ugh we need a minivan: what works for your family?

[Anonymous]

Love my dodge caravan!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Love the Odyssey! I don't recommend trying to save money by getting a Kia or Hyundai. Sienna's are also a fine choice.

What about the three-row SUV? The Pilot is an Odyssey in SUV clothing. The Highlander is a Sienna. You lose a tiny bit of storage space and the doors don't slide but the drive trains and features are mostly shared within the platform.

We have a Highlander and a Sienna. There is a vast difference between the two...the Sienna is much more convenient and has tons more usable cargo space with the third row in use.

The Sienna is fantastic and practical. Yeah I'm a dork but I looove it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I also have a Sienna, and love it. We test drove the Odyssey and the Sienna and I liked the softer, quieter drive of the Sienna. It's a 2011, still going strong, and will stay with us for at least 5 more years, I hope. I absolutely love it, love the sliding doors, the roomy interior, the fact that I can haul my kids, dog, and grandparents around in the same car, the comfortable seats, and the fact that I don't have to worry about dings or scratches. It's a perfect mom car. But then again, my identity is not tied up in my vehicle and I couldn't care less of the "image" my car projects. I know that minivans are a no-no to many people, but I am not one of them.

+1

We live in Colorado and have the AWD Sienna. Best vehicle for winter driving—I have almost 130K miles on mine. We have three kids and carpool a LOT and it’s great. My kids are in and out of the car so much faster at school drop off and pick up than the people with SUVs.

DH was fantasizing about what car he’d buy if we had a big windfall (like winning he lottery) and I said I’d just want to get a newer Sienna and upgrade to the highest options package—we have the middle one now.

[Anonymous]

OP, go ahead and try renting out a minivan for like a week and see how you feel--I'm sure it'll change your ugh mentality.

[Anonymous]

We love our Mazda 5! They stopped making them a couple years ago so you can't buy one new, but if you're in the market for a used vehicle they are worth checking out. It's great for city living because it is so compact, but it still gives you the extra seats you need for carpooling or grandparents, at least while the kids are young.

[Anonymous]

2008 sienna here
142k

Very reliable

[Anonymous]

2008 sienna here
142k

Very reliable

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, go ahead and try renting out a minivan for like a week and see how you feel--I'm sure it'll change your ugh mentality.

We are one and done and live in the city, so we're clearly never buying a minivan. But we rented one once when visiting friends so both families could fit in the same car. It was so comfortable I completely changed how I thought about minivans.

[Anonymous]

There's only 4 to choose from: Odyssey, Sienna, Pacifica, Kia (Sedona I thikn. forgot the name)

So see which on you like the best in terms of how it drives and riding position. Personally we're on our third Sienna.

[Anonymous]

You can't go wrong with a Sienna or an Odyssey. Rest, well, take your chance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Love the Odyssey! I don't recommend trying to save money by getting a Kia or Hyundai. Sienna's are also a fine choice.

What about the three-row SUV? The Pilot is an Odyssey in SUV clothing. The Highlander is a Sienna. You lose a tiny bit of storage space and the doors don't slide but the drive trains and features are mostly shared within the platform.

We have a Highlander and a Sienna. There is a vast difference between the two...the Sienna is much more convenient and has tons more usable cargo space with the third row in use.

The Sienna is fantastic and practical. Yeah I'm a dork but I looove it.

We had a loaner Highlander for a month while waiting for a part for my Sienna and it cannot compare to a Sienna for ease, cargo space, etc. hated it.

[Anonymous]

We chose the Sienna because it had AWD

[Anonymous]

town and country and the pacifica... stow and go seating.

[Anonymous]

I drove an Odyssey for many years and I LOVED it. I don't care about cars so I've never really understood people's aversion to driving a mini-van...I think it's silly. Once you drive a mini-van and realize how comfortable and convenient they are you won't regret getting one. I now drive a fancy SUV and, frankly, I don't like it anywhere close to my old van....it's just not the same!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I also have a Sienna, and love it. We test drove the Odyssey and the Sienna and I liked the softer, quieter drive of the Sienna. It's a 2011, still going strong, and will stay with us for at least 5 more years, I hope. I absolutely love it, love the sliding doors, the roomy interior, the fact that I can haul my kids, dog, and grandparents around in the same car, the comfortable seats, and the fact that I don't have to worry about dings or scratches. It's a perfect mom car. But then again, my identity is not tied up in my vehicle and I couldn't care less of the "image" my car projects. I know that minivans are a no-no to many people, but I am not one of them.

All of this. 2012 with 90k miles.