Hey all,

Long time lurker, great topic, love the show. None of you know me, but I read your posts nearly every day. Dalen might remember my Opethian tendencies when I used to run under the name back_space, and truly have lurked, and extremely limited posted, since way back on the CMJ.com board days. We are talking the KPH454, MKFC, Fast'n'bulbous, el guapo, onebrownjeff, Sketchy_C, cybin, Charli_lady pre-kids days.

Anyway, I know a bunch of you have kids, and some multiples, and wondered if any of you own minivans? We have two girls, nearly 4 yrs old and 18 months, and are desperately in need of more space. Currently we drive a Mazda 3 5-door, and 4 door Civic. My 6'3" body ain't what it used to be with getting my little shysters into their seats. Plus throw on some boots, and other winter garb, a big jacket, a seat moved forward to allow for my 3+ yr old's boots and I am eating my kneecaps.

We finally know we NEED a minivan, and are completely torn between the Odyssey, and Sienna. Never really looked into the Nissan Quest, wont by a Dodge/Chrysler, and swore off VW years ago. Any opinions on either brand? It's basically an apples to apples comparison much like comparing Nikon to Canon, but like those brands, fans of each are polarized.

At the moment, I am swayed towards the Odyssey for its dashboard layout and front half of van looks, my wife is leaning towards the Sienna.

What say you?

Wife and I owned a 2002 Caravan, which we finally drove into the ground a couple of months ago, with about 175K on it.
Maintenance costs were minimal and it was pretty comfy. Only real complaint was that it was kinda noisy, especially on the highway. No idea how the newer ones are, though.

jesus christ just kill me. i come to these places to get away from my aging.

if you add the word "anal" to the front of any car name it pretty much makes a great porn title

anal odyssey

anal wrangler

My wife and I had a 2000 Siena that was great. Put about 250k on her before trading it in still going strong. I've heard good things about the (Anal) Odyssey, too.

anal charger

anal ram

wow, that really takes me back...

yep.

Anal Avalanche

Mazda

Okay, I totally get not wanting to talk Real World shop, so i'll put it in these terms.

If you HAD to pick one minivan to listen to this album, irony that being its a Dodge Caravan on the cover, with a title of Chevy El Camino, and do carnal things to your wife / mistress in while getting tattoos, which would you choose? The Anal Odyssey, or the Anal Sienna?


TJ42,,, the Mazda 5 i think its called, is basically what we have but taller... unless you are referring to the CX7-CX9...

we are leasing a 2012 Sienna. 3 year lease...give us a chance to see if we like it.

there are a lot of things i like about it (incredible space for hauling things, getting kids' car seats as well as the actual chairs in and out is a breeze, nice to be able to open up the side/back doors with a push of a buttons located in several different places). the main downside is no 4x4 so its not as useful as a SUV for getting up into the mountains for skiing...which doesnt matter that much now since the kids are too young for that.

for a Western slant:

anal Silverado

Yea, Mazda 5. Bigger than what you have, but smaller than a regular minivan (seats 6 instead of 7). Better mileage, probably better pricing, but less power. Guy at work has the CX-9, and it's pretty slick, but if I am getting a vehicle that big, I would prefer a mini van because they have so much more space (volume) inside.

At least 6 families I know have the Odyssey and 1 has the Sienna, with not one having a complaint about either. We have a Hyundai Santa Fe, for 5 people and it is a bit cramped, but we have all managed to squeeze in for the past 3.75 years. I almost own it.

Great, thanks for the infos fellers, and the Anal~! It's nice to have other opinions other than those of of a minivan fanboy edmunds.com forum.

anal beetle

anal fiat

is it a car, or a sexy policy debate???

Seriously guys??? Todd mentioned the trusty Dodge Caravan up above.....no one has dropped:

Anal Caravan

yet?? That one just seems like the obvious winner to me

My wife went back and forth and forth and back between the Odyessy and the Sienna, that we said fuck it, and are still cramped in our Prius...
We are gonna try agan next year.......(to pick a min-van) that is....

there's a jam band around here called Tonal Caravan. every time i see the name, i think "anal caravan"