What kind of mini van do you drive?

[meggymouse]

I'm looking to trade my Yukon XL in for a mini van? So, which one do you drive and why do you love it?

 

[clj1410]

I traded in my Chevy Venture back in May 09 for a Honda Odyssey. I love it , it is very comfortable and it has a lot of room. There is plenty of truck space and the rear seats fold down in to the truck if you need even more room.

 

[delmar411]

I drive a Town and Country and we also have a Caravan. I would rec the T&C over the caravan since there is more space in it. Although a Grand Caravan and a T&C are the same car.

I've heard really good things about the Honda's and they hold their value very well.

I love my T&C and if I had to get another minivan I'd buy a newer version for the fold into the floor seating.

 

[mickeysmate65]

2005 Chrysler T&C limited bought brand new after trading in a 1998 Plymouth Grand Voyager Expresso. Love the fold down seats, comfortable ride all the way around. When the kids were younger the back seat was perfect for tailgating and watching games under the cover of the back door.

good luck in your search. I'm dreading the day it is time to trade mine in because I don't like the new designs. Plus my kids are now 21yr and 18yrs & as much as I love it, do I really need it?!

 

[meggymouse]

thanks for the comments! I test drove the Honda Odyssey the other day. It was the first time I had driven a mini van and fell in love with them. How is the gas mileage? I"m hoping to go back to school in July and I'll have a bit of a commute 5 days a week so the yukon would just be ridiculous, and with 3 kids(5,3,2) a van would make more sense than a car

 

[hanutedmansionmomma]

grand voyager, basically a caravan..10 years old, only major repair was replacing a/c, still running well...knock on rust

 

[bamagirl@hrt]

I've had my Honda Odyssey for over 5 years. I love it as much today as I did the day we bought it! I have plenty of room to drive my kids' friends. I like that the back seat folds down if we need to haul something bigger. I like the deep well that is present when the seat is not folded down - it keeps my groceries together and not rolling all over the place! I love the auto-open/close side doors. Newer models have an auto-open/close back door as well. One thing that sold my husband on the Honda is that it rides/drives more like a car. Many minivans are (or at least were 5 years ago) built on the frame of a truck instead of a car. They ride rougher. My van still has under 75,000 miles on it. I plan to drive it until it falls apart, and then get a new Odyssey!

 

[mgroshans]

Another vote for the Odyssey. We traded our Pilot in last March for an Odyssey. So glad we did. I love it! We have a 10 and 9 yr old. So roomy. We drove it to the world last October (19 hrs) and had plenty of room.

 

[roadtripper]

Drove 9000 miles cross country this summer in a rented Dodge Grand Caravan SXT, and just bought one two weeks ago. Love love love this van--roomy, stow and go seats, tons of storage. Bought ours used, which I would recommend, though I think there may be 0% financing right now for new.

 

[mjkacmom]

Honda Odyssey, as do both of my parents, and my sister. My neighbor's Odyssey's lease was up, and they had such a hard time finding a new one!

 

[simonsmom]

I"m driving my second Honda Odyssey. LOVE it!!! gave the first one to my sister after we drove it for 7 years and immediately bought another one!!

 

[Deb & Bill]

We have two Toyota Siennas and both have been trouble free. The older on is 10 years old and runs great. The newer one is four years old and runs and looks great. Both are comfortable, plenty of room. I'd get another Sienna any day.

By the way, both ride like a car. We had a Mazda MPV in the 90's and it sat more like a truck, but it was 4WD and kept us unstuck in the snow.

 

[sightcrr]

If you are looking at a used Honda Odyssey 2004 or older make sure that you read up on the transmission issues. Odyclub is a great source of info on the Odyssey online. Our 2002 has been great but we are glad we have an extended maintanice plan.
Sightcrr

 

[DISdreamin']

If you are looking at a used Honda Odyssey 2004 or older make sure that you read up on the transmission issues. Odyclub is a great source of info on the Odyssey online. Our 2002 has been great but we are glad we have an extended maintanice plan.
Sightcrr

Love my Ody, but second this. Ours got a new tranny at about 100K miles. If we'd had to pay for it OOP for it at the dealership, the bill would have been just under $4K. Thankfully the extended warranty covered it in full, including a loaner Pilot for nearly a week (didn't like the Pilot at all, honestly). So far so good with the new tranny, but I always have my fingers crossed. There were definitely some VERY real transmission issues with certain model years.

That said, I love, love, LOVE my van. It's hysterically funny to rent a new car and yet prefer to drive my old 2003 Ody with a bazillion miles on it. When DH and I took a rental car and our van on a 4 hour round trip (he was doing a triathlon and I had to drive up and meet him as I couldn't take the week off), I gave him the rental and drove the van. Just more comfy and I like the ride and handling.

BTW, as for ride, Honda's tend to be a bit stiff/harsh when it comes to their suspension IMO, but the handling is quite snug for a van (at least on our old version). If you prefer a more plush ride, definitely try the Sienna. The ride is really nice and very quiet. Both are really nice vans IMHO.

 

[emmakatbaby]

I LOVE my Chrysler Town and Country. I have 3 kids and they each get their "own" seat.. Mine has stow and go seating so when we travel, I put many smaller things in the bottom of the floor. Out of sight and out of the way. Also the cargo area in the back "dips" down so you can put luggage and it does not interfere with seeing out of the back window which makes my husband very happy . We travel alot. Our recent trip to WDW was in November. We drove from Louisiana to Orlando and back and we only filled our gas tank 4 times. 2 each way. We got GREAT gas mileage . The built in DVD player is also a must. As far as hauling stuff, my brother in law and his family moved into a new house. I showed up in my van to help them move boxes. He was packing his truck and her Yukon and ran out of room. I told him my car was available and he said "What can we put in that, a couple of boxes". When I showed him that the seats were folded into the floor, he was shocked v at all of the room. I ended up fitting more in my van than they could put into her Yukon XL . Hope this helps.

 

[luvdisney00]

I have had my Toyota Sienna for 5 years now and it is a great car. No trouble at all with it, and it is such a smooth roomy car. The kids have lots of room to be comfortable and we can carpool with no problems. I'd buy another one in a heartbeat.

 

[DeniseinNS]

We have a 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan and I hate it with a passion, we have had alot of problems with it. We are getting rid of it ASAP and looking a getting either a Honda Oddessy or a Toyota Sienna.

 

[Pei4ever]

We love our 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan!! No problems and lots of room. I never thought I would enjoy a van because I LOVE suvs but I must say the convenience factor with kids and minivan is beyond words. We have double dvd players built in so there isn't even any arguing over what movie to watch!!

 

[Iri920]

We have a 2007 Nissan Quest. I really love this van and I think it's really under rated. The only downsides would be that the second row windows don't open and the back seat is not a 60/40 fold, it just folds down in one piece. I also like that it's not a common car and it's a lot easier to find in a parking lot full of Honda and Toyota minivans.

 

[3_disprincesses]

Drive a 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan - most comfortable mini-van we have ever had. My parents are on their 2nd Toyota Sienna in 3 years - 1st one was totaled last year - and neither of these newer minis have been as comfortable as my Dodge. Good luck with your purchase!