Minvan pros and cons.

[ChiTownZee]

We are going to be getting a new car soon and I want a minvan, but my husband doesn't. I'm making a list of Pros and cons of a minivan (mostly pros ;) ) and I want to make the list as long as possible. To those that have minivans, what do you like about it that I might not be thinking of? Anything directly related to the happiness/safety of your children is even better! LOL ;)

[ratsrule]

PRO

You can fit a ton of crap in them including kids


CON

Hard to pick up chicks while driving the family truckster

[bananiem]

Pros: Smooth ride, each kid can pick there own seat or row, you can seperate bickering kids thereby making YOUR ride more enjoyable:), safety features, being able to take out a seat and haul big stuff without a truck, visibility ( big windows), the ability to carpool, being able to go visit our parents and all fit into one vehicle when we go to dinner or church...
We love our van and are on our 2nd one!:Pinkbounc

Cons: Can't think of one!!! We had an suv and small car before our 1st van. We honestly haven't regretted it one bit.

[Lisa L from MI]

I am 36, married, with 2 kids...ages 6 and 9. We got our first minivan in 1996. I remember saying before that "I would NEVER own a minivan"!!!

I LOVED it. We leased that for 3 years and in 1999 got another one. If you have young kids...it is a MUST!!!

But, after 6 years of having a mini-van....plus my kids are getting older...we now are leasing a Dodge Ram Quad Cab....it's a cool truck.

It is just a very good "family" vehicle. I know you will love it....especially if you never owned one before.

I am partial to the Dodge Caravans too. I drove my FIL's Windstar and it didn't compare at all how the Caravan drove.

I can't even think of any cons.

[shep]

Cons---you have to drive everywhere cause you can take the most people
People wanting to borrow it because they don't have one..:rolleyes:

[bananiem]

I wanted to add that it depends on how much travelling you do as well. Our blazer had so little "trunk" space that we had to buy oneof those dog cage wall things to hold our luggage back so it didn't fall forward onto the kids in the middle row. With a van the same amount of stuff only goes halfway up the last seat.

[ratsrule]

OHHH

I thought of another PRO

You can take the seats out and..............

Well then you need a bumber sticker

"IF THIS MINI VAN IS A ROCKIN' DON'T COME KNOCKIN'"

:p

[alabamaalan]

Anyone else get "The John Boy and Billy Big Show" as a syndicated radio program?

I AM married man!!

In other words, I happily drive my Dodge Grand Caravan. Before that I was in a Pontiac Grand Am. My wife, her guide dog, and I could fill it up easily with luggage on a trip.

Once we had a child, we needed the room and I love it!

The ride is smooth; I sit higher up (nice for drive thrus) and we have 4 "Captain's chairs" so that we can walk freely to the bench seat in the back.

Plenty of room for luggage, coolers, etc.

[hercamore]

OUr mini van is l0 yrs old now. It's still in good shape inside and out. At that time, I never wanted a minivan and my dh did. It was one of the best investments we ever made.

It is a true workhorse for us. We just filled it to the max with dds college stuff two wekks ago.

The only downside I can think of is most minivans gets worse mpg than a regular car, but still better than SUVS.

Herc.

[The Mystery Machine]

PROS- If you have a family it makes your life easier. Esp. if you get a DVD or VCR player & also get the remote that shuts the door, then you don't have to get out in the rain when the kids are older that is. I don't have that feature but I wish I did. You can cart kids around for sports, girl scouts etc..Also you can't carpool to functions, if you don't have the room.

Cons- none, unless you count gas mileage but if you get a family car you probably won't get a car that has terrific mileage anyway.

SUV's are TRUCKS, they are bouncy. We have an exploder, oops Explorer. It is a killer to drive, meaning it just bounces me to death, my back actually gets sore from driving it. I know you can get a smoother riding SUV's like the Tahoe you can buy the "riding package" which is alot smoother. I prefer my van. We have the Town and Country. Although we would like the Honda Odessey. The seats flip down instead of having to take them out & it has the best safety rating.

[tar heel]

I feel that I'm a much better driver in my minivan because I can see the road, traffic, etc. so much better. I'm trying to drive our third car (an older Olds Cutlass) to work at least once a week since our ds went off to college, and I'm amazed at how much more limited the visibility is.

[Pin Wizard]

Actually, being the designated mom to drive is a good thing. DS's friends think we're the cool ones. :) I'll be driving some of the scouts on a field trip. Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Lots of room for lots of stuff.

You can see OVER the car in front of you! This was one of the greatest things for me.

Your LARGE dog actually fits inside! I had a Camaro prior to my van. The dog took up the whole front seat! Now I wish I never had that Camaro...what a waste of money it was. Wished I had gotten the van years sooner. :teeth:

[snoopy]

I just got rid of my minivan yesterday, as a matter of fact. I had a Honda Odyssey. It was a good van, it never gave me a bit of trouble, but I wanted something different, so I got a Chevy Blazer instead. So now we have 2 cars, 2 SUVs and a motorcycle. :rolleyes: (and no driveway or garage to put all these cars in - I think its time to move!)

The pros: If you have a baby or a toddler, it is so nice to be able to walk into the van and put them in the carseat, rather than hunch over from the outside. This really comes in handy if you are tall. A minivan is also especially nice if you have more than 2 children, or you are used to carting your children's friends around. We only have 2 kids, and we live in the city and do alot of walking to and from friend's homes, so we found we didn't really need the 3rd row of seating. We wanted the extra trunk space rather than the seats. Minivans drive a lot like cars, so that is a plus.

The cons: They are gas hogs! Not as bad as a 4x4 SUV, but pretty bad.

If you are going to buy one, I'd recommend the Honda. Its a really nice van.

[d.kurz]

I loved my Dodge caravan. It was 11 years old and had 120,000 miles on it when someone crashed into me and totaled it. It was still running like a champ. I miss it. Temporarily driving a Chevy Trailblazer, which I don't care for at all.

One of the things I liked best about the caravan was the fantastic visibility. Virtually NO blind spots. Although I avoid backing like the plague (I've had TONS of defensive driving classes due to a driving job) it was by far the EASIEST car EVER to back up in.

Plus the cargo space can't be beat. It fits far more than the trailblazer I'm driving now.

Don't buy a 4 cylinder. It is not enough power.

Good luck in your quest!!

[EROS]

Pro..............Are you kidding????:confused: :confused: :confused:

CON............Ugly; signature vehicle of the soccer mom set. I prefer the SUVs with the third seat;) ;) .........

[Ricola]

Does this say "soccer mom" to you?

http://idisk.mac.com/heins/Public/DISpix/Eurovan.jpg

For functionality, for carrying the things we all need to carry now and then, for transporting a bunch of kids or adults, for comfortable road trips, I don't think they can be beat. :)

And, in a pinch, they are even more economical that a Motel 6. ;)

[POLLY ANN]

The only con that I have is that I seem to be replacing brakes all the time!! I have a 98 Dodge Grand Caravan, and the brakes really don't hold up long. They are a nice ride and do carry ALOT of stuff!

I'd love to get a Honda Odyssey with all the stuff I don't have in my van now (power door openers, vcr/dvd player, rear seat a/c, leather seats).

Good luck with your decision!

[kamgen]

I just have to agree with Eros. I cannot stand minivans. I find them VERY uncomfortable (unless you are the driver) and I don't care much for driving them either.

You can do a lot with a small suv. We have a GMC Jimmy and we drove from MI to FL with three teenagers, about 6 suitcases and pillows and stuff in it. You work with what you got I guess. :)

I would prefer a large SUV, a Tahoe, or even a Navigator. LOL!

Actually, I would rather drive a conversion van or a station wagon. JMHO.

I have seen some I think are nice, including the Mazda MPV, but I am just not into mini-vans right now. I think if you fill all the seats, the "trunk" space is really limited.
I am pushing dh to get a Silverado QUAD cab. :)

Kamy

[d.kurz]

Originally posted by EROS
Pro..............Are you kidding????:confused: :confused: :confused:

CON............Ugly; signature vehicle of the soccer mom set. I prefer the SUVs with the third seat;) ;) .........

OK, EROS, I can take it when you talk about "God" being on vacation, and I can take the HEH club stuff, too. But now you've lumped me in with the soccer mom set. NOW I'm insulted!!!

:D :D :D :D

Besides, an SUV just won't fit all my camping gear!

:D :D :D :D

[EROS]

For all of you minivan roadsters:

http://store5.yimg.com/I/tshirtgiant_1703_3511164

[EROS]

http://carpoint.msn.com/merismus/Gallery/c441263a.jpg

[tiggerlover]

I have a 1999 Dodge Caravan (and I am a soccer mom) and I love it. I enjoy the size and the ability to transport 7 passengers in addition to being able to haul large items or lots of shopping bags. :) I really enjoy sitting up higher than a car and all of the windows. We have had our van for 3-1/2 years and have only had the van in the shop once (and it was not the brakes). A great family car and my DH doesn't mind driving it at all.

:bounce::wave::bounce:

[d.kurz]

EROS, PLEASE!!! Stop! I can't bear it!!

Besides, my DS plays high school football!! Not soccer! Although I will admit I miss the soccer days... I loved the time limit!! But we WALKED to the field...I swear!:D :D :D

[mrsv98]

yea Eros, cause we can all afford a $45,000 Navigator as opposed to a $25,000 minivan :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[llp479]

As someone who swore they would never have a minivan, I just bought my third in June. We had a Plymouth Grand Voyager, Chrysler T&C, and just bought the Chevy Venture WB edition. I have enjoyed them all. The Venture gets around 20MPG in my around town trips. Best part - the DVD player with the headphones!

PS - my kids have never stepped on a soccer field, but when you start with twins...Minivan became a must. Traded in the Grand Cherokee for the first van.

[CaliforniaDreaming]

We have a Grand Caravan. I hate minivans, would rather have an Expedition, Yukon, or Sequoia. :)

[Ricola]

Originally posted by EROS
http://carpoint.msn.com/merismus/Gallery/c441263a.jpg
What does a picture of a beached whale have to do with car talk?:confused: :confused: :jester: :jester:

[DVC-Don]

We are on our 3rd minivan now. We had a young couple next door who would roll their eyes at the mention of a minvan. They had 2 VW Golfs. Then......they had twins. They still insisted they could not stand minivans. We would sit on the porch and watch them wrestle the seats, double stroller and bags into one of the Golfs. I once called out to my wife as the show started so that they could hear, "Come look, they're at it again" and we watched. He came over laughing and said he got our point. They moved, but came back for a visit last year,........in their Honda minivan. It's part of growing up.

[The Mystery Machine]

Yep my neighbors next door bought there first mini van 2 months ago, lol. She's prego with #2.
They said they would never get one either. Ha! They got the Chevy WB version, very nice.

[Zurg]

Pros. More interior space than any SUV everyone and everything fits, they drive great, with the sepreate seats, two sliding doors and a lower entry than a suv it is easier to get in and out, put the laptop on the floor and play a DVD to keep the kids quiet, pretentious yuppies are too status conscious to drive one so you will not be mistaken for one.

http://www.dodge.com/caravan/interior/img/overview_lg.jpg

Cons. The average petentious status conscious yuppie is too status consciously petentious too to drive one. So they give up the space, comfort, ease of access, ride and more money for a SUV built on a pick up chassie. Of course conspiciously spending more money is in fact a goal of the average pretentios status concious yuppies so that not be a con for them so the fake Hummer H2 (pricing will begin at $48,800 manufacturer's suggested retail price) is their ride.

[tigercat]

I love my Grand Caravan SE. I wouldn't trade it for a car if you paid me......although a million $$'s U.S. might be interesting then I'd buy my dream car.. a Town & Country. Since I am only 4' 8" tall the van we have is great. The placement of the windows are such that I can see out and feel safer driving it. As to comfort when I am a passenger the van wins out as well. We also have a neon and I drive it only when I have to. The other vans were not as good for me just the Caravan. I tried the others (Honda ect.) but they didn't work. Now I don't have little one's myself but I do have 2 dgrdd's that I carry, & no soccor here just baseball, but it is me playing it.
tigercat

[Ricola]

LOL Zurg!!!!!!

[Kteacher]

I'm with Eros on this one. I got my second Eddie Baur Explorer last Dec. (love the fold down bench in my new one :) ). I've test driven minivans before and felt like I was driving a box with a go cart motor. Sorry... no minivan for this girl.

[Katie]

okay..we are on our 3rd Minivan..we now have a Grand Caravan.

If I had to do it all over again( and my oldest is now driving his own car)..I would get a SUV...and Expedition or Suburban or a Naviagator!

But...i am now forced to drive this MINIVAN until..my husband buys me a new one( he hates car payments..and always pays cash....)..so that might be awhile!

[Kallison]

We got our Dodge Caravan when I got pregnant with #3. I just could not wrestle getting a toddler and 4 year old in and out of the back seat of my small car. Most of my pros have been listed - biggest one is separating the kids! Carpooling, you can't expect everyone to haul your kid around and never take a turn, unless you really enjoy going to a practice and some lesson or other every night of the week.

And YES my kids play sports, soccer, field hockey, basketball, baseball and track. So I guess that makes me a dreaded "soccer mom." I've never understood why that is something to mock. I juggle my kids' sports schedules - so what, it keeps them busy and out of trouble.

[Zurg]

Originally posted by Kallison
So I guess that makes me a dreaded "soccer mom." I've never understood why that is something to mock...

Bad Mom Bad Mom. Being active and interested in your kids activites. Bad Bad Bad.

You could be focusing on yourself and not them. Just think of all the time in therapy you are depriving them from later in life.

LOL

[Katie]

i AGREE with you Kalli-

my kids are very active

8 yr old-soccer,wrestling(big commitment, basketball, baseball, travel baseball..and boy scouts_he is going to be mySTANDOUTsport player....he plays up in soccer and baseball..due to his ability(hard work..and some raw talent)

10 yr-soccer,baseball,girl scouts, cheerleading..and now band(maybe)

16 yr-HS soccer team, HS track team,(luckily the bus takes him..!)



..and all my friends think I am nuts....but they keep their grades up...they don't sit in front of the TV and get fat eating junk food.(although, we do eat out alot..who has time to cook..while running to 100 sporting events..lol)

The kids that play sports in our community all come from good families..so they are socializing with nice kids!

To me..it is a win win situation!!!-hey plus..i get to socialize tooo...

[zurgswife]

I said i'd never get a minivan either...funny what child number 3 does to your thinking.....I had a grand voyager and now own a grand caravan.....I've loved them both....Had the first for 9 years ..still runs and a friend is enjoying it now....

All my friends have SUV's...I've driven them but if I wanted a truck I'd get a truck....I think my cute little mini van can pretty much hold it's ownwith the SUV gang....:D :D

[DocRafiki]

I wanted an SUV (for my dogs' crates and so I could haul home thrift store finds), but I'm too afraid I'd roll one. (Don't tell me I wouldn't; I'm a very bad driver). So now I'm thinking station wagon or minivan. But no one has really mentioned anything about minivan safety, which is what I'm most interested in.

[jsmith]

Well-we have both two mini-vans and an SUV-I drive a 99 Chevy Tahoe and my husbands company leases him a 2001 Caravan. We have a 93 Caravan that the teenaged DS drives while he rebuilds his 78 Trans Am. There are advantages to both.
The Caravans have a lot of space but because they do not have as much leg room in the seats as the Tahoe we don't get 7 passenger seating (DS 17 is 6'6" and DS 13 is 6'1"). In order to have adequate leg room we remove the middle seat. this limits the cargo capacity pretty seriously for things like camping and long road trips-however that would not be a issue if the kids are small. The Tahoe (no third seat-that was not an option until 2000) has enough leg room for all of us to be comfortable and still haul all the stuff and the very large dog.
The Caravan gets about 20 mpg in the city and 28-30 on the highway compared to 13 and 20 for the Tahoe.
Safety wise both are actually pretty good-Caravans are designed to drop the engine straight down rather than backwards in the event of a head on collision. Both have good visability.
About a 50 50 deal-I like the mini-van better for in city driving and hauling the kids to all the stuff but prefer the Tahoe for long road trips