Help me find a vehicle

[hrice]

DH and i are thinking of getting a new (to us) vehicle. We looked a good bit yesterday and it is exhausting finding one that meets our budget and my criteria. So I am enlisting your help and maybe you can point me in the right direction. We will be buying used.

*Top budget $17,000 (again buying used)
*Seats 7-8
*2nd row 3 across bench seat or seats that move over so you can walk on the side to get to the 3rd row because I will have 2 RFers in the second row
*headrests for all seating positions (this seems to be the hardest to find)
*NO lap only belts. I found a '05 Suburban I loved but there is a lap only belt in the center of the third row.
*at least 18 inches of cargo space with 3rd row up

Am I dreaming? There has to be a vehicle out there that fits my bill?

 

[spokaneCPST]

I love my 2007 Toyota Sienna, which meets all of your requirements. I have no idea what a used one costs though.

 

[Wineaux]

Nissan Quest! OMG! Absolutely loving ours. We bought a 2008 with less than 20K miles and an entertainment package with DVD, TV, and wireless headphones for $19K. Best used car buy evah!

They skipped a model year last year to redesign it, and so there is a 2011 model being released this month I believe. That means you should be seeing a lot of used Quest's hitting the market and some really good deals. Just remember, to get the BEST deal on a used vehicle, buy it from a competing manufacturer as they value them less than the original manufacturer does. In other words, we bought our Nissan from a Toyota dealer. If it had been at a Nissan dealer they would have tacked on another $2-3K. Make sense?

The Quest has the same engine that they put in their Z series cars. This means it has some incredible pick-up when needed. That damned van is really fast on the line, I have to tell you. It's a mean little V-6 and I've surprised a few people at stop lights who saw a Dad in a minivan and weren't prepared for me zipping right past them. Buwhahahaha!

 

[hrice]

We haven't looked at either of those. I will put those on my list for sure!

 

[oxeye]

I just priced it on kelly blue book and you could probably get an 07 Toyota Sienna for that price and it meets all your criteria. I absolutely adore my Sienna. I have nothing but good things to say about it.

 

[Wineaux]

The quest has headrests for all seating positions, all of your desired cargo space, and easy access to the third row. Oh, and it's a sportier drive than the Sienna and should cost a little bit less. More van bang for your buck!

 

[Guest]

Check reliability ratings on the Quest. It was real crappy at first cuz it was a new factory and model so it took a few years before they figured out how to build cars.

 

[lovinwaves]

Honda Odyssey about 2005-2006, maybe 2007

 

[hrice]

I looked at the Sienna and loved it. I haven't seen the Quest in person yet. Thank you for your suggestions!

 

[hrice]

How does the Radian install RF in the Sienna?