Conversion Van for Growing Family

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lifeisbeautiful

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Does anyone have any advice they would like to share with someone looking into purchasing a conversion van? We have been looking for a new (pref. used) vehicle for a while, and it seems like we are getting to a point where we might have to purchase one within the next month, if not definitely before this baby arrives, our 6th family member. We wanted something with 9 seats or more (less than 15 if possible), and it seems like we will be getting a conversion van. I know they have a higher center of gravity, but aside from that, is there anything else you think we should know? Any advice as to what to look for, what to avoid, etc. We travel a lot (we might be going 2k miles away pretty soon) and right now we have a 3 yr old, a 2 yr old and a soon to be 1 yr old, so we need car seat space and accessibility. We were also wondering if anyone knows if there are any vans that sell a bench seat that can replace two captain seats if we were to outgrow the 9 seater.
 
From www.safetyforum.com/passengervans

A major problem is that the 15-passenger van has a high center of gravity. That center shifts even higher and rearward as more occupants board. The rearward shift gives the van a propensity to “fishtail” and the upward shift increases its likelihood of overturning. The combination of lateral slide of the rear tires – fishtailing – and the “top-heavy” design compound the risk of rollover. Dangerous stability problems, not noticeable to average drivers, become all too apparent in emergency steering situations, such as swerving to avoid an obstacle or a sudden tire failure at highway speed. A van that is fishtailing is out of control. The more heavily loaded the van, the greater the gravity shift and the more likely it is to overturn, with tragic consequences.

Once the van does overturn, its occupants are exposed to even greater hazards than those of most vehicles: • A lack of structural integrity that could protect the passenger compartment from collapse or intrusion.

• Inadequate crash padding that could protect passengers from being thrown against hard surfaces.

• Lack of laminated side windows that might “cushion” someone thrown against them rather than shatter and permit ejection.

• Lack of emergency exits and traffic-control safety features standard on regular school buses.

Such shortcomings make the 15-passenger van literally a death trap on wheels, a trap merely awaiting an opportunity to spring on unwary passengers and driver.
 
HouseArrest said:
From www.safetyforum.com/passengervans

A major problem is that the 15-passenger van has a high center of gravity. That center shifts even higher and rearward as more occupants board. The rearward shift gives the van a propensity to “fishtail” and the upward shift increases its likelihood of overturning. The combination of lateral slide of the rear tires – fishtailing – and the “top-heavy” design compound the risk of rollover. Dangerous stability problems, not noticeable to average drivers, become all too apparent in emergency steering situations, such as swerving to avoid an obstacle or a sudden tire failure at highway speed. A van that is fishtailing is out of control. The more heavily loaded the van, the greater the gravity shift and the more likely it is to overturn, with tragic consequences.

Once the van does overturn, its occupants are exposed to even greater hazards than those of most vehicles: • A lack of structural integrity that could protect the passenger compartment from collapse or intrusion.

• Inadequate crash padding that could protect passengers from being thrown against hard surfaces.

• Lack of laminated side windows that might “cushion” someone thrown against them rather than shatter and permit ejection.

• Lack of emergency exits and traffic-control safety features standard on regular school buses.

Such shortcomings make the 15-passenger van literally a death trap on wheels, a trap merely awaiting an opportunity to spring on unwary passengers and driver.
Click to expand...
Gee, don’t sugar coat it on our account:eek:
 
HouseArrest said:
From www.safetyforum.com/passengervans

A major problem is that the 15-passenger van has a high center of gravity. That center shifts even higher and rearward as more occupants board. The rearward shift gives the van a propensity to “fishtail” and the upward shift increases its likelihood of overturning. The combination of lateral slide of the rear tires – fishtailing – and the “top-heavy” design compound the risk of rollover. Dangerous stability problems, not noticeable to average drivers, become all too apparent in emergency steering situations, such as swerving to avoid an obstacle or a sudden tire failure at highway speed. A van that is fishtailing is out of control. The more heavily loaded the van, the greater the gravity shift and the more likely it is to overturn, with tragic consequences.

Once the van does overturn, its occupants are exposed to even greater hazards than those of most vehicles: • A lack of structural integrity that could protect the passenger compartment from collapse or intrusion.

• Inadequate crash padding that could protect passengers from being thrown against hard surfaces.

• Lack of laminated side windows that might “cushion” someone thrown against them rather than shatter and permit ejection.

• Lack of emergency exits and traffic-control safety features standard on regular school buses.

Such shortcomings make the 15-passenger van literally a death trap on wheels, a trap merely awaiting an opportunity to spring on unwary passengers and driver.
Click to expand...
Wow, I read about the problem with 15 passenger vans yesterday, but the language was a bit less alarming. This is why I wrote we wanted less than 15 if possible, but this is definitely something to keep present when looking at options. Thanks.
 
A small bus? I know the Duggars have one, and that seemed like a great option, IMHO, anyway. Good for the expanding family 😉
 
happymommy said:
you could paint it like the partridge family bus:D
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LoL! Or not.

I know thay also have an 18(?) passenger bus that has bunks. Now that’s the way to travel cross country with a family of 20+!
 
PatienceAndLove said:
LoL! Or not.

I know thay also have an 18(?) passenger bus that has bunks. Now that’s the way to travel cross country with a family of 20+!
Click to expand...
that bus is awesome! Better than any motor home or pop-up camper we had when I was a kid!! And they paid a fraction of the price for it because someone had it the back end of it, but the engine and everything else was fine!! They bought parts off another bus that’s engine was shot!!
If you are going to travel with 20 people, that’s the way to do it!!

but I still think lifeisbeautiful should get a small school bus and have the kids paint it. She could post pictures on the crafty mommy thread:D
 
When we get some money I want to find a used Dodge Sprinter Van:
dodge.com/en/2009/sprinter/

safer, seating for 12 depending on the kind you get, comfy seats, roomy, you can get them so that the floor can be rinsed out 😉
 
Jennifer_J said:
When we get some money I want to find a used Dodge Sprinter Van:
dodge.com/en/2009/sprinter/

safer, seating for 12 depending on the kind you get, comfy seats, roomy, you can get them so that the floor can be rinsed out 😉
Click to expand...
wow, that’s some van!! You just want your kids to think you are a cool mommy:cool: You’ll win too, because that is “way cooler” than my mini-van ( which I always said I would never own:blush: )
 
happymommy said:
wow, that’s some van!! You just want your kids to think you are a cool mommy:cool: You’ll win too, because that is “way cooler” than my mini-van ( which I always said I would never own:blush: )
Click to expand...
Yes, it is way cool, but I really just want all the kids to be comfy. We have a Suburban and they are either squished or not comfortable. We added an extra seat in the back for our oldest son, but I worry about him sitting there and that seat sits straight up–not good for long trips. We also have an old minivan that dh drives. We can’t even all fit into that. So, the Sprinter is my dream car. It will probably never happen, they are just so darn expensive!
 
Jennifer_J said:
When we get some money I want to find a used Dodge Sprinter Van:
dodge.com/en/2009/sprinter/

safer, seating for 12 depending on the kind you get, comfy seats, roomy, you can get them so that the floor can be rinsed out 😉
Click to expand...
A fam at our parish has this one…they love it. They just had their 7th kid. Of course, they don’t have to make room for their oldest DD anymore…she’s 18 and in the convent in Nashville 👍
 
please pray for DD#2 who swore she would never drive a mini-van, or be a “van mom” like her sister–may be preggers again, and the Saturn just ain’t cuttin’ it. just with 2 kids that had to drive both cars to our family vacation one for the kids, one for the luggage, so yep they are putting the tax refund down on a van. she wants to know, are the mommy jeans, baseball cap and sneakers mandatory for van chauffeurs.
 
puzzleannie said:
please pray for DD#2 who swore she would never drive a mini-van, or be a “van mom” like her sister–may be preggers again, and the Saturn just ain’t cuttin’ it. just with 2 kids that had to drive both cars to our family vacation one for the kids, one for the luggage, so yep they are putting the tax refund down on a van. she wants to know, are the mommy jeans, baseball cap and sneakers mandatory for van chauffeurs.
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ROTFL!
Mom Jeans via SNL
 
In my mind, a conversion van is a van that is sort of like a mini-RV -

Our conversion van has 4 captians seats, a bench that makes into a bed in the back, and two pop down jump seats behind that. For a long trip, it can seat 7 - for a short trip you can seat 10, but, those jump seats do not have seat belts. The roof is raised, so, you can move around more.

We purchased ours used at a very good price.
 
Jennifer_J said:
When we get some money I want to find a used Dodge Sprinter Van:
dodge.com/en/2009/sprinter/

safer, seating for 12 depending on the kind you get, comfy seats, roomy, you can get them so that the floor can be rinsed out 😉
Click to expand...
Ohh, I met a girl at the Post Office with one of those, she had bought it like 600 miles away. They run on diesel, right? I wonder if there are any used ones around.
 
PatienceAndLove said:
A small bus? I know the Duggars have one, and that seemed like a great option, IMHO, anyway. Good for the expanding family 😉
Click to expand...
Lol, well my fil had bought a school bus for the job site where they worked to bring men to and from the security gate, and dh always joked he was going to take it home for us one day. They sold it :).
happymommy said:
you could paint it like the partridge family bus:D
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Oh lol, uhm no, I don’t wanna drive a Partridge Family Bus lol. One time when we were little on our way home from school a guy went up to my mom and offered her to paint the words School Bus on her Toyota van. In the area where we lived there were people with like 15 passenger vans that would be privately hired to take kids to school, and so he thought we were one of those (and we were only 4 kids).
 
kage_ar said:
In my mind, a conversion van is a van that is sort of like a mini-RV -
Click to expand...
Maybe thats why I like it 🙂 Growing up I always wanted a motorhome. We had a huge family reunion once when I was little and one of my, like, 7th cousins or something, came in a motorhome and I thought that was the neatest thing in the world. It wasn’t until recently that I saw they can cost like 100k, ouch!
 
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