Tell me about your minivan

[riser4]

Right, butt the size and shape of the rear opening makes all the difference.

[MontuckyFried]

Welp. Just threw down the deposit and booking a flight. Van just rolled off the truck, still has the plastic wrap and everything, so thatll be kinda fun. I've only bought one new car before and swore them off after the last one lasted only a month before getting hailed on and other misc. damage. I normally love my massively depreciated Euro cars, but minivans are apparently different. We looked at 4-5 year old Siennas and Oddyseys that were clearly used and abused by somebody elses spawn, beat and scratched to hell, smelled like gooey, aged plastic and dirty diapers, and dealers STILL wanted barely less than new prices. Absolutely stupid. ...sigh... Welp, here we go. That rental Odyssey we just had is proving to be REALLY expensive since it made my wife and I realize we wanted a minivan more than we realized. The wagon kicks ass, but its been admittedly tight with 3 kids (and phat baby seats), 2 dogs, strollers, and luggage/coolers/gear. Guess thats just where we are at in life. Oh well. After we get to downsize again, Imma get a [used] AMG E63 or A6 Avant. Thats the deal I made with my wife. Non-negotiable. Haha.

Who wants my beloved E350? God, Im going to seriously miss that car. Its been great.

[J. Barron DeJong]

Three kids and you did not already have a minivan ?!?

You are going to love that thing (in a -this thing does it job commendably well, and garners no passion from me whatsoever- kind of way).

[riser4]

Welp. Just threw down the deposit and booking a flight. Van just rolled off the truck, still has the plastic wrap and everything, so thatll be kinda fun. I've only bought one new car before and swore them off after the last one lasted only a month before getting hailed on and other misc. damage. I normally love my massively depreciated Euro cars, but minivans are apparently different. We looked at 4-5 year old Siennas and Oddyseys that were clearly used and abused by somebody elses spawn, beat and scratched to hell, smelled like gooey, aged plastic and dirty diapers, and dealers STILL wanted barely less than new prices. Absolutely stupid. ...sigh... Welp, here we go. That rental Odyssey we just had is proving to be REALLY expensive since it made my wife and I realize we wanted a minivan more than we realized. The wagon kicks ass, but its been admittedly tight with 3 kids (and phat baby seats), 2 dogs, strollers, and luggage/coolers/gear. Guess thats just where we are at in life. Oh well. After we get to downsize again, Imma get a [used] AMG E63 or A6 Avant. Thats the deal I made with my wife. Non-negotiable. Haha.

Who wants my beloved E350? God, Im going to seriously miss that car. Its been great.

Hmmmm, buy a used car from Austin??? JK. I'd love it but it's just the wrong time for me.

[MontuckyFried]

Three kids and you did not already have a minivan ?!?

You are going to love that thing (in a -this thing does it job commendably well, and garners no passion from me whatsoever- kind of way).

Haha. Yup. The wagon was awesome for a family of 4. And then we added another little bundle of joy to the mix. Still made it work for a while but now the older ones are getting big enough where they're more squeezed in. It's honestly fine for around town for the most part but road trips are tougher. The jump seat in the Mercedes gets a LOT of use in all honesty, but when we have to load up the back, the kids all have to pile in together. Not the end of the world, but I guess a van does make more sense now that we can afford it.

And you're right about the latter too. I fully expect to be underwhelmed by the pokey, relaxed driving "experience." It's like "Yup. It's a van." But as long as it's comfortable and does what it's supposed to do, I think I'll be happy enough. Right tool for the job I suppose. On the plus side, the city MPG is supposedly WAY better than what I'm currently getting with the wagon, so that's kinda sweet.

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[bodywhomper]

Congrats on the new minivan!

Our twins came early and we had no way to get them, our 4 year old, wife, and me home from the hospital. With the babies in the nicu, I had a little time to pull the trigger on our first (used) minivan (and the newborn baby seats).

15 years later and we’re onto minivan #2. After 10 days in Europe in a Passat wagon, the kids were stoked to spread out in the van for the 5 hr drive home from the airport, and my wife was stoked to get back into the passenger seat (our oldest uses his height (6’3”) as the excuse to ride shotgun).

I saw this little guy in Milan.

[MarcusBrody]

I'll be interested to see how the new Carnival treats you. I think it may be our next vehicle when the Transit Connect dies. I liked the rear layout (in the non-recliner version) better than the Sienna and I hope that they will depreciate a bit more than the Sienna before I'd be looking at lightly used.

[tgapp]

I would never, ever, ever, buy a Kia or a Hyundai. I can't count the number of customers I've had with blown up 2.0 liter motors.

+100

Ask me about my Hyundai truck
3 years of ownership
9 months of which it's been in the shop

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[J. Barron DeJong]

Oof-da

[J. Barron DeJong]

Our 2013 Sienna has ~109k miles and we had to replace an alternator about three years ago, and topped up the AC refrigerant this spring for the first time (leak is too small for them to track down).

Other than that just routine maintenance for over a decade.

[skaredshtles]

+100 Ask me about my Hyundai truck 3 years of ownership 9 months of which it's been in the shop Sent from my Pixel 8 Pro using Tapatalk

Was it the motor?

[::: :::]

[MontuckyFried]

I'll be interested to see how the new Carnival treats you. I think it may be our next vehicle when the Transit Connect dies. I liked the rear layout (in the non-recliner version) better than the Sienna and I hope that they will depreciate a bit more than the Sienna before I'd be looking at lightly used.

Will be sure to report back after packing on some miles. For better or worse, I volunteer to be the TGR guinea pig on this one. Hopefully I don't blow a head gasket a month after buying this one too. Hehe.

+100

Ask me about my Hyundai truck
3 years of ownership
9 months of which it's been in the shop

Sent from my Pixel 8 Pro using Tapatalk

Dang. Can't blame you for your feelings on the brand. That blows. Part of me feels like I'm venturing into Chrysler-like territory on this one but I'm at least hearing good things overall on the platform. Will just have to find out for myself I suppose. If/when the van craps out, can't say I wasn't warned. Haha. Then again, it could also turn out just fine. Got some running theories I'm going to test out.

One of the biggest factors persuading me is that it's literally the only minivan on the market that feels like a mid 2020s-era vehicle. Hands down the nicest one on the market. I do not expect Sienna sturdiness.

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[riser4]

I recommend a gentle break-in. Baby the thing. Painful, I know, but just set the cruise control on 68 and listen to a podcast. Be the last person off the line at the light. YMMV

[riser4]

I recommend a gentle break-in. Baby the thing. Painful, I know, but just set the cruise control on 68 and listen to a podcast. Be the last person off the line at the light. YMMV

[MontuckyFried]

I recommend a gentle break-in. Baby the thing. Painful, I know, but just set the cruise control on 68 and listen to a podcast. Be the last person off the line at the light. YMMV

That's the plan. Will be nice to finally be the 1st owner to ensure it's treated properly from the get go.

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[gravitylover]

Having had a Kona for a few years now I can say that it is a better vehicle overall than anything ChryCo I have owned. There is the lack of confidence in the motor thing but there is a solution. Change the oil every 3k. Direct injection has some issues and Hyundai tries too hard to save pennies using weak piston seals so gas gets into the oil. Our wonderful ethanol infused shitfuel doesn't lubricate too well so the engine fails. Oil is cheap, engines are not.

[Meconium]

I'd skip using crude control for the first 600 or so miles. Do not race the engine.
While driving, keep your engine speed (rpm, or revolutions per minute) between 2,000 rpm and 4,000 rpm.
Do not maintain a single speed for long periods of time, either fast or slow. Varying engine speed is needed to properly break-in the engine

[plugboots]

I'd skip using crude control for the first 600 or so miles. Do not race the engine.
While driving, keep your engine speed (rpm, or revolutions per minute) between 2,000 rpm and 4,000 rpm.
Do not maintain a single speed for long periods of time, either fast or slow. Varying engine speed is needed to properly break-in the engine

This.

[MontuckyFried]

You two are correct! Just read the owners manual and that's exactly what it recommends. I have a 400 mile road trip on Saturday just picking up the vehicle so that should be the perfect opportunity to break 'er in proper!

Just ordered a magnetic drain plug and going with Liqui Moly Special Tec AA (has the ILSAC GF-6 spec the manufacturer is looking for), in plans of doing an early oil change after the break-in period. Then another at 5K max. Will be interesting to see what that magnet picks up! Prolly a lot.

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[MontuckyFried]

Welp. Picked up the new whip yesterday. Gotta say. Kia knocked it out of the park with this one! Had a FIERCE coastal headwind the whole ride home and still saw 33 mpg average. The interior on the SX Prestige is actually super nice. The VIP lounge seats in the back are absolutely insane. Heated and ventilated too! Drives surprisingly nice too! After having the '25 Odyssey for a week couple weeks back, and driving it about 1000 miles around MT/WY/ID, and now already putting 400 miles on my Carnival, I can now say with some first-hand experience that there is no comparison. Interior absolutely destroys everyone else too. Hands down. On the surface (and when brand new), it is easily THE best minivan on the market. Reliability TBD.
Peep this:
https://youtube.com/shorts/ACcRHNzbc...9pudVLckvUtrHl

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[Harry]

Peep this:
https://youtube.com/shorts/ACcRHNzbc...9pudVLckvUtrHl

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Your afro has grown out quite a bit from when I knew you in Big Sky.

[Foggy_Goggles]

What's the warranty on all those First Class Rear Seating amenities? I get it. You spend a lot of time is the kid hauler but it is amazing to me what vehicles have become. I'm really wondering about the depreciation and lifespan of this stuff. It is gonna be OEM and Dealer Replacement only?

[muted reborn]

Peep this: https://youtube.com/shorts/ACcRHNzbc...9pudVLckvUtrHl Sent from my Pixel 8 using TGR Forums mobile app

Why would I ever want my kids to be that comfortable?

[MontuckyFried]

Why would I ever want my kids to be that comfortable?

Psst... It ain't just for the kiddos.

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