Yes you do have to take the seats out and fold the third row in the floor but they fit just fine. I believe you can fit 10 foot boards in it if you go between the seats. My buddy has a 04 4 runner, and that thing is useless for trying to haul anything inside, its shocking how small the inside seems for a seemingly larger vehicle.
The new sienna comes out soon, I have the current body style.
You are right about hauling things in a 4Runner. We have a 2003 4Runner which is about the same as the 2004 4Runner. However, in our case itās all academic since the car is my wifeās baby and wonāt allow it to be used for a truck. Our Uplander minivan is the workhorse. I still think the minivan is one of the most practical designs that ever came out of the auto industry.
Just another though with respect to my earlier suggestion of SUV/trailer. Talking with friend whose band was playing while we were out, and he informed me that they travel with an SUV and enclosed trailer, leave all the gear in the trailer between āgigsā and park it in a memberās heated garage. Dedicated trailers are a lot cheaper than opting for a larger van that would try to accommodate all your needs with one vehicle. The loading and unloading could be avoided for other vehicle use.
PS: would second recommendation of vehicle like 4Runner as mentioned for such a task.
I love our Minivan, it can haul 7-8 people, right now the 3rd row is folded in the floor and second row is out and it is being used as a pickup truck hauling sheets of OSB Plywood and drywall for a remodel we are doing, and it is better for me than a pickup because its raining out lately and its wonderful dry storage on the way home.
Last weekend we were at the local home improvement store loading up a few sheets of drywall,among other things, quickly sliding them into our utilitarian minivan and we stopped for a moment to watch a couple of guys loading the same into thier Quad cab, short bed Silverado, they managed to break a sheet until they decided to fold down the tailgate, then they had to tarp it since it was so wet out. I didnāt offer to help because they looked like they had enough help.
The only downside is with full sheets of plywood ectā¦ in the back its only a two passenger vehicle. However I can always hook up my utility trailer if i needed more passenger space.
On days where I need not haul anything and merely commute my 5 miles to work I have a vehicle that gets 18-25mpg, and has Awd for our winters. If we are going somewhere and donāt need the van we still take our 38mpg civic, but I must admit lately my knee has been bothering me and i donāt feel like shifting many days, so we take the van.
Had an Aerostat when I was raising my two kids. Amongst other things we would go camping for a week or so, with our 45lb Australian Shepherd. It held a ton of stuff with that 3rd row seat removed. Everyone was comfy and it always met our needs. (Never been a Ford fan and two transmissions blew. First was a 13k miles. The fix was to not replace it with OEM.) Kids grew and I finally got to buy a truck. 2000 Silverado LT with tow haul for the camper. I loved that truck. Never had an issue with it the whole 22 years I had it. . Replaced it with a 2022 Traverse to fit us and three grandkids. When the hubby and I hit the road with our two 60lb dogs that thing only holds what we need. (Fortunately) I love my Traverse ,(hope it lasts many years) but I miss all the room in that Aerostat.
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I am pretty sure you meant (Ford) Aerostarā¦
Good story, and welcome to the forumā¦
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Whoops! You are correct. Thank you!
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Can confirm. I am an HVAC technician, and I have driven these as work trucks. In fact, by the time I got to drive these vehicles, they were old and had a lot of miles. Still, they were very good work trucks, and I miss them. A Ford Aerostar is a rare sight on the road today, and I havenāt seen one used as a commercial vehicle in a very long time. A Chevrolet Astro/GMC Safari is still somewhat common as a personal vehicle, but they have aged out of commercial/fleet usage.
Currently, I drive a 2016 Ram ProMaster 2500 for my job, and this is literally the worst quality work vehicle I have ever been assigned. With less than 70,000 miles on it, this has needed major engine work, new fuel pump, struts and other suspension components, repair to the sliding door mechanism, and finally a new PCM and BCM due to a random stalling problem which would then require disconnecting the battery to allow the engine to restart.
I have driven Chevy Astro and Express vans with well over 200,000 miles on them, and they were way more reliable than the ProMaster. In fact, I worked at one company where they assigned me to an old Chevy Astro with 337,000 miles, and during the two years I worked for that company, the work truck never needed anything more complicated than oil changes and tires.
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My Odyssey can do all those things listed including hauling 4x8 sheets flat inside with the tailgate down.
I went to pick up an entire set of bedroom furniture once and the guys at the store were skeptical. Once it was all loaded, they were insisting the store get one as opposed to the rough riding van they currently had. One thing I will say, the Ody doesnāt get near the advertised 28mpg but itās definitely over the 20 mpg requested here.
I just installed a class 3 hitch on it and it tows like a dream. My TB gets pushed around by our heavy bass boat but the Ody acts like itās not even there.
The only thing I really donāt like about it is the Honda implementation of VCM. I can feel the vibration when itās functioningā¦