Okay - it's time for me to ask *you* guys for car advice...

[nostatic]

geez, use the search function

6 person vehicle options?

[slodave]

Easy to solve....



Sorry Wayne, no real help from me. It's only me, myself and I.

Dave

[speeder]

This could be a very funny thread.

The truth of the matter is that mini-vans are actually great vehicles from a utility standpoint, much more so than a traditional SUV that only shines in the towing or off-road categories. The Honda is great, so is the Toyota. The Chrysler MVs are even good, and an absolute steal on the late-model used market.

Test drive 'em and pick your favorite. The load height, doors and seating arangement leaves SUVs and station wagons in the dust. Plus you can remove the seats quickly and haul a LOT of large items in them. Decent fuel mileage as well.

[motion]

Mini-vans and Ferraris do not mix.

[dd74]

I had to go to a Nissan dealership last year, and received a ride back to work in a Nissan minivan. It was pretty nice.

[Don Plumley]

The Honda is the category killer. I think there was a weakness in the tranny though - worth looking into. If you need ready access to the 3rd row, a minivan is hard to beat. Of course, if you get something a little bigger than it could tow something, which would make it a work vehicle.

We have a Volvo XC90 which has 3rd row seating, well appointed, reasonable towing capacity. It's our "nice" car, looks at home in the mountains and in front of a restaurant. Plus side curtain airbags, etc.

But with little kids, I bet the the sliding doors of the Honda, low floors, etc. makes it very manageable for Mrs. Pelican.

Don

[jeffgrant]

This should buy you some time to make your decision... at least while they're small.

You might need to pop some air-holes in it though... just to be on the safe side.

[artplumber]

The Od one is fairly bullet proof and actually isn't a bad drive either (for what I was expecting). Sister has one 4yrs old or so and it is a good people mover. Those third seats are really tight no matter what brand you're looking at. My experience w/the Chrysler version has only been as a rental, and that thing sucked comparatively. The Toy is not too far off. No Nissan experience.

[JavaBrewer]

Our friends are mini-van owners and recently got the latest greatest Toyota AWD van. The remote opens all the doors from 100+ feet. It gets double+ MPG my wifes LR Disovery does and fits way more stuff. Great for parent chores. I wouldn't be caught dead driving one but they love it...

[nota]

get wrecked twin turbo
and graft the guts under a VW bus

[HardDrive]

A friend of mine is an auto fanatic. Not from the sport car perspective, but more an industry watch dog type. He's in a mangement gig now, but he spent several years heading up Microsoft's automotive efforts (yes, there is microsoft in your audi, you just don't know it.)

He researched the thing to death, and ended up with a Nissian Quest. He has 2 boys, and he and the wife love it. It has dual sliding, automatic doors, and an automatic gate. Pretty handy for packing 2 sleepy kids in the car without waking them up.

Only downside? Is ugly as sin. The Odessey looks great.

Nothing wrong with a minivan. Great family transport.

[island911]

Originally posted by Wayne at Pelican Parts
O. .. I was thinking of getting her a Tahoe or Tahoe-derviative, ..

Yikes. not the safest vehicle.

Go with a Honda (Pilot or O-van) or Toyota van.

[rfuerst911sc]

Toyota Sienna

[speedracing944]

In both the Honda and the Toyota you get 250+ hp engines and I think 0-60 is faster than my 944. Both are pretty cool vans. We test drove the Honda, Toyota and the Oldsmobile when we were in the market for a second hand minvan. The used Hondas and Toyotas were nice but were more money than we wanted to spend on a mini van. We chose the Oldmobile and it has proved to be reliable.

[Noah930]

I'm in a similar situation. We're also looking at minivans, and have narrowed it down to the Honda or Toyota. Each has 4 different trim lines, with a multitude of option packages, so there's actually a bit of variety available. Both have the power sliding doors, IIRC (again, depending on option packages/trim lines). My wife's two siblings each have an Odyssey--one a stripper model (not what you OT guys are hoping for), and the other's loaded. While the guts of the vans are the same, there's a difference in comfort between the two. For us, personally, I think the decision between Honda vs. Toyota will ultimately depend on where we can get the better deal.

[notfarnow]

Originally posted by motion
Mini-vans and Ferraris do not mix.

But SUVs and Ferraris do!

Jerrari:

[coldstart]

Not a big fan of the Sienna. My uncle has the upscale version (2005, fully loaded including leather, nav, etc.). I use it all the time and it drives extremely heavy and the steering is extremely numb and jittery.

My parents also have a minivan (1996 Dodge Grand Caravan bought new, 3.3 Mitsu engine, now a *****box) which drove great when newer (first 5 years) and is still going and going and going even though they want it to die so they can justify replacing it. I'm not suggesting a Grand Caravan, but just using it for comparison.

I love Hondas but have never driven an Odyssey. Highly recommend taking one out. SUVs suck....

[lendaddy]

I actually like the newer VW EuroVans.

[Tim Hancock]

Friends don't let friends drive minivans. (without blasting them a huge rash of ***** that is)

For god's sake Wayne, at least look at some euro SUV's.

[Dan in Pasadena]

I think the
Honda Odyssey is your ticket since she doesn't like the height, etc of Tahoes (too bad).

Another option is the Mercedes minivan thingy that's the same platform as the Chryslers Pacifica (I think). It's lower and stylish for a woman/younger mother type.