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SuzanneG
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| Posted: Nov 05 2008 at 11:40pm | IP Logged
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So, we finally made a vehicle purchase over the weekend!!! A 12-passenger-van!!!!!  Eeeeekkkkkkk.....I'm the owner and primary driver of a giant Chevy Express. 
We've spent the past 8 months or so debating back and forth.....Suburban, Minivan or Full-Size Van.
I was rallying for the BIG VAN, but now that we have it, I'm thinking it's overkill.  We "only" have five kids.  But I've already carried a troop of ELEVEN to the polls the other day. 
So, would someone talk me off the ledge......this was a good decision, right? I'm going to like this, right? 
I keep thinking back to a mere 7 years ago when I drove a very small Toyota 2-door-coupe, that only sat very small people in the backseat. . How did all this happen? 
Don't y'all just LAUGH at your life "before kids" sometimes? It's been such a whirlwind!! A good whirlwind, of course.
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Suzanne in ID
Wife to Pete
Mom of 7 (Girls - 14, 12, 11, 9, 7 and Boys - 4, 1)
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KC in TX
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| Posted: Nov 06 2008 at 12:07am | IP Logged
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I only have 4 but I'd like to have a big van like that--in anticipation of future blessings.
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KC,
wife to Ben (10/94),
Mama to LB ('98)
Michaela ('01)
Emma ('03)
Jordan ('05)
And, my 2 angels, Rose ('08) and Mark ('09)
The Cabbage Patch
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Mary G
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| Posted: Nov 06 2008 at 4:52am | IP Logged
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You are going to love it (especially now that the gas prices are down a bit). We had a 15-passenger, "Moby" the great white ... and we only had 5 kids. But we took out the back seat and the kids could spread out for long haul drives (always a good thing when two of the kids are "warring" teens  )!
Reasons you did the right thing:
The bigger vans have better visibility and the Chevy has a great stability.
Your family is not going to get smaller anytime soon but could very well get bigger.
Hauling other folks around is a lot easier when you don't have to remove the car seats to get the adults in.
Name the van ... it becomes part of the family ... and the kids will love it for years!
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MaryG
3 boys (22, 12, 8)2 girls (20, 11)
my website that combines my schooling, hand-knits work, writing and everything else in one spot!
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Lisbet
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| Posted: Nov 06 2008 at 5:51am | IP Logged
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We bought our 15-passenger just days before I had our 5th. Our minivan died, and we need to replace it - we thought it would be prudent to go for the big one - and I'm glad we did since we've had 5 more babies since then!
I love it, always have. It was very easy to get used to driving. Since we live in the city right now, gas isn't too bad.
And yes, name it -- ours is often referred to as "Boogie Van"
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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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LLMom
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| Posted: Nov 06 2008 at 6:47am | IP Logged
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You will love it. We have had our Chevy express for 5 years (it is 9 years old now) and we havent' had problems with it. It is nice to have extra space for stuff or kids friends.
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Lisa
For veteran & former homeschool moms
homeschooling ideas
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KackyK
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I love my Express too...white...Moby huh???
Never overkill! It's wonderful when you can volunteer to help drive someone and you don't have to count and recount on your fingers if you have enough room for everyone!
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KackyK
Mom to 8 - 3 dd, 5ds & 4 babes in heaven
Beginning With the Assumption
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chrisv664
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| Posted: Nov 06 2008 at 8:45am | IP Logged
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We've had a FordE350 12 passeneger for a few years now. It has really been useful... without all the seats my husband can haul almost a full cord of wood in it! It's great for driving around extra friends as well. Beware, though... we sent our older children to high school and apparently it's embarrassing to be picked up at school in a giant bright red van (named Clifford). I always make a point to pull right up to the front of the school and honk! 
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Chris
Loving Wife of Dan and Mom to Kate, Jessica, Ben,
Rebecca, Thomas and Hannah
Burning The Candle At Both Ends
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juststartn
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| Posted: Nov 06 2008 at 10:36am | IP Logged
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Oh, Chris, you are so bad!
Suzanne, I have to ask, can you give a ballpark on the price for one of these things? We've maxed out the Odyssey, and prior to losing Ava, were expecting to have to buy a "Moby" ourselves come the spring/tax refund...
I need to know how much money to shove into a hidey hole in expectation for the future (because as someone else said, the "family isn't going to be getting smaller anytime soon...and might very well get bigger"...
I may not need every single seat, but the cargo room alone.... ahhhhh....lol
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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LisaR
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| Posted: Nov 06 2008 at 11:01am | IP Logged
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we got a 2002 suburban 9 pass for a steal in 2005. it was about 600 more than the same year 12 pass van, but we liked the all lap and shoulder belts, the side curtain air bags, and the fact that there is TONS of cargo space in the back, at hip level without having to remove any seats.
I've got really big boys now, and they fit fine in all seats.
We had leaned toward a big van, but are happy with the burb. (it IS a cushy ride, too)
We let our Catholicity shine by our matching tan/gold OL Guadalupe decal on the back window.
(dh is not a bumper sticker kind of guy, but I won him over to it )
congrats on your purchase!! let's pray the lower gas prices hold....
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Lisa
dh Tim '92
Joseph 17
Paul 14
Thomas 11
Dominic 8
Maria Gianna 5
Isaac Vincent 9/21/10! and...
many little saints in heaven!
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missionfamily
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Our 12 passenger van is grey--army surplus bought at auction....right after I got it, we pulled up to a party where a mom was showing off the brand new jaguar her husband had bought her...my dh blushed about our "new" van comparison...I chuckled and said "Don't worry honey, he bought her a jaguar, but you bought me a Great Grey Pachyderm"...and that's what it's been called ever since!
Recently, I went to spend the morning at the Charlotte Mason school some friends of ours run. I got there a little early and kept driving around the block because I didn't want to take up a space a parent could use for drop-off. By the time I finally parked, all the teachers were lined up looking at my van...I laughed, knowing exactly what they were thinking...."No I'm not here to kidnap anyone..." was my introduction.
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Colleen
dh Greg
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Tonya
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| Posted: Nov 06 2008 at 3:21pm | IP Logged
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We bought our 15 passenger van when we were pregnant with 5 and 6 with the expectation that we our family would continue to grow. We were never blessed with any more children but we have never regretted having bought the van. We travel quite a bit and it was nice to have the extra space. We have carried around homeschool moms, families, and lots of kids. We just went over 100,000 miles and almost 10 years. Unfortunately, our two oldest are away from home so we don't really need it anymore but none of us want to get rid of it. I think it is a symbol of all that we love about our family. You will love your van.
Tonya
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SallyT
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We have a 2003 Ford Econoline 12-seater, bought when a friend was downsizing last year -- we paid $10,000, for a like-new, meticulously-maintained vehicle. We have 4 kids and at my age are not likely to have more, but I've never regretted buying the van, even when gas was through the roof. Made me determine that I really NEEDED to drive somewhere before I got in the car and drove.
We've hauled furniture in our van, helped people move, carpooled massively, had room for our kids to spread way out from each other on long car trips, etc etc etc. I like that I have space to offer to people who need either a ride or something hauled for them -- the van's kind of like a rolling hospitality ministry, and I love that about it. And as my kids like to point out, you can find it in the grocery-store parking lot.
Love the van. Love the van. Love the van. (and the family that sold it to us kind of regrets selling it . . . )
Sally
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Bridget
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We had five when we got he big van. The mini vans have 7 seat belts, but that does get very cramped. If you even have one more, you won't fit, so the big van makes sense. You'll love the space. Congrats!
You'll have to put up a picture of course.
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God Bless,
Bridget, happily married to Kevin, mom to 8 on earth and a small army in heaven
Our Magnum Opus
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RamFam
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| Posted: Nov 07 2008 at 9:31pm | IP Logged
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You guys have me researching full size vans. With four kids in our Mazda MPV, we're pretty tight. But we just got it two years ago (before my conversion.) My husband has been trying to convince me we need a big one, but I'm afraid of something that huge! I think he wants us in something he knows we're safe.
ETA: And a mere four years ago for me it was a 1987 convertible VW Cabriolet. I miss it so... 
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Leah
RamFaminNOVA
Tom ^i^, Kyle (my Marine), Adeline '00, Wyatt '05, Isaac '07 Philip '08,Michael '10, and John Xavier Feb '13
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juststartn
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| Posted: Nov 07 2008 at 10:15pm | IP Logged
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When we get a big van, I know just what we are going to call it...
Vangelica. Got the idea from the sisters at St Michaels in Washington State. Singing Nuns. Vangelica. LOVED IT. LOL
Of course, the Odyssey is known as the mom-mobile. I have told DH that when the time comes and we no longer are so tight with the $$, or if we were to ever win the lottery, I want a 1950s convertible for the summer, and a hard top for the winter. Gas guzzlers, I know. But I know I want them all tricked out(CD player, a/c, GPS so I can find the antique malls/garage sales/estate sales/auctions, lol)...Cherry red convertible with a white top, and a beautiful blue green with black roof hard top--with that whole "fade" paint job...yeaaaahhhhhhhhhhh....go mama go! LOL
Sorry. My dad was/is BIG into car shows and rehabbing...I grew up going to the shows and seeing all the gorgeous old cars, with their big mack daddy engines...
Pardon the ramble. I love old cars. SO much more aesthetically pleasing than the ones today...
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
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SallyT
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Leah -- our other car, which I used to drive and which my husband now drives, is an MPV. We love it -- it's a '95 model with almost 200K miles on it. Great van. BUT the decision to upsize to a larger van was triggered by a camping trip we took in the Mazda, with our four kids plus one middle-school-aged friend. The kids were crammed in like sardines with camping gear stuffed around them -- the three oldest kids, who were 13, 11, and 9 at the time, rode with their knees in their teeth. The MPV suited our family fine for plain old everyday driving, but it had NO room to expand for any kind of gear/cargo storage or an extra child. I'd been fantasizing about an Odyssey before that trip; after it, I started dreaming about big Ford vans. I'm glad we still have the MPV, because it's been a fabulous vehicle, but I'm really glad it's not the car I drive with kids every day.
I was afraid to drive a big van, too. A friend once offered to lend me hers, and I was too chicken to try it. But our van drives like a dream -- it's very easy, much easier than you might think. I just drove it to a Renaissance festival today with my two oldest kids and a friend and two of her kids, and we got in and out of a crowded parking area with no problems.
Definitely test drive a bigger van to see how you feel in it. We used to have small cars and loved them, but we find that we really like ruling the road, too.
Sally
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crusermom
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Being an Army family - Our 15 seater always lets us meet other Catholic families in a new town. Most of our good friends have big vans. Who else would want to hang out with us?
Enjoy it!
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Mary
Army wife and Crusermom to 8 wonderful children!
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SuzanneG
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| Posted: Nov 11 2008 at 12:28am | IP Logged
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Whew! I knew I could count on you gals to make me feel better!
I'm already having fun planning a few Christmas outings with a couple other kids with us!!! I can just call someone and say, "Do Emily and John want to join us for the puppet show on the 11th? I can just PICK THEM UP!" It was so great! Pete had to grab the phone away from me Sat. night, cuz I was about to call our friends a couple blocks away and offer to take them to Mass with us. Why? Because I COULD!
I'm used to driving dh's big truck and I grew up driving a suburban, so it's not that big of a stretch for me. But, I can see how it would be a big adjustment for some. But, really.....they are making them with the "stability-thing" now and it really doesn't feel tippy like they probably used to. Ours is a 2006.
The library parking lot will be a challenge  ...but it was a challenge in the mini van.  How do libraries expect you to return 50 books crammed into such a little space?
It DOES have GREAT visibility....WAY better than our 99 Caravan! And, of course, the dashboard and the heat works ....that's always a plus.
DH and I think it's hysterical that it has an "alarm button" (or whatever you call it) on the keychain....you know....to FIND it in a parking lot! Because you just can't SEE the tallest white vehicle in the parking lot!
My neighbors keep leaving little notes on our porch requesting rides to the airport at such-and-such time from their neighborhood shuttle service. They joke that I needed something else to do, so we decided to start a shuttle service.
We may have all 5 kids sleeping in ONE ROOM, but gosh-darnit, we have PLENTY of room in the van for 5 more kids! Maybe a few of them could SLEEP in the van.
Of course, Bridget....I'll post a picture...it's one of the most exciting events of our blissful family life in the year 2008! I want to get everyone "hanging out of it"....I just have to wait for it to stop raining AND Pete to be home.
I'll keep you all posted on the name....I'm sure you'll all be on pins and needles... .
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Suzanne in ID
Wife to Pete
Mom of 7 (Girls - 14, 12, 11, 9, 7 and Boys - 4, 1)
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SuzanneG
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| Posted: Nov 11 2008 at 10:17am | IP Logged
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For some more laughs, here is a van post from Bridget from awhile ago.
And, in the comments, someone linked to this YouTube Video, which is really funny:
Mystery Machine Donut
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Suzanne in ID
Wife to Pete
Mom of 7 (Girls - 14, 12, 11, 9, 7 and Boys - 4, 1)
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LisaR
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| Posted: Nov 11 2008 at 10:41am | IP Logged
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glad to hear about the stability being standard nw. when we were looking in 05, at 02's and '03's that was not the case.
I grew up with a full size van, in Portland, OR. My fondest memories were hauling a huge bookbag of library books out to the driveway and sometimes an afgan throw, and curling up in the van to read while the rain pounded down on the van!!
It was like my own little quiet retreat, and seemed so light compared to the sometimes gloomy dark that can permeate indoors during Pacific NW winters!!
In high school I sometimes did my homework out in the van, too!!
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Lisa
dh Tim '92
Joseph 17
Paul 14
Thomas 11
Dominic 8
Maria Gianna 5
Isaac Vincent 9/21/10! and...
many little saints in heaven!
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4Real Forums : Tea and Conversation
Topic: My new world in a 12 Passenger Van
