Mixed feelings about selling off my van...
#61
05-19-2016, 11:15 AM
Well, the end came really fast.
I drove a Metris for a long test drive a few months ago and the driver's seat had too much of a lumbar "hump" and destroyed my back within a half hour drive. Same as the Sienna. My wife and I looked at and drove an Expedition and I really liked the truck vibe, but the lack of vertical cargo space (and cargo cubic feet in general) is a problem and it just won't work for us. We reviewed the Chrysler minivans and found that the seats are seemingly very good for my back. And they were offering Big rebates thru the end of February.
So in the last 2 days, I sold my beloved E150 (to a good friend, so I will see the van around) and bought a brand new silver (on black leather) 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan R/T. The big rebates and discounts (including a friends and family discount from a Chrysler engineer friend) on the new van made this the right time to buy; we have dual climate control, dual power seats, heated seats, Nav in the dashboard, lots of airbags, backup camera, satellite radio on a 506 watt stereo with a subwoofer, and a new car warranty. And Stow and Go seats which disappear into the floor. I will have to see how the Pentastar engine works in the long haul. We took delivery with only 7 miles on the new van and had one of the worst days of the year to drive it home, but it's safe in the garage now.
The Grand Caravan is made in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, and looking up directions, the plant is a 14.5 mile drive from my house. So I've probably smelled paint fumes from that plant. Engine was made in Trenton, MI, about 30 miles away. (The Grand Cherokee plant is only about 5 miles from my house.) It is a CAW built van and I'm happy about that because I come from a UAW/IBEW family.
I owned my '02 E150 for almost exactly 13 years, and had 4 other full size vans dating back to 1986, so I've been a full size van owner for 30 years. I am gonna miss having *that* much room. But the R/T has a handling suspension so it should be more fun on twisty mountain roads. And the fuel mileage should be quite good.
I will still check in on the FTE page out of habit. Maybe when it's time to replace my Subaru I'll buy an Edge or a new Bronco. Can't let all of my Ford van knowledge fall by the wayside. I have been on FTE for almost 10 years now. Suppose I should find a Mopar minivan forum if I need support for the new van, but it won't be the same.
Take care,
George
I drove a Metris for a long test drive a few months ago and the driver's seat had too much of a lumbar "hump" and destroyed my back within a half hour drive. Same as the Sienna. My wife and I looked at and drove an Expedition and I really liked the truck vibe, but the lack of vertical cargo space (and cargo cubic feet in general) is a problem and it just won't work for us. We reviewed the Chrysler minivans and found that the seats are seemingly very good for my back. And they were offering Big rebates thru the end of February.
So in the last 2 days, I sold my beloved E150 (to a good friend, so I will see the van around) and bought a brand new silver (on black leather) 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan R/T. The big rebates and discounts (including a friends and family discount from a Chrysler engineer friend) on the new van made this the right time to buy; we have dual climate control, dual power seats, heated seats, Nav in the dashboard, lots of airbags, backup camera, satellite radio on a 506 watt stereo with a subwoofer, and a new car warranty. And Stow and Go seats which disappear into the floor. I will have to see how the Pentastar engine works in the long haul. We took delivery with only 7 miles on the new van and had one of the worst days of the year to drive it home, but it's safe in the garage now.
The Grand Caravan is made in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, and looking up directions, the plant is a 14.5 mile drive from my house. So I've probably smelled paint fumes from that plant. Engine was made in Trenton, MI, about 30 miles away. (The Grand Cherokee plant is only about 5 miles from my house.) It is a CAW built van and I'm happy about that because I come from a UAW/IBEW family.
I owned my '02 E150 for almost exactly 13 years, and had 4 other full size vans dating back to 1986, so I've been a full size van owner for 30 years. I am gonna miss having *that* much room. But the R/T has a handling suspension so it should be more fun on twisty mountain roads. And the fuel mileage should be quite good.
I will still check in on the FTE page out of habit. Maybe when it's time to replace my Subaru I'll buy an Edge or a new Bronco. Can't let all of my Ford van knowledge fall by the wayside. I have been on FTE for almost 10 years now. Suppose I should find a Mopar minivan forum if I need support for the new van, but it won't be the same.
Take care,
George
I'm quite late to the party but congratulations! Our '15 GCRT has been, so far, flawless through about 17k miles. Just completed a 2500 mile round trip last week actually. Hopefully you got a good one. Nice color combo too.
#62
05-19-2016, 02:35 PM
Only 3k miles on ours so far; we just did a 200 mile round trip yesterday and I love both the satellite radio and the fact that I can access my own music off a thumb drive. No more piles of CD's...I have 2700 songs on a thumb drive.
I got a trade credit for the OEM Yokohama tires and put a set of Michelin Latitude Tours on it (at around 1k miles on the van) and they are great riding tires. Net price was only about $300, well worth it to me based on the poor ratings of the Yokohamas. Looks like they will be making an LTX M/S in my size now so maybe I should have waited but next time it needs tires...
George
#63
05-19-2016, 02:50 PM
We like the minivan a lot; it's a good utility vehicle for sure. Wife definitely uses the heated seats way more than you'd think they're needed! But, I do still have my beloved Bubba. That's one I never have to worry about the wife driving. Bubba's all mine. Do you find yourself missing the ol' E-Series?
I'm going to swap to the LTX M/S when they come available too. Always had a great experience with that tire.
I'm going to swap to the LTX M/S when they come available too. Always had a great experience with that tire.
#64
05-19-2016, 03:16 PM
I miss the space in the big van when we have to load in a couple bicycles for sure--or change into or out of bike clothes inside.
I have not needed to carry any other big loads yet. I liked the ground clearance of the E150 and miss that, but the stow and go seats in the Dodge are just great (if a bit cramped--but I don't ride back there). I was also way less concerned about door dings and stuff with the oldie. Oh, the backup camera on the Dodge is also very cool. I am getting spoiled really quickly.
For ground clearance I do have my '09 Subaru Forester which is my primary DD (and kind of inherits the "beater" status my E150 had) and that has a set of Defender LTX M/S's on it these days. (And Premier A/S's on my wife's Civic, so lots of Michelins.) And I still have my garage queen '91 318is, so I've got 3 vehicles that are mostly "mine"...
I do find myself thinking of a successor vehicle for the Subaru and like the idea of the Edge Sport but those cost a pretty penny--especially loaded up like the GCRT van.
George
I have not needed to carry any other big loads yet. I liked the ground clearance of the E150 and miss that, but the stow and go seats in the Dodge are just great (if a bit cramped--but I don't ride back there). I was also way less concerned about door dings and stuff with the oldie. Oh, the backup camera on the Dodge is also very cool. I am getting spoiled really quickly.
For ground clearance I do have my '09 Subaru Forester which is my primary DD (and kind of inherits the "beater" status my E150 had) and that has a set of Defender LTX M/S's on it these days. (And Premier A/S's on my wife's Civic, so lots of Michelins.) And I still have my garage queen '91 318is, so I've got 3 vehicles that are mostly "mine"...
I do find myself thinking of a successor vehicle for the Subaru and like the idea of the Edge Sport but those cost a pretty penny--especially loaded up like the GCRT van.
George
#65
05-19-2016, 04:51 PM
We recently traded our minivan for a full size van, and we miss a lot of the minivan comforts. Fuel economy with the new Transit is better than expected, the last tank was at 18 MPG. The old Odyssey got 25 with similar driving conditions though.
We miss the tri-zone automatic climate control, power sliding doors, and low entry/exit height. Just last weekend I installed a factory running board on the Transit, the entry step height was much too high for my wife and kids. It was the right call for our situation, but we're gonna be missing the minivan for awhile.
We miss the tri-zone automatic climate control, power sliding doors, and low entry/exit height. Just last weekend I installed a factory running board on the Transit, the entry step height was much too high for my wife and kids. It was the right call for our situation, but we're gonna be missing the minivan for awhile.
#67
07-17-2016, 11:57 AM
Thanks for the thoughts, Tom. It looks like you can put your feet straight out in front of you though? My wife likes a symmetrical position, and she is weird about the angle her feet are at where they rest.
My wife loves the 8-way powered seat in the Grand Caravan as well as the heated seat. It is hard to get a full 8 way power passenger seat in almost every vehicle so this worked out.
She raises the front all the way and likes the stress relief her spine gets. And the Stow and Go seats are just SO cool because we can just make them disappear. I haven't seen any of the back seats for a couple months now--they have been folded down, and we have not had to find a place to store them like I always had to do with the big vans.
No problems yet, but we've only got 4k miles on the G Caravan.
Take care,
George
My wife loves the 8-way powered seat in the Grand Caravan as well as the heated seat. It is hard to get a full 8 way power passenger seat in almost every vehicle so this worked out.
She raises the front all the way and likes the stress relief her spine gets. And the Stow and Go seats are just SO cool because we can just make them disappear. I haven't seen any of the back seats for a couple months now--they have been folded down, and we have not had to find a place to store them like I always had to do with the big vans.
No problems yet, but we've only got 4k miles on the G Caravan.
Take care,
George
#69
07-17-2016, 11:09 PM
Really glad to hear you like the Grand Caravan. Minivans are tough to beat for the ease of use and comfort, hope she treats you well.
The N/A 3.7L does an impressive job though, it doesn't feel underpowered like we thought it would. Tows our 3,500 lb boat without issue, and delivers 17-19 MPG, so we're happy with it.
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