General Minivan shopping

danceintherain

New member
I've started my preliminary research for minivan shopping.
Our budget is pretty firmly at $10,000, which seems to limit us to years 2010 and prior. If we can spend less and still get something suitable, then I'll be happy. Right now, we have 2 kids (6FF and 2RF) with plans to have at least one more. After that, who knows...
I've pretty much narrowed it down to two models:
Kia Sedona and Honda Odyssey

I came to those two due to the availability of top tether anchors. It's unlikely that we'll ever have more than 3 kids in forward facing car seats at the same time, but it's possible, and I'd like the flexibility of multiple options for seating configurations anyway.
Also, those two seem to get the highest safety ratings consistently across the board.

So down to the nitty gritty....
Interior upholstery - I originally thought I'd definitely want leather due to the ease of cleaning. A sauce got trapped below a car seat at some point last year, and I was amazed at how easy it was to clean off the seat after I found it.
However, it's hard to find the Kia Sedona, in particular with leather seats, so I'm not sure if I'm boxing myself into something that can be solved for cheaper in a different way.
So, after market seat covers, yay or nay?
I haven't bothered putting them in the car we have with the cloth interior, and I don't actually let my kids eat in the car that much anyway (they only drink water when we're outside of the house too) but I have had a few stains that have been less than pleasant to deal with, and I imagine that will get more prominent as our family grows. So am I fixated on the leather interior for no good reason?

Backup Camera - I see that those can be installed aftermarket as well, but do the ones on the rearview mirror make driving any less safe?
Maybe it's just something to get used to...

Auto sliding doors - I know the Odyssey, in particular, has had some issues with this. I don't mind maintenance, as long as it's effective maintenance (such as replacing a door, and not having to replace it again for a few years...)

Under 100,000 miles - Obviously, more difficult to find in older vehicles. I know Hondas can run forever, but I'm not sure if spending more for a higher mileage vehicle makes sense just to get a Honda, especially considering the known transmission problems in the years I can afford.

Is there anything I should add to my list?

Thanks!
 
ADS

Dillipop

Well-known member
I'd add the 2006-2010 Toyota Sienna. You'll get 4 tether anchors in the 7 seater and 5 in the 8 seater. The 8 seater is a dream for carseat and kids, into.


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jjordan

Moderator
I'd look for side curtain airbags. They will be standard in some trims and years, but likely not in all the minivans you're loking at.

We've never had leather (or seat covers) and honestly I don't consider it important enough to be a deal breaker when you're on a budget.
 

danceintherain

New member
I'd add the 2006-2010 Toyota Sienna. You'll get 4 tether anchors in the 7 seater and 5 in the 8 seater. The 8 seater is a dream for carseat and kids, into.


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I can't remember why I decided against the Sienna. Something about difficult to access seat belts, when car seats are installed? Off center lower anchors?
Maybe it's just a problem in the newer ones?

I would love an 8 passenger, so we'll see what pops up. Right now, the only options within a reasonable driving distance are Kia Sedonas, so I think we'll at least go test drive one of those this week. I'm trying not to rush into anything.
 

thepote

New member
Knowing your criteria, if you're looking at ones nearing 100k miles, check into whether they've had the timing belt replaced. Our Odyssey was done recently and it was $800 for the belt service plus $200 for stuff they found to fix once they were in there, so $1000 altogether. For the Odyssey, it's recommended at 100k, and with the type of engine it is, if the belt goes it can total the engine.

Good luck. We are almost there, too :)
 

Dillipop

Well-known member
I can't remember why I decided against the Sienna. Something about difficult to access seat belts, when car seats are installed? Off center lower anchors?

Maybe it's just a problem in the newer ones?



I would love an 8 passenger, so we'll see what pops up. Right now, the only options within a reasonable driving distance are Kia Sedonas, so I think we'll at least go test drive one of those this week. I'm trying not to rush into anything.



The tethers in the third row of the sienna are in the passenger and center position. If you use the center position with lower anchors, you can not use the drivers position. However, if you use a radian installed with seatbelt there, a small backless booster like the bubblebums fits there. There may be others that work next to a seatbelt installed seat there.

I have no problems accessing any of the seatbelt a with car seats installed. In my 8 passenger, in Summer's past, I have had a mixture of harnessed seats and boosters using up all 6 seating positions. Very easy to work with.

My 2008 sienna has a timing chain but it is definitely something to look into on models that have belts still.


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danceintherain

New member
I'd look for side curtain airbags. They will be standard in some trims and years, but likely not in all the minivans you're loking at.

We've never had leather (or seat covers) and honestly I don't consider it important enough to be a deal breaker when you're on a budget.

I'm specifically leaning towards a 2010 Kia Sedona, which is where the leather interior is difficult to find. It seems that the specs for those have the side curtain airbags, but I'll definitely double check before making any purchases.

In any case, I don't expect we'll buy anything older than a 2007. I've noticed there's a pretty decent jump in safety across the board around that year, in addition to the likelihood of lower mileage for the sake of longevity.
 

danceintherain

New member
Knowing your criteria, if you're looking at ones nearing 100k miles, check into whether they've had the timing belt replaced. Our Odyssey was done recently and it was $800 for the belt service plus $200 for stuff they found to fix once they were in there, so $1000 altogether. For the Odyssey, it's recommended at 100k, and with the type of engine it is, if the belt goes it can total the engine.

Good luck. We are almost there, too :)

Thanks for the tip! We have a separate budget line for repairs, but may have 3 vehicles for a bit while we sell one of the others, so we certainly don't want to over extend overselves in that regard.

The tethers in the third row of the sienna are in the passenger and center position. If you use the center position with lower anchors, you can not use the drivers position. However, if you use a radian installed with seatbelt there, a small backless booster like the bubblebums fits there. There may be others that work next to a seatbelt installed seat there.

I have no problems accessing any of the seatbelt a with car seats installed. In my 8 passenger, in Summer's past, I have had a mixture of harnessed seats and boosters using up all 6 seating positions. Very easy to work with.

My 2008 sienna has a timing chain but it is definitely something to look into on models that have belts still.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

If it works with a seat belt, then I'm sure it would be fine. With the LATCH limits, I can't imagine most forward facing kids can remain tethered via LATCH for very long anyway.

Again...I have no idea if I'll ever actually need 4 tethers at the same time for my own children, but I like things to stay flexible. The cars we have right now aren't particularly car seat friendly, which is part of the reason we're planning on "upgrading" sooner than necessary.
 

danceintherain

New member
That made our decision, too. Whatever you get, I hope you end up loving it!

I hope so too. I was hoping to put off minivan shopping for another year, but our cars just aren't car seat friendly. One of them doesn't have any top tether anchors (1998 Buick LeSabre) and the other is so small (Dodge Caliber) that the person sitting in the front passenger seat is pretty much under the dash board (Diono Radian with angle adjuster behind it). Not much room left for a third seat, when the time comes. DH is 6 feet and I'm 5'9, so I'm not even sure putting a rear facing seat behind the driver seat (or even in the middle) would work in the long term. I did have DDs Radian back there temporarily so I could fold the other seat down and haul wood (we build furniture) but it was hardly comfortable.

I haven't actually driven a minivan in over 10 years, so we'll see how that goes.
 

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