Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with minivan

Need Minivan for Growing Family

fozzie33 — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 07:25:23 -0800

It's that time in my life where my family is outgrowing our vehicles, and we are looking for something larger. I'll be the main driver and I am pretty big (6'3" 230 lbs). So we want something both economical and comfortable. I looked at the Mazda5, but it is too tiny for carseats and me... So... Which 2009/2010 minivan/crossover should I choose? I have no preference on make/model, but I do get a pretty good discount if American made from my credit union...
I'd prefer to stay below 35k.
Thanks for all and any suggestions.
Mazda5 is too tiny, little drivers space, can't sit comfortably in rear.

Junk a 2003/2004 Kia Minivan?

thewalrus — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 20:33:51 -0800

Another cash for clunkers question. My mother has a 2003 or 2004 Kia Sedona minivan. The government website says its combined mileage rating is 16 mpg. It's got a lot of miles on it, not in great condition and probably not worth $4500 - trade it in for an efficient small car? If I understand things correctly it would be worth $3500 credit if she bought something new that got moderately-OK mileage, and $4500 if she buys something smaller and efficient (Nissan Versa, Toyota Yaris, Honda Fit etc). The Sedona has the ugly distinction of being the poorest fuel mileage V6/3.0L size minivan in the north american market, and the overall quality of the vehicle was generally not so great to start with compared to a Honda, Nissan or Toyota.

It's got 100,000+ miles on it and is not in the best condition. Kias in the USA have crappy resale value. It would probably sell as a used car in the classifieds in her local area for sub-$4000 and that would take much time and effort.

Very rough math would work something like:

$15500 MSRP Honda Fit Automatic - 4500 credit * 1.08 to get car price after state sales tax = $10640 for a new Fit. Or whatever else is efficient and about $15000 MSRP.

Do it? Keep the junky minivan and fix it to 150,000+ miles? She no longer needs the passenger space for more than 4 people, or room for cargo with the seats out...

Scion xB or minivan?

The corpse in the library — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 06:36:01 -0800

Minivan or Scion xB? Our 2005 Scion xB was rear-ended recently. On a whim I picked a Dodge Grand Caravan as my rental while the Scion was in the shop. I -- oh, the shame -- really like the minivan.

If the insurance company offers us a choice (and I don't know if they do this), should we get our car repaired or use the money towards a replacement? If our car is totaled, which should we get: another Scion, or a minivan?

The car will be our only car. Not having a car is not an option. It will be used mostly for suburban errands and outings. We have two small kids, still in car seats. We go car camping. We're tall. We drive from Seattleish to Central Washington several times a year. We frequently wish we could fit more people in the car with us, but the carseats take up the whole back of the Scion. Safety is a priority.

Things I like about the Scion:
Visibility
28 MPG isn't bad
Easy to find in the parking lot

Things I like about the minivan:
It's much quieter inside
The sliding doors
Can hold more people
Can hold more stuff
The kids like it more
Luxurious inside (comfortable seats, adjustable steering wheel, etc.)
The height

Please advise.

beater minivans?

streetdreams — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 16:33:49 -0800

Help my semi-broke young family find transportation we can afford! Our 1991 Astro recently got totaled when someone decided that a stop sign didn't apply to them, so we're in the market for a new vehicle. We have two kids in car seats and about $2000 to spend. We are mainly looking for another minivan, although I wouldn't turn down a Volvo station wagon if one fell into my lap.

Previous AskMe questions about minivans talked about the Odysseys and Siennas of the world, which look great but are obviously out of our price range, and everything I've heard about reliable beaters has always been about cars. We don't need anything new or pretty, but we'd like it to run reasonably reliably. Decent safety ratings would be a bonus!

Are there minivans in our price range that are particularly good? (Models? Years?) Anything we should avoid or generally be aware of? Any advice or insight for us? Thanks in advance!

What mini van should my sister buy?

autojack — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 14:36:44 -0800

Please recommend a mini van for my sister! She will soon be having her third kid, and the hand-me-down Buick LeSabre she drives now isn't going to cut it anymore. The tough part with this one is budget - she needs to get something for around $16k. I'm an amateur car guy, but my focus is mainly sports cars. I can give her some general advice, but I really know nothing about what brands and models of mini vans are good. She found a 2001 Honda Odyssey with 40k miles on it that was in her price range, but after we did some investigating and learned that those are notorious for transmission problems, she decided to pass on that. I've heard that most of the vans in the 2000-2004 years had drivetrain problems of one sort or another. That seems to make things difficult, then, because newer models generally aren't in her price range.

Any advice the Hive Mind has would be appreciated, but the kinds of things that really warm my heart are, "I've owned x car for y years, and in that time I've had to do the following repairs on it..."

Parts is parts.

theredpen — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 15:06:34 -0800

My used Honda Odyssey (2005) did not come with a couple of parts, which the dealer has offered to order. However, I'm having trouble getting them to look up the right part number for one piece and would like help finding the right part number to avoid having to go into the dealership just to order the item. My Googling has so far failed. My eBaying did not even turn up the originals, which I'm sure the skeevy original owner hawked on eBay.

The missing part is the PlusOne seat itself. (It's a removable seat that can hold an 8th person or an additional "console," in case 13 cupholders or whatever are not enough.) I need to replace either the whole seat, or just the leather cushion that you attach to the seat base when you want to use it as a seat. The dealer has already ordered the console -- that's not the part that's still missing.

I can use the car without it but my OCD won't let me rest with pieces missing! And what if I someday make more than 7 friends?

Any help welcome from the Honda experts! Thanks!

Importing a Toyota hybrid minivan from Japan to US?

ericbop — Mon, 24 Jul 2006 10:19:00 -0800

We love our Prius. We reproduced. Hybrid SUVs are lame. Is there any way to import this from Japan? To elaborate,

-from whom (us, japan, third party) can we buy the new version?
-is there any shot of this being legal/drivable in the US, since it's pretty close to the American Sienna?
-I saw an '02 model for sale from an Japanese export car dealer. Is there any difference in my chances if I buy used?
-OK, the steering wheel is on the wrong side. Is it legal to drive a car in the US with a right-handed steering column, or are there places that can switch the steering column to the left-hand side? (please excuse me if this idea is ridiculously laughable)

Minivan Advise

kc0dxh — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 13:54:13 -0800

What kind of minivan should I buy? I'm in the market for a used minivan, something 4-6 years old. What make/model do you recommend? Why? I've got a bead on a Pontiac Montana. Any good reason to avoid it?

I hate cars but...

serazin — Tue, 16 May 2006 09:14:07 -0800

I want a car that carries more than 5 passengers AND gets good fuel economy! I did see some similar recent posts on this question, but not explicitly including the more than 5 seating issue! Right now I drive a tiny civic hatch back. I don't care about having a BIG car, I just want a car that can carry more people than the members of my immediate family. I hate to switch from 35 mpg to the 18 that even the most efficient minivan provides. Any creative seating solutions (Optional rear bench? Back facing station wagon seating?) will be considered!

Minivans & parking lights. Why? Why? Why?

jacquilynne — Wed, 17 Aug 2005 08:07:19 -0800

Why do people in minivans drive around with their parking lights on? I often see minivans running around with just their parking lights (the yellow ones, no headlights), rather than the daytime running lights (low level headlights) which are the default when you turn your car on, and legally required (so far as I know) setting here in Canada. Why on earth would someone deliberately choose to drive with their lights set this way? And why is it *always* minivans?

Want to buy a mini-van sans-car-dealer.

sacre_bleu — Mon, 07 Jun 2004 17:12:08 -0800

Buying a mini-van, and with the help of Ask Mefi, Edmunds and Kelley Blue Book, I know I want a Toyota Sienna LE. Got all the cash. Want to minimize the notorious hassle of running the car dealer gantlet. (More inside.) Specifically, what's your best strategy of getting to the bottom line "best price" quickly? My ability to cut a check at the drop of a hat helps me. But the Sienna is a popular model, so it's not hard for dealers to move them.

I can walk away; it's not like I need this van next week. But I don't think I can make it until the 2005s show up and they want to move the old models.

Recommend some good new or used minivans.

vraxoin — Tue, 16 Dec 2003 09:11:30 -0800

I have an, ahem, friend who's looking into purchasing a minivan. My--I mean, my friend's--primary concerns are reliability and efficiency first, then price, then bells and whistles. Are there clear winners in the minivan world? And what's word on new or used?