(hanging head in shame) Minivans....

S

scott_b

Member
Well the wife wants one and I can't say as I blame her. We went and test drove the 2011 Sienna and Odyssey yesterday and left with a preference for the Odyssey based strictly on how it drives and the comfort level. That being said the Sienna is the only one that can be had with AWD. I am not looking to tow any distance with this vehicle, I have an Explorer with a V8 that tows my trailers very well but we do need to have the ability to pull our 20' pontoon out of the water at our place on Gogebic and I do see this vehicle making some winter trips to the UP. Anyone have any experience pulling a 2500 - 3000 lb boat out of the water with a minivan? The ramps on the lake are all very good, paved surfaces and with the traction control I would hope the Odyssey would be up to the task of pulling a boat out and 3 miles down the road but I don't want to make a $40k mistake. Anyone ever really wished you had AWD heading up to the UP in the winter? Keep in mind we are more at the southern edge of the lake effect belt.

Thanks,

Scott
 
D

Dave_B

Active member
Don't be ashamed. I bought my 1st minivan, (Town & Country) last year. Of course I don't drive it the wife does but it still sits in the driveway to be seen by all.

Anyways, I looked at the towing capacity on it, as it does have a hitch, and it was rated at 3,500lbs. I don't think you would have any problem with either one putting in and pulling out a pontoon but I wouldn't do any long hauls with it. I did see a Ford Flex pull into the Jellystone in Grayling this year pulling a Jayco 27' bunk house camper so, you never know. I don't know if they made it back home though. :)

As far as AWD, I wouldn't drive anything without it heading north in the winter. That's just me though.

I have heard good things about both vans from people I know so I don't think you can't go wrong with either one.

Good Luck!
Dave
 
H

harvest1121

Well-known member
I would save your money and just get the fwd model. In your profile it said you live in N Illinois. We do not get much snow and when we do they put so much salt its gone in hours. You will get better gas mileage and less things to go wrong. If you lived in the UP it might be different. An awd has nothing to do with resale like a 4wd truck would.
 
B

beakjones

Member
harvest1121 said:
I would save your money and just get the fwd model. In your profile it said you live in N Illinois. We do not get much snow and when we do they put so much salt its gone in hours. You will get better gas mileage and less things to go wrong. If you lived in the UP it might be different. An awd has nothing to do with resale like a 4wd truck would.
Click to expand...

^This^

I've never had a problem with my xterra in RWD in the winter in the UP. Good driving will always get you further than bad driving with technology while on an actual road. Also, don't tie your masculinity to your car and you should be fine, even if it is a minivan. I would love a minivan - can fit two bikes without taking off wheels.
 
C

cyguy

New member
My wife drives our Buick minivan and we actually love having it. We too thought we'd never be owners of a minivan, but I gotta tell ya, with 3 kids and all the stuff they haul I couldn't imagine life without it. Also perfect for 2 couples and a road trip.
 
indy_500

indy_500

Well-known member
My mom also had a hard time getting a minivan. But, when i was 8 or so, she got one since it was the most conveniant vehicle she could think of. Well, she fell in love with having one, all the space for groceries mostly, and how easy it is to get in and out. Her first one was a 98 Ford Windstar that lasted 140k miles without hardly any problems, but the front end couldn't get aligned right and it just drove a little funky. So, she traded it in and got an 02 Chrysler Town and Country with like 50,000 miles. We thought we got such a good van at a good price, but within the first year, we stuck like 4k into it from window/electrical problems, fuel problems, and a few other things along with new tires. Since we stuck that money into it, it's been 4 years without a single problem. And now, i don't think my mom could go back to a car, possibly a small SUV but not a car. And a year after we bought it we stuck a trailer hitch on it and are able to pull our snowmobile trailer for a few miles if we need to if we can't use my dad's truck or something.
 
F

fredster

New member
My wife has a 2008 Impala and the factory tires were terrible in snow. The second winter I picked up another set of wheels and some blizzak winter tires and it turned it into a tank. Go with the FWD and get the winter tires. This also saves your nice alloy wheels from the salt, too.

I would strongly encourage you to put surge breaks on your pontoon trailer though. You won't like the braking distances with 3000 lbs hitched up to the back.
 
M

mjkaliszak

New member
My Dad has a minivan ( Sienna ) he pulls his 18 LUND ( super decked out ). It's pretty heavy, and he has had problems due to the ramp angle at his ramp @ Lake Erie . What he does is put a couple of sand bags ( 80# ) in the front passenger floor of his MV when launches and retrieves. It helps prevent tire spin since his is front wheel drive. Just a thought. We have also owned a Odessey ( wife & I ) and with all the vehicles we have owned that was 1 of the most reliable. Like said above, you can't go wrong with either 1 but the AWD Sienna is a definite + factor when retrieving a boat at the ramp.
 
S

scott_b

Member
Thanks guys... Towing with this thing isn't going to be a concern, the longest distance it will tow is 3 miles from our house to the launch on a lightly traveled road, my big concern is the traction to pull the boat out of the water. I have tried to talk her into a Tahoe or Denali but she wants the low height and the huge doors for loading kids.

Any other experience pulling a boat of of the water with fwd?
 
Z

zltim

Member
Get a $25000 minivan and drive your 4x4 the weekend you need to pull the pontoon out.

Cheaper yet get a good used minivan for $10000 to $12000.

I sold Chrysler/Dodges for years and we sold a ton of minivans both new and used. Many retired people(including my wife) just love them.
 
J

jr37

Well-known member
We have a Town&Country, front wheel drive. I can't imagine needing the AWD, but to each his own. You don't buy a van for anything but convenience, because they just are not to cool. Ours even has chrome wheels, still isn't cool.
 
S

skdoo500adr

New member
We had 2001 Kia Sedona Mini Van with 3.5L V6 It pulled my 2 place trailer and 18ft boat with no problems. Actually got around 15mpg pulling either around the state. I have never gotten that kind of mileage with the SUV's or my Truck. Wife finally had enough with mini vans and bought new Pontiac Vibe. Good luck with the Honda Odyssey
 
M

m8man

Moderator
We kind of went throught the same thing.. I ended up buying a yr old Suburban and love it.

We do not get the good mileage like a van, but I knew that. Sometimes I wish we'd have got a van it would have cost less.

It just seems that program vehicles are the best deal now and drive it first. If you like it get it..

thanks,

m8man
 
P

polarisrider1

New member
Minivan? Has anyone seen the comercial of the poor kid getting picked up from school in one. Get a Buick Enclave they are functional ,cool (for a Buick), and have AWD. You can park it right in your drive without shame. If you do the minivan idea....... No fake woody vinyl siding (we all know it isn't real). Please don't put a soccer sticker on the back window or a sticker showing the whole family and pets in a row from Dad down to the goldfish. And please for Heavens sake no "My child was on honor roll" bumper stickers. Nothing makes YOU look worse on a minivan than fake wood and stickers. Besides my mother drives one and she is 77.
 
B

borderstaff

New member
Although I can't comment too much in regards to towing a boat, I did pick up and tow my M8 from Montana back to Minnesota in lousy (ice/snow storm) weather with our 06 Grand Caravan.

We already had a Suburban when we bought the minivan but with 3 dogs (now 4 - we compete with them...besides snowmobiling its our other hobby) and 1 kid we wanted a vehicle that was easy to load all the dogs in and still ride 3 people comfortably. And, of course, fuel economy was important - the Sub got 11 and the Grand Caravan gets 22. We looked at all the options that avoided the dreaded minivan - Subaru wagon, Audi wagon, Ford and GM crossovers etc. And, after it was all said and done we couldn't get around the fact that a minivan fit our needs the best. We needed 3 kennels setup all the time and 1 seat to stay up too.

This was two years ago, but, in the end we found a loaded 06 SXT with the 3.8l for $9000 with 80K. It was spotless, 2 years old, and had new tires and brakes. After tax, title, license it was $9995. We've put 42K on it so far with only about $400 in total maintenance...brakes, 2 new tires (last week), and a power steering reservoir. Its been a pretty good vehicle for us and when it finally gives up the ghost we'll probably swallow our pride and get another minivan.
 
B

borderstaff

New member
The one saving grace is that we have the cool Motorfist "Snowmobiling is not a Crime" sticker on the back window. Well its on there as long as my wife wants to keep defending herself to all the enviro nuts she runs into when shopping.
 
B

beebird

New member
I told my wife that we will NEVER own a mini-van and I will never drive one. Since I do the driving when we are together,that worked! She now owns a Ford f-250 4 door and loves it! For as many deer running around and deer accidents....5 herself in the last 10 years, she said she wants to put as much steel between her and something else as possible.

Now I have seen numerous things done at the local state boat landing including many front wheel drive cars and vans pulling out boats. I would say the majority have problems with wheel spinage even on the deeply grooved cement ramps. They all made it out but some left rubber on the ramp...no kidding. I would suggest at least AWD on a mini van. It would only take one accident with a FWD to pay for a AWD. I personally wouldn't take the chance.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top