Thinking About Joining the Minivan Crowd!

I love my Dodge Grand Caravan. If you have very small children, the electric sliding doors make life SO much easier. Mine is plenty large enough for anything that we want to do. I don't love the idea that I drive a minivan, but the ease with kids just cannot be beat.

I've not driven any of the ones you've mentioned, although my SIL had an Odyssey and loved it.

I love my Grand Caravan with the stow and go seats -- so nice for when we take trips because we can put the middle seats into the floor and have tons of room for a cooler and all the stuff the kids have to take along. Otherwise, it's nice to be able to put the back seats down for extra cargo, when needed. When those are up, though, there's still quite a bit of room in the back for groceries, etc. Plus, you can easily put all the seats down for tons of room that you may otherwise need a truck to haul. It doesn't have the greatest gas mileage, but it's tons better than a Tahoe. =)

Happy shopping!

I have a Honda Odyssey, I bought it used a couple of years ago, and LOVE it. I doubt I'll drive anything else until my kids grow up, because it's just so convenient! I have also never understood the aversion to minivans. When I was in high school and college, my parents loaned me a car for my use, and it was a minivan. Even then, I didn't associate it with stigma. I could fit all my friends in there! Sure, I would have preferred a sports car, but... ^_^

Anyway, I test-drove the Toyota Sienna as well, and really liked it. In the end, though, I just prefer the way the Honda handles. The two brands drive very differently, but have equal safety ratings and equivalent features, so make sure you drive one of each and that will really make the decision for you.

Things I love about the minivan - well, more than I have time to mention. The auto-sliding doors, the ease of fitting car-seats in there (you could easily fit four, and since I have two and am thinking about another, that was important), the huge trunk space even when the third row is in use, etc. We have pets, so when we go on a road trip, we need that trunk for luggage and the animals can sit in the third row. Sooooo easy. I have plenty of storage, and I love that there is an 8th seat that can fold down when not in use!

I get somewhere between 17-25 MPG, depending on the driving.

Just to let you know, ReverendRuby is incorrect. The windows open in the front and middle rows, all the way, just like in a car, and this is the case for basically any Honda or Toyota minivan you buy these days, even used (I don't know about other brands). It is only the rear windows that don't open.

I love Audis but the maintenance is expensive. We love our RAV4 but not the gas mileage. Sorry I'm not much help but I couldn't resist posting the Sienna Swagger Wagon video, lmao:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ql-N3F1FhW4

You've gotten some great replies already, but I just wanted to throw in a little correction. Someone stated that a minivan's 2nd & 3rd row windows don't roll down, but that's not true of every model.

I have a 2009 Routan and the 2nd row windows go down 3/4 of the way. The 3rd row's crank out about 2 inches.

I love my Routan! Ours has power everything, side doors & liftgate, and even the stow & go seats in the 3rd row are powered. Honestly though, manual Stow & Go seats are easy as pie to work anyways, so I wouldn't pay a premium for powered ones. It also has remote start, which is AWESOME during the winter time, as well as for the sweltering summer days so that the air can at least start blowing while I am loading the kids into the car, without having to have the keys in the ignition.

I have 3 kids in carseats. Baby & 3 yr old in the 2nd row, 5 yr old is in the back row because he can seatbelt himself. There's also a zillion cupholders.

One of my favorite things is that under the 2nd row's middle row are storage bins. I keep my emergency kit in there for winter driving. I can also put a small cooler down there for long road trips.

ETA: Oh yes, and the Routan takes regular gas. I am not sure, but I think the Odyssey might be premium (I am just guessing, because my sister used to have a Honda Pilot, so just conjecture).

Well I don't have a brand new one but I still LOVE my Toyota Sienna. It's a 2000 and that baby will and does go just about everywhere. I know the newer ones sit a little lower though, so not sure I'd like a newer one as much as I love my older model.

I get around 20 city and around 25 highway (depending on how loaded the van is and such). I can say that in 2009 after a thorough tune-up and such, we drove cross country for a move and with my van LOADED to the gills AND running the A/C I was still getting 23 mpg highway (the A/C was on because it was still summer and we were driving through the AZ, NM desert).

It has room for 7, the third row has a tilt feature and when the rear seats are all removed that bad boy can haul a TON of stuff with no problems what so ever.

I love mine ... we're thinking of trading her in but only because my kids are getting to the "will be moving out sooner rather than later" stage in life. I don't haul them around as much.

edited to add: the third row windows in my Sienna open ... they don't roll down but they open.

I had 2 dodge caravans ... I will NEVER own another one ... EVER. I don't know what dodge does to their transmissions when they put 'em in a mini-van but yikes ... what a freakin mess.

We're very happy with our Honday Odyssey. I average around 22-23mpg, and I love the sliding doors and the extra room to move around. I've never cared much about what it looks like to other people- I'm more about function over form.

Haha! I just joined in April! We had an extended cab Dodge Ram 2500 truck that we bought before we had kids. It was in an accident in April and got totalled. We had a mini van for our rental, and it was just soooo convenient that we were hooked! We got a 2011 Toyota Sienna and I love love love it! It is just so easy to get the kids in and out. The baby is still in an infant carrier, and we can put it behind the drivers seat, have the drivers seat all the way back, and there is still room! There is even good leg room in the 3rd row. Even if I run out with the girls at work for lunch, they can hop in the far back and I dont have to worry about taking car seats in and out. I also like how you can remove & store the middle seat for the middle row. We dont have much need for that seat now so we leave it stored in the special compartment in the trunk, and it makes it super easy to climb between the two middle seats to get to the 3rd row. And the newer model Siennas are pretty sporty looking for minivans so even my husband was happy with the way it looks! I would say we get approx 22 MPG. So funny, I never would have thought that I would drive a minivan either, but I do now and I love it!

I have a 2005 Odyssey that we bought last year and I love everything about it. The sliding doors, stow and go split-fold 3rd row, the ease of moving everything around, the ability to throw all four of our kids plus an extra friend or relative into the van and go, the decent mileage, and the fact that it's just a really nice, well built vehicle. We've had other minivans (a Mazda and a Chevy) and this one is so much better in every way. I love it when I'm shopping, bringing my hockey players somewhere (those bags are HUGE), and I can even just pop my bike in the back when I go to a race.

My husband has an Infiniti sedan and I love my van so much that I get annoyed when I have to drive his car.

Audi A4 wagon for the confort!

I have a Rav4 and love it. That being said...

I could have gotten a mini-van when I got my car almost 2 yrs ago. My main reason for not getting a mini-van is the side windows in the 2nd and 3rd seats do not open. If you AC goes out you are sweltering until you can get it fixed.

Another point --- the Honda CRV now comes with a 3rd seat. So does the Buick Rendevous.

ETA: OMG! Jenna H. That is HYSTERICAL! My hubs and I just watched the video. OMG. Will have to watch the rest of them later. :)

I fought the move to a mini-van for a long time, mostly because I LOVED my Taurus Stationwagon and didn't want to give it up. My Taurus was totaled at the end of March. We replaced her with an older Ford Windstar, and AM SO HAPPY!

The differences for us that I love:

1. I can load both kids from one side of the van.
2. My kids (ages 2 & 4) can WALK across the van floor to the other side of the van. In the stationwagon, they could not navigate the flooring very well, because of the floor wells.
3. I can keep my van MUCH cleaner because the floor is flat (doesn't create a well of junk). And it is at an easier level to reach, organize, and keep clean.
4. We have a TON more room for long trips. We took the back row of seats out, and packed it with WAY more stuff than we could ever take before (took the camping gear and bikes).

In our next mini-van (because we won't go back), we will get automatic sliding doors, a van that allows the windows to go down in the back, and possibly a built in DVD player (although our portable one has been nice to take into hotel rooms, into a tent, and used in other situations.

Sorry I couldn't help more with the brands you listed. I loved my Ford Taurus Stationwagon, and felt my Windstar was my wagon on steroids. I don't think they make a Windstar any more, but am not sure about the Town and Country.

Something else to think about. When we looked for a used mini-van (buying a house this fall, and didn't want to get a loan for one), ALL of the 10-15 that we looked at (all different models/makes) except our Windstar, had at least 1 window regulator switch out (the switch in the door that allows you to put the window up or down). I've heard that is very common in mini-vans. I think we just got lucky with ours.

We got a used Toyota Sienna about three years ago and I love it. My husband did a lot of research before we settled on the Sienna. We got the 8 passenger model so we could carry a few extra passengers, and also so that we could still keep the three kids (all with car seats/boosters) in the middle and within reach as the oldest was only 5 at the time. We also loved that with all of the seats up there was still plenty of room behind the third row to store strollers and luggage etc..., while leaving plenty of leg room for the third row. The third row also stows flat into the floor (no removing the back bench to get extra room). Ours has one power sliding door which has been great with the kids, especially with pick-up/drop-off at school. I'm not sure exactly what gas mileage we get but over the life of the vehicle the recorded average that pops up is 22 mpg.

I am driving a Toyota Sienna LE right now while my Honda Odyssey is being repaired from a hit and run.

There are things about it that I PREFER over my Honda Odyssey - like compartments for storage instead of cup holders (I think I've counted 16 cup holders in my Odyssey!!). I have no place to store a map (if you don't count the lazy susan in the floor).

I LOVED LOVED LOVED My Dodge Grand Caravan - well everything except the maintenance - that sucked. But it was an AWESOME van to travel in (we drove it Maine from VA and Altanta from VA) and other places too. Got GREAT gas mileage on the road - around town - not so much.

My GF has a Tahoe with twins. She wants a minivan but her husband is stuck on NO MINIVAN!!! We're working on him!!

I love my Honda Odyssey Touring. I don't like the lack of storage - but it handles well and is lower maintenance than my Grand Caravan.

I would AVOID the Routan. Why? Because it's NOT an import - it's a Town on Country with the VW name. When I went looking for cars - it bothered me that there were at LEAST 10 or 20 USED Routans on the lots I looked at - HUGE RED FLAG for me.

Around town gas mileage is going to suck (13 to 15) in ANY minivan that I'm aware of.

I have a friend that LOVES her Kia Sedona. My sister has had 4 Kia's and this one is a 2009 and it already has over 100K miles on it and STILL going strong.

I would go to Consumerreports.org and check out their used car stats. It might help you make a decision as well. Call your insurance company and get information from them - USAA helped us in telling us about fast trade-ins on cars and which were higher to repair, etc.

GOOD LUCK!!

Turn away from the dark side!!! Rebuke the minivan!

(Sorry....couldn't resist!)

i love my Toyota Sienna. Best decision ever. I went from compact suv to minivan. its all about sliding doors! And the ability for mom to go from front sea to back seat on road trips without pulling over.

My friends have the Honda Odyssey and love it ! We have a Honda SUV and it's great ! We drove our last Honda to 200 thousand miles.

I have the June 2102 SM SUV Consumer Report here:

SUV Road-test Reliability MPG

#1 Toy Rav4 82 Excellent 23
2 Sub Forester 80 Excellent 22
3 Honda CRV 77 V Good 23

Toy Rav 4 has third-row seating and v good cargo space

My cousin just bought her 3rd Hyundai SUV. She has the Tucson and loves it. It has 22 MPG.

I don't think we'll ever make the leap to the minivan crowd, but my friends who have love theirs! We have a GMC Acadia (similar to Chevy Traverse and Buick Enclave) and LOVE it! I like the captain's chairs in the middle row, so we have easy access to the third row. I think I get 20mpg city.

Just make sure the back seat is not nearly against the door. If it is then it's too short. You will only be able to put a couple of bags of groceries back there. Not even any sports equipment.

The van we just got has about a foot between the back window and the top of the seat. That gives the floor area even more space. I can haul a bike in the back if I want. The seats also fold down and I can lay sheetrock or some other material like that flat. I like that too.

Do it!!! I never thought I would drive a mini either but I absolutely love it. It is a million times easier and nicer to drive than an SUV. And who was I trying to fool in a tricked out truck anyway-I am a mom of young kids and I decided to own it. The vehicle you drive should work for your current lifestyle not the lifestyle you wish you had. I respect people much more who realize that and see them as much more selfconfident.

I have an Odyssey and love it. Never had a single probelm.

I did not want a minivan ever! But I love my Sienna. It is so easy to get the kids in and out and so easy to load all of our junk. We have pilot seats in the middle row and I love that we can put one on them in the center. It makes access to the 3rd row even easier. I love all of the trunk space. I can easily fit our wagon in without having to lay down the back seats. I hauled 20 some diaper boxes of stuff to Savers and had no problem fitting them in without putting the seats down. We are on vacation now and renting a Dodge Grand Caravan. Our luggage and stroller that fit easily in our van didn't even come close to fitting in the Dodge. Half of our luggage had to be squeezed in.between the seats. The best part is that with the car seats in the middle, the inlaws have to sit way in the back and it is easier to ignore my MIL. Go with the Sienna!

I am answering this question purely from the viewpoint of lifetime repair and maintenance costs. The Sienna will be the least expensive, the Odyssey next, and the VW will be the most expensive.

My qualifications...service manager at an independent automotive repair shop that specializes in Asian and European cars, trucks, and vans.