Thaw before reheating.
{ 2007 07 02 }
A 2-year old Toyota Sienna, 20-30,000 miles, some bells and whistles (power doors and chairs, roof rack, ACs in the back, etc.)
OR
A brand new, more basic, Chrysler Town & Country?
Key factors:
– Will be family’s only vehicle.
– Will be street parked.
– Will be beat up with hardware trips, crazy kids, and rough roads.
Posted by holly on Monday, July 2nd, 2007, at 10:12 pm, and filed under Uncategorized.
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Regular dishes on life in New Orleans, historic home renovation, raising kids, completing a PhD, travel near and far, global concerns, and health issues.
You know the story, right? International health... work all over the place... drag my kids around in sacks through villages in Central America... yadda yadda. I decided to go for another degree, so in 2004 we moved to New Orleans with no intention of staying. Then Katrina. And then *blink*blink* New Orleans is a completely different place and we just can't leave. Suddenly I'm on TV talking about immigrants and health and Paul is starting a company. Or two. His side is high-tech, mine is community health and our lives are yearly evacuation, regular celebrations, and nonstop work here, there, and everywhere. Our door is always open. I only ask that if you decide to go ahead and make yourself that mint julep, you make one for me, too.
We strive to make our life our argument.
Julie | 03-Jul-07 at 5:49 am | Permalink
Holly- as a way of introduction, I am Gwen’s friend. I drive a 2005 Sienna with 28K miles. I LOVE it, and mine is a basic, so I would love it even more with the bells and whistles. It is such a comfortable ride, and it is built on the chasis of the Toyota Camry, so it drives more like a car than a van.
Shokufeh | 03-Jul-07 at 7:13 am | Permalink
The Sienna. But I am prejudiced toward foreign cars. I think the bells and whistles would be nice too. And all your key factors point to getting a used car.
Congrats on entering the world of minivans.
Cold Spaghetti | 03-Jul-07 at 7:51 am | Permalink
Damn. We were leaning towards the new car. I think there are two hang-ups we’re having.
One is that the Chrysler rental we had recently was awesome and we fell in love with the under-seat storage and the fact that all seats fold flat (a plus for hauling 9′ doors and wood panels). The other is simply the ease of selection. (Sienna’s are tough to find used… and when you do find one, beggers can’t be choosers. We did find one locally and it’s pretty decent. I can get over the fact that I don’t like the color. So unlike me to be bothered by something so silly.)
We are definitely “used car” people and are having a tough time making a good choice!
Kak | 03-Jul-07 at 11:13 am | Permalink
I vote for the Sienna. Toyotas last for forever. You can drive it for years to come, and although you don’t know it now, you will SO appreciate all the bells and whistles once you do have them. I agree, the fold flat seats are nice, but doesn’t the backseat fold into the floor? (Our 2002 Honda Passport third row does) As far as transporting doors and lumber et al., just put a tow hitch on and buy a small trailer. You can find them for only a few hundred dollars. You would be killing two birds with one stone. You’d have the nice van and the room to move the big, dirty stuff. Plus, you wouldn’t have to be so careful loading the trailer!
Terenia | 03-Jul-07 at 12:29 pm | Permalink
hi, i’m randomly making the rounds of the nola blogs and saw your post on the sienna/chrysler dilemma. i would also vote sienna. i have a two year old sienna that i bought new with two kids. in two years, they have trashed it, so i might as well have saved my money and bought a used one. other than the aesthetic, it is wonderful. never a problem mechanically and easy to drive.
but i see your point about the seats in the chrysler….
Scott | 06-Jul-07 at 7:49 am | Permalink
Have you checked out the cost of insurance on each? You may find the newer car has higher insurance which would increase your longterm costs. You may also want to check the comparisons in Consumer Reports. Personally, I would vote for the used and reliable Toyota. You will still be able to haul many things even if you have to rent a trailer or pay for delivery on those few large items.