Friday, May 25, 2012

Minivan Thoughts?

okay, obviously based on the last post, the Moores are officially mini van shopping.  Based on our price range and the mileage we are hoping for, I am looking at '07 or '08 Kia Sedonas.  I know that Honda Odysseys are the best, or that was the overwhelming facebook response, but as I have researched, I just don't think we can get an Odyssey in our price range without tons of miles on it.  And I have heard that Sedonas are reliable vans, so I think that is the route we are going--if we can find what we are looking for.

So, I am wondering if anyone out there drives a Kia Sedona?  I would love to hear your thoughts.  I am hoping someone out there can give me an opinion on the Sedona.  Anyone, anyone?  Especially if you drive an '07 or an '08!!  That would be ideal ;)

Also, we are new to car shopping, so I would also love used car shopping advice.  Sedona or not, do any of you have tips for how to get a good deal and make sure the vehicle is reliable?  Better yet, do any of you know a reliable car salesman in the Atlanta area?

As for the poor, poor Tribute, we are still working through all the details of that.  We are fairly certain that the fire started because of a recalled part.  We tried to get the part replaced a couple of months ago, but Mazda told us that the part would not be available until later this year.  We are in the process of investigating that.  So, if you are wondering why my car randomly caught on fire--it's because of a bad part.  So, if you also drive an '01 or '02 Mazda Tribute, be warned!!

And in good news--friends of ours from church will be on vacation for the next week and a half, so they have offered their car to me while they are out of town.  I am going to pick it up this afternoon when Scott gets home from work.  So, thank you, Lord, I will not be stuck at home, and by the time they get back, we will hopefully be closer to purchasing a van.  He is providing!!!!

7 comments:

Katherine said...

Praise the Lord for your awesome friends. No advice here about shopping, but I'm praying for y'all. Only God knows what is best, but I'm praying specifically for a ridiculously low deal. Blessings! Ada and John have such amazing parents teaching them how to live out their faith!

Kyle said...

I would also take a look at the Toyota sienna. The way I understand it, these are just below in the Odyssey in terms of quality (the people i know that drive them seem to like them). The rearrangement of seats was not as easy as the odyssey but that's not a deal breaker if you can get a good deal. We were blessed to find a 07 with 40K miles that was in our price range so deals are out there if you can take your time. Laura really wanted one to help with the kids (loading, unloading, room for travel potty seat, changing diapers, etc) At first I didn't want to spend the money, but I will say this, its a great family vehicle. It has made things a lot easier on her when she has to take both kids somewhere. The Odyssey drives like a car even though I feel like I am driving a bus. Great handling. Its very well designed.

Kathy said...

We JUST bought a new to us Jetta diesel. (I realize it's not a Sedona) We made sure that we were willing to WALK AWAY from ANY car. Definitely play hard to get! Look online - autotrader(dot)com, etc. We actually FLEW to BOSTON (we live in SC) because the savings was more than the plane ticket and the drive home! There are so many individuals that are selling cars now, too. Usually private sellers are a better deal, and there's not as much negotiating.


p.s. Hondas can handle the mileage :) - and you rarely, if ever, see a honda van broken down on the side of the road.

p.p.s. have you looked into CRVs? WONDERFUL!

Amber said...

When we bought our expedition in February we found it on Autotrader.com. Of course it was very nice to not have to buy a car so we could look and not feel pressured. We did walk away from one that we loved because they weren't willing to budge on the price. Low and behold we found one almost exactly the same, the wheels were different and we liked them better, with less miles a week later. Turns out I went to high school with the finance manager of the dealership where it was. We went to Gadsden to get it. Tell Scott to give Mark Brooks a call and he might be able to find something for you. Auto trader is the way to go though.

Amy said...

I would look at the 06-10 sienna's in the 8-passenger configuration. If you ever have a third you can sit 3 across. Also, you can find them for much cheaper than an odyssey. We got an 06 w/ 75k miles for 10,200 from a private party. Buy private party! (but get a mechanic to do a prepurchase inspection!)

Lindsay said...

Um why isn't Mazda paying for y'all a new car if it was their fault for not having a replacement part?!!

Anna said...

So sorry about your car! We bought an '07 Odyssey about a year and a half ago. A lot of places will let you take the car to a mechanic to get it checked out before you are locked in to buying it. We looked online for a long time, but my mother-in-law actually found the listing for our van in the paper. I would just say have a realistic number in your head and be willing to walk away if they can't meet that.