Minvan pros and cons.

[EROS]

 

[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.

 

[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!

 

[mrsv98]

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

 

[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

What does a picture of a beached whale have to do with car talk?

 

[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.

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....

 

[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