Minivan Shopping Help....Please?!

[gsanmb]

So we've finally saved up the money to buy a new minivan. My 2001 Chevy Venture has reached that 'costly repairs too often' stage, has very high mileage, and gets pretty bad safety reviews in any case.

 

We pay cash for our vehicles and drive them til they're done. We want new, or nearly new, this time -- first time ever. I'm on the 'nearly new but someone else eats the depreciation' side, dh is on the 'new, no more someone else's problems inherited' side. We shall see.

 

We have a budget of between $20-$25K. We do not need navigation or dvd or very fancy extras.

 

Dh has been leery of the Siennas because of the problems Toyota is having, and the Odysseys also are having some problems that apparently Honda is poo-pooing (transmission-related). This doesn't necessarily make them out of the running, but it does mean we are less willing to pay top dollar for them just because they're Toyota or Honda.

 

After significant research and test-driving, I've come to the conclusion that the only other serious contender in the van category that I like and feel good driving (blind spots, handling, etc.) is the Kia Sedona.

 

I'm leery of the Kia because, well...it's a Kia. On the up side, we could get a brand new one at the top of the 'trim' scale (or save money and get the long wheel base but lesser trim scale) for what we would pay for a used Sienna or Odyssey.

 

Things that are a *must*:

 

Excellent safety ratings

Sliding doors (ruling out crossover SUV's) -- this is on dh's list

7 or 8 passenger seating (rulling out Mazda 5)

Good visibility all around

Excellent leg and head room (dh is 6'2") esp. in front and passenger front seats

Good storage capacity even with three rows of seats in use

Did I mention safety ratings?

At least two seat positions with LATCH and tether (I only have one currently harnessed -- one other is in a SK Monterey booster, and my oldest uses an adult seatbelt)

 

So, what is the hive's wisdom on minivans? I'm having heart failure over buying a new (whether to us or new in general) van -- it's a lot of money to spend, a long time saving it, and, well...it's gotta happen but it's gonna hurt. I want it to be a good decision, kwim?

[LizzyBee]

The Kia Sedona is rated very highly by Powell's, and my dh trusts their ratings.

 

We have a 2004 Nissan Quest which we love. It is very roomy. My 6' 4.5" dh can sit anywhere, even in the backseat, without having his legs cramped, and he has extra headroom. It runs great. It has tons of luggage room and hooks for grocery bags.

[gsanmb]

I did some research on the Quest also because it looks so neat, and unminivan-like. The later models do not get fantastic safety ratings it seems, and also the third row is all one piece as opposed to 60/40 split. This would make it a no-go for us since dh likes to stash his bike in the back when he does triathlons but we need part of the seat up. (I know, he ought to get a bike trailer...:glare:)

 

Thanks for the input on the Sedona too.

[Ravin]

I have a good friend whose Kia Sedona has served them very well for as long as I've known her (7 years or so). My mom has a Ford minivan, which she is especially fond of because of the dual sliding rear doors.

 

We'll hopefully be looking for a minivan or van in a few months, though ours will definitely be used.

[MaMa2005]

I know Toyota is having their problems, but our whole extended family drives some type of Toyota and have experienced no problems at all.

 

Both of my SILs as well as my MIL and myself drive a Sienna and we all LOVE them. I bought mine in April 2009 and we spent right at 20K for it.

 

I would highly recommend you take another look at them.

[kmacnchs]

I have always thought there was too much hype to the whole "Honda" label but as I researched to buy a minivan (last year), I kept being screamed at (by the research) as to how great Honda Odysseys are (fit every one of your checklists). We were able to buy ours for 16,000 cash. Now, it was a year older than my original desire but that is how much $$$ we had on us.

 

Just out of curiosity, I went to autotrader.com for my area and there are many odysseys that are 2 yrs old in your price range that have wonderful mileage (cars lose most of their value in the first 3 years but last FOREVER these days so it just doesn't make sense to spend what they ask for a new car imo). Just make sure you see a carfax on it (I only want my cars to have one previous owner) and if you are buying from an individual, I would take it to your mechanic before you buy it.

 

I was in the exact position as you (Kia vs. Honda) but when I mentioned my findings to my dh, he said he would NEVER buy a Kia (no matter what a good deal it was) so that made the decision :glare: We are very happy w/our Odyssey...good luck

[patchfire]

Another Sienna lover here. While Toyota as a whole has had some issues, the Siennas specifically have not been affected. We have the version that's an 8 seater. Ours is a 2008.

 

That said, my friend has a Sedona and likes it, but I'm not sure what year it is. She's quite happy with it, though. :)

[gsanmb]

IJust out of curiosity, I went to autotrader.com for my area and there are many odysseys that are 2 yrs old in your price range that have wonderful mileage (cars lose most of their value in the first 3 years but last FOREVER these days so it just doesn't make sense to spend what they ask for a new car imo). Just make sure you see a carfax on it (I only want my cars to have one previous owner) and if you are buying from an individual, I would take it to your mechanic before you buy it.

 

 

 

I'm with you, I think this is the way to go. Dh has yet to be convinced. :001_huh: I really don't understand it, he's usually so frugally-oriented. I think he wants that new car smell....

[jenL]

Kia has come a LONG way, and according to my BIL who works for Acura as a parts and service manager, they & Hyundai are poised to surpass Honda. He has been in the car world for a long time, and he told us to stop worrying about Kia when we were buying because a Sedona was in our budget, and an Odyssey was not. We could buy a brand new Kia Sedona for less than a used Odyssey or Sienna, so after tons of research, we went with it. Ours is almost 5 years old, and it has been wonderful. It drives great and is comfortable. You can't beat the warranty, and the Sedonas have won a 5-star safety rating in all categories for years.

 

That's just my .02! :) Happy car shopping!

[gsanmb]

Yes, actually according to my research the Kia gets better safety ratings in some categories than the Sienna (rear crash).

 

I must say I find this rather overwhelming. At some point you have to cut bait and fish (is that the expression?) and it's hard to know when that is.

Edited May 19, 2010 by gsanmb

[LarlaB]

Hyundai Entourage :tongue_smilie:

 

That's what we're angling for, in about 3 more years.

[sharon family school]

We love hondas...we have one van that is a '95 and has 153,000 miles on it! Our newer model was purchased new just before the "05 versions came out. My dh did research, found the best price, took the e-mail from that dealer to our local dealer and asked him to beat the price and he did. They really wanted to get it off the lot since the new models were coming out. Soooooo, here we are in 2010 and I would imagine the new model will be coming out in the fall, maybe ya'll could try the same thing, if you choose to go that route. We have never had major trouble with either of our hondas.

Now, if we were talking pick up trucks, dh is a Ford man all the way!:)

HTH

Susan

[*Jen*]

We have an 08 Kia Sedona and love it! We bought it used last year and other than one problem (problem with the electronic stability control overriding the gas pedal therefore the car wouldn't go anywhere) we have not had any problems with it and have put 16,000 miles on it in the past year.

 

Kia was wonderful to work with when we had the problems with the accelerator and even rented us another minivan for the weekend when it happened as we were getting ready to take a weekend trip and they didn't have a loaner car on the lot big enough to hold all our carseats.

 

I have a number of friends that all have Sedonas (05-07s) and they all love their vans.

 

I really wanted a Honda when we first started looking at vans, but I actually like the layout of the controls and the feel of the Sedona when driving much better than the Honda. Plus add in the price difference and I couldn't pass up the Sedona.

[ecj98]

I love my '08 Sedona. You'd have to go with the long wheel base because the short wheel base only seats 6.

[ScoutTN]

We have an Odyssey - 2003 - and love it. Got it 3 yrs used for a reasonable price. DH and I are both tall and the Sienna felt lower and smaller inside to us. (though I don't think it actually is)

happy shopping

[kmacnchs]

I'm with you, I think this is the way to go. Dh has yet to be convinced. :001_huh: I really don't understand it, he's usually so frugally-oriented. I think he wants that new car smell....

 

oh, and mine seats 8 :D

[dirty ethel rackham]

We love our Sienna and can't say enough about the durability of Toyota cars. Our car is 11 years old and the engine runs just as well today as it did when we drove it off the lot brand new. It continues to be a GREAT car for us. As much as I want a new "swagger wagon", I think I will be stuck with this one for another 10 years. My brother has over 200,000 miles on his Sienna (a year older than mine) and it runs great as well.

[Pippen]

We bought a Ford Freestar LE because we wanted the factory installed tow package and while the engine/driving aspects have been pretty reliable, we've had a ridiculous number of expensive repairs on the interior workings: AC (+800), digital control board for the dash ($300), several furnace repairs, replacing cruise control and it's broken again, switches for side mirror and info center, $225 repair on a sliding door, heated seat went out and we're not replacing it because it's too pricey.

[Forget-Me-Not]

I have an '05 Sienna that I love. Despite the recent recalls, I think both Honda and Toyota still have the best track record out there in terms of longevity and reliability. We're also driving around a '96 Honda Civic that has over 200K on it and the thing still runs.

[BeckyFL]

I love my Odyssey and it is so comfortable, BUT we are on the 4th or 5th (lost track) transmission. Nothing else seems to go wrong. WE finally got one from Aamco that is lifetime guaranteed.

[Chrystal]

We are in our second Odyssey. The first was a 2000 that we bought with 30K miles on it and drove til over 200K on it. I traded it in for a newer one last year and have never had any problems with either of them.

We love our van. The older kids will be going to college soon and we are finally starting to think about moving into something smaller in a few years and I think I will miss it. We had the first one for almost 6 years and this one for just over a year and a half.

I would reccomend it.

I've never heard of any transmission problems until this thread. :confused:

[Desert Rat]

We love our Sienna. We have a 2005.

[texasmama]

I drove a Nissan Quest for six years and it was a lemon. Found out that they are made by Ford.:confused: I now drive a Honda Odyssey and love it! Got it used with all the bells and whistles for a good price several years ago. That said, I just got two recall notices (brakes and transmission) in the mail this week...but it drives like a dream, gets good safety ratings and will last a long time. My brother's family has a Toyota Sienna and he loves it (he is a mechanic and is in love with Toyota's due to their lasting power)...I have not ever driven a Toyota so I cannot speak to the issues they have had lately. The next minivan I get will be a Honda or a Toyota...several years from now because my Odyssey is doing very well at almost 90,000 miles and has had very minimal mechanical issues.

[i.love.lucy]

We have a Kia Sedona and love it. Kia's have excellent safety ratings and awesome warranty's. I hesitated for the same reason ("it's a Kia") but I do not regret my purchase at all. The only other ones I have considered are the Honda Odyssey and Dodge Caravan, but I do not like the look of the new Caravan. Oh, and the Hyundai minivan (not sure what it's called).

 

Hyundai Entourage :tongue_smilie:

 

That's what we're angling for, in about 3 more years.

 

Nope. Hyundai now has it's minivan division with Kia (they are sisters) and Hyundai now focuses on higher end sedans. So in three years your option will be a Kia from this line. Or an older Entourage, but they only made them for 3 years so you might have a hard time finding one. Since the Kia is pretty much the exact same thing...well, then...Kia.

 

I have a Hyundai Entourage. It's an 07. I LOVE it. :001_wub: <<yes, you can feel this way about a car! I've had it a year and still think it's new. If you look at the powertrain, it has more power than the Chryslers, which was the only other option in our budget (much less than yours). We bought ours from Carmax and had a great experience. The safety ratings alone are what sold me, but then I drove one. It drives great.

 

And I do like a few more bells and whistles. This is our nice family car that we travel in, so I LOVE my power doors, and backup sensor, and woodgrain trim, and power heated seats, etc. Sometimes it's the little things.

 

But, a Honda or Toyota wasn't an option in my budget ($12k) unless it had over 100k miles. I got an almost brand new Hyundai with only 30k miles for $12,5.

 

I can see your dilemma. I'd go drive the Kia and the Honda and the Sienna before deciding. You might feel a strong pull to one after that.

[*LC]

My sister had a Honda Odyssey that had the transmission go out within a two to four years of them buying it news. They laughed when the Honda place wanted to sell them another one. They replaced it with a Toyota Sienna three years ago, and she loves it.

 

I hate making big decisions like that, so I understand the information overload feeling.

[twoxcell]

We have a 2005 Kia Sedona that we bought about a year ago. We love it and it runs great. It was awesome being able to buy it outright with cash and trade in. Kia has a five star safety rating too.

[momof2girls]

I didn't want a minivan... we bought a hyundai santa fe instead and I LOVE it!!

[Greeny]

We have an '05 Nissan Quest and completely LOVE it! It is the roomiest mini-van I have ever been in. The dash is very simple and for our year the safety rating is very good. The one complaint I have with it is that it seems to have an excessively large turning radius.

[Greeny]

Oh and to address a previous comment Ford only made Quests previous to 2004

[ChrisB]

We have a Ford '05 Freestar. We bought it used, with low mileage, in '05. We do mostly in-town driving and a few very long driving trips a year. We've had good luck with it and had very little (maybe none) work done on it. One reason we chose it was because it has more head and side room inside. We are tall so this was important. When we were looking to buy, I purchased a consumer reports car guide. It gives all of the specs for each car including head room. We were able to narrow down to a few vans without testing them.