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| avimom |
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Joined: Sep 28 2005
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Location: Brooklyn
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 Posted: Mon, Jul 23 2012, 8:25 pm Post subject: buying minivan- what to look for |
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| So, we're outgrowing our car and need to buy a minivan. I'm completely clueless- what kind of options am I looking for??? I know that I want a 8 seater vs a 7 seater but that's just about it.
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| momx5 |
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| Posted: Mon, Jul 23 2012, 8:48 pm Post subject: re: buying minivan- what to look for |
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yes, definitely an 8 seater is important!
We have a sienna and we are very happy with it-it drives very well!
The back seats fold in and under to make more room for packing the car for a long vacation!
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| STovah |
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Joined: Dec 13 2007
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| Posted: Mon, Jul 23 2012, 9:30 pm Post subject: re: buying minivan- what to look for |
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| Truthfully our most important concern was the price. Beyond that, we looked at reviews for reliability.
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| shanie5 |
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| Posted: Mon, Jul 23 2012, 11:08 pm Post subject: re: buying minivan- what to look for |
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where I live, front wheel drive is a must.
enough space in back for groceries and/or luggage.
built in car seats are great if you can get them.
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| mimivan |
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| Posted: Tue, Jul 24 2012, 1:21 am Post subject: re: buying minivan- what to look for |
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contrary to salacious rumors some might have heard, I am not for sale. 
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| Riff |
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Joined: Jan 17 2012
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| Posted: Tue, Jul 24 2012, 5:40 am Post subject: Re: re: buying minivan- what to look for |
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| mimivan wrote: | | contrary to salacious rumors some might have heard, I am not for sale. |
I have to admit that was my first thought when I saw the thread!
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| Raisin |
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| Posted: Tue, Jul 24 2012, 6:22 am Post subject: re: buying minivan- what to look for |
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| low petrol/gas consumption. Our minivan is a real guzzler.
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| avimom |
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Gold Member
Joined: Sep 28 2005
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Location: Brooklyn
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| Posted: Tue, Jul 24 2012, 10:08 am Post subject: re: buying minivan- what to look for |
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| thanks for the responses! can I look up gas consumption?? I know this sounds dumb but what exactly is front wheel drive and how do I know if I need it?
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| abeona |
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Joined: Jan 12 2012
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| Posted: Tue, Jul 24 2012, 10:18 am Post subject: re: buying minivan- what to look for |
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| hi, if you PM me. I can give u a number to call someone who can be quite helpful, he sells cars... he can help you decide whats best for you.
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| Hashem_Yaazor |
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| Posted: Tue, Jul 24 2012, 10:19 am Post subject: re: buying minivan- what to look for |
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Also, look to make sure the airbag switch is able to be turned off (via sensor or whatever)
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| STovah |
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Joined: Dec 13 2007
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| Posted: Tue, Jul 24 2012, 7:27 pm Post subject: Re: re: buying minivan- what to look for |
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| avimom wrote: | | thanks for the responses! can I look up gas consumption?? I know this sounds dumb but what exactly is front wheel drive and how do I know if I need it? |
Not sure where you live, but our minivan gets horrible gas mileage in Brooklyn (nowhere near what the stated mileage was) but when we go on trips, it does great - so if you do live in an urban area, you might not want to take what the listed gas mileage is at face value.
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| shanie5 |
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| Posted: Tue, Jul 24 2012, 10:02 pm Post subject: Re: re: buying minivan- what to look for |
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| avimom wrote: | | thanks for the responses! can I look up gas consumption?? I know this sounds dumb but what exactly is front wheel drive and how do I know if I need it? |
Cars are only propelled by one wheel-the rest follow along with it. If the car has front wheel drive, it means the strong wheel is in the front. It gives the car better control in snow (and probably off road too). It pulls the car rather than pushes it (rear wheel 'pushes'). So if you live in a place where there is a decent amount of snow, or hills, or off road/dirt/muddy driving, front wheel is better.
4 wheel drive means the power is in all 4 wheels-and has better handling in adverse conditions.
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| groisamomma |
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| Posted: Tue, Jul 24 2012, 10:12 pm Post subject: Re: re: buying minivan- what to look for |
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| Hashem_Yaazor wrote: | | Also, look to make sure the airbag switch is able to be turned off (via sensor or whatever) |
Why would you want to turn an airbag off??
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| groisamomma |
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| Posted: Tue, Jul 24 2012, 10:15 pm Post subject: Re: re: buying minivan- what to look for |
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| momx5 wrote: | yes, definitely an 8 seater is important!
We have a sienna and we are very happy with it-it drives very well!
The back seats fold in and under to make more room for packing the car for a long vacation! |
Since we're discussing it anyway, how do any of your kids make it to the back row in an 8-seater? I once borrowed a minivan from my SIL and couldn't step over the middle seat to buckle the back kids in. I ripped a skirt trying to get over the middle seats, so I made sure to buy a seven seater with bucket seats in the middle row.
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| shanie5 |
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| Posted: Tue, Jul 24 2012, 11:16 pm Post subject: Re: re: buying minivan- what to look for |
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| groisamomma wrote: | | Hashem_Yaazor wrote: | | Also, look to make sure the airbag switch is able to be turned off (via sensor or whatever) |
Why would you want to turn an airbag off?? |
In case the seat is needed for a child. Airbags are unsafe for children/people who are smaller.
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| Tova |
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| Posted: Wed, Jul 25 2012, 9:07 am Post subject: Re: re: buying minivan- what to look for |
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| groisamomma wrote: | | momx5 wrote: | yes, definitely an 8 seater is important!
We have a sienna and we are very happy with it-it drives very well!
The back seats fold in and under to make more room for packing the car for a long vacation! |
Since we're discussing it anyway, how do any of your kids make it to the back row in an 8-seater? I once borrowed a minivan from my SIL and couldn't step over the middle seat to buckle the back kids in. I ripped a skirt trying to get over the middle seats, so I made sure to buy a seven seater with bucket seats in the middle row. |
Seems like your SIL's van was a 7 seater that was converted to an 8 seater (ie - they swapped out the 2 seat bench for a 3 seat bench). The minivans that are created as 8 seaters - ie, Sienna, Odyssey - have the seats in the middle slide/move as necessary so getting to the back row is not difficult.
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| Chayalle |
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| Posted: Wed, Jul 25 2012, 9:42 am Post subject: Re: re: buying minivan- what to look for |
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| Tova wrote: | | groisamomma wrote: | | momx5 wrote: | yes, definitely an 8 seater is important!
We have a sienna and we are very happy with it-it drives very well!
The back seats fold in and under to make more room for packing the car for a long vacation! |
Since we're discussing it anyway, how do any of your kids make it to the back row in an 8-seater? I once borrowed a minivan from my SIL and couldn't step over the middle seat to buckle the back kids in. I ripped a skirt trying to get over the middle seats, so I made sure to buy a seven seater with bucket seats in the middle row. |
Seems like your SIL's van was a 7 seater that was converted to an 8 seater (ie - they swapped out the 2 seat bench for a 3 seat bench). The minivans that are created as 8 seaters - ie, Sienna, Odyssey - have the seats in the middle slide/move as necessary so getting to the back row is not difficult. |
I didn't find that to be true of the Odyssey. I just drove my kids, along with a bunch of cousins, to a local farm this past Sunday, in my SIL's Odyssey. The middle row seat on the passenger side tilts forward so the kids can get to the back. It sure wasn't easy for me to get to the back, so I put the older kids, who could buckle themselves, in the back. When I was dropping some kids off, they climbed over to the middle because a younger child was sitting in tilting seat, so it couldn't be tilted.
I'm also in the market for a mini van, and I'm going to stick to a 7-seater. However my personal needs may be different than someone else's. We have 3 kids so for the 5 of us 7 is enough extra seats.....since my oldest is going to high school B"EH, I'm figuring there are going to be more carpools etc..(otherwise I'd just go with a car, which is what we've had until now.)
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| Hashem_Yaazor |
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| Posted: Wed, Jul 25 2012, 10:40 am Post subject: Re: re: buying minivan- what to look for |
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| groisamomma wrote: | | Hashem_Yaazor wrote: | | Also, look to make sure the airbag switch is able to be turned off (via sensor or whatever) |
Why would you want to turn an airbag off?? | Doing carpool for 7 5th graders, for example.
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| Hashem_Yaazor |
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| Posted: Wed, Jul 25 2012, 10:42 am Post subject: re: buying minivan- what to look for |
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The middle row in true 8 seaters folds down. I can fold down, slide up a middle seat and reach in and buckle in a kid in the back. Not rear facing though!
Even keeping just the infant base on the folded seat so it folds half way is enough, but I think I'm going to move the baby seat to the middle, and then swap the middle booster for the side since that is easy to put in and out...
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| Tova |
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| Posted: Wed, Jul 25 2012, 11:58 am Post subject: re: buying minivan- what to look for |
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| I don't know about the Odyssey but my son was driven to school by a teacher who has an 8 seater Sienna. Every morning I saw how she folded down and slided one of the middle seats so he can effortlessly climb to the back. I can't imagine the Odyssey isn't similar, though, because or else I'm sure it would have come up in the dozens of threads I've read (here, facebook, etc.) comparing the two. Chayalle - maybe your SIL's van was a 7 seater Odyssey that they converted to an 8 seater instead of being manufactored as an 8 seater.
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