Your opinions on Mini vans??

[Kishore Dandu]

I got my previous car totalled last week.

I am in the market for a new vehicle. Being a married guy with a kid; I feel minivan(like Toyota Sienna) is more practical.

Let me know of any other choices that will give lot of room.

I test drove Acura MDX, since many guys in my area are after it like crazy.
It drives great, but the 3rd row seat it has is of no use and the second seat is just like a roomy mid-size sedan's(ofcourse it has extras that go with a luxury vehicle).

Inputs are welcome for a roomier vehicle that is reliable.

[peter wooster]

Unless you really need a lot of room, buy a sedan or station wagon. Minivans and SUV's mostly burn more gas and project a very negative image.
The kids call minivans "loser cruisers" and SUV's are becoming the standard car for the 50 something empty nesters after they trade in the minivan. They are also more difficult to drive and park than sedans. If you must have one, the Toyota is probably a good choice, and the Nissan models actually look nice, something that can't be said for most of this genre.

[Kishore Dandu]

I checked with couple of Honda dealers.

For the all new 2005 Honda Odyssey; the only way I can put my hands on one is by paying MSRP(forget about Invoice). Even at that price, they are selling them like hotcakes.

Good thing with new vans from Honda(odyssey) and Toyota(Sienna) is the sliding door window can be wind down. That makes the kids more happier I guess.

[Warren Dew]

peter wooster:

Unless you really need a lot of room, buy a sedan or station wagon. Minivans and SUV's mostly burn more gas and project a very negative image.

It's to be noted that minivans tend to get better gas mileage than SUVs; because they don't need a drive train to the rear wheels, they can be five or six inches shorter in height while providing the same interior room.

That also makes them less obnoxious to cars behind them, since they don't block one's view quite as totally. I'm tolerant of minivans, while I'll cut off SUVs mercilessly because I don't want to be behind them.

On the other hand, a friend of mine with a seven seat station wagon likes it just fine.

[peter wooster]

Originally posted by Warren Dew:
peter wooster:

Unless you really need a lot of room, buy a sedan or station wagon. Minivans and SUV's mostly burn more gas and project a very negative image.

It's to be noted that minivans tend to get better gas mileage than SUVs; because they don't need a drive train to the rear wheels, they can be five or six inches shorter in height while providing the same interior room.

That also makes them less obnoxious to cars behind them, since they don't block one's view quite as totally. I'm tolerant of minivans, while I'll cut off SUVs mercilessly because I don't want to be behind them.

On the other hand, a friend of mine with a seven seat station wagon likes it just fine.

Agreed,
Minivan = boring, but useful
SUV = useless and wasteful

I think that any vehicle that is taller than a large sedan (lets use the Crown Vic as the benchmark) should require commercial plates and a truck driver's license.

One nice thing about a fast car is the ability to get around these things, they always look best receding in the rear view mirror.

[Kishore Dandu]

Originally posted by peter wooster:


Minivan = boring, but useful

I am not sure of the boring part.

Have u seen the new Toyota Sienna & Honda Odyssey?

They look cooler than many SUVs & also when I see the SUV from Mercedes(ML320) it looks more like a good old minivan than the above two.

[Kishore Dandu]

Originally posted by Jesse Torres:


The BMW X5 looks sharp but it is way too overpriced.

In the local talk shows for cars; they are saying X3 a cousin of X5 drives more like a BMW and is less in interior space by 2 feet.

So, I think X3 is better proposition for BMW enthusiasts compared to X5.

[peter wooster]

Originally posted by Kishore Dandu:

In the local talk shows for cars; they are saying X3 a cousin of X5 drives more like a BMW and is less in interior space by 2 feet.

So, I think X3 is better proposition for BMW enthusiasts compared to X5.

Ridiculous, no TRUCK ever drives like a real BMW. I find the BMW and Porche SUV's to be right down there with the Escapade and the Dumber.

[Kishore Dandu]

Originally posted by peter wooster:


Ridiculous, no TRUCK ever drives like a real BMW. I find the BMW and Porche SUV's to be right down there with the Escapade and the Dumber.

that is why I said 'MORE LIKE' than exactly like.
People need to pay attention to details in the statements.

[Jeroen Wenting]

Originally posted by peter wooster:


Ridiculous, no TRUCK ever drives like a real BMW. I find the BMW and Porche SUV's to be right down there with the Escapade and the Dumber.

Is it a truck made by BMW or a BMW made to look like a truck?

[peter wooster]

Originally posted by Jeroen Wenting:
Is it a truck made by BMW or a BMW made to look like a truck?

Its actually a poser truck made by a sports car company. The X3 is a bit more like a real BMW in the same way its a bit more like a bicycle. Its smaller than the X5, but otherwise its still no M3 or Z3.

[Jeroen Wenting]

Best BMW ever is still the M1, the only car ever banned from the DTM for being too much ahead of the competition...

[Gerald Davis]

Originally posted by peter wooster:
Unless you really need a lot of room, buy a sedan or station wagon. Minivans and SUV's mostly burn more gas and project a very negative image.
The kids call minivans "loser cruisers" and SUV's are becoming the standard car for the 50 something empty nesters after they trade in the minivan. They are also more difficult to drive and park than sedans. If you must have one, the Toyota is probably a good choice, and the Nissan models actually look nice, something that can't be said for most of this genre.

I didn't know that SUV had a bad image in the states. Here in england were the roads are small, and you run the risk of hitting on-coming traffic with split secound laps of concentration, they are unpopular

[Glen Tanner]

Just don't buy a GM, Ford, Dodge. After all, you want the vehicle to outlast the payments.

I like both the Honda and Yoytota.

[Warren Dew]

It used to be that Dodge and Plymouth had the best minivans, because they invented the concept and were about six years head of everyone else on improving it. Don't know if that's still true.

[1337 W4nk3r]

To solve all your problems get a Scion XA or XB.






Scion all the way.

[Kishore Dandu]

Originally posted by Warren Dew:
It used to be that Dodge and Plymouth had the best minivans, because they invented the concept and were about six years head of everyone else on improving it. Don't know if that's still true.

This statement was true until mid 90's. That is when Honda started making dents in this segment; now it is the market leader in mini-vans, closely followed by Toyota(after toyota introduced the wind-down slidiling door window.) Now a days Dodge & Plymouth are relegated to renting and buying in cheap.