Comments on: 15 Passenger Vans Dangerous? Uh-Oh…

By: David

David — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 04:36:27 +0000

My wife and I have a 2001 Chevrolet Express 15 passenger van with almost 150,000 miles on it (mostly trouble free). We have 8 kids, so it is very helpful. We normally keep the 4th row seat out, so there is still seating for 11 with loads of room in the back- 3 strollers would fit side by side without even folding them up. We have been driving this vehicle since 2002 and have never had a problem or felt unsafe while driving it. You just need to understand that these are not sports cars, and you’ll be just fine. I do like the Chevrolets better because the wheels are farther apart than the Ford, thus making a more stable and safe ride. Besides, the Fords look like they just had an extra 3 feet glued to the back while the CHevys look more “natural”.

With the factory tires, the van was terrible in the snow, but when we installed some BF Goodrich Commercial T/A tires and put some cinder blocks in the back of the van, it was just like having 4 wheel drive, and we’ve never been stuck since. We live in Maryland, however- 8 inches is probably the most it’s ever been in. Because it sits high off the ground, the van does better in deeper snow than some smaller vehicles we’ve had that you would expect to do well in the snow.

I have been looking at Dodge Sprinter (Mercedes built) vans for replacing our van, the fuel economy is tremendous- drivers are reporting up to 30 MPG. However, these vans are INCREDIBLY expensive both to buy and to repair. You can get a brand new, well equipped Chevy for under $30,000- but you can’t get a Sprinter similarly equipped for much under $50,000.

I know this is an old post, but hopefully this info helps.

By: Ashley

Ashley — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 01:49:05 +0000

We also only have two so far but we are always dreaming of more. My husband plans to buy me a Suburban when we need more space and have the fourth row of seats put in the back so it will still seat 14. Much safer.

By: MAmaArcher

MAmaArcher — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 21:16:52 +0000

We drive a 15 passenger (actually only has seating for 12 which gives us some storage space). I love it but I will admit that it makes me a bit nervous when it is windy. Since it is so tall the wind seems to really push us around especially if we are distracted. I am not so sure how well it is going to work for us in the Alaskan snow! It is a rear wheel drive too! oh well, God provided it, it is in excellent condition, and paid for! So we will just pray even more for protection as we drive.

By: Quiver Mamma

Quiver Mamma — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 23:18:19 +0000

We seriously considered a Suburban when we were buying, and that was before we were saved, so we were still only planning on 2 - 3 kids! I can’t quite remember why we decided to go with a truck instead, but I think we maybe read about transmissions in Suburbans being troublesome? Hmm, not sure now, my memory is a bit….squirmy! I just wish our truck was a 4 x 4, because our road is totally undeveloped, it is very snowy in the winter and very muddy in the Spring! We had visitors yesterday and they had to park at the start of the road and walk in, but it’s only 5 minutes or so down the road to our house :).

Thanks to everyone for sharing! Stephanie - my DH probablly WILL end up driving a converted schoolbus! We have a real heart for adoption, and he is enough of a hippy, he is totally into the converted schoolbus way of life, LOL!

By: luvs2bemom

luvs2bemom — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 05:24:43 +0000

We heve four children and are expecting Baby #5 in Nov. We currently drive a minivan that seats 7 and a Dodge truck that holds 6. I have wanted a 15 passenger van for sometime, but my hubby would rather have a Surburban. Thanks for the info.
Belinda

By: Tracy

Tracy — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 21:17:18 +0000

Thank you for sharing this article. We have nine children currently and have had a 15 passenger for sometime. We driven three different makes and models and there are some that make me think they are less safe than others simply because of the wheel base. Personally, I wouldn’t have any trouble purchasing one again but I will always stay away from a Dodge. The Ford vans run really great (we think), but because the wheel base is not as long, I think that people tend to drive them like smaller vehicles (I know that this is hard to imagine if you have never driven one, but it’s true they feel like you are just driving a mini-van) and I would think that this would make them more prone to accidents. The Chevy’s have a longer wheel base and it is harder to park, back up, etc., but because of this, they make us drive extra carefully.

Thank you for this post!

Tracy

By: Stephanie in Canada

Stephanie in Canada — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 18:26:31 +0000

we’ve got six children, and are expecting #7 any day now… we found a Suburban with a bench front seat, so we can seat everyone (including this new baby) but we read this news with consternation, too… My dh isn’t enough of a hippy to drive a converted school bus, though that would probably work really well for us - and he doesn’t like the look of the new Sprinters… i’ll be looking at that pdf for sure! We also live in the Rocky Mountains, and need something with 4X4 to get through the 6 mo winter season…