New Van! (pictures)

[tchrgrrl]

Finally! After 2.5 months and $18,000 (yes, 3 zeros) of repairs on our 2006 Odyssey we got it back last week. We sold it on Friday and Saturday we bought a new 2006 Kia Sedona. We had a Sedona rental while the Odyssey was being repaired and we were really impressed. The Odyssey was a bit big for me (I was always a nervous wreck backing up in it) but the Kia is just a little smaller. With the much lower price, excellent warranty and the top safety rating this was a great choice for us. The kids think the new red van is nifty!

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e199/tchrgrrl/newcar.jpg

DS2's RF'ing MA - is the way it is braced against the front seat ok? It is still tethered under the captain's chair - I think I need to take some pictures or find a local tech to help me figure out how to do surgery on the plsatic under the passenger seat to get it tethered forward.
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e199/tchrgrrl/IMG_4701.jpg

[Patriot201]

VEry nice!!!

Congratulations!!


Yes, it is fine (and even recommended!) for the MA to be braced against the front seat.

[becca011906]

very nice! i like that color! :)

[tchrgrrl]

Becky, Me too! I would have never likely picked a red color but we got an amazing deal since the van had been a "dealer demo" and a general manager had driven in 1600 miles - so we took red and love it!

Patriot - We have always had the MA braced - it just was a very different brace this time since the Sedona has power adjust on the seat and I was able to get the MA in between the top of the seat and the headrest - making it more comfortable for the front seat passenger.

[lovinwaves]

Nice new van!! I'm glad you really like it!!

Just make sure your owner's manual doesn't say anything in there about a child restraint not touching the front seats. ;)

[scatterbunny]

Ooohhh, aaaahhhh--I LOVE the new van! :D It's gorgeous.

I'd install the seat a bit more upright for him, at his age. It looks to be at a full 45 degree angle.

[JaRylan]

Nice wheels.

[AdventureMom]

LOL!!! I JUST drove that exact minivan tonight! Is it an 06 with the huge rebate? I really liked that color, too... drove an hour in rush hour traffic to test-drive it... Congrats!!! :p

[tchrgrrl]

I'd install the seat a bit more upright for him, at his age. It looks to be at a full 45 degree angle.
I just told DH that and he looked at me like I have two heads :rolleyes: He does the installs, I am just the bossy, naggy one :p So can you tell me why it should be more upright (so I can convince him) and how to get it more upright with a LATCH install (to convince him it won't take him a year to do it). I do have the tether pulled pretty tight and it is braced tight against the front seat - I think the captains chair is all the way forward and the passenger seat all the way back - so I am not sure that if I had him install it more upright it could still be braced?

He is serious about getting our kids seats in correctly and does an excellent job of getting a tight full van shaking install - but sometimes I have to convince him that *I* am right ;)

[tchrgrrl]

LOL!!! I JUST drove that exact minivan tonight! Is it an 06 with the huge rebate? I really liked that color, too... drove an hour in rush hour traffic to test-drive it... Congrats!!! :p
YES! Not only a 2006 with a $4k rebate but also a dealer demo marked $3500 off! So we got a 2006 EX with power package and 1600 miles on it for $19,700! Far cry from our Odyssey purchase last year!

So did you love it? Sounds like you are driving lots of vehicles lately - where did it rank on your list?

[SamPacey&Joshua]

It's actually safer when it's more upright! All he needs to do is pull the base away from the seatback a couple inches and install it as usual without worrying about the angle. It'll be very upright, but then he can just attach the tether and tighten it to get the right recline...no big deal!

Love the new van by the way...I'm glad you got such a great deal!

[AdventureMom]

YES! Not only a 2006 with a $4k rebate but also a dealer demo marked $3500 off! So we got a 2006 EX with power package and 1600 miles on it for $19,700! Far cry from our Odyssey purchase last year!

So did you love it? Sounds like you are driving lots of vehicles lately - where did it rank on your list?

We did like it, actually. It drove exactly like an Odyssey (I personally think the Sienna's drive the nicest ;) ). The one thing we didn't like was - no roof racks. And they can't be added if it didn't come from the factory. :( DH would use it alot to haul stuff around. We asked the dealer about adding them and they said that when the 2006 first came out, they were installing the roof racks as a dealer-installed option. Then KIA contacted them and said "no more!" b/c they were drilling into the roof and ruining the side-curtain airbags (roof-mounted). I then contacted REI to see if Yakima or Thule racks could be added. The lady was positive that they could b/c those two are compatible with over 90% over the vehicles on the road, but then she looked it up in her "compatibility" book and said "nope". :mad: So now we're scouring the internet, looking for a 2006 with a roof rack - in either Olive Gray or Red!

[tchrgrrl]

Interesting! We do have the roof racks - I assume factory installed but that is really scary that dealers were drilling in to the side-curtain airbags! Good luck finding the 2006 you want - are you getting an EX or LX? Any extra packages?

[AdventureMom]

Interesting! We do have the roof racks - I assume factory installed but that is really scary that dealers were drilling in to the side-curtain airbags! Good luck finding the 2006 you want - are you getting an EX or LX? Any extra packages?

If we can find an LX with a roof rack, then I think we'd go for it. But the roof rack comes standard on the EX so that may be our only option.

It's interesting about the airbags: in my CPST course, the fire chief talked about how they cannot saw through the roof a car anymore if it has roof-mounted side curtain airbags (most vehicles with side curtain airbags are mounted in the roof). They have to call someone in with knowledge of how to dismantle/turn off the whole mechanism. Since they're pressure-activated, there's the CO2 cartridge in there that will inflate it from the force of the saws - and that could be fatal to a fire-fighter or to a passenger at that point...

[AdventureMom]

Yes!! We found an Olive gray LX with the roof rack! It's three hours from here but they're holding it for us (once we give them a deposit). Here's the pictures for one like it I found on cars.com (not exact vehicle):

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/157/389238189_06e3feaa18_m.jpg http://farm1.static.flickr.com/177/389238187_dc85371c68_m.jpg

Whatcha think?!?

[wendytthomas]

Nice van!!

I was thinking an Odyssey for my next vehicle, but I admit the Sedona has me wondering. Does it have a nav system option? I really want a nav system. I love the price of the Sedona, though. Does it have the storage the Odyssey has?

Wendy

[tchrgrrl]

The Sedona does have the nav system option - it is included in a package that can be added to the EX model - with all of the extras it is still nearly $10k less than the Touring Odyssey.

As for storage - I no longer have the in floor storage in the 2nd row or the drawer under the passenger seat - but honestly, I rarely (as in 1x in 10 months) ever used either one. There are still loads of cupholders and storage spots.


AdventureMom (I forget your name) That is awewsome! Congrats! When are you going to pick it up? Are you getting any other discounts beyond the $4k rebate?

[rachel3612]

I would put his seat more upright, it looks odd to me for some reason, the back of the MA is against the seat it is on. There are TONS Of techs around here you can go to.

Wendy, I think the Sedona has less 'trunk' space, my friend couldn't put her double stroller in the back if her third row was in. She had an older one, 2002 I think so they might be different now. I hated hers, the third row was tiny, I could put a RA and a Turbo on either side and wouldn't be able to fit Hannah without a booster between them. LOL (Not that I would, the Turbo was for her)

The 2006 ones are MUCH MUCH better safety wise, great safety features!

Rachel

[southpawboston]

the 2002 and 2006 are completely different-- i believe in 2005 it was totally redesigned and got significantly bigger.