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Rear wiper.....automatically goes to full from interval when the van is put into reverse. Single most compelling reason I can think of to buy a vehicle.
Oh yeah, and break-away cupholders on the 2nd row seats. When I saw those baby's demonstrated by the salesdude, I WAS SOLD. He kept going on and on about the benefits of the Vehicle Stability Control and the Curtain Airbags (blah blah blah yada yada yada), but I finally had to stop him and say, "You had me at the cupholders...."
C'mon dude, I've been playing over in the hydrogen fuel cell thread for a day now. Steve posted the link for you. I'm still waiting to find out where we're gonna get the energy to generate the hydrogen.
Man I have a lot, but I would have to say styling (aluminum wheels, wedge shape appearance, window tint, front grill, head and tail lights)
Definitely the driving experience. Really does feel more like a car than I ever expected a minivan to feel. And the engine runs smoooooooth.
Driver Death Rates: 3/1/5/05 (NBC4)
Steve, Host
Statistics are nice but keep in mind, 87.3% of all statistics are baloney. Or more accurately, it's easy to make a study but not easy to make one that accounts for all the variables.
Sure, you can greatly reduce the odds of an accident / evasive steering situation by driving sensibly but you can't control what other people do.
I've never caused an accident myself and I've probably avoided a number of bad situations because of defensive driving. But, I've still been in 2 (relatively minor) accidents which were caused by other people and 1 serious one (I was a passenger in a Golf where the driver overcorrected after going onto the shoulder and ended up rolling the car about 5x at about 80 mph).
I've also had numerous occasions where something has fallen off of a truck in front of me, or I rounded a corner to find my lane half blocked by a huge piece of tire or a traffic cone that someone driving a rented Ryder truck knocked over etc. .
The recent concensus seems to indicate that VSC could end up saving almost as many lives as seatbelts (I guess you could just as easily have also applied the above comment to seatbelts or airbags).
And, there are reports that VSC helps with cornering in snow -- its a lot harder to spin out apparently.
Just my .02 .
ETA
Also, might VSC be the cause of an accident if it doesn't allow enough correction to evade a truck tire or similar object in the road. Seatbelts and airbags are not like VSC.VSC is suppose to prevent the accidents that you would have needed the seatbelt and airbag for.And, is VSC suppose to prevent rollover at any speed? It would seem that at 80mph any vehicle would roll.Speed(to much of it)is a factor in the majority of accidents.I think the vast majority of time VSC would come into play when the driver is going to fast for road conditions and takes a turn to quickly. I do hope it is as good as advertised.
Agreed -- VSC can only do so much.
I suspect VSC *might* have prevented the rollover that I was involved in because it would have prevented the series of overcorrections which led to the car swerving and ultimately flipping over.
But, as you say, if you head into a hairpin turn at 70mph, basic physics is going to take over at that point.
ETA
Steve, Host
Steve, Host
We first thought of an Accord/Camry due to their value, relative space and no fuss reliability. We need more seats however for the above visitor scenario.
I do not want to spend more than I have too. AWD is not necessary. A 'stripper' is fine since the vehicle will not be in use for more than 8 to 12 weeks a year for the next couple of years.
Any suggestions or thoughts are appreciated.
I've had 3 base Caravans since 1996 as company cars...never a single problem and ran up about 80k miles on each one before getting the next.
I have a 2005 GC SXT with "Stow 'n Go' now as my personal vehicle and very happy with it.
With all the rebates, financing etc...they're hard to beat.
Dodge uses the base Caravan SE as a price leader to get people in the door. Most switch to either a Caravan SXT that is much nicer or a Grand Caravan to get more leg room for 2nd and 3rd row passengers plus more luggage space.
Most Americans will not buy something that is cheaper than their neighbor's vehicle which is the main reason the base Caravan SE and KIA Sedona do not sell in much higher numbers.
I checked the invoice on a 2005 Dodge and they are listed as 17,250!
Top minivans
Minivans that received top rating in federal crash tests:
1. Nissan Quest
2. Dodge Grand Caravan
3. Kia Sedona
4. Mazda MPV
5. Chrysler Town & Country*
*Long-wheel base model
Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Must be a conspiracy!
Craig
'04 Sedona EX
Steve, Host
Your biggest problem with a vehicle that is going to have little use is will be keeping the battery charged, and your reliability issues will likely stem more from the vehicle sitting unused for long periods, not the brand of vehicle.
Actually when you look at the economics of it, you might be better off renting a vehicle every time you need it. Then no annual insurance payments, no annual license fees, etc, and the maintenance issues are gone as well.
A Dodge Caravan (6 cylinder) picked up and dropped off at the airport from Enterprise for one week is $320 (just checked on-line). *update* after April the price goes to $496/wk through December 05.**
If it was used for 12 weeks and worst senerio with no coupons/deals thats $3840/yr. No maintainence and I think my AMEX card covers rental insurance. Drop off and pick up at the Fort Myers airport is a nice convience too (included in above price).
If I did that for four years however I could nearly buy one? Certainly a used one. Availability of a Minivan every time may be an issue too from the rental company.
(I use a cigarette lighter trickler charger now for my Boxster-S during the winter months and it works great for the battery.)
Steve, Host
2005 DC SXT - Why in the @&#%^!@ aren't all the window switches lighted? DCX went thru the effort (designing a special switch and running power to it) to put an LED for the driver's window but NOT the rest of them?????
1. I can understand the need for the lazy susan to not spin when the lid is closed (contents need to be secure while vehicle is in motion). And when you open up the BIG lid from the 2nd row area, then the lazy susan is unlocked and can turn freely. BUT, when you open up the little hatch in the big lid (accessed from the front row area), the lazy susan is NOT free to turn. If whatever it is you are hunting for through the little hatch is not immediately under your hand, you're out of luck. Design screwup IMO.
2. There is a plastic cover over the guide rail for the 2nd row passenger seat (the guide rail which the seat slides on to go from the right hand to the center position). The plastic cover must be removed before the seat can be slid over. Okay, fine. But the plastic cover can't be removed unless the seat is first LIFTED UP COMPLETELY OFF of the guide rail. So to move the seat, one must first lift it completely up, remove the plastic cover, put the seat back down on the guide rail, and THEN slide it over. Needless to say, I think the plastic cover when find a new home in the trash can if I have to move the seat with any regularity.
kirstie_h
Roving Host
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To get tri-zone climate control in a Sienna, one has to pay well over $30,000.
Head Injury Criterion: 473 (2005) vs. 370 (2005).
Chest Deceleration 45 (2005) vs. 39 (2005)
Femur Load 829/774 (2005) vs. 635/890 (2004)
RON
For backcountry roads, it's nice to have a bit of ground clearance, and minivans aren't too great in that department. The truck isn't all that comfortable though.
Steve, Host
I have an 04 Subaru Outback wagon that I am very unhappy with that I'm considering getting rid of. I need something else of appropriate size that will haul me, my 70-lb German Shepherd, 6"2 boyfriend, and gear around. I also enjoy road biking, and want a vehicle that I can put the bike completely inside.
There aren't many other wagon choices that appeal to me and SUV prices are crazy, not to mention the poor gas mileage factor. I'm beginning to wonder fi a mini-van wouldn't be a smart choice for me.
I don't really need (or even want) the third seat option as that's where the German Shepherd will ride. Also, I would like to stick with a 6-cylinder engine, since my 4-cylinder wagon is woefully underpowered. Finally, I commute to work every day, and am looking for decent gas mileage. What do y'all feel would be a good minivan for me? I keep reading that the Mazda MPV is one of the smallest mini-vans, and small suits my purposes just fine. Which other minis are fairly small?
Thanks! Charlotte
BTW - most minivan 3rd row seats now fold into the floor, so your dog will have plenty of space. My Chow and Pitt share the 3rd row seat - i leave it up but fold the 2nd row into the floor (Chrysler/Dodge with Stow 'n Go seating).