We have 5 children..ages: 12, 11, 10, 2 and 2. They are young so we will be traveling together as a family for a while. We currently have a Honda odyssey...love it. It's perfect for around town. The thing is, we do a lot of travelling by van. We're talking 20 hr road trips a few times a year and somethimes my parents come to (and, due to room, they need to drive separately). We are considering purchasing a 9 passenger van as a third vehicle. I would not want to drive one daily, nor would I need to, but it would be great to have more room for our road trips.
if you own one:
What do you think of it?
How does it handle?
What kind do you have?
Any other advice?
Thanks..
Jess
Jess, We have a GMC Raised Roof Conversion van. I love it. My youngest daughter graduates from high school this year and I cannot tell you how much we have enjoyed and used it.
We have vacationed, carried kids to sporting events - both near and far, took a van load of kids to the movie, etc. more times than I can count.
This is our third van over the years. They are also great with little ones, no more fastening babies in car seats with your rear sticking out in the rain/cold. Ours has a flat screen TV, DVD player and a gaming system can be hooked up. Between the front stereo, TV in the middle and a separate rear stereo (headphones) a variety of tastes and choices of entertainment can be accommodated.
The rear seat folds down at the push of a button to become a queen sized bed, if we get tired we can just stop and rest. There is plenty of room for luggage and if we are on a long trip we have a "rear porch" rack that mounts in the bumper hitch.
Guess you can tell, I really like my van. We have other cars but I hope we always have a van in our driveway. They are hard to beat for comfort. Mine drives very easily, in fact the size and weight make it hug the road extremely well. My daughter learned to drive using my van - if she could learn with something large we thought she could drive anything. It has decent pickup and steers well. Gas mileage is not too bad, about 18 -20 miles per gallon on the road.
With several children I think you will enjoy a van a lot. It has always amused me when my daughter's friend want to ride with us rather than their family's SUVs and cars. They think my van is the "fun car". My other car is a convertible and except for a few occasions they would rather ride in "Big Mama".
Penny
Hope this helps you a little.
