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The story
A thread that began as a car-buying consultation from a family of four (the poster, his wife, a 2-year-old, and a newborn) turned into a discussion about choosing a vehicle that could also accommodate grandparents down the line. The first piece of advice was that “sliding doors are a must if you have kids” — nearly everyone agreed, citing the need to prevent so-called “door dings,” where kids fling doors open in parking lots without checking their surroundings and hit the car next to them. When it came to specific models, though, opinions split: the Serena, Freed, Sienta, Odyssey, and Nissan Leaf were all mentioned, with some prioritizing interior space and others prioritizing price. Commenters also debated, drawing on personal experience, whether a 6-seat vehicle was really necessary to fit grandparents and whether third-row seats could handle long-distance trips.
What people said
4 people (me, the wife, a 2-year-old, and a newborn)
Both sets of parents live nearby, so I'm factoring in driving the grandparents around too
Guess I should've gone with sliding doors?
If you've got kids, sliding doors are non-negotiable
You're fine while they're a newborn
But by your next inspection or the one after, they'll be opening doors themselves, so go sliding
I've got a Note right now but I'm scared of door dings, so I'm about due for a trade-in
Used Freeds are cheap but cramped
I get the impression Serenas break down easily
On the flip side, the Sienta and Freed seem cramped
What are you driving now?
They're all basically the same anyway
Oh really?
Guess I'll just do that then
I figure I should also plan ahead in case we have a third kid
Once the kids are a bit bigger you can step up to Serena-class
I see
Guess I'll go that route then
Yeah, might do that next time I buy
Are sliding doors really that essential though?
It's less that sliding doors are just nice and more that kids fling the door open without looking and hit the car next to you, so they're basically mandatory
That's a pretty tall order
Not that different from a Serena
The Freed and Sienta have an awkward, in-between amount of space that's hard to use
Is the Serena a bad choice?
Assuming the national and Tokyo subsidies carry over into next year
I don't know much about EVs, but how many seats does the Leaf even have?
The Serena's a no-go — search around and you'll see why
I'll look into it
Though I get the feeling it'll start breaking down after about 10 years
If you're doing long highway drives, you definitely want them
Makes a huge difference in comfort
Why's this Odyssey so cheap?
Doubt there's a car this size with this much interior space anymore
Like 4 years ago you could get a 10-year-old Sienta for around 700,000 yen
A Toyota Isis goes for about that now
Nice, that works!
Though if you're planning long trips, you'll need Serena-level size for all the luggage
N-BOXes are ridiculously expensive whether new or used
I have no idea what it would even take for one to feel like a good deal
I love traveling, so I do a couple of 1,000km+ round trips a year
Plus the occasional 2-3 hour highway trip
I'm not considering a kei car
Besides, those can't seat 5 or more anyway
Since I sometimes drive the grandparents too, a 6-seater is a must
Sounds like a similar situation to mine
How's the Sienta's third row in practice?
I'm thinking about a roughly 4-hour highway trip with the grandparents and I'm curious if it's actually doable
I drove from Chiba to Nagano
My mom slept like a baby the whole way, even in the third row
Oh, is that right
Guess a Sienta could work then
Probably depends on how big your grandparents are, and keep in mind using the third row kills your trunk space
I wonder if the Sienta's third row is actually spacious — my grandma said even the second row felt cramped and she hated it
Background and Key Points of the Discussion
The advice that “sliding doors are the only choice if you have kids” is standard wisdom in 5ch parenting threads, offered as a defense against so-called “door dings” — kids swinging car doors open in parking lots without checking their surroundings and hitting the car parked next to them — and commenters were unanimous on that point this time as well. Opinions on specific models, however, were split, pitting the trunk-space-and-price-balanced Freed and Sienta against the more spacious Serena and Odyssey. Once a 6-seat capacity for carrying grandparents became a requirement, kei cars and the N-BOX were ruled out, and the discussion turned to whether third-row seats could handle long-distance trips — though this turned out to depend less on the vehicle class than on the size and stamina of the grandparents riding along, leading posters to offer conflicting assessments based on their own experience. Some commenters also expressed surprise at rising used-car prices, a trend that has been noted in recent years due to new-car supply issues and increased demand, and isn’t unique to this particular vehicle. Comments about EVs like the Nissan Leaf were premised on subsidies continuing, underscoring how dependent that topic is on government policy.
※This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Nandemo Jikkyo G) thread “Trying to decide what car to buy (family of four).”
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