Hate minivans

[Anonymous]

Anyone else out there in the same boat - I have always hated the thought of driving a minivan but we are now considering it due to the logistics of three very young children. We have a 15 m.o. DS and expecting twins in about 4 months. Any thoughts welcome or comparisons of minivans versus other options with three in car seats.

[Anonymous]

I was a minivan hater, too. Then I got one. When you are carting around multiple children (some not yours -- which inevitably happens when your kids have playdates, sports), it just makes sense. Down the road, you will likely be in a situation where you need to drive other kids than your three. The mileage isn't great and they are definitely "uncool." We got a 2007 Honda Odyssey -- few bells and whistles -- no leather seats, DVD player or GPS thingie. But it works for us. I don't know anyone with 3 kids who drives a regular car. Not that there aren't people who do it, but it seems very difficult.

Good luck to you and your growing family.

I

[Anonymous]

I HATED the idea of a minivan too...but it was my husband's car that died and needed to be replaced, so he won the battle. Now, as much as I don't like the fact that I am driving a minivan...you really can't beat the storage and ease of use for strollers, etc. We have a 2005(?) Town & Country; the seats fold completely into the floor. We have fit major pieces of furniture/home remodeling items in there. At other times, we have taken two dogs, two babies, and all the gear that goes with it on long roadtrips (without even using the Thule on top). I really can't complain, as much as I want to.

[Anonymous]

Not a big fan either. But, I now see how sensible minivans are and would consider one in the future. My sisters both have minivans, and I spent time as a passenger in both of their vehicles during a recent trip. It was easier to pile 3-4 adults and 3-4 kids in the minivan for little day trips (rather than take 2 cars places). One of my sisters (whose children are no longer in car seats) has a minivan that has a built in car seat (folded out from the seat). It was a nice feature!

[Anonymous]

I swore I would never ever have a mini van, now I can't wait until my next car.. the Honda Odessy. I drive a volvo wagon now and with two britax regents, there is no room for even one more person. I have the 3rd seat, but how safe is that? I rented a mini van recently and even my kids loved it. Enterprse rents the Toyota sienna, go have a try, it may change your mind.

[Anonymous]

I used to refer to minivans as GooberMobiles. I was so excited to trade in my wagan for a minivan. The gas mileage is also much better than that in an equivelent sized SUV.

[Anonymous]

Our next vehicle will be purchased in 2009. It is not my turn to get one, so I don't have the majority of the say. But with two kids and a third on the way, I never thought I would say this, but I soooo want a minivan. I was kind of liking the Town and Country that has those pop up tables. We take a fair amount of driving vacations and this looks like it would provide yet another way to entertain the kids - DVDs and hand held video games only go do far.

[Anonymous]

When I first saw the title "Hate minivans", I thought it was going to be how minivan drivers drive. Wait unitl Jr. in the carseat is learning how to drive in a few years. Minivan drivers are the most aggresive on the road. Try not to tailgate my teenager next time you get behind the wheel of your minivan. Minivan drivers are the pits!!

[Anonymous]

I don't think people in minivans are the worst drivers. The worst are the ones that have a smoke in one hand, and their cell phone in the other. Everytime I go out, I am nearly plowed into someone who isn't paying attention because they are on their phones. Yesterday I avoided several accident, people don't seem to know what to do at a stop sign, or what those line markings on the road mean.

I don't think I have ever been tailgated by a minivan though.

[Anonymous]

Your teenager tailgated by a minivan? Probably happened once and now you're indicting all minivan drivers.

[Anonymous]

Drivers of minivans that are so scary are the men who need to drive aggressively to mak eup for the fact that they're driving a MINIVAN! They're saving their penises!! hahaha

[Anonymous]

We are expecting and don't want a mini van either. Yesterday we looked at the Taurus X. It is not a mini van but a cross over vehicle. My one concern with a cross over is how hard it would be to access the 3rd row with 2 car seats in the 2nd row. You have the option of either having the 2nd row as a bench (3 seats) or as 2 captain seats. With the 2 captain seats it is very easy to access the 3rd row.

The setup actually reminded me of my friends new Honda Odyssey but on a slightly smaller scale. We are also planning on having 3 so I did check and the car comes with 3 Latch systems. 2 in the second row and one in the third.

I'm also excited because it has the new Sync system from Microsoft. I think it is worth checking out. Ford has a really good website and I was able to do a lot of research on the car before going in. We almost bought yesterday because they had some really good end of the year incentives but since we only get a new car every 4-5 years, we decided to order the exact color/features we want since we don't need the car until late spring.

Good luck and congrats on the twins, how exciting!

[Anonymous]

in terms of quality, the Taurus can't compare with the Honda. Also, automatic sliding doors are a life saver when you have more than one child.

[Anonymous]

Automatic sliding doors are the best automobile invention since the intermitent wiper! I love mine -- they make it so easy to get in and out of the car with two little ones. No worry about hands or feet getting slammed in the door.

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous]When I first saw the title "Hate minivans", I thought it was going to be how minivan drivers drive. Wait unitl Jr. in the carseat is learning how to drive in a few years. Minivan drivers are the most aggresive on the road. Try not to tailgate my teenager next time you get behind the wheel of your minivan. Minivan drivers are the pits!![/quote]

I completely agree.