Family Van dilemma

**ghosthunter** · August 25th, 2003 04:35 PM

Originally posted by Ungas
Here are some rounded up units from tsikot peeps:
- Nissan Urvan Estate (Escapade lower grade variant)
- Kia Carnival/Sedona
- Nissan Serena
- Toyota Grandia 3.0L
- Mitsubishi Space Gear
- Hyundai Starex Limousine (Starex again?, hehehe)

Anyone got ideas or recommendations from our US made counterparts?
- Chevy Venture
- What else?

My brother owns a Chevy Venture and he converted the middle seats to a pair of captains chairs for better comfort on long trips. This lowers the practical seating space from 9 to 8 people, driver included.

Comfort is very good, even on long trips but a long trip with full load of people might be a problem if you want to take a lot of stuff with you too.

**HBOY** · August 25th, 2003 04:38 PM

Ford E150 looks big and comfy... dunno for the driver though..

**Ungas** · August 25th, 2003 04:40 PM

I thought the Chevy Venture was registered as 10 capacity van? Based from www.motioncars.com the cargo space is more refined than the Carnival/Sedona. How much did it cost to convert those cpatain chairs? Any other optional features that I/we should look for?

**Ungas** · August 25th, 2003 04:42 PM

Originally posted by HBOY
Ford E150 looks big and comfy... dunno for the driver though..

Yeah! Space and engine wise this will be my first choice. But the problem is, I'm not going to be the daily driver of this van. Do you think a lady can muscle her way with this mammoth sized van? :whoa:

**RedHorse** · August 25th, 2003 04:52 PM

Mas magaan ang steering wheel ng E150 compared sa trooper. As to parking aspect, sanayan lang sa wheelbase ng 3.5m, na-ipark ko na E150 sa megamall and Shangrila. And its side mirror, ay extended downward di kagaya ng expe at F150.

**Ungas** · August 25th, 2003 05:21 PM

RedHorse::: Do you have an E150 unit? How's the seating arrangement and passenger comfort? Imo, Ford missed out on some vital components such as rear wipers and defoggers.

**boybi** · August 25th, 2003 06:06 PM

Ungas, mag Town & Country ka nalang para makasakay naman ako. sarap siguro paglaruan yung power sliding doors and liftgate nun.

**IMm29** · August 25th, 2003 06:11 PM

sa P1.5M budget mo, i would suggest:
Gas
- Chevrolet Venture
Diesel
- Hyundai Starex CRDi
- Kia Carnival II/Sedona

i suggest the following coz they are configured similarly to your current Starex (well, yung isang choice Starex pa din, so pareho, mas bago at improved nga lang). i'm assuming your mom gets to drive your current van with ease (or at least she's gotten used to it), so these choices are close to its size.

the venture is more spacious than the sedona, but it's a bit thirstier. the starex, tho practically the same as the model you have, is much more powerful (read: gas-like). oh, the venture and sedona have 1 more sliding door vs the starex.

**mbt** · August 25th, 2003 06:12 PM

ungas talaga o... kala ko ba diesel, bakit E-150 at venture na yung tinitingnan mo? :D

ok naman yung venture especially kung iconvert mo to captain's chairs yung 2nd row, at parang kotse talaga dalhin with reasonable city fuel economy at 5.0 km/L (at least for us). great for long trips: the soft and silent ride on the highway will lull everyone to sleep (hopefully not the driver though) and fuel economy jumps to 9 km/L out on the open road

great comfort for four, the last row is a bit tight though, but i'd say seven adults will find it reasonably comfortable. plus, the extra length of the venture relative to the starex, sedona and serena allows it to carry a reasonable amount of luggage space with all the seats up, something that can't be said of the other minivans available locally save for the similarly-lengthy town and country. the fold-flat third row in the new LT venture is a very useful feature.

yun nga lang, sourcing parts can be a problem and maintenance costs aren't exactly affordable (P5,000 PMS every 5000 kms). the quality of the plastics and trim inside is a bit crude. long-term durability is unkown too. resale value is bound to be mediocre as well (although the same can be said of the serena, sedona, and starex)

the venture is one of the the best minivans on the local market right now, but only because the latest Odyssey, Sienna, and Quest are not available and the Town and Country is out-of-reach.

ok yung Starex CRDi and Sedona. you may find the sedona more practical than the venture, and the Starex should be your choice if you need ride height.

gusto mo pics ng venture?

**Ungas** · August 25th, 2003 06:12 PM

boybi::: Wala kaming ganung kalaking halaga pambayad ng Town & Country! Baka kahit na magwalis pa ako dyan sa inyo maghapon di ko malilikum ganung kalaking halaga. :bwahaha: