sienna, mazda 5, newer forrester, those types. But isn't opposed to other sun's like the mdx, pilot, newer bigger crv ' s ect. What's everyone's opinion on these vehicles? Especially the mazda 5 vs sienna. Reasoning for the mini vans are haul kids and family if we go to the zoo and such, to save on gas and not take multiple cars. Also when we move we can hopefully haul more and not need a U-haul. My worry is fuel mileage in the vans for her driving to work wherever that may be. Thoughts? Thanks in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B3NN3TT Posted January 20, 2015 Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 Do you mean Mazda CX-5? Because that's WAY different than a Mazda5... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeitgeist57 Posted January 20, 2015 Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 Once you get over the garbage-stigma in our society about minivans, they are by far the best way to move a family around over the life of the vehicle (considering purchase price, maintenance, cost to repair, and resale value). I really do like the Mazda 5 but even with a stick I was not pleased how slow it was on the highway. The Hyundai Entourage/Kia Sedona is a great start (definitely better than the Chrysler Town & Country/Volkswagen Routan), but the quality won't hold up to a Toyota Sienna or Honda Odyssey. SUV's LOL. Honda Odizzie's for lyfe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lauren Posted January 20, 2015 Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 I'm a huge fan of the Honda odyssey and Nissan quest. I just can't come to terms with buying one. Every time I see one though I can't help to think how much better life would be if we had one. A great car that functions like a mini van but drives better and has great room is the Ford Flex. Highly recommend Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_buster Posted January 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 After driving a few at work I like them. I like how I can stay inside and get to the kids if it's raining. I also like how they sit higher and I can see better than in a car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_buster Posted January 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 Do you mean Mazda CX-5? Because that's WAY different than a Mazda5... Nope. The mazda 5. The mini van thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Alex- Posted January 20, 2015 Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 My parents have always had a Dodge or Chrysler van for the last 20+ years with no issues. Mom currently drives a 2013 (I think) T&C loaded with HIDs, DVD, heated leather etc.. I drove it to Charleston, SC a couple years ago and really liked it. My dad just bought a 2015 Caravan for his business, but I haven't driven it yet. I don't know if there's any updates recently, but they changed the V6 a few years ago and the difference between my moms '08 T&C and her current one was huge I thought. I know this isn't a financial thread, but I'd advise buying used to avoid taking a hit on the value. Plenty of nice used high end models out there for less than a new base model, and when you're hauling kids those extra options usually make things a lot easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2 Sweet Posted January 20, 2015 Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 My family has owned three GM minivans (Lumina APV, a TransSport, and a Montana) and drove all of them to over 250k miles before selling. Never needed anything other than common maintenance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airwg2189 Posted January 20, 2015 Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 My grandparents have a 2010ish Honda Odyssey with 200k on it (they live near Hillsboro, OH, so literally every time they leave the garage it's 30+ miles on the vehicle, and gobs more if they want to go to an actual city) and it runs like a champ. Zero issues, just regular vehicle maintenance. It's pretty nicely loaded, super comfy, quite roomy, and gets great gas mileage for a vehicle so "big". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocky31186 Posted January 20, 2015 Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 Wife drives a 2013 Town and Country, awesome vehicle for kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrs.cos Posted January 20, 2015 Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 (edited) I kinda love my Ford Edge.. Not like I loved my outback but I could easily see it as a great family car Edited January 20, 2015 by damreds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_buster Posted January 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 Thanks for the input! We're definitely going the used route. She "built" a sienna online and it was 42k I believe. Then looked on car max and there were some with less than 100k for only 12k. With most of the options she wanted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TurboRust Posted January 20, 2015 Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 We had a Ford flex, loved it especially the space and how it drove like a car... I would suggest the awd version though. The Fwd version even with good michelin tires was kinda like trying to pull a fat kid on a sled in the snow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPL_Josh Posted January 20, 2015 Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 I have no suggestions about van choices. Just buy the vehicle after she passes the Nclex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_buster Posted January 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 I have no suggestions about van choices. Just buy the vehicle after she passes the Nclex thats the plan. going to wait until she gets a job and a couple pay checks to see what were looking at payment wise. Just wanted to try to narrow the options down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg1647545532 Posted January 20, 2015 Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 Thanks for the input! We're definitely going the used route. She "built" a sienna online and it was 42k I believe. Then looked on car max and there were some with less than 100k for only 12k. With most of the options she wanted. $42K? FML. I got my Sedona for under $12k with 26,000 miles on it. Shitty Kia resale values FTW. My Mazda5 was a little more and had 39,000 miles on it, both were less than 2 years old when I bought them. Honda and Toyota minivans are for people in a higher tax bracket than me. The Mazda does about 7-8mpg better than my Sedona; we can't take it on long trips because there's not enough room for luggage; it's the most fun car you can buy with 6 seats; I've had multiple police officers tell me that it moves plenty fast on the highway. How many kids do you have? I can't see owning a minivan if I had less than 3, a wagon works just as well (car seats being the real deal-breaker, I found that I couldn't fit 3 of them in a back seat). Full size minivans should require a CDL now, there's nothing mini about them. But you get a shitload of space for the money, and the advantage of being able to access the back seat without having to re-engineer the car like you do in an SUV cannot be overstated when you're dealing with little ones. If the choice is between full-size SUV and minivan and you're not towing more than 3500 lbs ever, minivan wins every day of the damn week. If it's between minivan and a mid-size wagon, then get the wagon if it's at all feasible. The Mazda5 exists in a small niche, for people with 3 or 4 small children (no more) who either don't go on long trips or have another, larger vehicle available for trips. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Franchi Posted January 20, 2015 Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 Once you get over the garbage-stigma in our society about minivans, they are by far the best way to move a family around over the life of the vehicle (considering purchase price, maintenance, cost to repair, and resale value). I really do like the Mazda 5 but even with a stick I was not pleased how slow it was on the highway. The Hyundai Entourage/Kia Sedona is a great start (definitely better than the Chrysler Town & Country/Volkswagen Routan), but the quality won't hold up to a Toyota Sienna or Honda Odyssey. SUV's LOL. Honda Odizzie's for lyfe. Pretty much nail on the head here. I wouldn't want to DD one as I still hate how they look but for overall use for family hauling and comfort and dependability, they are very good. But as the wife's car? Perfect. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg1647545532 Posted January 20, 2015 Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 Also, your children will fucking destroy whatever you buy so keep that in mind when you're cutting a check. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TTQ B4U Posted January 20, 2015 Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 Once you get over the garbage-stigma in our society about minivans, they are by far the best way to move a family around over the life of the vehicle (considering purchase price, maintenance, cost to repair, and resale value). I really do like the Mazda 5 but even with a stick I was not pleased how slow it was on the highway. The Hyundai Entourage/Kia Sedona is a great start (definitely better than the Chrysler Town & Country/Volkswagen Routan), but the quality won't hold up to a Toyota Sienna or Honda Odyssey. SUV's LOL. Honda Odizzie's for lyfe. ^^ I agree with everything Clay said except perhaps the quality peice. Minivans are by far the best value out there and can be had relatively cheap for all they do. We abuse ours daily for everything you can think of from hauling stuff and taking general abuse from my wife as she fights the urban wars. We bought our Entourage with 4k on the ODO and saved over $10 from it's original sticker. Loaded with everything but the DVD System and Leather. Quality wise, it's been very good. I've put tires, brakes and a power steering pump on it, replaced a cracked intake tube which could have been from an oil change place, etc. but other than oil changes, coolant flush and tranny fluid service etc. in terms of routine stuff, it's been spectacular. We did have the ignition switch done under warranty and I'm on our second battery but again, more routing shit. I did all of the above for our Honda when we had it and the main difference might be seen in resale value. However, the van was also $9,600 less than the same mileage and year Honda when I bought it, so I took my savings up-front. I'd do it again too. Ours was in service 4 months with 4k on it and I paid $19k OTD with the the 100k warranty in tact. Been there done that with both Honda and Mazda Minivans and IMO it's one vehicle the Koreans can't fuck up and have proved to us is solid. I recommend saving the money and give them a strong consideration. I don't regret it at all. Toyota and Honda do have the edge in refinement perhaps but overall, I'm happy with the money we spent. MPG wise, the wife averages 18mpg all day long with the majority (90%+) being suburban miles. When she worked and had to go downtown for court hearings that daily average where the average was 70/30% she still got 21-22mpg. On vacation trips loaded up with good, it average 22-24mpg with my right foot at 75-80mph. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TTQ B4U Posted January 20, 2015 Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 Also, your children will fucking destroy whatever you buy so keep that in mind when you're cutting a check. ^^ This. however you'd be surprised at what a strong detail can do for it. Ours is now 7yrs old and come spring it will look 95%+ like new. I do the outside and pay a local guy to do the interior and again, it looks brand new inside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Not Brian Posted January 20, 2015 Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 columbusminivans.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trouble Maker Posted January 20, 2015 Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 Leather seats can help a ton too, from what the families I work around tell me. You'll never get a smashed banana out of cloth seats. Leather cleans up better and is more durable, especially if you take care of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_buster Posted January 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 we only have two kids. And were planning for if we would need to take their friends home in the future. But im not sure how well she will like the van if she gets a job that involves some travel. I was trying to talk her into a bigger suv for now or there was the option of the van with a small cheap work car with awesome mileage. We'er also looking at replacing the land yacht with something smaller and better fuel mileage. Options there are a v8 grand cherokee 2004 body style, 96+ 4 door accord 5spd, sentra spec v, or an sti of some sort if we can find one in our price range- less than 5 grand. Or I will probably just switch to the crv and give her mom the lincoln to drive so she will have a car for the kids. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miller Posted January 20, 2015 Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 Minivans: When wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt with spilled gravy on the collar doesn't say "I've given up on being a man" enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron Posted January 20, 2015 Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 May I suggest you don't spend all her new income on vehicles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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