Ideas for a new minivan

I own an 04 mercury monteray minivan, it was one of those we needed a second car fast and really with three kids a minivan made the most sense, There were major problems on the bus, kids were very violent, and It was a Friday when I said "ENOUGH" and I owned the minivan by Sunday. not the best way to go into these things but it was what I felt needed to be done at the time. (we have a problem family 2 houses down, involved in a street gang)

Anyways I HATE it, I thought it was fine at first, but I figured It was affordable, and drove fine and worked, did the job.

I have owned it for almost 2 years and the past year it has needed new part after new part, and every time I get a new part, it feels worse. I got new tie rods, the steering feels super loose now, but the old tie rods were cracking, I got new brakes in may, now the squeel louder than a truck, I have taken both of these issues to a few different places and every one says both brakes and tie rods are in tip top shape, but yes they hear the noise and feel the problems.. not sure what to tell me. Then the transmission blew which is known to happen, with these cars.. honestly I feel like I live at the car place, then today I am driving down the hill by the school and I nearl loose control of the car, my steering feels so loose.. I run it straight to another car place to see if they can look at it, and guess what, they can't find anything wrong..

OK ... sooooo if you get my vent here, I am fed up with the car.. I talked to DH tonight, and we didn't think we could trade it in (owingmore than it is worth) But he said with his new job, he thinks maybe in the next month or two we could try to go to car max with it and find a more reliable minivan for me to drive.

I can't pay too much, it will be preowned of course, probably something around 2006 so a little newer than what I have.. I love the looks of the odessy, of course but it is probably too much, I love the VW's the routan, our other car is a passat and I LOVE it, it just is not roomy enough for our family car of course. But maybe the routan is too new and pricey, not sure what the range is exactly yet, but maybe under 14,000 I would assume, I don't mind hundais (SP) I once owned a sonata that was just fine and reliable. But I HATE Kias and fords. HTH.

Any suggestions in my range that I might not hate?

Thanks for making it this far if you did lol
 
ADS

crunchierthanthou

New member
I can't pay too much, it will be preowned of course, probably something around 2006 so a little newer than what I have.. I love the looks of the odessy, of course but it is probably too much, I love the VW's the routan, our other car is a passat and I LOVE it, it just is not roomy enough for our family car of course. But maybe the routan is too new and pricey, not sure what the range is exactly yet, but maybe under 14,000 I would assume, I don't mind hundais (SP) I once owned a sonata that was just fine and reliable. But I HATE Kias and fords. HTH.

well, Kia is made by Hyundai. The 2006+ Sedona is really worth a look. Affordable, nice features, excellent crash test ratings. I think the Hyundai Entourage is the same vehicle, but they're generally more expensive than the Kia clones.

You could probably get a 2006-2007 Sienna LE in that range - even the 8 passenger.

The Routan is just a Dodge Caravan with different trim. It's not *really* a VW, but a rebranded Chrysler.

Avoid GM ones. The Venture and clones had terrible crash test ratings. The newer Uplander isn't much better and the tether anchors are a total pain.
 

emandbri

Well-known member
2004 is when the sienna was redesigned and 8 seats were an option and the back seat folds down flat. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my sienna! :D I love the versatility of 8 seats. I will tell you that the radian is a bit hard to install but not impossible. I now have Elizabeth's seat in the center of the middle row installed with a seat belt and locking clip and using the old base. We have had it 3 years and haven't had any issues at all.
 
awesome I am going to look into a sienna, I drove a kia minivan when test driving minivans and I HATED it, so maybe I would hate the entourage, I liked my sonata back in the day though.

I HATED the dodge something or other I test drove a while back, it was terrible, so I want to avoid anything like that.. it was my least favorite of the cars I test drove.
 

emandbri

Well-known member
Oh and I bought mine from carmax. I wanted something very specific, had to wait for one to come for sale, and then had it shipped from California to Kansas City.

I wanted a 2004 or 2005 green, 8 seater, with side curtain air bags. The airbags were only standard on the XLE and limited but you could only get the 8 seater on the CE and LE. I had to find one where someone paid extra to get the side curtain air bags. I think the side curtain airbags became standard in 2006 but I could be wrong about that.

Carmax also gave me more for my old van then I thought they would. :D It was a 1998 sienna, had some rust spots, had some bleach stains from where a bottle of clorox clean didn't have the top all the way on, the sliding doors would no longer stay open and I on hills had to prop them open with my body while getting the kids out, etc. I posted and folks thought it would be "poor" condition but what they gave us was between "fair" and "good."
 

Melanie

New member
oh ok I was test driving mostly 04's and 03's at the time.

Those are a completely different animal than the 06+s. I had an 04 that I hated. Even with all it's issues, I'd consider an 06+ Kia. The nice thing is they don't hold their resale value so you get a lot of bang for your buck when buying used.
 

Melanie

New member
I don't know anything about them...but I'd double check and make sure the third row has top tethers (if you ever plan on putting seats there) and check the leg room. Some of the smaller SUVs have teeny 3rd rows.
 

crunchierthanthou

New member
I think the third row option is new to 2011. You won't find that in a used one or in the price range you're going for.

And from personal experience as someone who just bought a crossover instead of a van - go for the van. I wish for sliding doors on a near daily basis. :eek:
 

firemomof3

New member
I have an 06 Sedona and its been great :thumbsup: But if you can afford the Sienna I would go with that.
But I routinely have 5 car seats in my Sedona without any issue :)
 

Car-Seat.Org Facebook Group

Forum statistics

Threads
219,656
Messages
2,196,898
Members
13,530
Latest member
onehitko860

You must read your carseat and vehicle owner’s manual and understand any relevant state laws. These are the rules you must follow to restrain your children safely. All opinions at Car-Seat.Org are those of the individual author for informational purposes only, and do not necessarily reflect any policy or position of Carseat Media LLC. Car-Seat.Org makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis. If you are unsure about information provided to you, please visit a local certified technician. Before posting or using our website you must read and agree to our TERMS.

Graco is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org! Britax is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org! Nuna Baby is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org!

Please  Support Car-Seat.Org  with your purchases of infant, convertible, combination and boosters seats from our premier sponsors above.
Shop travel systems, strollers and baby gear from Britax, Chicco, Clek, Combi, Evenflo, First Years, Graco, Maxi-Cosi, Nuna, Safety 1st, Diono & more! ©2001-2022 Carseat Media LLC

Top