Who Loves Their Mini-van?

LOVE my mini van!!! NEver in my wildest dreams would I have thought I would but I do. I drove an SUV before getting mine and the van is 100% better! Much easier to drive and much easier with kids. They are the perfect family car. And they store much more than my SUV did and they haul more people too. Much better for carpooling kids around than all but the biggest SUVs that have the captains chairs.
I have an odyessey and would highly recommend it. If you have younger ones the new 2011 model has a middle row that will fit three regular sized carseats. No other vehicle does this. It also has a middle seat that slides up so you can bring the baby closer to you.

And as far as the 'coolness' factor goes...I personally think it is much cooler to be practical and "own" who you are than to pretend you are something that you are not anymore.

I think you're going to have to sacrifice gas mileage for more room. We don't have a mini-van yet, but my sister is hooked on hers for one simple reason - the automatic doors! She has two small kids and they can't open the door or usually remember to close them so with one click and problem solved. She also likes the automatic door on the back hatch. It comes in handy when coming out of the store with a cart of groceries and restless kids. I can't wait to get a minivan. It's going to back with gold pinstripes, chrome rims and Dumbledore painted on the side like those wizard vans from the 70's!

look into a toyota hylander. I have 1 it's the hybrid so gets 22 miles to the gallon (on average). I can fit all 6 of us in it when needed or 4 with the back down.

We love our Honda Odyssey. I like that the doors automatically slide, my kids can be more independent getting in and out - especially when my hands are full. Also, I don't have to worry about a heavy door falling on them or them hitting the car next to us in the parking lot. We had a large SUV and that was always something that made me cringe. I also like the entertainment system in it and the seat configuration. Good gas mileage too.

We bought a 2007 Dodge Grand Caravan last year. It was used but had low mileage and was in excellent condition. I love our van, after the third kid came we really needed the extra space. I can't think of any negatives about it. I have also heard good things about the Honda Odyssey, and the Toyota Sienna.

I love my Toyota Sienna. I did not want to be a mini-van mom, but I know I cannot tell you how much I love my Sienna!

Since we "had" to get one, I love our Nissan Quest. Very roomy inside for tall adults, lots of regular storage in the back, easy to fold down seats for more room (my husband and friend moved a very large/heavy sleeper sofa in it), decent gas mileage for a minivan, very attractive from the outside and on the inside, extra perk for us that ours (2005) came with a built-in DVD player.

The things I don't like about it: It is a van (I hate driving large vehicles), but it has good visibility for a van; I wish the cup holders were in a different location, but I can't compare to other vans; and I wish the odometer and spedometer were right in front of the steering wheel instead of in the middle of the dash.

Otherwise, my husband loves it and he drives other vans for work (like the Town and Country and Dodge Caravan) and hates them in comparison.

(We couldn't afford anything new and could not find an affordable for us used Odyssey, but that would probably be my dream van!)

I have a Honda Odyssey. It's great! I wanted an SUV (to be the cool mom), but my husband decided that vans are actually easier for kids. So I ended up getting the touring edition Odyssey. Its super duper nice on the outside and I have to admit, having two sliding doors is WAY WAY easier than any SUV door.

I love my odyssey. I am a honda girl. We did serious look into the Sienna. We went the way of the honda though just base on the fact we love honda brand.

I love my toyota sienna and my sister had one too, she just traded hers in for a Honday Odyssey which she loves, too.They are both great cars, but the Honday is a little better on gas. Get one that has sonar, it beeps when you are close to something. Leather is easier to clean. We have automatic doors and all wheel drive. Great for the snow, but not needed down in warmer temps. I love my mini-van!!

We have a 2004 Toyota Sienna minivan and love Love LOVE it! We have 3 children and are extremely active and it holds everything we've ever thrown at it. It gets great gas mileage. We're nearing 100K on it (when we got it it had 50 or so miles on it) and it's still running great. We bring it in for regular servies/oil changes. We're pretty much sure we're going to get another Sienna when the time comes (I'm stalling as the one we have is paid in full and I don't want a new car loan right now, I'd rather move to a bigger house instead ^_~) We'll double check that someone else didn't pass them up which I've not seen signs of according to Consumer reports.
The turn radious is amazing. We see some of those big honking SUVs and such pass up parking spots because they can't stear into them and we whip right in them with ease. It drives like a car and not a truck.
We have the 3 kids in the middle row and use the full trunk for carrying everything, diaper changing space, you name it. Sitting in third row isn't too bad though it's more comfortable for children then adults. I've sat back there many times when we have other passengers and it's not too bad.
I always thought minivans were for the yuppie mom who has their children in too many things and taxis them all over the world and back. I was not sold on having one, I really liked our Honda CRV until we went out for the first time with my second for a full day and a loaded car and we all felt like we were sitting in each others laps holding everything we owned. We went out not that long after that trip and bought the minivan and have been happy ever since!

We have a 2001 Odyssey we bought used. It is a great car, and we love it. We had a Mazda CX9 which was far sexier and we loved it as well but the third row was not great for adults, had to be accessed by people climbing over other seats or into the trunk (not nice when transporting my parents or in-laws...). We love our mini-van. Sliding doors are great in crowded parking lots, not having to worry my kids will bash their door into a car parked next to us. Love the easy in and out. Love the space. Love the trunk. I wish there were drink holders in the 2nd row though. There is a drink holder thingee in the front in between driver and passenger but too far for 2nd row to reach easily...Also I would like the 2nd row windows to open, they don't. Only 3rd row, has small vents.

I have to admit I love my Toyota Sienna. I went into a mini-van kicking and screaming, but after weeks of research and test drives, I realized there was nothing else that was going to work with two babies - the rear facing seats and a 6'4" husband are a bad combo, and a 4 yr old that has to get in & out for carpool. I traded in a Volvo SUV XC90 - that I loved, but I have to admit I don't miss it. OK the only thing I miss is the memory controls for the driver seat - but that's it. The Sienna has a better turn radius, better space, more cup holders and space for my purse and feels much safer for my girls!

We just bought our first minivan today! We needed it to make room for baby #3. We got a 2006 Toyota Sienna. It is wonderful.

We've had an Odyssey for 5 years now and I am saving to get the new one with the mini fridge built it and the tvs (I bought ours with the intention of not having the kids watch tv in the car, that was before I was a mom to a toddler who HATES the car!:) I LOVE our van and would be lost without the automatic doors for sure and putting a baby or toddler in an SUV (my mom has one so I've done it a few times) kills my back - I just can't imagine doing that daily. Good luck!!

I just recently joined the minivan club and I have to say, I LOVE LOVE LOVE my Ford Freestar. I love the dual climate control. It has an awesome little mirror so I can see the kids without moving my rear-view mirror. I just love the whole van.

I love my Toyota Sienna. I had one before this and when it was totaled I wanted the same. Tons of room, very good milage, very easy to drive. You can take the seats out and it practically converts to a truck! I've hauled all kinds of stuff in it, as well as kids. It's wonderful to be able to give my kids' friends a ride. And with Japan going through this terrible time, I actually feel glad I bought a foreign car!

I had a Plymouth Voyager a few years ago and loved it. Now I am driving a GMC Acadia and love it even more. It actually has more room in it than the van did...it seats 8 teenagers comfortably. I don't really think it costs any more gas wise to drive the Acadia than it does a mini van.

I do!
LOVE my Ford Freestar!
it has everything, and can fit everyone and all their stuff.
What I don't like about it is that when you take the factory radio out and put in an after market, the controls for the in car DVD on over head don't work anymore and you can't control the radio on the steering wheel anymore

Nissian Quest! A little expensive but one of the best and top rated in saftey minivans out there. You will love the sliding doors on any van you get. so much easier for putting kids in and getting kids out of the vehicle in tight parking places. The Quest has a back set that fold completely flat and you can store soooooooooo much stuff in the back. Its amazing. the other seats fold flat too if you need to carry and 4 x 8 sheet of plywood or something extra large. It gets great gas mileage, has your mapping built in and you can get so many extras it's silly. Oh, one reason we liked it more than others is because of the console in the middle, or lack there of. You can actually walk back to the back and not climb or crawl over a big center console if you have to. This was so nice when my baby was tiny. You should atleast go take a look at them...but you'll want one if you do!

I LOVE my Mazda MPV! It's not as fancy as the Sienna or the Odyssey, but it has been a terrific vehicle. We found it accidentally--we were looking for a used Sienna at a Toyato dealership, ironically enough. It was half the price of the other mini vans we looked at, but it drove great and was a generally solid vehicle. We get on average 23 mpg in the city, usually around 26 on trips. It's pretty peppy too. The only time I've felt like I was driving a mini van was after test driving the Mazda 5 (which may be a good option for your family too). Good luck and enjoy your car shopping!

Honda Odyssey !!! It has been #1 for years!!!! I have one for 4 years now and we are planning to buy the new model that was released this year! :-) The new has even a small fridge .

I LOVE my minivan, Honda Odyssey, but there's lots of good ones. I waited to trade in my woody Buick wagon until I needed space for 4 kids AND cargo, so we said a sad goodbye to the rear facing bench seat. ANYWAY, love the gas mileage - don't even bother with an SUV-you don't need a truck engine, nor to pollute or waste gas with one. I waited until they came out with back seat windows that open (not such a big deal after all) and seating for 8. Look for those versatile 8 seater models, it's made a big difference for this car-pooler!

I love my Toyota Sienna! And this coming from a woman who was anti-minivan! We've had it for about 8 years now -- 112,000 miles and counting. I average about 20-21 mpg (even though the sticker said about 18 mpg) and I do mostly local driving. It is very comfortable and spacious! We got the 8 seat version -- with the optional middle seat in the middle row. And when we had our third child 4 years ago this seat position was perfect because it can be placed closer to the front row (to reach back more easily) and we've had no problems with putting a car seat in that position. We have driven our minivan multiples times to/from NJ and have been VERY comfortable. We drove it from NJ to TX when we moved here six years ago and it was loaded with 4 adults, 2 children, 2 cats and lots of luggage.

I have a dodge grand caravan w/ stow and go seats and the dvd player. BEST PURCHASE WE HAVE EVER MADE!!!! love it love it love it. We bought it new. I have owned it now for 6 years this month. I love it as much now as the day we bought it. And for the first time in 24 years of marriage I was not ready to start looking at new vehicles a year after we bought one. I am planning on keeping it till last kid is out of college (another 7 years) It has 102000 miles on it and drives as well now as it did new. Go with the grand caravan can't tell you how great putting the seats down is for trips. kids can stretch legs out or you can move stuff. its great

Hi! I see that alot of the answers are similar, but I have to tell you about the vehicle I bought just last weekend! It's a CPO 2008 Ford Taurus X. I LOVE it, and I got a great deal on it. I think it used to be called a Ford Freestyle. Some call it a wagon and some call it a crossover. I was a little leary (sp?) at first going from a regular sedan to this, but it's awesome! It's loaded, includes a dvd player, and has an optional 3rd row seating...plenty of room. We are a family of four, including a 6'2" teen, so this car really works for us. Maybe it could work for you and your family too! Check into it! I had never heard of it before until I was doing online searches of cars and came across the Taurus X by accident. Definitely a great investment! Oh, and it's very safe too!

I love my Town & Country! It's the second one I've owned. The convenience of the automatic doors, the stow & go seats, the smooth ride...love it. Mine is also pretty decked out, with DVD players and a navigation system. I only have 2 kids, but I swear all that room comes in handy so often! We can bring the kids' friends along with us, or throw our bikes in the back and head to the park. I don't think I could ever go back to a "normal" car!

I've never figured out why mini-vans get such a bad rap - they're awesome!

Good luck in your search!
Jen
www.morethanmothers.com

I love my Crysler Town and Country. It has a lot of versatility with the seating and the stow n go. You can easily find a used minivan if you'd like to save a ton of cash.

I have a 2005 Dodge GrandCaravan. I do like it. We have 3 kids (2,6, 9) and always room for an extra kid or two. I don;t love the gas milage but I love the space. We have the fold and go seats and I love the hidden storage. My only complaint is we know have 125,000 miles on it and I feel like I am being nickeled and dimed to death. Two of the issues I have had are $$ and the mechanic said we'll that is common with a chrsyler/dodge van. We bought it because it was affordable and cheaper than the toyota or honda but I think the reviews are much better and if money wasn't an issue. I would buy the Honda.

I love my Odyssey! Everyone gave me heck about it, but it is the best thing. If it is pouring rain I can hit the auto doors and get us in quickly. Then I can climb in the front seat. This past summer we had swim lessons and I had to change my two year old daughter in the car. There was enough room for me to sit back there and change her. There is so much storage. I love the DVD player, I love we can move the 2nd row seats to two seats or a short bench, I love how little ones can get it on their own, and I love the room. It is great!
Good lunck!!

I love my Honda Odyssey. It's an older model, but it is awesome.
1. Both of my kids can get in and out by themselves (7 and 3). I bought this when the little one was less than one and my son was 4. He immediately was able to open and close the doors by himself and buckle himself into the car on his own. My daughter can now get in and out by herself - but of course, I still have to buckle and unbuckle her.

2. If my son has a friend in the car, we just flip up the third seat and then the "big kids" sit in the third row.

3. DVD player is great.

I love the room of the minivan. I mostly leave the third seat folded away so that we have plenty of room in the back for everything from grocery's to sports equipment to pieces of furniture. Honestly, we moved this past year and moved absolutley everything in the minivan except for the large pieces of furniture. It was fabulous.

And, like others said, I dreaded getting it. But, I love it now. The sliding doors are my #1 favorite feature. I don't have to worry at all about the kids dinging other people's cars.

-L.

I have a 2010 Honda Odyssey and I LOVE IT!!!! It fits up to 8 people (including driver) and there is enough room in the back to put a double stroller, a large cooler and some other small things. We went to the zoo last year with my parents, my sister & her husband, a toddler & infant and both my husband and I. We were able to have enough room for everyone comfortably and store a double stroller, a large cooler, a large diaper bag and extra food items in a large bag. In the back where my kids sit too, underneather there is extra storage for like a laptop, large camera, umbrella and more all together. The middle seat in the back also can fold down for cup holders. That seat also has extra storage in it too for kids games. It also has automatic sliding doors and the rear seats fold down for super extra storage. I think at one point in time I was able to fit a double stroller, 3 super large plastic tubs and groceries. My kids were also in there too.

Now, the downside to it is the gas mileage. I think mine only gets 19 in the city and about 24 on the highway. I know the new 2011's get better gas mileage and I heard they are a tiny bit bigger too. I want a 2011 so bad, but we just got ours in February 2010. So we are waiting to see if the economy turns around and maybe in 2013/2014 there will be something better. Honda is getting a new transmission in I believe 2013 which is supposed to help gas mileage tremendously and it's supposed to also cost less money so the vehicles shouldn't cost more than they do now.

Good luck shopping. Just be sure to do your homework and find one that fits your family the best!!!!

love my Toyota Sienna, it's about 10 years old but I still love it! when I bought it, the Toyota and the Honda had the best consumer satisfaction ratings and the best resale value, according to Consumer Reports. so I looked for either of those two, but the honda was harder to find used in my price range.

my friend has a Chrysler mini van and she loves it, she liked some of the features, like the stow and go seats, but the Consumer Reports on it when I got my van 6 years ago were not as high as the Toyota and the Honda, and they didn't have the stow n go seats at the time, but I think it would be a very beneficial feature to have in my situation, and something I will definitely consider in my next mini van purchase.

as for the SUV/crossovers, one of my other friends has a new Chevy Traverse with all the bells and whistles, and she loves it, and feels that it has lots of room for the whole family (Mom Dad and 4 boys) and all their stuff.

good luck

I absolutely love my Honda Odyssey & I never thought I would own a mini van. It has so much room, automatic doors & still gets decent gas mileage, too. I can't say enough great things about it! :)

We just got a Honda Odyssey. I love the automatic sliding doors and the sunken cargo trunk. (Great for groceries!)

I have an '07 Sienna and I love it. Similar story about the Odyssey. I was looking to buy used and apparently, people who buy Odysseys hold on to them forever! Safety features were the biggest selling point for us. We also needed more room for our three kids in carseats. (Twins born in September.)

rock the minivan!

I have a 2004 pontiac montana. I love it! It looks a little sportier than a regular minivan. I am not sure that they make them anymore though :(

You will love the room that a minivan gives you. I have been in friends jeeps, suburbans, tahoo (sp?) etc. I still think the minivan has more space in the back. My kids are 15,14, 9 and 6 are are not on top of each other back there :)

I love my Honda Odyssey. Auto doors, built in sun screens, DVD player, heated seats, etc. I can be in the front seat when my husband is driving and go to the back if the kids need anything. Not to mention it hold two car seats and up the 5 adults. Three adults in the back seat and two in the front seats. The storage space is amazing. I thought I would never drive a mini van and now I cant live without it.

traded in my Tribeca Subaru compact SUV for a 2006 Toyta Sienna Limmited. Aside from my slightly wounded pride, I love it! Once you have more than one kid, and if you do road trips, its really worth it. Main thing for me is the ease of jumping from the front to rear seats while driving to deal with kids (way hard to do in a compact SUV). I love rear captians chairs. on long road trips I put toddler in third row seat and baby next to me and can manage them both really well. I'm as comfortable in the rear captians chair as I would be in the front seat (and you know you end up in the back with kids anyhow, so might as well be comfortable). I love the way the seats in back can be put up or down with the flick of a button. I do art shows and can move out all the seats and haul major stuff (ladders, 48" x 60" canvas paintings, tools....). I was able to haul as much stuff in it as when I had a Ford Expedition.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUG3Z8Hxa5I
I'm not going to lie, this utube swagger wagon video helped me bite the bullet.

I have the 2011 Honda Odyssey, good gas mileage and lots of room

We've had 3 Chrysler/Plymouth/Dodge mini-vans... the first was a Plymouth Voyager, then a Chrysler Town & Country, now a Dodge Caravan. They are all based on the same design, with different perks. I just always liked how they rode.

We usually drive them until they die..... we've bought 2 of them used, and the first was new. We currently have a 2000 Dodge Caravan with over 160,000 miles on it. Yes, at this age, there are maintenance issues, but I love the feel of it, and the space we have, even though we really don't need that large of a car anymore.

I have a 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan - I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!! I don't like the maintenance issues (but that's because it's now 10 years old!! :) )

I love that I can get up to 23 MPG on the highway - sometimes more. Around the city sometimes can suck in the summer - it's been as low as 13 - yikes!! but usually around 17.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the options I have within my van - I can seat 7. I can take the middle captains chairs out and put a solid seat in - I can take one seat out or I can take 2 or 3 or 4 seats out! YAHOO!!!

Unlike ANY OTHER mini van - I have SPACE in the back of my van...I was able to put a stroller in the back WITH GROCERIES and STILL have room for the seats. I personally don't like the "new" tub they have in the back - I love having a flat surface.

I have the right door that will remotely pop open. My back hatch will remotely pop open. If it starts raining at soccer or baseball? Push the button and 4 people can stand under the back hatch.

great sound system. I have 4 (yes FOUR) outlets to charge DSs, Portable DVDs, Ipods, etc.....

I hope you have fun!! If you have babies - take the stuff you would need to use EVERY DAY with you when you go look. See how easy or hard it is to get the kids in and out....bring your stroller if you have one and see how it fits...that's what I did. That's what sold me on the Grand Caravan.

I also went on looks - I looked at other vans - I didn't like the Town & Country because it seemed like a "grandmother's car" TO ME. The Grand Caravan screamed "soccer/baseball mom" - now? I don't think make them much different - but I wanted a car I liked to look at.

Hope this helps!

We LOVED our minivan - we had a mazda MVP - it's almost 10 yrs old and has been wonderful. They don't make them anymore... boohoo I hear the Toyota and the Kia are fabulous! My kids are teens and we still plan on getting another minivan - but we inherited a Jeep with very low mileage - so we're using that for now. Compared to a family friendly minivan I really am not a fan of the Jeep - but it was free. ;o)

I have the toyota sienna. love it. Doors slide open with the push of a button. My 5 year old can get in and out herself, while I strap my 1 year old in. Aisle in the middle lets friends kids get in the back and strap into a booster, if needed. It is very convenient for anyone with 2 or more kids, who travels with other kids, car pools, etc. I will say that once the kids are older, I may go with a different 3rd row car, but for now this is perfect!

LOVE my Town and Country!!

we just got a 09 Toyota Sienna 7 months ago and we love it! decent gas milage, plenty of room, automatic sliding door! I'm in heaven! We've got the 8 person version and I've had 7 adults and a car seat in it comfortably! It drives very nicely and works great for every need we've had!

I hate our mini van. Yes, it's big, "practical" for families but I do not like it. We have the Toyota Sienna. I think it's the base model. My husband drives it and we do use it for long distance travel as well. Why do I dislike it?
* the back hatch door is hard to close. When I have to close it, I have to open and close it a couple times to get it to close right.

* when I get in the passenger side, there is just no place to put my stuff. I like my purse and other "things" to be with me up front but there just isn't room for it. I have to put it on the floor by my feet and then that gives me less room.

* we put our three children in the three seats directly behind the driver and passenger seats (the first row). When we have additional passengers, to let them in, we either have to dismantle a car seat to let the other passenger(s) into the last row, or we have to open the hatch door and have them crawl into their seats that way. It's very annoying.

It's a personal choice. My husband wanted the mini van and since it's his primary vehicle, it's fine for him but if given a choice, I would have not picked the mini van. I'm not sure what I would prefer, but I just don't like ours. And ours is not really a gas guzzler. It does get good mileage. I hope this helps.

We have a Town and Country, hated, hated, hated to get it - didn't want to be the mini-van mom. I still am not fond of the way it looks, however we have three kids 8,5, & 3 and it is soooo easy to get them in and out. With alot of SUV's you have to move the seats to get them in and out. It gets decent gas mileage. We've taken it on vacation, everyone was comfortable and we had enough storage with the stow & go seats. So depending on your family size I would consider it.

I have a 2008 Taurus X (which replaced the Freestyle and is now a Flex (which has a totally differen body style)). I LOVE IT! It is like a cross between a minivan, a station wagon and an SUV. It has seating for 6. The back row is easy to get in and out, even for my 80 year old grandparents. The rear seats are also a cinch to fold flat and the second row flip up with the push of a button. Mine is loaded with options- cruise, dual climate control, rear climate control, DVD w/ wireless headphones, heated seats, etc. Mine has a power rear gate, so all you have to do is push a button and it opens or closes. It gets pretty good gas mileage- about 30 on the highway and 25 city. We also have the DVD player. The Freestyle has a smaller engine, so it probably get a little better gas mileage. My aunt and uncle have one and love it too. Mine has held its value very well over the almost two years I've had it. The only issue I've had is the elements in the heated seats going out. It seems to be a common problem in this car, and they are pricey to replace ($600 each), which is why I ride with a chilly butt!

DO NOT BUY A KIA!!! Other than it being a Kia, I LOVE my minivan!

I SWORE I would never, ever, ever drive a MV..and guess what...I do. :) I don't love it however. Actually I kinda hate it. I hate it in the sense that I don't feel 'cool' driving it, cranking up the radio and singing out loud with the sun roof on in a MV just isn't quite the same.

BUT-for more then two kids, i think it's almost a must have. Mileage is good, you have the third seat for more people since the car seats can't be moved, sliding doors rock and when it's raining, snowing, etc you can climb in and buckle the kids in, instead of standing outside doing it. It's roomy and practical and now that I'm a mom I stil fight it, but I go with practical. :)