5 kids in a Dodge Caravan?

Hi,
We are getting a new vehicle soon. I am expecting our 5th baby in early June. We are trying to figure out if we could fit all 5 kids in a Dodge Caravan or a Chrysler T&C. Here are the ages of my kids and the seats they will be using:

8 yr old: just a seatbelt
6 yr old: low back booster (can't sit in the very back since he gets carsick)
4 yr old: high back booster
2 yr old: FF carseat
newborn: infant carseat

We are not opposed to buying new carseats in order to make one of these vehicles work. I know that most people recommend the Sienna or Odyssey, but we would rather not spend the extra money on those vehicles if we don't need to.

Thanks for any tips or advice you can give! We would be buying a 2011 or 2012 Dodge Caravan or Chrysler T&C.

You will get 3 more inches of room and a more car-seat friendly 3rd row in a used older Sienna. 8 passenger would be sweet but 7 would do, since you are considering 7 anyway. You should be able to find an '09 or '10 in good shape/low miles. If you can find a '10 that still has original warranty you can add on extended warranty.

There are ways to fit 5 in a GC but it will be tight not as easy. People do it but I'd go for a used Sienna, price should be similar I think?

What features are you looking for?

I have looked at some of the used Sienna's. We are not picky about features, mainly just want low mileage. I am preferably looking for something with 30,000 or less. At that mileage the price difference was still pretty big.

We will keep looking around. We are just trying to figure out if a Dodge Caravan would work at all.

Thank you for your response!

kyancer said:

Hi,
We are getting a new vehicle soon. I am expecting our 5th baby in early June. We are trying to figure out if we could fit all 5 kids in a Dodge Caravan or a Chrysler T&C. Here are the ages of my kids and the seats they will be using:

8 yr old: just a seatbelt
6 yr old: low back booster (can't sit in the very back since he gets carsick)
4 yr old: high back booster
2 yr old: FF carseat
newborn: infant carseat

We are not opposed to buying new carseats in order to make one of these vehicles work. I know that most people recommend the Sienna or Odyssey, but we would rather not spend the extra money on those vehicles if we don't need to.

Thanks for any tips or advice you can give! We would be buying a 2011 or 2012 Dodge Caravan or Chrysler T&C.

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The 3rd row has strange seatbelts. They don't provide great belt fit for booster riders, and rarely provide good belt fit for older kids. The seat is extremely sloped, and the shoulder belts are mounted wide and sort of forward.

I'm guessing you'd want..

2nd row pass: 6 yo
2nd row driver: newborn

3rd row: 8 yo in seatbelt (does he pass the 5 Step Test?)
3rd row: 4 yo
3rd row: 2 yo

Problem is, there's only 1 tether anchor in the 3rd row and it's off centre.
Neither the 4 or 8 yo would have good belt fit even if your 2 yo's seat wasn't a tethering issue.

The 3rd row in GC's is kind of a show. Yeah, it works for some people, but it's a surprisingly unaccomodating 3rd row for .. lots of families, depending on ages and stages.

Just be sure you really try before you buy. Take your crew and all your seats and give it a go. Remember to brush up on what 'good seatbelt fit' translates to so you know what to look for.

Hmmmm...sounds like we might need to consider sticking with a Chrysler T&C. That is what we currently have and we haven't had any issues with seatbelts fitting properly on my 8 yo in the seat (she does pass the 5 step test), or with a booster. It also has two tether anchors in the 3rd row.

We are definitely going to be looking at all of these things in person before we buy anything. Just trying to get some ideas.

You should be able to find a basic 7 or 8 with decent miles (50ish or under - 30ish or under is pushing it, given most of the '10s are 3yrs at this point) for 20k or under.

The XLEs or limiteds will sell for more, I have seen them as high as 27k.

The value of the old ones is really holding, I think because the new is not as family friendly as the old - can't put captain's chairs together, only 1 tether in back row.

What is the problem with your current vehicle that makes you want to buy a new one? Just getting old?

Yes, our current vehicle is pretty old and we were planning to get a new one at this point anyway, before we even knew another baby would be joining the family. I am leaning toward just getting another Chrysler T&C (if I can fit the carseats), since we have really liked it and it is more in our price range. You can get a 2011 or 2012 with less than 30,000 for 17,000-18,000. I need to go and look at them to make sure they didn't change any features that I want to have in the newer ones. I'm thinking about buying a Sunshine Radian for the 2 yr old and the 4 yr old. I'm wondering if I could fit them side by side in the back row and still have room for my daughter to sit comfortably. I will have to test it out in my van before we go get anything new. My 4 yr old isn't quite 40 pounds and has always been on the smaller size, so I really would like him to have a harness longer anyway.

It hadn't occurred to me that 2011 or 12 could be used. I'm losing track of what year it is.

have you considered a sedona at all?

YinzerMama said:

It hadn't occurred to me that 2011 or 12 could be used. I'm losing track of what year it is.

have you considered a sedona at all?

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:yeahthat: Ours is a 2008 and pretty carseat-friendly. I think there was a new generation in 2011, maybe? so I'm not sure if the newer ones are still good for car seats, but price-wise, they are probably more what you are looking for compared to a Honda or Toyota.

kyancer said:

Hmmmm...sounds like we might need to consider sticking with a Chrysler T&C. That is what we currently have and we haven't had any issues with seatbelts fitting properly on my 8 yo in the seat (she does pass the 5 step test), or with a booster. It also has two tether anchors in the 3rd row.

We are definitely going to be looking at all of these things in person before we buy anything. Just trying to get some ideas.

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No. A Chrysler T&C has an identical seating arrangement (and wonky third row seatbelts) to the Dodge Grand Caravan. I have the Dodge and my good friend has the Chrysler. They are twins. They are different for different years, though. What year is your current Chrysler?

So yes, try before you buy, and don't expect a newish Chrysler to be different in terms of the seatbelt issues from the newish Dodge.

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kyancer said:

Yes, our current vehicle is pretty old and we were planning to get a new one at this point anyway, before we even knew another baby would be joining the family. I am leaning toward just getting another Chrysler T&C (if I can fit the carseats), since we have really liked it and it is more in our price range. You can get a 2011 or 2012 with less than 30,000 for 17,000-18,000. I need to go and look at them to make sure they didn't change any features that I want to have in the newer ones. I'm thinking about buying a Sunshine Radian for the 2 yr old and the 4 yr old. I'm wondering if I could fit them side by side in the back row and still have room for my daughter to sit comfortably. I will have to test it out in my van before we go get anything new. My 4 yr old isn't quite 40 pounds and has always been on the smaller size, so I really would like him to have a harness longer anyway.

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Are you willing to put your 2 y/o rear facing until your 4 y/o goes into a booster?

My mom has owned 3 Dodge Caravan, '01, '06, and currently '11. She loved her '01 and '06 and only traded them in because of mileage and work needing to be done. Her '06 had over 330,000 miles on it in Aug 2011 when she traded it for her brand new '11.

Shortly before she hit 30,000 miles on the van, she had to have a partial engine rebuild. Sorry, I can't remember the specifics.

In April 2012 she was hit off center head-on on the driver's side. Her airbag did not deploy and when the van was being fixed, it was found that the sensor had a direct hit and broke.

Her van was fixed, but she was leaking oil, and brought it back to the mechanic to look at it. The van was in park and running, per mechanic's request, and when she opened the door turn it off, the van rolled backwards and down a hill. Chrysler came out, incepted the van, and told my mom that they were not responsible due to the parking brake not being on. They did mention that they've had issues with that year having difficulties getting out of park.

She's also had other minor issues with it before the first accident, but I don't remember them all.

I just wanted you to be aware that there may be issues with the newest year of the Dodge Caravans and their twins and always use the parking brake.

Something I will point out since you have a lot of kids and kids get older - your minivan needs will change. Kids won't be in car seats forever. So in addition to how car seat friendly a vehicle is, make sure to check out how comfortable the seats are for a growing child/teen/adult as well, if you hope to keep this van long term. We traded in an older Sienna for a new Ody recently and I had immediate buyers remorse but have mostly come around to like the Ody. Old Sienna had a bigger trunk and the 2nd row center seat was better for just sitting (new ody center seat will take a car seat but is nothing to write home about by itself) but new ody outshines it in most other aspects. What has really sold me is the 3rd row is absurdly comfortable for a 3rd row - I can sit there with perfectly ample leg room even with the 2nd row back as far as it will go.

Now I know the ody is pretty much the priciest van you can buy, new, so I'm not saying to rush out and buy one - but do consider passenger comfort and room beyond the car seat days. Those 3rd rows are not all equal and you will be using that 3rd row daily since you have so many kids.

Personally I think the seats in the newer dodge/t&c are thin and uncomfortable. The 3rd row slopes up weirdly and the stow and go seats are just low to the ground and odd. Not a big deal with car seats but not fun without car seats.

If you compare the dimensions of the kia to the dodge you will have more legroom in the 2nd and 3rd rows in the kia. I think you will find the seats more comfy as well.

Just make sure to think of the van not just in terms of now but in the future, if you plan to keep it long term (10 years or whatever).

You can google all the different vans and look for the specs and dimensions to get an idea of interior space and whatnot.

I was NOT thorough enough when we bought the Ody, we bought in haste because I was so sick of leak issues with the Sienna - but long term I think it is going to turn out to be a good pic for us. Short term, Sienna was nicer. ANd it would have been fine long term, too - better in some ways - but the 3rd row of the ody is more comfy - also better for car seats which matters since I have 2 car seats back there.

Those old Siennas has GIANT trunks fwiw - which is an important factor when you use that 3rd row all the time. Something like 43 cubic feet. New siennas are 39ish, Odys are 38ish (older and new). GC/T&C is 33 vs 32 something for Kia.

Of course there is always the roof rack, but then you lose fuel efficiency.

Just things to consider.

http://www.kia.com/#/compare?page=ModelSelectorModes.overview

The leave out 3rd row info but still gives you some basis for comparison.

I really appreciate all of the replies. I think we are going to go look at some used Siennas. I was able to find some with lower mileage and good pricing, but we want to see it in person. I really don't want to try to squish the kids into something too small, especially since we take quite a few road trips. And, I agree...thinking long term I was also worried about pre-teens/teens in the narrow seating of the Dodge and Chrysler vans. Trunk space is also a factor since we will have a large stroller stored in the back for the next several years.

I think you will like it. You can fit a LOT of crap in the trunk of an old Sienna even with a stroller in there. I'm not gonna need a stroller in another year or two so not a huge deal to me but I could have kicked my husband in the shins when we got home and I realized m stroller (single bob) didn't lie flat in the trunk of the new ody. he insisted he measured at the dealership and they were "about the same."

But like I said it has other good points so I just have to stand it up and all is mostly right with the world.

If I were to have a 5th though we'd be back in an old Sienna. But we're done!

We had an 02 caravan for a few years. The seats in that one were pretty comfy, but there was no way to get 3 across the back. Even with 2 narrow boosters we couldn't get an adult in between. We were able to squish my super skinny BIL back there once, but he couldn't fit well. Anyone else had to fit almost sideways back theren(not exactly safe). Around when it hit 70,000 it started having problems with steering. There was a grinding sound when I would turn. They attempted to fix it many times. We paid $1,000 + over about 3 months. When it startedleaking transmission fluid and needed another repair to the steering we traded it in. We couldn't continue to make payments and have hundreds in repairs each month.

We bought a 06 Sienna with 28,000 miles in 2008. It was a bit more than a comparable caravan, but I didn't want to be in the position of trading in a few years again. When we traded the dodge after owning it for 3 years we were still several thousand upside down because of the high depreciation. Around 3 years of owning the Sienna we were no longer pride down. They actually hold their value. We are at 86,000 on our sienna and it is running great. Comfort wise it is wonderful. All seats are comfortable. I weigh 155+ and have WIDE hips and can sit comfortably between two boosters in the back row. The front seats are also comfortable. I don't regret making the switch at all. I do wish we had looked harder for a sienna in our price range before getting the dodge- we ended up losing money on that sale.

When we went to Disney we rented a '10 caravan. I Loved the stow N go but that was about it. The seatbelts in the back row were, IMO, unsafe to use with my thin kids in backless boosters. They came out very far from the body and just had very poor fit. I sat in the back a few times and it was very uncomfortable. The seats were just too firm. I thought I would love it since it was a brand new van, but I didn't love it.

Definitely look around and see what your options are.

Becca

If you go the certified used route, there are a number of places on line where you can get the extended certified warranty for much less than most dealers sell it. You don't need to buy it at the dealer. I have gotten some good quotes from acton toyota.

(same applies if you find one still under original warranty, you can extend the original warranty)

(can't tell you how many times I have kicked myself for not getting the extended warranty on ours - we would still have it if we had. )

is the t&C seat belts a problem for adults or just kids? I'm only gonna have a rf seat and an adult 3rd row

I've sat in the 3rd row passenger side of my 2010 GC on a long car trip with baby in a RF radian latched into the middle position and had no issues with the belt. But I don't need a booster lol!! My brother who is taller than I am has also sat back there.

As long as the adult isn't a small / petite person they should be ok. The belt comes out so that it pretty much lays flat across my torso. It's making contact with my upper body, at least.
For a child in a backless booster, their torso is thinner/less deep than an adult's torso and so the belt gaps for them and "hovers" an inch or two in front of their upper body.

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