Minivan Buying Confusion...

Gsanmb

New member
Okay. I need some input. My mind is spinning from reading reviews, etc. We are finally ready (have saved up) to ditch my deathtrap 01 Venture. We pay cash for our vehicles and drive them into the ground, so long-term quality and reliability is paramount.

Dh is very leery right now of Siennas and Odysseys because of reported safety issues/reliability issues (unintended acceleration, transmission). We are not 100% opposed, but the dealers locally also seem not very flexible on prices. So, with that in mind, we're also considering the Kia Sedona and Volkswagen Routan. Clearly the Sedona allows us to get a lot more van for the money, and a much higher 'trim' package (although navigation and/or dvd's are irrelevant to us). Dh is set on a minivan rather than crossover because the sliding doors give us so much more flexibility/safety in the parking lots.

Things we need:

Excellent safety (I have one child who is in an adult seatbelt, one in a Monterey booster, and one in a Graco Nautilus)

Reliability

Seats 7 comfortably and has plenty of storage space even with the seats up (excludes the Mazda 5)

Plenty of leg and headroom, dh is 6'2"

Power doors (after not having this, I would really like it)

Can anyone weigh in? I am finding all the info very confusing and could use some real-world reviews. Dh likes the Routan over the Dodge/Chrysler because of the suspension.

Is there something I'm missing? (the Nissan Quest got terrible reviews, so we're excluding that one).

:confused:
 
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4boysmom

New member
What is your budget? The thing is in theory a Sedona will get you more for you buck but as it turned out we couldn't afford a 06 or newer one so we ended up with a '02 Oddy. I like it and it fills all your needs but for us it didn't fix the biggest issue we had, making a three across the back easier than in our paid for '00 quest. I do like the deep storage well in back for sure though and the walk through seats
 

Melanie

New member
IMO, I'd skip the VW. It's just a fancy Dodge Caravan. I'm not a big fan of Dodge. At your budget, you are very close to being able to buy new. I think I'd try to swing a new Ody or Sienna. They have high resale value so a year or two old is almost the same price as new. Or I'd get a used Sedona. I think you could get a 1 year old Kia for that price. The Kias have awful resale value. I wouldn't want to be the first owner, but it's nice when you are the second.

I just replaced my 04 Sedona. It had a million problems. The newer version is supposed to be a lot better. But even with all the problems mine had, a used Sedona was my plan B if we wouldn't have been able to swing a new SUV. I bought mine 1 year old and it had 8,000 miles. It was $14k from a dealer. I'd been looking at older Odys/Siennas that were about $16k and they had 60,000 miles on them.
:twocents:
 

Gsanmb

New member
Thank you, that is helpful.

Which SUV did you end up with? That would be my preference but the truth is, the van is probably more practical. :eek:

I'd also prefer to go for a year or two old vehicle with low miles. Dh and I are still in negotiations over this. He wants to buy our first new vehicle. :rolleyes: We have saved up for a while for it, and based on our experiences buying 'someone else's problems' has been a headache. On the other hand, new seems like such a waste since they depreciate as soon as you drive home.

We shall see. I'm going to look tomorrow at the Sedona and take a look at the Toyota and Honda dealerships to see what they have in the new-ish (year/two old) department and if they are willing to be reasonable. (Many report that local Toyota dealers are notoriously aggressive and obnoxious).

Any other thoughts? I think we are scratching the VW off the list. It seems to be an also-ran.
 

Jennifer mom to my 7

Well-known member
First, go into the dealer knowing what you want. We had an issue with the salesperson trying to sell us on the 7 passenger sienna, and not the 8 (since he didn't want to go get it and bring it around for us to look at:rolleyes:)

I would look at a new sienna. We paid about 26,000 for ours (8 passenger) back in 05. I wanted the new vehicle, for the same reasons as your dh, wanted the warantee. I didn't want to have to pay for something if something went wrong.
 

Melanie

New member
I wound up getting a Ford Flex. They just came out in 09, so not a lot of used ones (or I would've been looking at used). I looked at all larger SUVs under about $30k new. I narrowed it down to the Flex and the Honda Pilot. The Pilot has such good resale that 1-2 years old was very close if not more than buying new. I was replacing a mini-van. My little ones are 3 & 5 so I don't absolutely need the sliding doors anymore. I did wind up paying a couple thousand more than a new van would've been. IMO, price wise and room wise you do a little bit better getting a van instead of an SUV/crossover.

I highly recommend reading the articles on Edmonds.com Know what vehicle you want and how much your trade is worth (if you have one) before you even start seriously talking to dealerships. I followed their buying advice. I absolutely knew I wouldn't buy the day we test drove them. Once we got the type and color and options narrowed down I did all the negotiating online. It was sooooooo much better than dealing with car salesmen. You can do so much online. Most big dealerships have all of their new and used car inventory online. I was able to send over a request saying what I was looking for and they gave me their internet price. It sounds like you can sometimes get dealers to come down a tad bit from there by playing them off eachother. In the end I got the vehicle I wanted in the color I wanted. It did have an option I didn't care about (satelite radio & cd changer), but there were only 3 cars in the state in this color and the trim level I wanted so I couldn't be too picky. I didn't take any dealer add ons. I got the car for $100 over invoice and didn't buy anything extra. I was able to get $2500 in factory rebates + $750 cash back coupon from a brocure. I already had my financing.

Don't ever trust anything the car salesmen say. Sometimes they flat out lie and sometimes they just don't know but pretend they do. I've heard several interesting things about top tethers and such during our test drives.
 

BellesMom

New member
Thank you, that is helpful.

Which SUV did you end up with? That would be my preference but the truth is, the van is probably more practical. :eek:

I'd also prefer to go for a year or two old vehicle with low miles. Dh and I are still in negotiations over this. He wants to buy our first new vehicle. :rolleyes: We have saved up for a while for it, and based on our experiences buying 'someone else's problems' has been a headache. On the other hand, new seems like such a waste since they depreciate as soon as you drive home.

We shall see. I'm going to look tomorrow at the Sedona and take a look at the Toyota and Honda dealerships to see what they have in the new-ish (year/two old) department and if they are willing to be reasonable. (Many report that local Toyota dealers are notoriously aggressive and obnoxious).

Any other thoughts? I think we are scratching the VW off the list. It seems to be an also-ran.

The certified used Hondas & Toyotas actually have a better warranty on them than if you were to buy brand new - I believe it is 7 years & 100K from when the vehicle was first registered. New Sedonas will have a 100K warranty, but if you are the second owner, the warranty is only to 60K. VW has the lowest warranty (even certified used), so I never really considered it.

I don't know what kind of metropolitan area you're in, but whenever I'm looking for cars online, I do a minimum of a 100 mile search radius. Sometimes more. My friends laughed at me when I drove over 80 miles to buy my van - but it was almost $1000 cheaper than what the dealers in my area were offering. The extra drive (with traffic) probably took at extra 4-5 hours of my time.


Melissa
 

QuassEE

Moderator - CPST Instructor
Considering you can get a base model 2011 Sienna for under $25k.. For me, it would be no contest! There's a lot of media about the Toyota acceleration issues, but unless you have a major moral objection to buying from Toyota as a result of the problem...I wouldn't let it sway you. Especially NOW that you *know* Toyota isn't going to make that same mistake twice. Odyssey transmission issues were primarily in the early 2000s, but this has actually become a consistent problem with all new vehicles. They're not meant to last, and that's a new reality.

I owned a 2005 Sienna from 2005-2008ish, and I've owned a 2008 Odyssey since 2008. I will probably get a 2011 Sienna once I'm bored of my Odyssey, unless my oldest is doing a lot of driving by that point and I have more 5-seater options.

-Nicole.
 

Gsanmb

New member
Thank you all for your help and input. Tomorrow I am going again to drive the Sedona. Then I am going to the Honda and Toyota dealerships to look at their 1-2 year old vans and see what we might be able to get. Between the Honda and Toyota, I'd probably prefer the Honda (handling, better safety rating, and I don't really need the 8 seats although it would be nice to have, etc.) but as long as the deal is good, I'm pretty flexible between them.

ETA: I am not sure of the base model Sienna...I don't think it comes with the solar protection glass, right? We're in SW Florida so that's a must. I will look into dealerships within 100 miles though; that's an excellent idea.

We've eliminated the VW as an option, so it's just down to those three. Any other input is more than welcome and I'll update when I have something to report.
 

teacher01

New member
We just bought a 2010 Oddysey, and I couldn't be happier with it. It gets better gas mileage than my SUV, the room is fantastic, and it handles wonderfully. I LOVE IT!! :love:
 

VCSdadBear

New member
If you buy with cash and drive them into the ground then buying new isn't a bad idea. Its depreciation is not as bad over many years as opposed to used and you get less headaches. Plus if you are driving it for a long time, having it exactly how you want it increases your chances of keeping it.
 

Gsanmb

New member
Update...we still haven't purchased anything. Dh's car ended up dying a rather sudden death and we had to replace that first. He bought an Accord from Hertz Rent2Buy and got a great deal.

They have the Sienna LE from time to time (we've been keeping track) for well under blue book value and we are seriously considering it.

I keep going back and forth. I want to look at the Quest, although the reliability seems suspect. I kaiboshed the Sedona -- went to drive it, didn't love it. Especially since after that I went to drive a used Pilot and fell in LOVE.

Sigh.

I don't think the Pilot is nearly as practical as the van, but oh man, do I WANT it. :eek: I have three kids. Anyone have success with the Pilot (2008 model, not the newer version) and 3 kids? In terms of seating, storage, etc.? gAs mileage? (we live in FL so most of the Pilots we're seeing are 2WD and get slightly better mileage, but still...)

Otherwise we're going to try and keep looking for dh's elusive vehicle -- a relatively late model Sienna or Odyssey with less than 25K miles on it for less than $22K. You can all stop laughing now. :rolleyes:

I am getting so confused between trim levels and options (mainly with the Sienna; the Ody seems more streamlined with this). It's hard to compare prices, kwim?

Ugh, any help or input is appreciated!
 

QuassEE

Moderator - CPST Instructor
IMO, the Pilot doesn't compare to the Sienna. No way, no how. When we bought our Odyssey, I was thinking I'd be all cool and get the Pilot since the MDX went a couple grand higher than I wanted to go and didn't have an 8th seat. I was in the process of selling my Sienna LE at the time. We checked out the Pilot, and, compared to the Sienna it was a bare-bones vehicle. Even the Touring. It just had a caveman-era feel to it.

Now I love the Pilot, and I love the way it drives..but it doesn't compare to my old Sienna, nor to my Odyssey Touring. Give me the van any day. (Of course, I might consider the older bodystyle MDX to be a reasonable comparison--have you considered it?) Again, I LOVE the Pilot.. but with three kids, just the door-opening issue in parking lots in SUVs alone is enough to give you additional stress. Everytime I take the kids out in the XC90, I have to yell "DON'T OPEN YOUR DOORS YET!" at multiple times throughout the day.

-Nicole.
 

Gsanmb

New member
Yeah, I see what you mean. Today I took the kids to test drive and the Pilot was a tight squeeze.

I was meaning to also go drive the Quest, because I really like the way it looks, but my Chevy Venture died in the parking lot of McD's and I had to wait for a jump. :rolleyes: Second time in a week (we keep trying to fiddle with the battery in the vain hope of nursing the damn thing along a few weeks while we decide on another vehicle without spending too much money...Gah).

I still want to drive the Quest but it seems like the dealerships here don't have much inventory. Gotta call around I guess. I'd want a 2008 or 2009 of that.

Unless the Quest bowls me over and/or I can swing a great deal on one (they don't go as pricey as the Ody/Sienna), we're holding out for a Sienna or Ody I think.
 

TXDani

Senior Community Member
Considering you can get a base model 2011 Sienna for under $25k.. For me, it would be no contest! There's a lot of media about the Toyota acceleration issues, but unless you have a major moral objection to buying from Toyota as a result of the problem...I wouldn't let it sway you. Especially NOW that you *know* Toyota isn't going to make that same mistake twice. Odyssey transmission issues were primarily in the early 2000s, but this has actually become a consistent problem with all new vehicles. They're not meant to last, and that's a new reality.

And while the media LOVED to report, report, report on the supposed Toyota accelerator issues they have failed to report, report, report the fact that NHTSA concluded only 1 of the Toyotas claimed to have crashed due to a stuck accelerator actually crashed because of that. Every single other Toyota was found to have crashed due to driver error. Totally not something I would worry about.

Quoted from NHTSA

"found that at the time of the crashes, throttles were wide open and the brakes were not engaged… The results suggest that some drivers who said their Toyota and Lexus vehicles surged out of control were mistakenly flooring the accelerator when they intended to jam on the brakes."
 

QuassEE

Moderator - CPST Instructor
Here in Canada, the Quests just don't have the resale market--so if you weren't driving it into the ground, it wouldn't re-sell as well or for as much money as the Ody or Sienna. That might be specific to my area though.

Definitely hold out for what you really want. You can go to the autoparts store and pick up a jumper box (independent box with alligator clips for your battery) and keep it charged so you don't have to rely on anyone to jumpstart you while you wait for your dream van to become available. Everyone should have one, really...better than jumper cables!

-Nicole.
 

QuassEE

Moderator - CPST Instructor
Quick Q--have you called around to your local Toyota dealerships to see if they have any 2010s in stock? With the base 2011 being $24,459, you might be able to get a 2010 and stay within your budget. Often if there's just one or two in stock of an old model year AND design the dealers will take a huge loss on them. Everyone wants the 2011.

-N.
 

Gsanmb

New member
QuassEE that's so interesting. I have been avoiding the dealerships so far, trying to find a private party seller although it's nearly impossible. Out of hundreds of local listings online, one has been a private seller. Ah, well.

I think the mechanical issues (acceleration) of the Sienna is a non-issue for us at this point. I want to drive the Quest just to see, then we'll settle in to find the right thing for the right $$. Although I start work on Monday (I'm a teacher), my commute is quite short (8 miles each way) and the kids are always with me, so it's not too scary to manage with what I have for a bit. I hope.

I loved the Ody when I drove it, trust that the Sienna is great (haven't driven it but have been in one) and have never been in a Quest. There are tons of Odys and Siennas for sale here; it's actually overwhelming. A matter of finding the right one at a place willing to deal, and not be jerks (dh has a very low tolerance level on these things).

Now the question is also trim levels. I don't care about DVD or Navigation, but I definitely want power sliding doors, privacy glass, etc. Toyotas seem to have all kinds of combinations of options and I find it confusing.
 

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