OT - Which MiniVan to get?

[pjtm]

If money was no object, what is your dream mini-van? Which ones to stay away from? I need to start car shopping and I need a vehicle to hold our family of 5.

Of course I say money is no object, I would like to find my "dream" car and then pare it down to budget!

 

[pilesoflaundry]

Honda all the way. Money was an object so we gave up some extras and bought the bottom of the line van. My middle seats don't come out, we don't have leather (I don't like it anyway personally) that sort of thing. But it's fine for us

All I cared about was the reliable engine. We had a POS chevy for so long that I was ready for something that wasn't going to break down with the kids in it!

I didn't like the way toyota did their packages so it was not in our price range. I woudn't get anything chevy or dodge. I know some people that love the hyundai but we never checked it out.

 

[dato63]

Another vote for Honda.

I traded in my Suburban for a Honda mini van in 2007, really liked it. In July 2008 I was in an accident. A man ran a stop sign, hit the side of us going really fast. My van flipped over and rolled. Was pretty freaky - like something out of a movie to me.

The police/ambulance drivers were shocked that both I & my passenger got out on our own. We suffered some bruising from the airbags/seat belts & cuts from flying glass. . .but that was all. They said Honda should put my van in their showroom to show people the safety features in action. My van was completely totalled - but we were fine.

So, when the ins paid off my Honda, and my DH asked if I wanted something different this time. As tempting as that Chyrsler was with the dual dvd player & swivel seats. . .. . I said no, and bought a new Honda.

 

[mjkacmom]

Yet another Honda lover - I have a 2003, and it's great, and I plan on driving it another 10 years. Both of my parents bought Honda Odyssey's, too.

 

[MickeyMom2Boys]

Another Honda fan here! I'm on my second Honda Odyssey. I bought a bottom of the line model in 2005 which I absolutely loved. I traded it in on a 2007 to get the additional features. I now have leather (didn't think I would like it, but the spills from the kids wipe up so easily!), heated seats, sunroof, rear entertainment system, and best of all Power sliding doors! Middle seats come out and rear seats fold down flat. (Not sure what year the previous poster's van is, but my middle seats came out and rear folded down flat in my bottom of the line 2005 as well). Oh, and the new one has an 8th seat that my old one didn't have.

The power sliding doors are the best. With 2 kids I don't have to go behind them and make sure the doors are shut. If my 5 year old forgets to shut the door, I just hit the button on the remote. Plus, if I'm holding the 2 year old and a bunch of stuff and don't have a free hand - no problem - just hit the button. The rear entertainment system is great. It is designed very well so that the driver can control the whole thing from the stereo - minimizing distraction while driving - or the rear passengers can control it with the remote. I have been very impressed with the screen quality also. It also came with 2 sets of wireless headphones. The headphones cut off if you go past the front seats so that it would be impossible to use them while driving.

The van also has a great crash test rating and has front and side impact airbags. I was in an accident in it in Dec of 2007. There was an accident directly in front of me. The jeep in front of me hit the brakes and I couldn't stop. I hit the jeep and it rolled up onto my hood. Did quite a bit of damage. I had always worried about how the nose of the van (not just the honda, but a lot of other minivans as well) sloped down. I was used to driving a tahoe with a square flat nose that sat up high. After the accident I was more worried about that nose. When I talked to the insurance adjuster I didn't mention this to her, but she told me on her own that the van handled the collision extremely well. She said it did exactly what it was suppose to do and the frame held up to the jeep. She said she sees a lot of accidents (obviously) and these Odysseys really do their job. I forget exactly what she told me about the design of the nose, but she basically said she wouldn't be concerned about it at all. The Odyssey is a great van and very safe. It made me feel a lot better and I do feel very safe driving the kids around in it.

Good luck with your decision!

 

[Poohbear5]

Love my Honda Odyssey! Most dependable, comfortable car I've ever owned.

 

[bear_mom]

We were in the same boat and narrowed it down to the Honda Odyssey. We ended up buying one that was a year old with about 22,000 miles on it. Saved us a ton. We had specifics we really wanted so we did a search on-line, found a dealership that had two with the options we wanted and drove 2 hrs. to buy.

Emily

 

[snubie]

Another vote for Honda Odyssey here. Love mine.

 

[FoundMyPrince]

We have the Toyota Sienna CE (bottom of their line). We wanted either a Toyota or Honda due to their reputation, etc. We have been very pleased.

Why did we purchase a Toyota over a Honda? We thought the Honda was uncomfortable - it seemed more rigid to us.

I would not purchase a Chrysler product due to their history of tranmission problems. Yes, we've known people that have loved their Dodge, Chrysler vans, but I'm not willing to take a chance on such a big purchase. They Chrysler products are much less expensive than Honda, Toyota, but I just don't trust them.

 

[EthansMom]

I have a Toyota Sienna and LOVE it! I have the bare-bones model and it's so luxurious that I feel spoiled!

One thing I love is the Captain's seats for my two kids so they aren't touching (and fighting) in their seats. I WISH we had the power sliding doors on both sides (ours came with a power door on one side but is available as another option with power on both sides).

I've owned cars from both Honda and Toyota. Personally, I've found that my Toyotas had fewer maintenance issues, as a general rule. And I've thought the Toyota Service people did a better job than the Honda... just my opinion.

 

[Mishnogramjo]

Another vote for the Honda, I've been driving one Honda or another for 10 years at least without a single problem.

I have driven domestics for various business trips (caravans and even the odd Hyunday van) and I can say that it doesn't compare.

 

[trennr]

We have a 08 Chrysler Town and Country with Stow-n-Go Seating. Love it.

Stow-n-Go is great for storage and to fold those seats away to haul large items.

Of course we traded in a "bottom of the line"/ "cheapest model they make" 2000 Dodge Caravan SE. This was a Quality van...at 150k miles we only had some minor repairs and routine maintenance done on the van.

So we went looking for another Caravan back in the fall...but found everything we were looking for in the Chrysler T&C...for less money. (Due to the fact that the dealer had the T&C on his lot for about 6 months longer than the Caravan we were looking at.)

 

[pilesoflaundry]

I have a 2007, they do fold down in the middle but they don't come out. Or at least I was told they don't and I can't figure out how to make it work so I'm going to assume the dealership was right
My 3rd floor goes flat into the floor.

I am an odd one and didn't want the power doors so that was another reason I wanted the lower model. I just personally don't like them.

 

[DISNEYNV]

Honda! They are the best made vehicles out there for the money! We have a Civic SI that we absolutely love I am looking into a Fit to replace my ten year old VW bug and even though it's small it is a great car for the price. If I were in the market for a mini van or SUV I would go Honda all the way too!

 

[K and K's Mommy]

I have a four year old Toyota Sienna and love it!! Nothing has gone wrong with it. The power sliding doors are the best. I also love the deep trunk.

That said my DH car is a Honda Accord. It is 11 years old and still going strong. My DH wants something to happen to it so he can get another car!

 

[FoundMyPrince]

I have a 2007, they do fold down in the middle but they don't come out. Or at least I was told they don't and I can't figure out how to make it work so I'm going to assume the dealership was right
My 3rd floor goes flat into the floor.

I am an odd one and didn't want the power doors so that was another reason I wanted the lower model. I just personally don't like them.

We had a 1997 Oldsmobile van that had power doors. It was one of the first things to die on that poor van. And, it was going to cost a small fortune to replace. I vowed to not have power doors from that time on. I'm sure it's the same as having power windows, but it's not even a possibility to have roll down windows anymore! The more bells and whistles you have, the more things you have to fall apart!

 

[newddmommie]

Another vote for the Toyota Sienna. We love ours. It's the best purchase we've made for our family.

 

[tinkerlisa]

Our dream van was either a honda oddyssy or a chrysler town and country. But we couldn't find one in our budget so we went with a used chevy venture. it had low miles(less than 40,000) and was in great shape(its a 2001). Also, the TV in the back is a great bonus! lol actually we only use the tv on long trips

 

[wrconrad]

We own a 2003 Odyssey and LOVE it. Approaching 60,000 mi. and other than regular maintenance, we have not had any problems. Had a Dodge Grand Caravan before that and had nothing but trouble with it. Transmission was the biggest of the problems. We would definitely look to another Odyssey when we decide to replace this one.:butterfly

 

[nessz79]

Honda all the way. Money was an object so we gave up some extras and bought the bottom of the line van. My middle seats don't come out, we don't have leather (I don't like it anyway personally) that sort of thing. But it's fine for us

All I cared about was the reliable engine. We had a POS chevy for so long that I was ready for something that wasn't going to break down with the kids in it!

I didn't like the way toyota did their packages so it was not in our price range. I woudn't get anything chevy or dodge. I know some people that love the hyundai but we never checked it out.

This was us exactly. We just bought a new Honda Odyssey and we love it. It's a base model with no frills, but we needed something that would last a long time and would carry our family along with in-laws, parents, or friends.