by "Luc - The Acadian Oppo" (luc5)
Published 03/17/2017 at 14:25
by "Luc - The Acadian Oppo" (luc5)
Published 03/17/2017 at 14:25
Tags: Dadlopnik
; Dad Life
STARS: 3
Hello Oppo, Its been a while. Still enjoying the stay at home dad life while I collect funds from the government. I’ll have to get back to work soon but I’m in no particular hurry. I’ll probably get back at it in the summer sometime.
In the meantime here is what we’ve been up to.
My wife’s lease is almost up on her Escape and we decided not to keep it. We are hoping to transition her to full time stay at home mom status in the not so distant future and in order to do so we need to cut back financially.
We found this absolute peach of a 2002 Toyota Sienna with only 156,xxx kms (~98,000 miles). It is a one owner,99% Rust Free (Tiny rust spot on the rear hatch), Accident free, Clean Carproof van. It’s a little rough around the edges cosmetically but it will get the job done. And on top of that the van sits on brand new Goodyear winter tires.
The van even came with the stick family on the back.
We’ve had this van for a week and I’m totally converted. I’m a van man now. I can’t believe I hated vans before. I guess you need to try one out for size before you can come to the epiphany that it is the best thing ever.
I’m now HIGHLY considering trading in my Fusion in the fall for a Honda Odyssey.
"random001" (random001)
03/17/2017 at 14:28, STARS: 3
Wait for the Dodge Caravan Hellcat Demon?
"CalzoneGolem" (calzonegolem)
03/17/2017 at 14:30, STARS: 1
They’d sell themselves.
"Svend" (svend)
03/17/2017 at 15:05, STARS: 1
A lass at work got a nearly new Renault Espace.
She loves it.
(similar to the one below).
MPV/Minivans have come along a very long way since the old days.
"Wacko" (wacko--)
03/17/2017 at 15:08, STARS: 2
I was wondering what you were up to.
"Chariotoflove" (chariotoflove)
03/17/2017 at 15:09, STARS: 1
Congrats and welcome to the club. I have to confess, I like driving the wife’s Sedona.
"vicali" (vicali)
03/17/2017 at 15:38, STARS: 1
Now you need to grow a beard?
I’ve always been against a van - probably because they make so much sense. You’ll need some wheels; 5x114.3 ET45 60.1mm center bore.
Wheels from any of the other Toyota mid sizes fit;
Highlander / RAV4 / Venza / Camry / Avalon / Lexus ES / Lexus RX
Or here are some Rota Grids;
"PotbellyJoe and 42 others" (potbellyjoe)
03/17/2017 at 15:56, STARS: 1
That gen Sienna was very nice to cruise in. I used to take them (Symphony Edition specifically was my favorite) as chase vehicles when I worked at the Toyota shop.
If you can make it on cheap used vans, don’t go for the new Odysseys, just buy the older cheap vans. The Honda is really , really nice, but it’s also expensive and when you’re looking to trim a few bucks on the budget, well, there you go.
Less car, less insurance, it’s better for the budget all around.
"Luc - The Acadian Oppo" (luc5)
03/17/2017 at 16:01, STARS: 1
Just been real busy with the kid. Not much time to hang out on the internet.
"Wacko" (wacko--)
03/17/2017 at 16:26, STARS: 1
I’ve been off work since the 20th of feb, and haven’t posted any thing since I came back home. Spending my time with the wife and kids.
"Wacko" (wacko--)
03/17/2017 at 16:26, STARS: 0
I’ve been off work since the 20th of feb, and haven’t posted any thing since I came back home. Spending my time with the wife and kids.
"PlaysWellWithNOthers" (henning2710)
03/17/2017 at 16:56, STARS: 1
Congrats, I resisted the van for the longest time until I realized that it would be the most reasonable thing to do at this stage in my life.
So I just bought a 2007 Kia Sedona with all the options that used to be a dealer demo when new. Apart from a few minor issues we knew from the PPI, it is in great shape and the kids and wife are happy. They are great deals, because they have terrible depreciation (Hyundai Entourage as well).
Cheap to own and very good reliabilty and crash ratings. Standard stability control. The best bang for the buck if you’re looking for a $3,000-$5,000 van.
I took the dashboard apart (center console and passenger side) to install some equipment and pull wires and the build quality is surprisingly good. Nothing rattles or squeaks after 175,000 miles.
"comes over to help work on your car and only drinks beer" (00cyclonefan)
03/17/2017 at 17:09, STARS: 0
Do the rear doors swing open on that? That is like one of the best features of a van, man! The sliding rear doors!
"Svend" (svend)
03/17/2017 at 17:28, STARS: 0
They swing open like regular doors unfortunately.
"Luc - The Acadian Oppo" (luc5)
03/17/2017 at 19:16, STARS: 0
Yeah I paid 3k cad for this one in an area where used cars sell for way more than they should. It was a hell of a deal espessialy with the new rubber. I’ve had it for about a week and its been fantastic.
"Frenchlicker" (frenchlicker)
03/17/2017 at 19:57, STARS: 1
I love minivans. However a new van has caught my eye the Ford Transit MK1. Completely pointless but amazing looking.
"Stapleface" (patrickgruden)
04/21/2017 at 12:24, STARS: 0
Fell down the kinja rabbit hole.
Vans are awesome. I honestly don’t get the hate. They haul a TON of stuff, and most of them have a pretty peppy engine. Sure, it’s not a corner carver, but it also wasn’t meant to be either. They really are the best tool for the job of moving people or stuff in small(ish) quantities.