hannah's mommy

Have you looked at the Hyundai Santa Fe? They are fairly priced and offer a 7 passenger model. It's also smaller than some other SUVs out there, and Hyundai offers a great warranty. So you could get one a few years old and still be covered under the warranty also.

HoosierShadow

Thanks for the info on the Hyundai, I will run it by my husband and see what he thinks, let him view some on the net, etc.

We were out all afternoon yesterday/evening and were out most of today looking at vans. We like the Toyota Sienna. They aren't classy and the ones we've looked at don't have all the extras, but, I did read on several different web pages last night that they have excellent ratings on safety and consumer ratings as to how they run, etc.

We 'almost' got a 2005 Ford Freestar last night, great price. It does have a good safety rating, but as far as reliability and other ratings....it doesn't seem very good...

I really like the Chrysler Town and Country and also the Dodge Caravan. I was warned to steer clear of the Grand Caravan, because the overdrive transmissions seem to go out much sooner than the Caravan.
We did look at a Nissan Quest today...but we didn't like the one we saw. It ran good, but the interior was stained, etc.

One of the Toyota Sienna's we looked at we made a deal on it for $8500 <including taxes, etc>. It's a 2000 with 66,000 miles and a CE model. But, we really didn't care for the CE model. We like the LE or XLE. Which we had a deal on another one for $7500 <taxes, etc included> it was an LE and had 82,000 miles. The only reason I didn't want it is because the interior has a lot of scrapes on the sides and the back door. Otherwise, it ran great, and the interior was really clean. But..if we ever wanted to trade it in, or sale it, it wouldn't do well because of the interior scratches...

So...we really need to search more. It's so frustrating! But, I know we'll find something when the time is right
Sorry to ramble on!

PennQuaker09

Don't waste your money on a Hyundai, you'd be better served buying a Suzuki, Kia, or Saturn.

Have you came across a used Expedition or Sequoia?

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HoosierShadow

expeditions are terrible on gas My step sis has one, and totally hates the gas mileage.
We don't need anything big like a V8. We just want a vehicle bigger than a car for me and the kids <my hubby is going to get a truck later on>.
We're looking at less than $10,000 so we can just pay outright. We've come across a lot of deals, but we just don't know...I have a list of Toyota Siennas, Town and Country and a Dodge Caravan. If we can't get something this week, I guess we'll have to wait? But we'll see what happens.
So far the Town and Country vans that we've found have been sold before we get there...figures!

PennQuaker09

Everything is bad on gas these days. One thing I do is always fill up. I don't like putting in $30 here and $25 there. I just simply fill up and I think it lengthens the life of the car.

I think with all of the things you want in your new car, you would be better served by a full sized SUV as opposed to a van. I think you could find an Explorer or Trail Blazer for $10,000 easily.

However, if I was going to buy a van, it would be the Nissan Quest, Toyota Sienna, or Mazda 5.

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