Buying A New MiniVan Help

[Melisande]

Ok So this weekend Dad is buying a new minivan. He tried looking in magazines which did not help. So I thought where do I know a good group of opinionated people who will tell it like it is? Yeah yall are opinionated in a good way most of the time. So I beg of you tell me what you love or hate about your minivan please. If you would recommend it or not. Minivans only not SUVs. What kind of gas mileage are you getting?

BTW we need things that seat 7ish people prefably. Hence we are leaning towards minivans. Its nothing personal against the SUVs but if I am in the car with my 4 kids and my niece too yeah we need a 7 seater.

TIA,

B

 

[SM81206]

i hear that the honda odyssey? not sure of the spelling is the best as mini vans go but they are on the higher end. I understand the want for more space!! i would pick mini van over a suv anyday

 

[Bethenny]

My SUV seats 7, if that's your only requirement. There's even and option for 8.

 

[diz8297]

We love our Kia Sedona!!

 

[tvguy]

I'd look at the Kia, but the Chrysler/Dodge minivans have the best layout, that deep well behind the third seat will carry a ton of luggage.

 

[Diane♥Disney]

I love everything about my Honda Odyssey

 

[skuttle]

We have a Chevy Traverse. I consider it a minivan just without the sliding door. It seats 7 (we have captains chairs as our second row, otherwise you could seat 8 with a bench seat on the second row).

 

[tinatark]

What's your budget? Are you looking for new or used? Do you "love" or "loathe" any particular brand of vehicle?

You can get a Sienna or Odyssey - top rated

Grand Caravan - get a great deal on a 1-2 year old, thanks to initial depreciation

Kia - even worse depreciation, but many owners seem to love it

Pontiac Transport/Saturn Relay/Chevy (can't remember the 3rd version, these are very similar) - you can get a great deal, especially on the Pontiac and Saturn, since those brands are being discontinued - but parts should be interchangeable with the Chevy.

VW has a new mini van - it's pretty nice, from the ads I've seen.

I would stick with a van (even though I drive a Yukon Denali XL - LARGE SUV) - more storage and flexibility with a mini van, and usually a better ride and better gas mileage, too.

 

[phillmolly]

I have been very happy with my Dodge Caravan, we can sit 7 and that is with two car seats installed. We have the built in DVD player which I love, all the kids in the family always want to ride in my van, LOL! We got a great deal on it when they had the cash for clunkers program, we got it for 10k less than sticker price, otherwise I probally would have shopped around for a one or two year old used van. Before we got the Carvan I was really leaning towards a Chrylser Town and Country. There are two things that I really wish my van had, built in GPS and automatic doors and a power lift gate. The one huge plus for me is that my van has a rear view camera, a lifesaver for me!

 

[Disneycrazy!!]

We had to purchase a new vehicle earlier this month, so I went to look at Toyota Camry's. With 3 kids, 2 in car seats, I told my hubby there is no way we can all fit in the camry with luggage and 2 dogs. So we looked at the Sienna Vans. I was dead set against a minivan, until I looked inside and seen how nice they are and how much room they have.

We bought it of course and I LOVE my Sienna minivan!! I am so HAPPy we bought it! It is easy to drive and I get 24 MPG on HWY and 19 to 20 in the city. I drive fast on HWYS , about 75 to 80 mph. It fits 8 people but on the second row, the middle seat is removable. There is plenty of room in the back for luggage! Also the back seats fold down flat and make a huge trunk area if you need to haul anything large. Say...a 52 inch TV and new vacum cleaner, with a double stroller in back. It also has a reverse camera to see backing up with! Automatic doors, bluetooth hands free phone (phone routes thru speakers in van) and other options.

 

[jlmarr]

We're interested in a minivan in which you can comfortably lay down on the 2nd row seats (i.e. a comfortable bench seat) for long trips. I've heard most of the current models have 2nd row buckets or fold up in such a way that they aren't comfortable benches. Anybody know about that?

 

[GeorgeG]

We bought a new Toyota Sienna last October and love it. We drove it to New York in a blizzard a week before Christmas and, while not fun, it was a rock. I think the front wheel drive made a difference.

 

[Abbie]

I love everything about my Honda Odyssey

Yep, us too!

 

[debranator]

I have a new Chrysler town and country...
It seems to be..the most popular van on the road here.
i have already made 8 trips in it from NY to Fla...
it costs me about 240 each way in gas....
and..I was stuck in the huge Feb. blizzard..and..it was great.
I do love it..it has room for all my monsters..and it has a ton of features..
that I have not seen elsewhere...
room in the center console for my large handbag..a must
and..the back windows roll down..and all the doors including the trunk..open and close with power.
But..here is the bad part...the doors on the side..keep sticking..it is under warranty of course..but..it seems they all have that problem.
But..it is fun to drive..and..I would buy it again.

 

[mickeygirl14]

Yep, us too!

We also love our Honda Odyssey. A "Mom" must've been in on the design meetings when they were developing these mini-vans.

 

[jlkhorn]

Another vote for the Honda Odyssey! We LOVE LOVE LOVE ours. Siennas are nice too, but I know someone who has one and I still like the Odyssey lots better.

 

[Melisande]

Thanks everyone for your thoughts so far. Yeah its not so much about it being a minivan so much as good seating options and not being a huge monster like the denali or the tahoe. I have driven a tahoe (and an expedition) and I dont like it. *shiver* Thats me and if it makes you happy so be it. I am not here to pick on anyone. We all have our driving preferences. I just love the way most minivans drive and they have the amount of seats I want.

B

 

[KiminChicago]

We have a Chrysler Town & Country with the seats that fold into the floor and we love it. It really came in handy last year when my son was in his school musical. I was the head of the set committee and most of the other parents were amazed that I could get whole sheets of plywood into the back. And, when we have the seats up, the space where the seats would fold into becomes more storage space for items we may not want visible if someone looks into the car (DS likes to put his DS there if he needs to exit the car). The cool part of the split rear bench seat is that it also flips over so that you can sit on it with the rear hatch open. We've used that for watching fireworks displays.

 

[bballmom56]

We all have our driving preferences. I just love the way most minivans drive and they have the amount of seats I want.

That is why we are on our second minivan and our second Dodge Caravan. I love sitting up higher (than in a car) while driving. I love being able to fit 7 people. It handles well and has never let me down. We have moved 2 kids in and out of college dorms for several years and have been able to fit everything in one trip by removing the third row bench seat. Our second row also comes out if desired.

That being said, the kids have grown into adult-size people and it really is not very comfortable for them now. We put several of DS's friends in one time and when we got out it was like opening a sardine can! So I think our next option will be a mid size SUV with less seating, but more passenger room.

 

[DeniseinNS]

I'd look at the Kia, but the Chrysler/Dodge minivans have the best layout, that deep well behind the third seat will carry a ton of luggage.

We just looked at the Kia Sedona on the weekend and they seem to have the same trunk space at the Caravan.

We have had 2 Caravans (2006 and 2008) and they were nothing but problems.

If I could buy any van I'd definatly go with the Honda Odyssey.