back to a minivan style replacement vehicle

What kind of forum has this become? Are we all being logical now? I say "What issues will I have trying to swap a manual transmission into a Odyssey" and you guys say "buy another minivan"?

I am disappointing.

It probably is good advice, though.

Javelin wrote: The Mazda5's pappy, the Mazda MPV: 2000-2006, 4-5 stars all crash tests, seats 7, and they can be found still in good shape for around $4000. Gas mileage is supposed to be not great though. Best I can come up with.

^^This^^

I have one. Exact same as the one pictured. Same color too.

Best people mover ever.

Because this your kid-hauling everyday driver...

This thread is relevant to my interests.

Replaced Evo with E30.

Now I need to replace our CRV with a 3-seat-hauler. I'll be following this closely and already taking notes.

Have I mentioned that TRD sold a supercharger for the first generation Sienna yet?

I constantly fix the Venture/Montana/Silhouette transmissions with the $90 Trans Go shift kit. Just drop the pan and install the bottom parts. I have the entire procedure down to 45 minutes (even my wife is impressed). I constantly search for those vans with hard shift issues. They're like Subaru head gaskets to me.

With 3 kids those vans just fit the bill for us. We never want to spend a bunch of $ on a vehicle that the kido's tend to trash. All of mine are in car seats as well (the biggest car seats ever made). We drive the crap out of them and make money every time we sell the sob's.

You are broke right??

Have I mentioned that TRD sold a supercharger for the first generation Sienna yet?

It's so hard to like that styling though.

I'd put a small amount of money on my turbo caravan vs a TRD SC sienna.

I constantly fix the Venture/Montana/Silhouette transmissions with the $90 Trans Go shift kit.

If only the lower intake gaskets were so profitable! The last one i did on the side i charged almost 8 hours @$40/hr and it was barely worth it. I hate working on those motors.

We bought our '98 Sienna from friends, auto tranny died at 140k or so. Low mileage tranny at the junk yard was 800 bucks. It has been absolutely reliable since that day 4 years ago. Drives great, tows great, easy to work on, toyotas are great appliances. With kids, stick with sliding doors on the side. So much better with kids that you need to strap in. So much better. Seriously. J

It has been absolutely reliable since that day 4 years ago.

You mean since the day you replaced the transmission?

I looked under the hood of a freestyle the other day and got the impression it is a stretched escape (maybe this is super obvious but i have not spent ANY time thinking about freestyles). Anyway, i guess if you wanted to get away from the cvt you could swap in an ax4n but i wouldnt.

The mazda6 5spd tranny should work. Shifter would be relatively easy but you'd need to figure out the pedals.

Vigo wrote:

It has been absolutely reliable since that day 4 years ago.

You mean since the day you replaced the transmission? I looked under the hood of a freestyle the other day and got the impression it is a stretched escape (maybe this is super obvious but i have not spent ANY time thinking about freestyles). Anyway, i guess if you wanted to get away from the cvt you could swap in an ax4n but i wouldnt. The mazda6 5spd tranny should work. Shifter would be relatively easy but you'd need to figure out the pedals.

It's not anything like an Escape - it's based loosely off of a Volvo. It shares tranny dimensions with the F6 out of the Taurus X and the 6 spd auto in the 500. Trust me, the electronics are the tough part, not the pedals...

Gotcha. I didnt have them side by side but i think the similarities of the strut towers and coolant tank location just gave me that impression.

I am starting to wander.. too many threads about similar things are starting to blur together.

A 5spd swap into an odyssey should be easier than a freestyle.

A broken chrysler van +a good auto trans build will cost less and not take as long.

A chrylser 2.4 with a 5spd swap and a turbo will be easier and cheaper than a 5spd odyssey.

Actually, there are 5spds to bolt to every single trans in a chrysler van from 87-'10. Not all are equally difficult.

If i was going to recommend the easiest swap that would get the best results with the least amount of other mods i would say a 96-00 3.0 with a 5spd swap because you probably wouldnt be tempted to add any more power unlike a 2.4 swap, and you wouldnt need custom axles like a 3.3/3.8 swap. Also 3.0/5spds are proven to get 26+highway in the older vans. Some claim 30. I think you would need about $200 more wideband to hit 30.

anything smaller than a chrysler or odyssey van is going to be too small and not get any better mileage.

If you want a minivan that does cool things, build one.

Well, I folded. Folded like a deck of cards. Folded so hard that Dave Ramsey would spit on me. We bought a 2011 Caravan. Mostly for the Pentastar as can be seen in my other thread on the subject. It's amazing. I was working on the Lemons car with my kid and team the other day and we got all dirty and muddy. We have one seat in the 'stow' position, so I got in, took of my shoes at the door, and proceeded to get undressed in my little changing room. My kid thought it was hilarious. It's so big in there that on a cold day, with all three kids, I get them in, close the door behind me, and then get them in their seats and buckled up. It's amazing.

When I said "we", I meant "me and the bank". That's the really bad part.

tuna55 wrote: Well, I folded. Folded like a deck of cards. Folded so hard that Dave Ramsey would spit on me. We bought a 2011 Caravan. Mostly for the Pentastar as can be seen in my other thread on the subject. It's amazing. I was working on the Lemons car with my kid and team the other day and we got all dirty and muddy. We have one seat in the 'stow' position, so I got in, took of my shoes at the door, and proceeded to get undressed in my little changing room. My kid thought it was hilarious. It's so big in there that on a cold day, with all three kids, I get them in, close the door behind me, and then get them in their seats and buckled up. It's amazing. When I said "we", I meant "me and the bank". That's the really bad part.

That sucks for me, because I'm not getting anything that the bank owns part of. Nevertheless, I'd still like to read the pentastar reference if you want to link it.

Much better to fold when buying a car for the family than a toy or racecar. Sounds like you have your priorities straight, hope the new rig serves you and the family well!

In reply to J308:

Not much info, but: http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/pentastar-opinions/45027/page1/

That new motor totally circumvents the 'tempted to add more power' problem. At least for the warranty period.