<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" ><tr><td valign="top" style="font: inherit;"><DIV>On the BUV discussion, I have a 2000 Ford Windstar named Eloise. I used her as my primary car/BUV for six years and then she became the second car when gas prices shot through the roof and I was commuting 50 miles round trip every day. (I drive a Honda CRV as my primary vehicle.) The old van still has a lot of good miles in her since she has only about 70k on her and I wouldn't trade her off for anything for hauling or long trip driving. </DIV>
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<DIV>This car has two bucket or "captain's" seats in the front, two "captain's seats" in the second row, and a bench seat that will fold over in the third row. I think--don't remember exactly--that rear seat may also fold flat like a bed. Right now, I've got all of the seats pulled out out so the four kids have plenty of room to lounge on their pillows. The drawback to this van is that the seats are heavier than sin and require one or two agile and muscular bodies to move them, neither of which quality I possess. The seats do fold for moving, which helps, and fortunately, my last neighbor had two teenaged sons who would "work for pizza". LOL I had them store the seats in the garage. When I moved here two and a half years ago, the seats went on the moving van. They haven't been back in the van, and are so buried in the storage room I may never be able to trade the van
off!</DIV>
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<DIV>I love the two sliding side doors for easy loading, although I do have a ramp (<A href="http://www.DogRamp.com">www.DogRamp.com</A>) which I use for my non-kangaroo adult houndie kids. When I do put crates in each crate faces either a door or the back hatch door, and I can get four crates in comfortably and have cargo room between them. I put stuff on top of the crates. too, as there is plenty of head room.</DIV>
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<DIV>Eloise has been very reliable and has had no major mechanical problems. I put gas and oil and air into her pretty regularly and she just keeps on going. Someday, when I do finally replace her, I would like a Honda Odyssey, but I will wait until they figure out how to make the "disappearing" seats.</DIV>
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<DIV>Happy New Year drool to all!!</DIV>
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<DIV>Lisa Metzler</DIV>
<DIV>Penelope, Jasmine, Pelly, and Addie-Lou Roo, the SLEEPING Baby Kangaroo Basset<BR></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT face="comic sans ms" color=#c00000 size=3>L.K. Metzler<BR>San Marcos, TX </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#c00000 size=3><A href="mailto:toppogigio@yahoo.com" target=_blank rel=nofollow>toppogigio@yahoo.com</A></FONT></DIV>
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<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN><FONT face="comic sans ms"><FONT color=#c00000 size=3>"A dog wags its tail with its heart." - Martin Buxbaum </FONT></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
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<DIV>"If dogs could talk it would take a lot of the fun out of owning one." -- Andy Rooney </DIV></SPAN></FONT></DIV></DIV></DIV></td></tr></table>