vans - out with the recent, in with the newer

 That title is a nod to my last van post from nearly a year ago, "Out with the old, in with the new", wherein we bought our 2005 silver Toyota Sienna. On April 7th we bought a new-to-us van, a navy blue 2007 Honda Odyssey. 

We were not in the market for a new van after all we had done to spruce up the Toyota (which was a ton of work), but Terry was keeping an eye out for suitable replacement vans for his sister.

This is first photo of our new-to-us Toyota from last June after Terry drove to Sioux Falls and back in a single day to buy it. 

While on a run on March 28th, he noticed, not for the first time since he often runs that way, this navy Honda van on a corner a half mile away. That particular day he finally stopped and took some pictures and sent them to Jesse, Shari, I. I was impressed by the van and thought Jesse would go look at it. 

But after about a week with no interest from Jesse, we decided to go and test drive it on Monday, April 2. It had less miles than the Toyota, was two years newer, and was in much better shape as we discovered as we drove along. 

We drove up and down the interstate, liking what we were seeing and experiencing. We stopped at the gas station across from Applebees to turn around and to give me a chance to drive it. I loved how it drove and accelerated. Somehow it was smoother and more responsive. 

Before we returned the van we went back home and picked up the kids to give them a chance to experience it as well. We tested the DVD system with a movie of our own and that's why half of them aren't paying attention. The screen is smaller than the after market player in the Toyota, but it works better, plus the volume is controlled by the van sound system (instead of just the player). During our sabbatical trip, the Toyota's DVD player would give us fits half the time and refuse to work. Also, at first we thought the Toyota had the better sound system but we were wrong, the Honda is far superior. Also the road noise is less than the Toyota, something curious because I'd always read that Honda's have a lot of road noise. Also the Toyota had a lot of annoying sounds that came out of a loose component in the dash. The Honda is so much more quiet. It was cleaner and in better overall shape. It wasn't a pig sty like the Toyota had been when we bought it, the paint looks better, the leather is in better condition. It did need the 100,000 mile timing belt, water pump, some brakes and rotors, but that's minor compared to all we did to that Toyota.

It was super neat how it all worked out. That morning when we picked up the van I realized that the owner was the husband of a woman I work with. We were able to meet with them "by chance" just in time before they left for a week long trip to Colorado. Terry talked to the man later that day and they agreed on a very good and fair price, something within our reach if we could sell our Toyota. I don't think the price would have been the same if we hadn't have known them. That was another blessing. When we were buying the van a week later, he was telling us how he'd been trying to sell the van for weeks but no one bit. We told him it was because the Lord wanted us to have it. We weren't looking for this van and yet it's been an unexpected blessing from beginning to end. 

So after they decided on a price, I went to work cleaning out our Toyota to list it. I spent the entire afternoon detailing it, despite the light snow that was falling. I kept having to vacuum up snow flakes! Ha! Since it was so cold and I didn't want to wait for nicer weather, I drove down to a car wash and cleaned it up myself. Right away I pulled off the road and took a bunch of pictures for Terry to post. I would've preferred him to do it immediately, but he had work to do! So he posted that evening, which was a Monday.

It was sold and gone by Thursday night! 

Seriously, how amazing is that?! We received only one inquiry and she was the one who bought it. She and her sister foster five kids and they needed the room their current car didn't have. Thus, it was even a blessing to them! That night after they took the van, Terry and I just prayed in gratefulness over such quick and unexpected blessing. It was like the stars aligned but we know that's not how it works. Sometimes God just shows up.  

We had to wait through the weekend to get the new van since the family was still in Colorado. But when they came home a day early on Saturday April 7, they got it all cleaned up, called us, and we went over there to get it. Squee!!

I even put new Star Wars stickers on the back. Hopefully this will be the last for a while, since I'm almost out. 

The following day I cleaned up the Honda, which wasn't nearly as arduous and back breaking as when I did the Toyota. This van is in much better shape. Then the following night, Monday April 8th, we took our maiden voyage in it to my folks' house to have dinner with them and my Aunt Nancy who my dad had just helped drive back from her winter home in Arizona. It was so fun to drive in altogether! We're loving this new van!