Minivan experts - We can't afford an Odyssey/Sienna - what else?

maybesomeday · Feb 25, 2008

Minivan experts - What else besides an Odyssey/Sienna?

We've been given an offer on our Explorer by a friend who knows we want to get a minivan so we're seriously looking at options. We know we cannot afford an Odyssey/Sienna

right now. I'm overwhelmed and need some guidance. We're looking to spend less than $20,000!

We have 1 DC right now (15 months) and will plan at least 1 more in the future. We frequently have others riding with us. Mostly adults.

Here's just some of our criteria that I can think of at the moment (not in any particular order).
1. Need fairly easily accessability into the 3rd row for adults.
2. Leather (fake leather, whatever - just not cloth!)
3. Cargo room behind 3rd row.
4. Head room. I get claustrophic & carsick very easily

5. Prefer captains chairs in 2nd row.
6. Safety, safety, safety:2thumbsup:

It would be nice if there was a website where you could just plug in all your desires and the vehicle would pop up? (Is there?)

What things should we be careful of? Please give years as well as makes/models.

Thanks so much!!!

jdchic3 · Feb 25, 2008

Why do you say an Ody/Sienna isn't possible? I've found lots of them for under $20,000 at carmax.com. That's with the leather option, you can't select captains chairs as an option. Also, I'm assuming you're looking for lower-ish miles?

sfeitler · Feb 25, 2008

I agree with the PP, I would think you could find an older Ody/Sienna for less than $20k with leather.

Of course, if you want new, then yes, you can't look at Honda or Toyota.

-Sarah

southpawboston · Feb 25, 2008

there's the kia sedona and its longer sister-twin, hyundai entourage. the kia can be had fairly cheaply, i believe. maybe not new for $20k but new-ish (2006+).

safety wise, it doesn't get better than them...

maybesomeday · Feb 25, 2008

Maybe I'm checking the wrong sites, but I generally can't find a Honda/Toyota in our area Seattle/Tacoma, WA with leather for under $20K:scratcheshead: I don't want to go too old. Needs to stay within the 2004+ range for financing through my credit union at better rates.

I've thought some about the Kias - but aren't they kinda tiny compared to the room in most other minivans?

Any other ideas?

teekadog · Feb 25, 2008

I test drove the Ody, Sienna, and Hyundai Entourage last summer. They all seemed about the same size- I made sure to try riding in each row.

twokidstwodogs · Feb 25, 2008

If you buy a used Odyssey, go for 2005 or later. That's the first year they had electronic stability control and side curtain airbags for all rows of passengers.

But I second Southpaw's recommendation for a Kia Sedona or Hyundai Entourage, which top the safety charts. Our friends bought a Sedona, and when they were test driving it, they brought it to our house to compare with our 05 Odyssey. There really wasn't much of anything that the Odyssey had that the Sedona didn't, other than the Honda name. And they're a fair bit cheaper.

TechnoGranola · Feb 25, 2008

maybesomeday said:
I've thought some about the Kias - but aren't they kinda tiny compared to the room in most other minivans?

Any other ideas?

Somewhere on another thread here, somebody said that the Kia Sedona had been redesigned in '06 (I think '06, don't quote me on that!) and it is now larger than before. Comparable to the other minivans.

twokidstwodogs · Feb 25, 2008

technogranola said:
Somewhere on another thread here, somebody said that the Kia Sedona had been redesigned in '06 (I think '06, don't quote me on that!) and it is now larger than before. Comparable to the other minivans.

My friends bought an 07 Sedona. (I think! It could be an 06, but no older than that.) We had the vans right next to each other, and they were comparable in size. The Odyssey might have been a tiny bit wider, but nothing to signify.

glimmerglass · Feb 25, 2008

You can also try eBay for cars. Sometimes there are some really great deals there. I almost went that route, but we bought from a friend.

kgergely · Mar 1, 2008

Re: Minivan experts - What else besides an Odyssey/Sienna?

I have been researching this recently and think an 07 Sedona with low miles is the best deal. They are well priced and more importantly have all new safety features on the 07s.

Kellyr2 · Mar 6, 2008

Re: Minivan experts - What else besides an Odyssey/Sienna?

I was just at a dealership and sat and played in an 06, and it was VERY roomy. Lots more leg room and cargo space than my 01 Chrysler Voyager. And it was right around $15K. He said most of their 06's are around that price, with 20K or less miles.

maybesomeday · Mar 6, 2008

Re: Minivan experts - What else besides an Odyssey/Sienna?

Kellyr2 said:
I was just at a dealership and sat and played in an 06, and it was VERY roomy. Lots more leg room and cargo space than my 01 Chrysler Voyager. And it was right around $15K. He said most of their 06's are around that price, with 20K or less miles.

Was it the Kia Sedona that you looked at?

Thanks ladies! I think we'll check out the Kia Sedona or Hyundai Entourage.:thumbsup:

finleysmommy · Mar 6, 2008

Re: Minivan experts - What else besides an Odyssey/Sienna?

We have a 2006 Pontiac Montana SV6. I LOVE this vehicle and would recommend it to anyone. I wouldn't get anything but an SV6 though because the old style got terrible safety ratings. The SV6's got great safety ratings. We got ours for a little over $14,000 and it only had 30,000 miles. DVD player, leather, XM radio, power sliding doors... the works.

lovinwaves · Mar 6, 2008

My Ody is 3 years old with 27K miles on it, and KBB says it is worth about $20K.

waterbaby · Mar 8, 2008

I love the Nissan Quest vans... depending on the features, you could likely find one in your price range. They have 5-star crash test ratings as well (including side curtain airbags), so that may be an option for you, too.

twokidstwodogs · Mar 9, 2008

You might also look at the Mazda5. It's not as big as the others discussed, but it's a really versatile car and is big enough for many families. New ones are just over 20K, I think, so you probably get one just a year old in your budget.

SafeDad · Mar 9, 2008

For side curtain airbags and stability control:

2006+ Sedona, standard
2005+ Odyssey, standard
2004+ Sienna, available as options on some trim, standard on others

Previous years of these models did not have these features at all.

In my area, Carsdirect.com gives a quote of under $20k for a base model new 2007 Sedona. Local dealers will almost always beat that price. I bet you could easily be out the door after taxes and fees on a 2007 base Sedona right now. It's last year's model, so you may not have much choice on colors or options, but the safety features are all standard.

Kecia · Mar 9, 2008

I just wanted to add that if you're willing to forgo having side curtain airbags, two minivans offered ESC as an option on earlier models. Ford offered "Advance Trac" (what they call ESC) on their Windstar models starting in 2002. Toyota offered "Vehicle Stability Control" aka VSC as early as 2001 for the Sienna. Unfortunately Honda was a little late to the game and they didn't offer ESC on the Ody until they made it standard on the '05 MY.

It might be hard to find an older model Sienna or Windstar with ESC, but maybe not. I guess you just won't know unless you look. I think your chances of finding ESC on one of these older vans would be greatly increased if you focused on the high-end trim models - Windstar Limited, Sienna XLE or XLE Limited. Dealerships usually order a few models every year that are fully loaded with every available feature. That's how I found my greatly-reduced '05 Freestar with all the safety features that I wanted at the end of 2005.

Side curtain ABs are a wonderful feature but if you can avoid the crash in the first place, that's even better. Both of my crashes occurred when I lost control of the vehicle in the rain. Just to clarify, they were 2 different vehicles and the crashes took place 9 years apart. Regardless, this is exactly the type of crash that ESC helps to prevent so ESC was at the top of my priorities list when I was shopping for something new (after totaling my Taurus).

The way I see it, if you can get some extra help avoiding a crash then that can help to make up for the lack of SABs. Plus, you can always get seats with extra SIP to help protect your kids as long as they can still fit in a HBB. Obviously, having both features (ESC and SABs) would be everyone's preference but when you have a budget you often have to make concessions.

HTH!

Kecia

valleyfam · Mar 9, 2008

I love my Windstar although if you are going 04 and newer it would be a Freestar. I have 6 tether anchors!! I crawl thru mine quite often and it drives great!!! I like you wanted an Ody at first...test drove some and there was no comparison. Ford had em beat by a mile. Like someone mentioned they redesigned the steering in 04 on the Ody so they may be better now. The Windstar did well on the NHSTA test as well. My favorite feature is the door code buttons on driver's side. I never fiddle around hunting for my keys just punch in my code load the kiddos then hunt for the keys. It truly depends on the buyer. I strongly suggest drive a lot of them and take your child and seat with you. I made the guy wait for me to install the seat in everyone I drove. Go to several different dealerships if you have to drive the same models. My mom just bought a Lexus she hates! (SUV not van of course

) She has back trouble and thought during the one test drive it was ok but within 2 days of driving realized the seat really hurt her back and now she's stuck they won't take it back.

Oh if you are going used take it to a good body shop they can tell you if it's ever been in an accident and not all accidents show up on carfax. Happy Hunting!!

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