The “Van” Decision
We are in the middle of shopping for a new van. I have not purchased a vehicle since 2001 when I reluctantly bought a minivan. Now we are 171,000 miles later on that minivan and with the addition of 2 more children we cannot legally fit into the vehicle.
So, we are researching some options and have basically narrowed it down to two. It’s the battle of the “Church Van” against the “Trusty Honda”. The former is probably in the lead because of the size and space but I am having a hard time making that jump.
Any suggestions for us as we make this decision?
HONDA ODDYSSEY
Pros: drives smooth, does not feel massive, reliability, comfort
Cons: will be a tight squeeze for the 8 of us, no room for cousins or friends
GMC SAVANAH – 12 Passenger Van
PROS: fits all of us plus cousins and friends, slightly cheaper
CONS: feels huge, questionable reliability compared to the Honda, makes me look like a Youth Minister on a trip to camp
Feel free to give your opinion.
You could look at the Dodge Sprinter van. It doesn’t remind me of a church van but has plenty of room.
I think you should totally go for the 12 passenger van! I practically lived in a 15 passenger van for two summers and it was great. I love the space, and the size, when driving, you will get used to. I am not sure what to say about the reliability. Definitely Honda wins on that one. I don’t think I helped much.
My friend has the Honda Odyssey and as much as she loves it because it’s not huge, there has definitely been some panic on her part when someone has a friend spend the night and she remembers she needs to go somewhere and can’t in touch with parents, etc. She’s called me a couple of times to come get a kid or two, or to see if I would just run the errand for her. She’s wished out loud a few times that she had bought a bigger vehicle. Three of their kids are not so small young men (13, 14 & 16yo) that do NOT like being crammed in. Of course at that age, she doesn’t HAVE to take them everywhere anymore (nor do they want to go), but I think they would be cramped if the took a lengthy drive, like maybe a trip to FL for spring break… Just my observation of a family with 6 kids…
Tough decision for sure and I’m sure the difference in MPG only adds to the dilemma. We have four children as well ranging from 19 to 9. Here are some things to consider (maybe you already have, but I don’t know that do I
)
We have a GMC Safari van (it’s a mid-size). We love the seating for 8 because that means on long trips, each kid has a “corner” to sit in. This gives them a bit more space and keeps the “he’s touching me,” “her stuff is on my stuff,” bickering to a minimum. This leaves us two extra seats for the times when the grandparents visit, a friend comes along, etc.
1. How easy is it to get in/out of the rear seats? Have your kids practice this as well as you and Amy. A person’s size makes a lot of difference here. This was quite easy for all the kids to do in our van when they were smaller, but now that Alex is 19 and over 6′ tall, it’s a bit more of a challenge. There’s plenty of room once he’s back there though. Get Shaun to climb back there! Also consider where car seats will be placed and how easy they will be to access.
2. Equipped with rear heat/AC? Any van is hard to heat and cool with only a front system. Separate controls are necessary so as not to make those up front suffer while the ones in back are trying to just get comfortable.
3. Are there adequate bins, cubbies and cup holders for everyone? Are they located in the right place(es)? Are they all usable when the vehicle is moving?
4. How many times a year do you plan to travel as a family on longer trips? Cramped quarters on long trips are no fun for anyone.
5. What’s the luggage space like in the smaller van? Does it have a roof rack? More family members means more luggage generally speaking. Younger kids also mean more toys, books, snacks, etc. The larger van would have more room for bikes and such that may be carried for family adventures.
Whatever van you decide on, let me pass on some valuable advise that has saved us many times.
Before any children enter your van at all (do this right after picking the van up if at all possible!), remove all the seats in the van. Purchase some thick, good quality, vinyl carpet runners (like the ones they place in high traffic areas of buildings, etc.or after carpets have been cleaned in your home) or a few of those carpet protectors that are placed under computer chairs in carpeted areas. Put them in the van floor area, making sure to cover all exposed carpeted areas. Cut slits for the seat mounting areas and anything else that may be mounted directly to the floor. You can then put the supplied floor mats back in place.
The mats can be removed and cleaned as necessary but the carpeting will still be protected from the spills that miss the floor mats, the mud that for some reason increases exponentially for every child in the van, and that one kid that manages to get sick every time they get in the car. Our van has it’s share of dents and dings, but the carpet is like new!
I guess at the end of the day, I’d choose the Savannah. Your family isn’t going to get any smaller for many years to come and more room is better on long trips, or even to the grocery co-op! Our van is a GMC and has been very good to us mechanically, etc. We picked it up from the dealer after landing at BWI from London. We were home on leave for 6 weeks. During that time, we managed to put just over 6,000 miles on it before putting in on a ship to England. We drove it there two years and shipped it once again to the US where we’ve driven it on many, many long trips with our family. It has also had many, many miles put on it by Scout packs and troops, middle school youth on summer trips, high schoolers going to camp on on ski weekends, etc. God blessed us with this van and we try to bless others with it’s roominess.
It’s even carried a soft-rock star to the airport on occasion!
Beth
If you get the big mother I’m going to need a picture of Amy behind the wheel.
My suggestion would be the “church” van. We had a full size custom van for 8 years and it was large and I certainly didn’t feel cool driving it in my 30’s but we had some really awesome vacations in it. We bought it because, for the price, we couldn’t touch a mini van. Did you know you can walk around inside of those things AND you can fit a regular house vacuum cleaner in it? That’s got to be a bonus!! Another bonus – you have an excuse to tune out the kids that are in the “way back” cause you can’t hear them anyway.
After 18 years of kids, we finally have a normal car and you can imagine how much I appreciate it but we really enjoyed our van. After being in our car, the things I miss are the space and the feeling of being bigger than most others on the road. The gas mileage will be a downside but you can probably get a good deal on one.
I see that you do not have a Ford e series van or a Dodge Sprinter. Most of our fleet vans are Ford e-series vans. As of now they range between 250,000 to 450,000 miles on them. Only one van required a new engine while most of them around 300,000 miles had to have the transmission over hauled. The Dodge Sprinter has about 100,000 miles on it and we have not had any problems yet. The Dodge Sprinter has a Mercedes diesel engine. The van gas mileage is in the mid twenties.
Thomas
Brian,
You either gotta go with the 12 passenger or buy a second car. You have to have room for friends and cousins, especially with how close yours and shaun’s families are.
what about the Dodge Sprinter? buy Robbie’s tour van!
I would go ‘large’ as you know, especially since God may have other plans in the future
Beth – wow and thanks.
Katy – Amy is more for the church van than I am
The Dodge Sprinter is considerably more expensive than either of these vans – to the tune of $10,000 more on starting price. that’s too much for me.
Aren’t the church vans prone to flipping over and hard to insure? I don’t know anything about this really, just that all the churches in our area had to buy short busses to replace the church vans a few years back.
If it’s all okay, I’d go with the big van. You need space for cousins, etc.
Get the big one.
I would go with the Honda. We have 5 kids and our’s has been great. We stuffed it with stuff and kids for a California (camping) road trip. It was perfect. And as the kids grow older you don’t have them with you all of the time. Plus it is easy to take seats in and out.
I say Honda Oddyssey. It’s cooler looking, probably drives more like a car, and will last forever. Also great are Toyota Siennas. Not sure about the price difference. Jeremy and Katie have one and they love it. And Toyotas are supposedly the best made cars. Just sayin.
Hey send me a Peru packet.
The only companies who insure 12 pass vans are the ones who insure drunk drivers. You will pay an insane amount every month (I tour in an 8 pass). Financially, I suspect that that’ll take the 12 pass off the table.
Ford Flex. Seven passenger and you’ll still be hip!
Brian…. Dear, Brian. You don’t have to worry about either. The BEAST has plenty of room for the Seays, the Groves, and the Redneck Neighbors! Don’t stress over a minivan! I’ll be happy to send you an awesome picture!
Just wanted to put in my two cents’ worth regarding keeping a vehicle clean while hauling around so many people…It’s fairly simple, but revolutionary to some–DON’T ALLOW FOOD/DRINK IN THE VEHICLE. If you are going on a long trip, eat/drink before you go, then allow snacks/drinks when you take breaks. No one will die of hunger or thirst. And the potty breaks will be more predictable! Having this strategy solves so many problems and whining, you just won’t believe it. We modified the plan so that the adults could have coffee or whatever, but since they are capable of cleaning up after themselves, and have the role of driver and navigator, that is an allowable exception. Besides, remember who the leaders of the family are (the parents) and who are making the payments! Worked extremely well for us, was easy to implement with the arrival of a new vehicle on the scene, and since it was a clear, simple rule, everyone could remember it.
We have seven kids and usually a friend or three with us. Our family drives a 15 passenger van with a sliding door (Such a great invention). Our is made by Ford and is absolutely the best. It turns so easy and drives wonderfully. My friend who has 11 kids has a Chevy and she cannot turn in tight places which is sometimes awkward for her. (Like food drive thru’s) Ford has a shorter wheel base and makes it easier to turn. It also has an anti rollover feature, which makes me feel much safer driving it. If you can you should test drive one before you buy so you can be sure you really like the one you are looking at.
My vote is the Honda.
We purchased our latest one almost 3 yrs ago, we had another one for 3 yrs before it. It’s well built, gets decent gas mileage. Ours has rear air and heat, not sure if they all do and ours came with a removeable 8th seat (which has been in the garage since new). Our inlaws have the same exact van, though theirs has the navigation system.
We are in the same process right now. Our dear “Nellie”, our GMC Safari, is barely clinging to life. With child #5 on the way we are debating and looking. I am REALLY fighting the practical pros of the big beast of a 10 passenger van. I drove a mid-size all through my 20’s and 30’s. I don’t guess I will ever be cool:)