Car Review: The Sienna

So, we've been thinking of new cars lately. We are, however, taking it slow. We have two great cars - and the best part is that we have no car payment! It's hard to go back to that, but it is inevitable. Not only do our cars have a combined 297,000 miles on them but we are pressed for room especially on long trips when Ashley ends up sitting between two car seats in the Corolla.

So, first up on the list - a Toyota Sienna. We took the Corolla in for new tires since we'll keep it as our second car, so we borrowed this van for the day on Saturday. We went through a drive through and looked the person in the eyes - strange. Then we drove it on the interstate - very quiet! After a drive through a suburbia neighborhood next to campus, we visited Mike the Tiger and had a walk around campus to see how it was to take out and put back in the stroller.

The first improvement is that you can put a child in a carseat without bending over and putting your back at risk (we've both had several days of not being able to move well due to back pain we are attributing to the infant car seat - and perhaps a little of the 30's).

Improvement #2 - Eden can get in and out by herself, and she would have a choice between the "front' and the "back" (second and third row). She got a kick out of sitting in the way back. We told her that we would not be able to hand her things if she sat way back there. Her response? "You can throw it."

Improvement #3: More storage. Now, we can get a surprising amount of stuff in the trunk of our Corolla. Seriously, more than you might think. But, with the seats down in this one, I think we could pack our entire house.

And, I think that is why this will ultimately not work ... TOO big, perhaps. Ashley said it felt like a cargo van and that the dash was too large making her feel 4 feet tall. So, the next on the list is the Honda Pilot and other third row SUVs. Updates to come!