Passenger Vans

Hi! What can you tell me about passenger vans, specifically a 10-12 seater.
I am pregnant with our 6th child and we currently own a 98 Ford Expedition. We will be able to fit the new baby, but it's going to be a major inconvenience!!! Not only that, but our 3rd row is just not quite roomy enough for the 3 carseats that are back there and my daughter in a booster constantly has issues.

So, what I am wondering is.....
What are the different kinds of 10-12-seater vans?
Where can I find pictures of the inside of the van?
How safe are they? (I know they are more likely to roll-over)
What are the chances of finding latch AND lap/shoulder belts and headrests on at least most of the seats?
Any info would be helpful really, I don't know a thing about it. I have tried googling this some, but I don't find a whole lot. We haven't started calling around or looking at dealers because we still are not sure if this is what we are going to do.
Thanks!!!

Anyone?
BUMP!

I know very little-just passing on what I've picked up from here. Hopefully someone else will chime in with more info.

One of the problems with the regular vans is the lack of head rests and shoulder belts. The roll over issue.

Have you considered a Sprinter? I believe they are by Dodge but made by Mercedes. They seem to be the preferred choice, but it sounds like they can be pricey.

Sorry I don't have much. I felt bad that you hadn't received any info yet.

I think the sprinter is your best choice also if you can afford it. They have 8 seats in the back(I think) and they all have high backs and shoulder belts. I believe these vans are more stable also, but I have nothing solid to prove that.

Here is a picture of the interior rear of a sprinter.

This is what they look like on the outside.

With that said, I drive a 15 passenger van. I mostly drive it locally, but have taken it on a road trip once and felt very safe in it. The main problem with rollovers, is improper maintenance on the tires, over loading the rear of the van and inexperienced drivers. The high mortality rate is partially because people have a tendency to not wear seat belts in them and treating them like buses. When they do crash, most are thrown from the vehicle.



I know ford is now putting shoulder belts in more places and I believe Chevy is also. I also think Chevy makes a model with dual rear wheels. This dramatically improves the stability.

You may be able to see interior pictures if you search on auto trader online for vans for sale. Doesn't matter where the seller is, because you just want pics. Sometimes you can get good interior pictures if the seller takes the time.

There is a member on here who has a passenger van converted with 4 captains chairs and a bench in the rear. (not including driver and passenger) Looks like a great setup. I will see if I can find who it is for you.


ETA: Here is a link to the post with pictures of her van. I am sure she would provide more information if you sent her a PM

Some of the newer 12-15 passenger vans (Ford, Chevy, etc.) are now made with lap/shoulder belts. They are still lacking headrests, however.

The Sprinter is an awesome van and the one I dream of someday owning. Pre-2007 they were 10 passenger and now they're 12-passenger. (Older ones have 3 rows behind the driver/passenger row seating 3-2-3. Newer ones have 3 rows behind the driver/passenger row seating 3-3-4.) All seats have headrests and lap/shoulder belts. It's a diesel, which is one reason it's so much pricier, but that also means it will last a whole lot longer too.

Just google some of the different models of vans and you'll be able to find lots of different pics.

One thing I will say is that you should test-drive all of them before making a decision. We recently test-drove a few and there was a big difference in the way they drove.

The Ford/Chevys were harder for me to drive. The gas pedal was up so far off the floor of the vehicle that I couldn't rest my heel on the floor and have even my toes reach the bottom of the pedal. There isn't very much legroom at all from side-to-side in these models either. It felt like a huge beast to drive.

The Sprinter, on the other hand, felt almost like a minivan. It was so much easier to drive. But again, it's a LOT pricier, so that always plays into things.

I also fit 8 kids in my toyota sienna 8 passenger. And Christine has 8 seats in hers. 2 of mine were in seatbelts, but I can also get a nautilus, boulevard/decathlon (rf or ff) and a turbo or parkway across the 3rd row. Any combination of seats will fit across the middle row.

But yes, I have a 9 passenger conversion van. And got a pretty good upright install on a rf radian, too:thumbsup: I couldn't go the 12 passenger van route because I wanted headrests and shouder belts in all seating positions (it has only recently become standard for shoulder belts in all seating positions in some of the vans) and needed lots of top tethers. The 4 rear captain's seats have full latch, plus the middle of the bench has a top tether (where there is no headrest).