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  • Do you drive a Van li dat?

    If you own a van let me know your experience with owning/driving your model. Let me know what model or type you have and what you would prefer to own.
    just started: mililaniblog.com

  • #2
    Re: Do you drive a Van li dat?

    What kind of van? Commercial, cargo, delivery van? Or family minivan?

    My wife and I own a 1995 Dodge Caravan and a 2000 Pontiac Montana, both replacing sedans. With three kids, it really was a no-brainer. And frankly, I think I'll always want a van, even when we're not transporting kids to soccer practice anymore.

    I like the basic practicality of it for moving people and stuff, I like the height off the ground, and of course, I like that it's not quite an SUV, a class of vehicle I don't think I could ever bring myself to own. Minivans aren't sexy, are nondescript and boring, true. I went from a limited production (1 of 1,100) classic American muscle car with vanity plates to a beat up Dodge that you forget the moment you see it. But , I'm fine with it.

    Both our vans were purchased more for the price and practicality, though, rather than for any specific affinity for the model or options. If money were no object, I tend to lust after Chrysler's top-end minivan as well as Nissan's offering. I have to say, though, I'm surprised at how much I like my wife's Pontiac. I drive it as often as I can!

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    • #3
      Re: Do you drive a Van li dat?

      My wife and I test drove a 2005 Honda Odessey a few months ago. I'd have to say that is one sweet ride!

      On the test drive, the ride was very smooth with lots of power. From what I remember, the engine does 265 hp. With the power, accellerating and passing along the freeway was nice. The EX-L (EX with leather) features some fancy cylinder management technology which shuts down 2 of the cylinders during cruising speeds. This technology improves the gas milege. I'm a bit of a skeptic with new stuff like this, but so far, I haven't heard any issues with it.

      Interior ammenities are pretty nice. The one we test drove was full leather. The third row seat collapses into the floor easily, so you can have hauling space in the back. You can also fold and pull the second row of the seat forward to maximize cargo area. The van also has motorized doors on both sides. The windows on these doors also go down.

      The bad side of it is the price. A fully loaded one goes for around $35K. I admit my wife and I were pretty close in buying one, but we couldn't get a good deal on it because of the high demand on the van. We ended up getting a Honda Pilot instead because we didn't need the people moving capability.

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      • #4
        Re: Do you drive a Van li dat?

        Originally posted by 808_m3

        The bad side of it is the price. A fully loaded one goes for around $35K. I admit my wife and I were pretty close in buying one, but we couldn't get a good deal on it because of the high demand on the van. We ended up getting a Honda Pilot instead because we didn't need the people moving capability.
        How's the Pilot turning out?
        One of our neighbors bought the Sienna the other neighbor bought an Odyssey. So we are in between.
        just started: mililaniblog.com

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        • #5
          Re: Do you drive a Van li dat?
          Eh John, I don't know about you, but I like to do my own vehicle maintenance to try and save money that way, so you might want to take this into consideration before buying your van.

          About 5 years ago I bought a 1990 Ford Aerostar van not knowing until recently when I tried doing a tune-up that you cannot change the sparkplugs without unbolting and raising the entire engine up. I couldn't believe it at first, so I took the van in to my very trustworthy mechanic and asked him how much a tune-up would cost me. He sat down at his computer, and after entering my vehicle information into his repair-estimating software, his eyes popped wide open as he exclaimed, "Wow! The computer's saying the job will take over # (can't remember the exact number) hours, which will run you at least over $500.00!" "Just for a tune-up?!", I gasped.

          I don't know if they're all like that, but I wouldn't get a Ford van now if someone gave it to me. I've heard very good comments though about Chrysler/Plymouth vans, so that's what I'll probably be getting next after I run this Ford into the ground.

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          • #6
            Re: Do you drive a Van li dat?

            When I was in Driver's ed, I drove my Mom's '93 Ford Aerostar EXT van (can fit 7 passengers and gear for the beach, so it was very long IMO).

            Even though it had power steering, driving the van (or even driving for the first time) was pretty scary, especially while reversing and trying to check the rear for any cars before I changed lanes.

            The most people I drove with, was with my Mom, sister, brother, and cousin in the backseat, all being backseat drivers. The power was there (having a strong v8 engine) and if I didn't have any parking issues (its hard to squeeze that car into a space, let alone trying to find one that will last all day in the Ala Moana area) then I'd be driving it to and from school.
            How'd I get so white and nerdy?

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            • #7
              Re: Do you drive a Van li dat?

              I got six kids...I know Mini vans.

              For safety reasons get an extended van with lots of rear cargo space. WHY? well the obvious reasons aside...more cargo space equals bigger rear crush zone in the event some maniac decides to plow into your rear. I saw an MPV where the kid's heads was just about a foot behind the rear window. The rear window was protected by five inches of soft bumper material designed to protect occupants from 5-mph collisions.

              For ease of entry (especially if carrying an infant carrier) dual sliding doors is an absolute must!

              Don't buy individual or captain style middle seats, buy the bench. WHY? Because getting in and out of the rear bench is easier with a bench style middle seating.

              Don't get cargo style rear doors (two doors that open left and right) because you get two windows with a door divider that runs smack into your rear view mirror vision (Chevy Astrovan)

              If possible buy the All-Wheel-Drive versions for stability in cornering and overall traction because minivans have high a high center of gravity and can roll over very easily. Having power on all four wheels gives you better traction control and better cornering.

              If you have lots of kids (two or more) and they fight for seating location (I want the front seat!) Buy into the DVD option! It's a godsend!

              Forget the stow and go feature on most newer mini vans. These allow the seats to completely fold and disappear so you have a flat floor for hauling big items. WHY? Because if you have kids, they have Lego and Lego get's stuck inside the recessed wells of the pivot points of these stow and go seats. You attempt to fold the seats and you hear a crunch as the Lego snaps. You force it down because it's raining and you gotta get that load of drywall into your car from Home Depot. You come home unload and attempt to raise the seats and find out that the Lego has wedged itself into the locking mechanism and now you cannot load the kids for a day at Hawaiian Waters Adventure park.

              Buy seats that can completely be removed. WHY? Because one Saturday every month you'll have to remove all seating just to remove all the candy wrappers, stale McDonald's french fries, and that spilled Coke Float that junior was too afraid to tell you about last month.

              And that brings me to this...Get WeatherTech floor mats (the ones with the high ridges) because your mini van in one year will have more sand than what's being brought into Kuhio Beach every year embedded into it's carpet. And we all know how hard it is to vacuum out beach sand out of automobile carpet.

              Throw in a few Hoi Hoi Trap a Roach containers under the seats as your kids somehow are vested with the authority to feed them thru the auspices of Happy Meals (remember the stale french fries? Hmmm how come da roaches nevah eat the ones in my minivan?)

              My pick for the best overall minivan? Believe it or not I'd pick either a Buick Century stationwagon or a Mercury Sable/Ford Taurus station wagon. WHY? Because I've owned both and now own a Chevy Astrovan and previous to that a Ford Aerostar and can attest that both station wagons can legally hold (seatbelts for all) a total of eight passengers. Three up front, three in the back seat and two in the jump seats in the cargo area. Most minivans can only legally hold seven.

              Station wagons can enter mostly all garages and car washes.

              My Buick and Mercury can swallow 4x7 sheets of plyboard when you drop the rear seatback down to the seat.

              Don't buy an AstroVan (I bought one) as they have no double sliding doors available and it's extremely hard to change the oil! Yeah there's a skid plate that you have to remove to get to the filter.

              Don't buy the Kia Mini Van. I was a staunch supporter of one until I priced out a Honda Odyssey over a Kia and found the difference was only a few hundred. Kia's have incredable warrranties however the Honda's have better resale.

              Dodge Caravans have a history of mechanical failure. Just do a google check on Dodge Caravans and recalls and you will have to buy a couple reams of paper for your printer just to print out a fraction of the criticism of this minivan.

              There are a ton of reasons why you shouldn't buy a certain minivan, however the next minivan I'm planning on purchasing is...The Honda Odyssey. Best options, pricey but not bad for what you're getting, lots of headroom and terriffic resale value.

              My dream van would be a VW Vanagon with a little bit more crash protection up front and a decent engine. Their watercooled (jacketted) fourbanger pancake motor was a joke). This van has more headroom and more cargo space than any mini van I've ever owned. The only reason why I don't buy one up here in Keaau is simply because of the crash protection...your knees. Plus in Keaau, Highway 130 (the Pahoa Highway) is Hawaii's deadliest highway with the highest incidents of head on collisions.
              Life is what you make of it...so please read the instructions carefully.

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              • #8
                Re: Do you drive a Van li dat?

                Yeah, my spouse and I are very happy with the Pilot. We picked one up an EX with leather model a few months ago. The Honda Pilot is actually a cheaper, less luxurious, version of the Acura MDX. The seat configuration and volume of the interior are pretty much the same as the MDX. The MDX is around $9K more than a Pilot, requires premium fuel, and has lower maintenance costs over the MDX. The leather interior in our Pilot is quite nice, so I don't think I'll ever miss the extra luxury features the MDX has to offer.

                The ride of the Pilot is very smooth. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that the frame is based on the Odyssey. I think the Pilot shares the same engine as the Odyssey, but without the fancy VCM technology I mentioned in the earlier post. I heard the Pilot is in for a redesign in 2006, which will include the VCM deal.

                The Pilot feels quite roomy inside and comes standard with third row seating. The third row seating is probably fine for small kids, but adults may not want to sit back there for a long time. Being 6 feet tall, I actually thought sitting here was "decent," but I can't see how I'd feel like sitting back there for hours. The third row does collapse down to provide cargo room.

                I suppose the one minor fault about the Pilot has is no backlit on the steering wheel controls. The steering wheel has controls for the stereo head unit, as well as the cruise control. I admit it was strange not being able to see these controls while driving at night. It's not a big deal.

                I probably wrote too much on this topic, perhaps off topic. I admit being a car freak as well as tech gadget geek. For now, I'll dream about getting a M5. Any bimmer fans out there?

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                • #9
                  Re: Do you drive a Van li dat?

                  Here Here Here I'm a Bimmer fan!!! Yeah I own a classic 1989 635CSi (last of it's kind) in mint condition except for the demolished air dam when my wife drove my car thru a 10-inch deep water puddle...my air dam sits less than 5-inches off the ground.
                  Life is what you make of it...so please read the instructions carefully.

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                  • #10
                    Re: Do you drive a Van li dat?

                    Originally posted by craigwatanabe
                    Here Here Here I'm a Bimmer fan!!! Yeah I own a classic 1989 635CSi (last of it's kind) in mint condition ...
                    How can a car made as recently as 1989 be a "classic"?

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                    • #11
                      Re: Do you drive a Van li dat?

                      It's nice to know y'all have vans so when I have something to haul I don't have to use my Harley. Let's see, I need a few things from Home Depot ...

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                      • #12
                        Re: Do you drive a Van li dat?

                        Originally posted by MadAzza
                        How can a car made as recently as 1989 be a "classic"?

                        limited run. beautiful body shape. Much in demand. great landshark look.
                        http://tinyurl.com/a7h2u

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                        • #13
                          Re: Do you drive a Van li dat?

                          Thanks Kimo...it is a classic simply because BMW was a man's car and now it seems it's more gender equal. Amazing but true, but that car is considered a classic among BMW enthusiasts.

                          Last edited by craigwatanabe; August 2, 2005, 06:11 PM.
                          Life is what you make of it...so please read the instructions carefully.

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                          • #14
                            Re: Do you drive a Van li dat?

                            We have a Toyota Sienna, 2004, LE. That back door is heavy for me to pull down, and it's usually done with an armful of groceries. That's my only complaint. It would be good if the price of gas came down, though. The door behind the passenger is automatic, and that's where the younger daughter's seat is. The door behind the driver slides, too, but isn't automatic. For many many years we had an 1988 Acura Integra. When Kid II was born, we had to do something! The rust holes were so bad, I was afraid Kid I was gonna fall out! I love the Sienna. I read a review that compared its drive to a Lexus. I don't know about that, but I like the height, and I like it a lot that kids in hotrods don't try to race me anymore. It was such a drag racing punks with babies in the back. Only kidding!
                            Craig is right: My kids have turned it into a rolling roach coach. It looks pretty on the outside, but we keep hoi hoi traps in it. Spilled milkshakes, hidden crusty fries, partial nuggets, lollipop sticks, it's all back there, despite my efforts to keep it clean!
                            Aloha from Lavagal

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                            • #15
                              Re: Do you drive a Van li dat?

                              we got a 2004 honda CRV LX.

                              good ride and good gas mileage.

                              good reviews and good resale value. price we got it for was $18k.

                              i told my wife for a lil bit more $$ we cudve gotten da EX for the fully loaded frills. but at da time price was a factor fo us.

                              overall its all good.
                              Reggie aka pinakboy
                              Reggie's Kaukau Time! blog
                              Raw Eats Veggie Videos
                              Recipe Tube TV!
                              Deep Fried Recipes TV!

                              checkem out!!

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