I need a van.

More accurately, my wife needs a van. We've outgrown our second car in the last several years- it's finally become clear that although we can get by with a 3-row crossover (currently a TaurusX), that's about all we can do, and we're pushing it to its limits, capacity/cargo-wise. The kids (3) are getting bigger at a frightening pace, and by the time it's paid for it'd be even smaller on all of us. Add in that it left the wife stranded with all the kids and a failed coil pack a few months ago, and I just don't really trust it to last for years and years.

Enter the challengers: a couple-year-old Toyota Sienna, or a couple-year-old full-size van. Wife likes the idea of the Sienna, and i've liked the couple I've driven. I'm campaigning for the truck-based big van, just so I can kill two birds with one stone and get a trailer-pulling vehicle baked in there too, for picking up my misfit toys here and there. Having some trouble selling wifey on driving a 1-ton rated van around so far, though.

I know you guys love your conversion vans, but thus far the wife vetos. Am I missing anything that we should be looking at? Honda minivans are out because I don't trust that they ever worked out the transmission problems- if somebody can point to where that's been fixed I'm all ears.

How are you "out of room" with 5 people in the car(with 3 row 7 pass).......

This makes no sense, and I feel aside from properly opening rear doors, the wife just hates the station wagon and wants a minivan.

Edit: or have I misread this by interpreting you already have a taurus x.

In reply to yamaha: It's a 6 passenger model instead of 7, so that's one thing. The other is that with the one-piece back seat up, there's not much cargo room. Since my wife is a photographer who works out of the house, the lights, stands, etc that she needs to tote along usually require a reconfiguration of the car to get where she needs to go.

And to be fair- there's some of the minivan-lust in her, too. I don't really get it, but whatever. Trying to keep mama happy- you know how the saying goes.

I was thinking the Tx rear seat was a fold down......to each their own I suppose. I'm changing my vote to volvo station wagon......use the money saved for mental health bills.

Solution: sell the children, use profits to buy Miata. And then tell me how you convinced the wife so I can do the same.

But the biggest one is getting close to prime yard-slave age!

Also: keeping the wife in a new-ish vehicle is kind of part of our family deal. She doesn't raise an eyebrow too much at my weird projects, and I keep her (totally non-GRM, completely mechanically illiterate) in a vehicle that is drama-free, or as close to it as possible.

So I might could get a miata or whatever else out of the deal- if I found one I wanted later and decided to buy it for me. Then I can just point at her shiny van and say "calm down. That thing cost 10x what this did."

Are car seats still involved?

Most of the mini vans will tow 3000+ pounds. I prefer the GM vans because they don't have the yupie tax the asian vans do. We are down to two kids at home and just down sized to a Jeep Liberty. The wife is already complaining it's too small.

Get the mini van. She'll be happy and it will probably tow what you need.

neon4891 wrote: Are car seats still involved?

If that's the case, two will take up a Taurus backseat easily. I can see where it would be a bit cramped people wise.

Let's be honest, minivans give that extra bit of "personal space" room that's probably lacking in the Taurus.

You could split the difference with her and look at Astro/Savana's which are rear wheel drive, can tow and are still minivan-ish.

-Rob

If she wants a minivan, buy the minivan. Has she driven a full size van around a tight parking lot? I'd be shocked if she was one of the very few people that feel comfortable in one. Just buy the sienna, make her happy, and go miata shopping.

Excursion.

Astro: bigger than a minivan, not quite fullsized. The newest ones have upgraded running gear, too.

Wife likes Sienna. You buy Sienna. You've pretty much said any GRM-logic will have no affect on her.

Personally, I'd get a Caravan, but her opinion rules.

I like Osterkraut's suggestion. Small enough that its not too big for your wife to worry about maneuvering. Can tow home your projects with ease.

You could even find a late model conversion for more bells and whistles if that interests you/her/family. Having the extra room and a TV is great for long road trips with the kids in tow. Just be careful about anything with a raised roof, need to pay attention to low clearance parking garages and such.

Toyman01 wrote: Most of the mini vans will tow 3000+ pounds. I prefer the GM vans because they don't have the yupie tax the asian vans do. We are down to two kids at home and just down sized to a Jeep Liberty. The wife is already complaining it's too small. Get the mini van. She'll be happy and it will probably tow what you need.

Told you to get a Trooper.