For those of you who have/had both an SUV & a minivan

[goofy4tink]

I've leased a Mercury Villager, and 3 Windstars. Now, I'm driving the Ford Escape. It's a smallish suv. Terrible milage, but what can you expect from a V6 with 4WD. We only have one child now. And to tell you the truth, I was getting a little tired of being the one to drive everyone everyplace! But, you sure can't beat a minivan for comfort on the long haul. Would I go back to one? Probably not. I like a smaller car. But not for a drive to WDW!!!!

 

[KristiKelly]

We had a 1995 Ford Explorer that I really liked, but took bumps very hard. In 1999, we were pulling up to our house we were in the process of building - no driveway yet, just a bumpy path, I was 38 weeks pregnant @ the time, I gave DH a mean look and told him that he probably just bounced me into labor - Guess what 11:59 that night DD was born - I still say the car put me into labor.

Now we have a Chrysler Town & Country, it rides & drives so much smoother and is also All Wheel Drive and gets along great in bad weather, I like it better than our Explorer.

DH has Chev. Avalanche, it's suppose to be the same ride and all as a Tahoe or Suburban, and it actually rides better than my van.

I guess you should pick a few of both that you like, drive them and see what's best for you. Explorers may ride better now too.

 

[MICKEY88]

I've had both....mini van beats SUV hands down for my preference.....


mini van=
better ride
better gas mileage,
more room.

SUV= better off road driving
better when snow reaches foot or more
more inclined to rollover

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Currently we have a Yukon, very BIG but we pull a boat.
Likes- it holds ALOT, tows when needed, and resale is very good. We bought it used, so we didn't pay that $40,000 price tag.
Dislike- it is just BIG, but DH loves that part about it. Expensive.

I drive a Town & Country mini van.
Likes- Great for zipping around town.
Dislike- Not stylish. I am looking to get rid of it. Resale is terrible. We cannot sell that thing to save our life. We are going to have to trade it in and take a loss on it.

The car I am holding out for is the new "Infinity G35". Who knows, maybe someday.

 

[chadfromdallas]

Originally posted by The Mystery Machine
The car I am holding out for is the new "Infinity G35". Who knows, maybe someday.

Those are nice! go for the coupe though, not the sedan.

 

[clh2]

Originally posted by goofy4tink
I've leased a Mercury Villager, and 3 Windstars. Now, I'm driving the Ford Escape. It's a smallish suv. Terrible milage, but what can you expect from a V6 with 4WD. We only have one child now. And to tell you the truth, I was getting a little tired of being the one to drive everyone everyplace! But, you sure can't beat a minivan for comfort on the long haul. Would I go back to one? Probably not. I like a smaller car. But not for a drive to WDW!!!!

How bad is the gas milage?

We have a Villager with ~135K miles on it. I think I only hauled more than 3 kids about 3 times last year, so I don't need it for taking kids here and there. We are also thinking about getting an Escape, since I still need to haul "stuff" from time to time, and in 2 years, DD will be able to ride up front. The new vans are soooo very expensive right now, and it seems like you can pick up a fairly loaded Escape for the price of a van that hardly has anything in it.

The big thing we are trying to figure out is getting the 4WD. Not something I feel we HAVE to have, however, we do live in Wisconsin, and yes, we had a lot of snow this winter. decisions, decisions...