Need Minivan suggestions

[chewbacca]

Next year I will be turning my leased Trailblazer in and buying a used minivan (don't think we can afford a new one). I will miss my 4X4 but with having kids now I really want the bigger sliding door (no banging into other cars). My DH has also just bought a trailer to haul his airplane stuff so I will have to get one with a tow package. Most vans will pull 3500-3700 lbs with the tow pkg. so there are all comparable.

I know most people will recommend the Toyota or Honda but even the used ones are out of our price range. The 2004 models are still $$$$. Plus DH's family are GM employees so pulling into the drive with a foreign vehicle...well I don't want to think about it

I was thinking a Chrysler T&C (for stow-n-go) or Saturn Relay(the Relay 3 with AWD).

Any suggestions?

 

[ckay87]

Everybody in our family has Town & Countries and swear by them. We just got done doing van shopping (thank God that's over) and the mechanical reviews on the T&C were pretty good, if I remember correctly. They are super-luxurious and drive beautifully.

Anything but a Windstar. We were *this close* to buying one and then, fortunately, got wind of all the horror stories.

I was at your comment about your family being GM employees and not being able to choose a foreign vehicle! My mom retired from Mack Truck and was a flag-waving UAW member forever. We DID ultimately choose a Honda Odyssey and when I pulled into their driveway I was like "back off woman!"

 

[tekmom]

I felt the same way as the OP when we got rid of our Pathfinder. We now have a Mazda MPV and while it's not as big as the Toyota, Honda and others, we really like it. The price was very reasonable and the gas milage is pretty good. Good luck in your search!

 

[MrsJackSparrow]

We just got an '06 Nissan Quest. We had had a Ford Windstar and have found the Quest to have amazing interior space. It's HUGE inside! Great pricing right now, too. Happy shopping!

 

[mrsv98]

We just bought a 2006 Kia Sedona, loaded and out the door under 30k. Hard to beat the price, the safety features are too numerous to mention and it rides great. The 2006 is a huge improvement over the former models and the reviews reflect that. We have had it for about 3 weeks and love it! :thumbsup:

ETA: I drove everything, researched everything, really spent the whole summer looking for the "perfect" van, the second closest was the Toyota, but about 10k more for the same features.

 

[barkley]

i just traded in my troublesome ford windstar for a ford escape and i have (with the exception of the loss of the third row of seating) tons of room. it is so much roomier than my minivan-and the way the cargo area is designed i actualy have more room than i did when the windstars third row of seats were not flattened down.

i don't miss the sliding doors AT ALL-they were much harder for the kids to close (esp. on an incline) i always ended up having to run around and close them.

if you can afford to go with a newer model consider it-my windstar (which was only about 4 years old) like many models of it age had to be taken into the dealership and have a costly hookup to 'computer' to diagnose what was going on when certain warning lights came on-the newer models are programed such that you can drive them to the dealership and a tech can sit in the car, punch a few buttons and have the problem pop up in text on the dash (takes 5 minutes and saves whatever minimum service fee your dealership charges).

 

[dental wiz]

We love our Toyota Sienna. However, the next van we get is gonna have those seats that fold down. It's a real pain in the next to take out the back seats every time you want to haul something. Those seats are heavier than heck.

 

[BeNJeNWaFFLe]

My parents just bought an 05 Honda Odessey. It is a really nice van. It is easy to get into and out of and has great leg room. And the rear seats fold into the floor, so much nicer than having to remove the seats. We also have a 96 Nissan Quest. It's a nice van but it is very under powered and the seats are difficult to remove. I don't know much about the newer ones though.

Shop around at different dealers. My parents didn't think they could afford a Honda either. They went to about 5 different dealers and found one willing to work with them. I bought a new car myself just last month. I didn't think I could afford one. I went to 2 dealers, one that refused to budge on price and flat out lied to me, and one who was very willing to give me a good price and help me purchase a car. Do your research and shop around, you will find one you like and can afford.

 

[bananiem]

We have a 2002 T & C. LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wish it had the stow and go seating because then it would be perfect.
This is our 2nd van. We traded in a Chevy Blazer to get the first one. Never regretted it. We love the vans.

 

[golfgal]

We will be in the market for a new van soon and are waffling between the T&C or the Grand Caravan and the Toyota Sienna. The Toyota is much more reliable and will require fewer repairs but the Chrysler/Dodge has the stow-and-go's. I keep hoping the 2007 Toyota will come out with those to make our decision easier. Right now I am leaning toward the Dodge GC mainly because of the extra room and the stow-and-go seats.

 

[Liisa]

Nobody has recommended it so you may not need my 2 cents, but we have a Ford Freestar. I really don't like it. We bought it brand new about 2 years ago and it has more rattles, squeaks and thumps than a haunted house (Or Haunted Mansion since we are on the DIS boards!)

Anyway, I wouldn't buy a Ford Freestar (we used to have a Ford Explorer and never had a problem - go figure!).

Happy car shopping!