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juststartn
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| Posted: July 29 2007 at 8:46pm | IP Logged
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After a minivan, where do you go? We're full now--two booster seats, and three car seats. Next spring it will be another booster, and still the two car seats...we have NO room left in the van...so when/if the next dc comes along, we will HAVE to buy another vehicle....the question then becomes, WHAT vehicle? What is next? A 10 passenger van? The "short bus"? I'm not expecting to ever need the long bus, lol. After all, I am not Mrs Duggar! (who is due any minute with #17, btw, for those who follow these things).
So where do we go from here? And (while I am not pregnant, I know I need to plan ahead), how much do those things cost? And cost to insure (as compares to a regular minivan)....
Rachel
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Married DH 4/1/95
Lily 3/11/00
Helena(Layna) 5/23/02
Sophia 4/19/04
John 5/7/07
David 5/7/07
Ava Maria, in the arms of Jesus, 9/5/08
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: July 29 2007 at 10:14pm | IP Logged
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We went from the mini van to a 15 passenger van.. it leaves us with CARGO SPACE  (we take out the rearmost seat and drive it as an 11 pass.)
Many people I know go with a suburban or equivelent.. but I think I have more cargo space than I'd get with one of those. And we're already at 7 kids so past that too so I've very glad we skipped it.
My feeling was if we got the bigger van right off.. then we'd have the time to pay it off.. vs maybe needing to upgrade before then if we went with something smaller.
The cost was less than many of the mini vans and I don't believe insurance went up either. It is very likely cheaper to insure a van than an SUV.
It's really only as long as the longer pickups.. so at least around here with a large ranching community, it's not really a problem. I've gotten used to the length pretty easily.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
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Jess
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| Posted: July 29 2007 at 11:15pm | IP Logged
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After we had our last baby, I really wanted to get the 12 or 15 passenger van, but my dh just couldn't make the step yet LOL. We ended up getting a 9 passenger suburban. So we could have 2 more children before we fill it up. Then we'll have to get the big van.
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Macmom
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| Posted: July 29 2007 at 11:26pm | IP Logged
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We got the 15 passenger Chevy Express van, at an excellent price from Budget auto rental car sales. They kept it in tip top shape while it was in the fleet, and now, we take good care of it, too! Dh did the comparison, and the airport vans get slightly better gas milage than the SUVs. (We do a lot of free-way driving, not in-town driving.)
Besides, it's a status symbol in our homeschool group! There are even 2 families with only 4 kids each who have already bought the BIG airport van, and we just kid them "Hey, you haven't earned the right to drive one of THOSE yet, buddy!"JavaScript:AddSmileyIcon('')
We fill up 3 rows (2 car seats, a booster seat, and 5 other kidlets, plus a baby on the way.) We took out the front seat to have room for groceries, camping equipment, cages for the 4H animals, etc.
DON'T get carpeting, if you can help it.
They aren't that difficult to learn to drive. They are as long as a suburban. You learn what parking spaces are doable and what to avoid.
Believe it or not, this is my dream car. I wouldn't trade it for a sporty convertible, or anything. Its obnoxious, and it says "I have lots of children. Wanna make something of that?!?" (Especially effective since we have a family decal of mom, dad, and 8 kids on the rear window. Oh, and lots of pro-life bumper stickers!)
Peace,
Macmom
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Becky Parker
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We have a "full size van" which currently seats 8, but we have enough room in the back to install another seat if we want. Since we just have 5 kids, the seating is enough for us as it is and we have plenty of space in the back to hold our camping gear. I really like this van as it seems to meet all our needs.
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Becky
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esperanza
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15 passenger and remove the back bench
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In His Peace,
Tammy Gonzalez in VA
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mom to Tara-'85, Noelle-'88, Jeremy-'91, Elizabeth-'93, Emma-'96, Dominic-'99, Gabriel-'01, Elijah-03
and Jacinta-06
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Lisbet
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We went from minivan to 15 passenger at baby #5, being young and hoping for many more, we felt it was the way to go, and it sure was!  We used to drive it with the rear seat out, but with baby #9 coming soon, we are full that way and have no room for carpooling, which we will be doing alot of in the fall with another family. Only 4 more kids and we will need to find another mode of transportation!
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Lisa, wife to Tony,
Mama to:
Nick, 17
Abby, 15
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Isaac, 11
Mary, 10
Sam, 9
Henry, 7
Molly, 6
Mark, 5
Greta, 3
Cecilia born 10.29.10
Josephine born 6.11.12
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vmalott
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We just went from mini-van to 12 passenger van in March and we LOVE IT. We purchased it at auction, which is such a great way to go. I don't think insurance is any different, but my one gripe is the gas it eats. Oh well, I suppose it would be equal to taking two cars anywhere, so at least we're sparing mileage for one vehicle. And when I drive it, I feel like I OWN the road!
We briefly thought about a 9 passenger suburban, but wanted the extra seating should we have the kids friends or family go with us somewhere. After this newest addition arrives in January, we'll have 3 seats left.
Valerie
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Valerie
Mom to Julia ('94), John ('96), Lizzy ('98), Connor ('01), Drew ('02), Cate ('04), Aidan ('08) and three saints in heaven
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juststartn
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| Posted: July 30 2007 at 10:10am | IP Logged
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Thanks, ladies. I don't know whether DH will be ready to make the 15 passenger van jump. Maybe 12. And that one I'd get probably because I can push the "cargo space" button. We bought our Odyssey last June, and I got pregnant in September..of course, we found out in February it was twins...
We'd thought, when we bought the Odyssey, that we'd get a good 3-4 yrs out of it...what with DHs deployment and normal gestation periods...and now, of course, we don't have a spare seat left. So when/if we conceive again, well, we'll HAVE to buy another vehicle for the family.
Thanks, ladies.
Rachel
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Married DH 4/1/95
Lily 3/11/00
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5athome
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| Posted: July 30 2007 at 12:13pm | IP Logged
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We currently fill our 8 seat Sienna. I think we will opt to go with the 15 passenger over the 12 because
- cargo room will be roomy
- in addition to cargo we can accommodate the grandparents or other visitors rather than taking 2 cars
- our growing boys will have space (my teenager is quite doubled up in the Sienna's back seat)
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JenniferS
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| Posted: July 30 2007 at 12:34pm | IP Logged
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We went from mini-van to Suburban, but now we have to get the bigger van. I'd go with the bigger van, at least a twelve seater!
Jen
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MarieC
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I'm still driving a mini-van (have 5 children) but so want a bigger van. My husband calls the big vans BMW's...Big Mama Wagons (big emphasizing van, not mama! ) .
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teachingmyown
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| Posted: July 30 2007 at 7:35pm | IP Logged
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Well, I went from mini-van to 9-pass Suburban to 15-pass van to 8-pass Excursion and now finally a 12-pass van.
The 15pass was great, we took out the back bench like many others. But that died, and all we could find at the time was the Excursion that didn't even fit us all once the last baby was born. We traded that in for a 12-pass when we got a deal we couldn't pass up.
However, I have NO storage in the 12-pass (with 7 kids). I don't like the way the vans drive. I loved my SUVs. They drove so much smoother, had lots of storage and were more comfortable. But, it isn't my time of life for that.
One of these years, I will down-size to another Excursion.
For what it is worth, with 5 kids already, I would say you should go for the van.
By the way, I have a friend who drives a Dodge Sprinter, which is a 10-pass van. It is one of those tall, thin ones. She loves it. It has lots of room under the seats and it is tall enough to stand up in, which is great when you are buckling all those babies in. The downside is they are expensive. My friend found a good deal on a used one.
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KackyK
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| Posted: July 30 2007 at 7:49pm | IP Logged
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We have the 15 passenger and everyone above is so right...it's so nice to drive and I wouldn't trade it for anything.
For us, the very best thing is (we have 6dc) that we can carpool with others no matter what...I really don't even have to count to see if we have enough seats. Before I felt like I couldn't ask others (we had an 8 passenger, so we were full) for a ride for a child to an activity because I couldn't recipricate (sp?) but we can now and it's very nice!!!!
A friend of ours is currently in the middle of switching from Suburban to Express 15-pass. I talked to the dad...he said they are sick of the kids crying and fighting before they go anywhere because they have had to climb over top of each other and each other's car seats and boosters to get into their own seats. He can't wait for them to just be able to "walk" to their seats!
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juststartn
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| Posted: July 30 2007 at 9:17pm | IP Logged
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Well, like I said, DH will probably see reason in going to a 12 passenger...but a 15 passenger will probably send him 'round the bend, lol. At least til we need it...if that day comes (I'm already 33, and by the time DH comes home from this deployment, I'll be 35, sooooooo what, maybe 4 more? Unless He hands us some more multiples...
Rachel (who used to say we weren't likely to catch up to DHs parents--who had 13--unless God gave us multiples....then He *did*!! LOL)
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teachingmom
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| Posted: July 30 2007 at 11:19pm | IP Logged
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This is very timely for me. Two different friends needed to buy a vehicle unexpectedly in the past month (one got totalled, one died). My 8 passenger Chevy Venture is at full capacity, the odometer is about to turn 100,000 miles, and we keep having intermittent problems with numerous things. I'd like to have a plan for when it dies.
I am really wondering about the difference in length between all these larger vehicles. Anyone willing to help me figure it all out? If you have a 15 passenger van, or a 12 passenger van, or a Suburban, would you measure the entire length of the vehicle and let me know your results? That would really help.
Dh and I both really hate the idea of a 15 passenger van. Honestly, I'm not sure I could park it at my house. I have one of those neo-traditional style homes where we park in the back of the house, off of an alley. We can't park in front because it would block the mailbox and my mailman won't deliver if he has to get out of his truck.  I think my alley is too narrow to get a 15 passenger in and out of my parking area in back.
Also, are there any other SUVs that have seating for 9?
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cvbmom
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| Posted: July 31 2007 at 7:31am | IP Logged
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JodieLyn wrote:
We went from the mini van to a 15 passenger van.. it leaves us with CARGO SPACE (we take out the rearmost seat and drive it as an 11 pass.)
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Exactly what we did...
Stroller, grocery, etc. space is GREAT. We have a Chevy Express and I am surprised at how much I like it. I was afraid, at first, to drive such a huge van, but it didn't take long for me to learn how it moves. Now I can even park it with cars on either side and not be overly intimidated .
God bless,
Christine
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LLMom
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We have a Chevy Express van that came with the ability to seat 8 but with a big cargo area that another 3 bencher could fit. We ended up buying the other bench so it seats 11. We did look at 15 passengers but it seemed so long to me. Also, the insurance rates were quite a bit higher on the 15 passenger. I don't know about gas mileage. Our van gets about 18 miles on the highway and about 14-16 in town.
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Macmom
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| Posted: July 31 2007 at 9:45am | IP Logged
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The 15 is only another 2 feet longer than the 12, but they are both built on the same chassis as a Suburban.
And a van has lower insurance than an SUV. (Lower theft risk!)
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Lisbet
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| Posted: July 31 2007 at 2:01pm | IP Logged
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We didn't find any insurance cost differences between the 12 and 15 passenger when we were looking. I find my van very easy to drive. Some parking lots are not built passenger van friendly, but I have always found a way. I drive in city traffic 90% of the time too.
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Lisa, wife to Tony,
Mama to:
Nick, 17
Abby, 15
Gabe, 13
Isaac, 11
Mary, 10
Sam, 9
Henry, 7
Molly, 6
Mark, 5
Greta, 3
Cecilia born 10.29.10
Josephine born 6.11.12
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Topic: Vehicle question
