2nd kid... time for a minivan?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We currently have two cars (small SUV and sedan). DH keeps hearing stories of people who moved to a minivan after having a second baby. I'm unconvinced.

If you moved to a minivan after #2, why? What are the use cases where a small SUV wouldn't work but a minivan would?
Did you need the minivan right away, or was it more helpful later (when kids were in school, etc.) to help with carpools/etc?

A minivan is useful if you have frequent long-term guests who you have to drive around (like in laws), or if you take a lot of road trips and like to take a lot of stuff. I also love the minivan because I love buying antique furniture and just taking it home with me, or when I buy a lot of gardening supplies and mulch and I can buy a ton of stuff in one trip and fit it all in the car. Having a lot of space is just really useful. And it's a really comfy car too. I know they don't look "cool" to people, but as an adult I cannot imagine giving a shit about that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We currently have two cars (small SUV and sedan). DH keeps hearing stories of people who moved to a minivan after having a second baby. I'm unconvinced.

If you moved to a minivan after #2, why? What are the use cases where a small SUV wouldn't work but a minivan would?
Did you need the minivan right away, or was it more helpful later (when kids were in school, etc.) to help with carpools/etc?

A minivan is useful if you have frequent long-term guests who you have to drive around (like in laws), or if you take a lot of road trips and like to take a lot of stuff. I also love the minivan because I love buying antique furniture and just taking it home with me, or when I buy a lot of gardening supplies and mulch and I can buy a ton of stuff in one trip and fit it all in the car. Having a lot of space is just really useful. And it's a really comfy car too. I know they don't look "cool" to people, but as an adult I cannot imagine giving a shit about that.

That's because you're not insecure.

[Anonymous]

Of course you don't "need" a minivan. However, I've never encountered a minivan owner who regretted having one.

These threads always end up resulting in half the posts from minivan owners who will tell you that they are the best, and SUV owners who try to explain why their "cool" SUV is practically just as good as a minivan. I've got news for you; there is nothing cool about anything other than a classic sports car. Everything else is just transportation.

[Anonymous]

No

[Anonymous]

I have one kid and am pregnant with #2. We have two very small sedans (dh is only a 2 door) and are DYING for the Honda Odyssey of our dreams. We go on 10 roadtrips a year and are slammed in our small sedan. I dream of the day when I can pack a suitcase in my car instead of just soft sided bags of clothes. We actually tried putting 2 car seats in DH's car and they wouldn't fit, but he won't take me shopping yet.

I don't get why people think their SUVs are cooler than minivans. I hate it how all the kids slam the SUV doors into the parked cars next to them and the 3rd row is always difficult to navigate to.

[Anonymous]

We have an SUV and a small sedan (which is very old). When the sedan goes, we'll get a mini van. Two kids ages 1 and 3.

We don't really NEED a mini-van, but it will be nice to have. It's a pretty tight squeeze between their car seats so we can't ever have an extra person ride with us. This isn't a usual thing right now, but as a PP said, once our older one goes to kindergarten, it'd be nice to be able to bring a friend along places.

That said, if our sedan was not 16 years old we wouldn't be gunning to upgrade just yet. I think once the kids are school age it's much more useful.

I don't like SUVs with a 3rd row because the layout is always awful. If you want a 3rd row, you want a mini-van. People who buy the 3rd row SUVs are normally in denial that what they really need is a mini-van....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have one kid and am pregnant with #2. We have two very small sedans (dh is only a 2 door) and are DYING for the Honda Odyssey of our dreams. We go on 10 roadtrips a year and are slammed in our small sedan. I dream of the day when I can pack a suitcase in my car instead of just soft sided bags of clothes. We actually tried putting 2 car seats in DH's car and they wouldn't fit, but he won't take me shopping yet.

I don't get why people think their SUVs are cooler than minivans. I hate it how all the kids slam the SUV doors into the parked cars next to them and the 3rd row is always difficult to navigate to.

10 roadtrips a year?! That's monthly. Get thee a mini-van!

[Anonymous]

No way. Also depends where you live. We're in the city. WE have one mid0sized SUV and its fine.

[Anonymous]

We have one kid and a dog - Love our Honda Odyssey!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have one kid and am pregnant with #2. We have two very small sedans (dh is only a 2 door) and are DYING for the Honda Odyssey of our dreams. We go on 10 roadtrips a year and are slammed in our small sedan. I dream of the day when I can pack a suitcase in my car instead of just soft sided bags of clothes. We actually tried putting 2 car seats in DH's car and they wouldn't fit, but he won't take me shopping yet.

I don't get why people think their SUVs are cooler than minivans. I hate it how all the kids slam the SUV doors into the parked cars next to them and the 3rd row is always difficult to navigate to.

10 roadtrips a year?! That's monthly. Get thee a mini-van!

I want one! Our cars are paid off and so inexpensive to insure so it's hard for DH to swallow a large property tax and car insurance bill. We have the cash waiting for the car.

4 of those road trips are 1000 mile roadtrips, the rest are just 3-4 hours each way. We love to drive.

[Anonymous]

We got one when our small SUV died and our kids were 5 and 2.5. I absolutely love it. I hated that we couldn't take another person in the SUV - even just one visitor meant we needed two cars. I love that I can click the doors open and the kids get themselves in. It's great when we take trips to visit family and easily get everything we need into the back. If I buy something large or bulky, I can fold down all the seats and get it in. I love that thing. I can't imagine caring what someone thinks about me driving it. Why would someone care what I'm driving in the first place?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No way. Also depends where you live. We're in the city. WE have one mid0sized SUV and its fine.

I'm a pp who loves her minivan, but if I had to park in the city, I probably wouldn't want one. Maybe one of those Mazda 5s, but I think they stopped making those?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Of course you don't "need" a minivan. However, I've never encountered a minivan owner who regretted having one.

These threads always end up resulting in half the posts from minivan owners who will tell you that they are the best, and SUV owners who try to explain why their "cool" SUV is practically just as good as a minivan. I've got news for you; there is nothing cool about anything other than a classic sports car. Everything else is just transportation.

That was my take, too--no one I know with a minivan regrets having one. We have an Italian friend who is really into cars, and one of their cars is a minivan. He *loves* that thing. No, it's not "cool," but it's really practical.

And I totally agree--if you think your SUV is cool, you are kidding yourself. My dad's '57 Chevy is cool. My uncle's '67 Mustang is cool. My friend's classic T-bird is cool. Your SUV is exactly as cool as that minivan and sedan parked next to you in the lot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have one kid and am pregnant with #2. We have two very small sedans (dh is only a 2 door) and are DYING for the Honda Odyssey of our dreams. We go on 10 roadtrips a year and are slammed in our small sedan. I dream of the day when I can pack a suitcase in my car instead of just soft sided bags of clothes. We actually tried putting 2 car seats in DH's car and they wouldn't fit, but he won't take me shopping yet.

I don't get why people think their SUVs are cooler than minivans. I hate it how all the kids slam the SUV doors into the parked cars next to them and the 3rd row is always difficult to navigate to.

10 roadtrips a year?! That's monthly. Get thee a mini-van!

I want one! Our cars are paid off and so inexpensive to insure so it's hard for DH to swallow a large property tax and car insurance bill. We have the cash waiting for the car.

4 of those road trips are 1000 mile roadtrips, the rest are just 3-4 hours each way. We love to drive.

Same here. 3 kids. We do roadtrips to Nashville, Florida, Maine, etc. They've become really good roadtrippers, too. It's fun. Love driving.

[Anonymous]

You definitely don't need one for two kids, but I've definitely noticed a trend in families purchasing them after their second kid arrives. I personally would love to have one for our two kids - so much easier to get kids in and out of, great for picking up furniture at ikea (especially with the collapsible back seats), tons of room for long trips. Alas, I married one of those "I will never drive a minivan" people and it's not a hill for me to die on. We drove our Mini into the ground until right before our 2nd was born, and then we bought a used RDX, and that seemed like a total upgrade. So I really can't complain!