OT - Which Type of Vehicle??

[baloo's girl]

I just got an 06 Freestyle in November and love it!!! I used to have a minivan but I was sick of it-and it's problems. I did a lot of research before choosing the freestyle. We have 2 kids-no plans for more. I wanted a vehicle that had a third row-for friends or relatives. While there may be less room between the seats than a minivan-I don't miss it. The more space I had, the more junk I hauled. LOL I get about 20.8 mpg in city driving. I've fit 2 grown adult males in the back seat and they had plenty of leg room. I chose the two captains chairs for the middle row, rather than the bench-because with both kids in car seats, its easier to get to the back row through the captains chairs. If we had the bench, we would have to move a car seat, flip the seat down, then crawl in the back.

I think you should test drive your top choices and go from there.

 

[Aliceacc]

We bought a 2007 Kia Sedona in November. Some of the earlier models had problems, but from what I read, they were resolved with the 2006. Some of the things I love about my new minivan:

- High reliability and safety ratings. That's what got us looking at the Sedona in the first place-- all the good reports I read about it.
- Incredibly reasonable price. We were NOT planning on replacing my old car a month before Christmas!
- Tons and tons of interior room. It's so much more spacious than my old Chevy Venture minivan. Even adults sitting in the middle row have commented on how much room there is. (We haven't yet had any reason to ask adults to sit in the back, but my kids love it.)
- Millions and millions of cup holders. If you have kids, you can appreciate that this iis IMPORTANT.
- Fold down back seats. You don't have to remove them, they fold flat. And, when they're upright, there's the incredible bonus (my MOST favorite part of the car): a HUGE, deep well in the back.
- Little features, like the fold-down expandable tray between the 2 front seats.

Take a look at it... I'm SO glad we did!

 

[Minniemouse07]

TOYOTA! DH won't go for that. Don't even get him started on Toyotas in NASCAR.
I don't get it, I just want a good vehicle.

Sorry... NASCAR is totally off my radar...I'm lucky that I know it has anything to do w/ racing cars! I'm a hockey girl...past that I just don't pay attention to any other sports.

 

[SplashMountainMama]

. I like to have the doors slide open so I don't have to worry about my kids hitting other cars when they open.

I had to laugh at that comment. We just got a Durango after 10 years of only having a minivan and my biggest fear is that one of my kids is going to leave a big dent in someone else's car because they have no concept of opening a car door that swings open.

 

[ADisneyQueen]

We have an 07 chrysler pacifica crossover with a lot of options. I love it! We chose it over a minivan for it's looks and also for the all wheel drive which is necessary here inthe snow. All the seats go down inthe back so you can haul things. Also, it has regular car doors that the kids can close. We tried a minivan for a day and they could not get the sliding doors to open or close. One thing though, the 5th and 6th seats in the back do not recline and there is not as much leg room. My kids are not tall and neither am I so we just put the short people in the back when we travel with 6.

 

[KATHINOWA]

We had a grand caravan and switched to a honda pilot. We are switching back to a caravan. I like the pilot a lot but it doesn't fit our needs well. We have 3 kids but I do a lot of carpooling with nieces and nephews. With the 3rd row in use, there is no room for anything in the trunk. We've decided to take a lot of road trip vacation for the next few years and have decided the caravan is the way to go for us.

 

[nateryan]

they both sound like they will meet our needs (except for the sliding door thing ) Where can I read reliable reviews on the specific models I'm interested in? I went to Consumer Reports.com but I didn't want to pay.

 

[Aliceacc]

Try here: http://www.consumersearch.com/www/automotive/minivan-reviews/

 

[mom2aredhead]

I can't tell you how many times it has served as a bus for kids associated stuff like girl or cub scouts and taking the extended family out for dinners etc. [/B

LOL - To me, this would be a reason NOT to get one. "Oh, carpool...sorry, my car's too small, we'll just have to meet you there!"

In my lifetime (keep in mind I worked for Ford), I've driven a chevy chevette ('memba those?) a mazda rx7, a mercury cougar, 3 or 4 Explorers, several Tauruses (including the now defunct SHO), and a Freestyle. Here's what I've learned...Cars are kind of like purses - the more room you have, the more junk you'll have. But if you use something a bit smaller, you learn how non-essential all those "important" things are and you learn you can do just fine.

 

[SarahKate]

We have been going through the same thing. We have a 2004 Odyssey and thought about getting a smaller SUV like a RAV4 or CRV. But they are just too small for us. And we only have one kid. Test drove an 08 Odyssey and LOVED it. As far as fuel economy goes, the Odyssey is the best of the minivans. It's really a wash if you compare minivans to SUVs. Maybe a couple miles per gallon difference.

 

[Minniemouse07]

Here's what I've learned...Cars are kind of like purses - the more room you have, the more junk you'll have. But if you use something a bit smaller, you learn how non-essential all those "important" things are and you learn you can do just fine.

We have two sedans now w/ 2 kids and it just ain't working!

They are fine for everyday stuff...but as soon as we want to go anywhere (like to the airport to leave for WDW 3 months ago) we had to get a roof rack and put suitcases on the roof in order to fit everything.

So while a sedan suffices in many situations, if we want to go anywhere as a family w/ stuff... we need a larger vehicle. Our Jettas actually have fairly large trunks too... they just don't fit three suitcases a stroller and four carry-on bags!

 

[DVCisME]

We had an explorer till January. I liked it a great deal. However, I recently purchsed a Honda Pilot and LOVE it! I was pleasantly suprised. It has everything my explorer had including a sunroof, and dvd systems with headphones. But for some reason it just seems sooo much better and my kids love it too (3 and 1).

 

[nateryan]

Try here: http://www.consumersearch.com/www/automotive/minivan-reviews/

Thanks for the link. I checked it out. It rates the Honda Odyssey as #1 for best overall minivan and the Toyota Sienna a close second. I was poking around and found Kelly Book .com and looked up the Taurus X and it looks pretty good except for the brakes, I guess the long distance braking might be a problem (read it quickly).

I think I still want the minivan. We'll see. I'm kinda surprised at the poll results, I guess I thought the crossover would get more votes.

 

[Aliceacc]

Keep your sample in mind: Lots of Dis'ers have kids. We tend to have lots of stuff. We swtiched to a minivan when my 3rd child was due; we were about to have 3 kids in carseats for a few months and that pretty much meant a minivan. (Throw in a labrador retreiver, and it's a no-brainer for us.)

A survey of the general public might have different results. (sorry, there's the math teacher in me again!)

 

[nateryan]

Keep your sample in mind: Lots of Dis'ers have kids. We tend to have lots of stuff. We swtiched to a minivan when my 3rd child was due; we were about to have 3 kids in carseats for a few months and that pretty much meant a minivan. (Throw in a labrador retreiver, and it's a no-brainer for us.)

A survey of the general public might have different results. (sorry, there's the math teacher in me again!)

You're right. I purposely chose the Disney for Families thread to ask my question. I guess I thought that the crossover was becoming more popular. I wanted to know which would be better for a couple of kids and why people would choose it.

3 carseats - I would definitely do a minivan. My realtive has a CRV with 3 carseats - I have no idea how they do it. I would go crazy!

 

[Aliceacc]

Actually, it was only for 4 months until my son's birthday; then he became old enough that the carseat was optional. (Until they changed the law; he was back in a booster for a few months )

Now we're down to 1 child in a booster, but still LOVE That minivan!

 

[tlbwriter]

In my lifetime (keep in mind I worked for Ford), I've driven a chevy chevette ('memba those?)

My first car!

Here's what I've learned...Cars are kind of like purses - the more room you have, the more junk you'll have. But if you use something a bit smaller, you learn how non-essential all those "important" things are and you learn you can do just fine.

Gotta disagree with you there. After going from a small SUV to a midsized SUV, I have finally achieved nirvana - the perfect size. The small SUV was a good size for running around town, but when we take a road trip, or I buy a lot of groceries, I really need the larger vehicle!

 

[agentpleakley]

I have a Freestyle which is the same as the Taurus X and I love it. You have to decide who is going to drive it the most and let that person have the final decision but give the Taurus X a test drive. They are very similar to a minivan but I like it because we have three small children and they can all fit in the second row. (They all have car seats or boosters) That way one kid is not stuck in the way back all by himself and I have a TON of space for all the groceries and the stroller with the back seat folded down.

We have a Ford Freestyle and I love it. It's a 6 passenger - so 2 in each row. My kids were always arguing who got to sit in the back -- now they're both back there. There's plenty of storage room in the back and I like the way the seats fold down if you need to carry something large -- we can fold all 4 seats (back 2 rows) flat. The downside -- doesn't get very good gas mileage. I used to have a Dodge Grand Caravan and I have to say out of the two, I like the Freestyle the best -- and it looks more like and SUV unstead of a minivan.

I just got an 06 Freestyle in November and love it!!! I used to have a minivan but I was sick of it-and it's problems. I did a lot of research before choosing the freestyle. We have 2 kids-no plans for more. I wanted a vehicle that had a third row-for friends or relatives. While there may be less room between the seats than a minivan-I don't miss it. The more space I had, the more junk I hauled. LOL I get about 20.8 mpg in city driving. I've fit 2 grown adult males in the back seat and they had plenty of leg room. I chose the two captains chairs for the middle row, rather than the bench-because with both kids in car seats, its easier to get to the back row through the captains chairs. If we had the bench, we would have to move a car seat, flip the seat down, then crawl in the back.

I think you should test drive your top choices and go from there.

We traded in a Durango 4X4 for my Freestyle when they first came out in 2005. I didn't think I would like it -- I love it. Much more room than any of my previous SUVs (Durango, Explorer, Jeep Grand Cherokee). The gas mileage rocks for a car this size. And can you say room --

it's been to Hatteras -- with 2 adults/ 2 kids and 3 dogs (comfortable but smelly trip), Disney (of course) and Canada. LOVE IT!

 

[justcantwait]

My DH sells Fords! So, it's not out of the question for us. If you happen to be in CT while you're shopping, PM me and he'll be happy to sell you one!

 

[Dreamer & Wisher]

We bought a Honda Odyssey last year and I LOVE it! Never would have guessed i would ever drive a minivan. it's just so practical with kids. Not to mention all of the room.

Perhaps someday, when my son is older, i will graduate to an SUV. For now . . . it's a minivan for me.

We have been going through the same thing. We have a 2004 Odyssey and thought about getting a smaller SUV like a RAV4 or CRV. But they are just too small for us. And we only have one kid. Test drove an 08 Odyssey and LOVED it. As far as fuel economy goes, the Odyssey is the best of the minivans. It's really a wash if you compare minivans to SUVs. Maybe a couple miles per gallon difference.

Thanks for the link. I checked it out. It rates the Honda Odyssey as #1 for best overall minivan and the Toyota Sienna a close second. I was poking around and found Kelly Book .com and looked up the Taurus X and it looks pretty good except for the brakes, I guess the long distance braking might be a problem (read it quickly).

I think I still want the minivan. We'll see. I'm kinda surprised at the poll results, I guess I thought the crossover would get more votes.

Another vote for the Honda Odyssey! I have a 2005 and I love it! It drives great and has lots of room. Take it for a test drive. I think mine gets good gas mileage and it has Low Emissions!