So after much toil of deciding what to replace my aging Explorer with to better fit our growing family. It came down to the Toyota Land Cruiser/Lexus LX470 or a Toyota Sienna Minivan. I went with the newer vehicle as well as flat out practicality instead of buying what I truly wanted. We ended up with a factory Certified Preowned 2014 Sienna.



So first things first. Like always with every vehicle I own the first things to be done are window tint, yellow fog lights, HID headlights, WeatherTech floor mats. I also grabbed a couple of Cabelas universal fit neoprene car seat covers for the seats with car seats. If not using car seats I would have bought custom fit covers but with carseats on them they work just fine and I got them on sale for $35 for 2 custom covers were $150.
I also did not like how tall the radio antenna was so I replaced with with a 4" Carbon Fiber TRD shorty. Was worried I would lose reception or quality of the HD Radio but I have not.
Windows look great, lights look great. Though I am none to happy with the WeatherTech floor mats. No issues with the quality of the product just the configuration. The front row mats are great. The 2nd and 3rd row mats are TERRIBLE. I should have done a bit more research before buying. The middle row of the Sienna slides so the WeatherTech site says that they are made for an optimal seating position but can be trimmed for more preference. The layout completely sucks! One has to have the middle row so far forward that there is no room to really climb in and if you have the seats back at all the 3rd row mats do not fit for anything. I out them both in and the seating arraignment is nowhere near ideal for anything.
So the 3rd row mats actually fit pretty well in the rear cargo area so I have them back there. The 2nd row well leaves tons of space uncovered. As you can see in this picture there is a ton of uncovered carpet right where the kids are going to drop everything.
This seating position allows an adult to climb in and get to the back without having to move the seat. You can also see if you tried to trim the covers it would look like crap. SO I am probably just going to have to get rid of those in the 2nd row and use them as a boot tray or something in the garage.
There is another company called Lloyds that makes a better mat for the 2nd and third row allows for full movement of the middle row so I will grab those.



So far I actually enjoy driving the van it is very comfortable, quiet, and gets along at highway speeds just fine.
We took our first trip this weekend and I am so glad I got the van over the Land Cruiser. There is so much more cargo room with the 3rd row up.
Here is a case of diapers, wipes, toilet paper, two big jugs of laundry detergent, all of the groceries for a week, the 8th seat stored over to the side there and mt 72 hour go back. No way I could fit all that back there in the Land Cruiser.

We met up with my mom and she was able to just climb on in the back row with zero issues and still plenty of room back there for 2 more adults.
My oldest can also open the power sliding door hop in his seat and do all of his buckles alone. I have to tighten them but saves me a lot of work vs. them climbing in the far back bending over trying to get them buckled.

So needless to say I am very happy with this purchase and look forward to carting our 3 boys around for at least the next 10 years in it. The van was certainly the right choice.

I still have a couple things I need to do to make it better. I need to put a trailer hitch on it mainly for the bike rack and a cargo carrier for when I get fuel for my gas cans. Though I do have a 4 wheeler but not sure how much I will pull it with this.

Also going to replace the upper grill that has horizontal grey bars with the SE model grill that has the same honeycomb pattern as the lower grill. Gives the front a much cleaner look instead of having 2 grill patterns.

I am going to do some suspension modifications because it is pretty floaty. Going to do a bigger front sway bar, upper strut bar, chassis brace, and add air bags to the rear.
The airbags are supposed to be great for keeping the rear from sagging especially when you are fully loaded.

I do want to get some larger better looking wheels but I have decided to wait until these tires are shot (they are brand new) then I will put snow tires on these wheels and get replacement summer wheels.

Looks nice, as I have said I am a big van fan! Mine are older GM Astro type van's. But I do love them. Not for the same reason's (young family) that you have yours. But the Utility is so nice. Yours is truly a luxury type vehicle. I have always thought the Toyota certified was a great value. Congrats. Sure it will serve you very well.

Let's see if I can summarize what I read.

"I bought a van. I spent a lot of money modding it. I still own a van. I put toilet paper in it."

LOL!

quote:

Originally posted by Flashlightboy:
Let's see if I can summarize what I read.

"I bought a van. I spent a lot of money modding it. I still own a van. I put toilet paper in it."

From that pic, you should be out looking for the nekkid kids running around your neighborhood!

+1 on the Lloyd's mat. I have one in the cargo area of my Cherokee and am extremely happy with it.

Otherwise, what Flashlightboy said.

-Rob

quote:

Originally posted by tenmm:
LOL!

quote:

Originally posted by Flashlightboy:
Let's see if I can summarize what I read.

"I bought a van. I spent a lot of money modding it. I still own a van. I put toilet paper in it."

That's funny right there.

No matter how much money you drop on fancy mods, I bet it'll still smell like old Cheerio dust and spoiled milk within 3 months.

You really shouldn't be so focused on tricking out your minivan... You're just taking valuable time away from what should be your true priorities: perfecting your Dad Bod, memorizing enough corny jokes to last at least the next 18 years, and finding just the right socks and fanny pack to go with your shorts and sandals.

To pile on just a little bit here, I got a call not long ago from my dad who had just been traveling by car with my 10 year old son. My dad was laughing hysterically. It seems that a Sienna driver had made some faux pas that drew the ire of my 73 year old father, easy to do. My 10 year old seeking to comfort him from the back seat said, "it's OK grandpa, that guys soul dies a little bit every time he starts that thing!". To this day when we see a Sienna someone in the family refers to it as "the soul killer".....

Next up for the mod list:

http://st.motortrend.com/uploa...nt-three-quarter.jpg

Everyone needs to step back. Yes, he's now a minivan driver. He needs to learn how to go slow, stop before turning (right or left), and how to navigate all sorts of mall parking lots.

I once made a similar mistake back in 2009. My wife picked out a van she wanted. I didn't understand she wanted me to drive it, not her. we did keep it over 3 full years. I hated every minute of it, it was awful. Then I sort of gave it to my DIL at a bargain rate (half the average trade in). And I swore to never buy another.

quote:

Originally posted by Seotaji:
Next up for the mod list:

http://st.motortrend.com/uploa...nt-three-quarter.jpg

Yeah, do that, or trade it

Nothing says "Married" like driving mini-van

That Mini-van is just part of the screwing you get for the screwing you got to get the kids in the first place.

Lots of hate here!! LOL

I had a mini van a while back, no big deal. It drove nice and was insanely useful. I had no shame driving it.

I like minivans just fine. They blend in, low center of gravity, lots of space, lots of head room, etc. Sliding doors make loading and unloading kids in tight parking spaces a breeze.

My plan is to have at least 3 cars. My car, her car, and the car that serves as the forward operating base for the kids. Stroller, car seats, mobile play pen, coolers, etc, all stay with that car.

quote:

Originally posted by Aeteocles:
I like minivans just fine. They blend in, low center of gravity, lots of space, lots of head room, etc. Sliding doors make loading and unloading kids in tight parking spaces a breeze.

My plan is to have at least 3 cars. My car, her car, and the car that serves as the forward operating base for the kids. Stroller, car seats, mobile play pen, coolers, etc, all stay with that car.

My thoughts exactly. I had a Toyota Sienna a few years ago. Great freaking automobile. It's a purpose-designed vehicle, and it performs the job fantastically. No reason to insult a person driving one, never understood that. Perhaps it's because I have never equated a man's automobile as a phallic representation, quite the inverse, rather.

My 8th grade PE coach was one of those teachers that gave life advice. He always told us that all a car/truck/van was for was to get from Point A to Point B, and if we looked at it like that we would likely save a lot of money in the long run. I won't attribute my decision to look at it like that to him, but I'll give him credit for being right.

I don't understand the grief for the minivan.

We had a Pontiac Trans Sport van in Europe ~25 years ago. It was ideal, roomy, versatile, easy to handle. These were uncommon in France, and one fellow at Mont St. Michelle thought "maybe in was a Lamborghini." I think the Oldsmobile version was referred to as "the Cadillac of minivans."

In subsequent years, I started requesting a van when I needed a rental. One year in France, we had a Plymouth Voyager turbo diesel 4speed OD. I loved that one. I would have bought one here if they had been offered.

For years, we rented a Chrysler Town and Country for our annual treks to Grand Canyon, 6 adults and gear for ~1000 miles in 4 days. Those proved to be ideal for that mission.

FYI - the little hooks on the backs of the third row seats are for hanging plastic grocery bags on.

Sweet minivan! The headlights look a little too blue though...


but yellow lamin-x over the fogs is usually my first priority.

Luckily the headlights on this one are pretty amazing out of the box (adaptive bi-xenon that point where you point)