Do I need a minivan?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We bought a Toyota Sienna earlier this year (2 kids - 5 yo and 3 yo) and LOVE it. It's roomy and convenient, and it drives like a dream. Our previous car was an Accord, so the minivan is obviously much bigger, but it didn't take long at all to get used to it. Highly recommend.

The Toyota Sienna doesn’t drive like a big car. If you have an MDX, I don’t think you’ll have an issue. We just traded our Sienna for a Pilot (kids are now teens). I love my Pilot but I’m really missing the space and ease of my Sienna. You can’t expect an adult to ride in the 3rd row of an SUV like an MDX or Pilot. My Pilot is very spacious for a 3 row SUV but not spacious enough that I would ask an adult to sit back there unless it was an emergency. The minivan was a different story. It’s really quite comfortable even in the 3rd row.

Your husband sounds like mine. He works in Bethesda and uses the parking garage excuse for why he didn’t want to drive the minivan daily. Must be a guy thing.

[Anonymous]

You don't need a minivan. Your DH wants a minivan. There's a difference. We're a family of 4 in a compact SUV and we're perfectly fine (and for us, the stages of grief were giving up the compact car for the compact SUV when we had a second kid). We have in-laws visiting regularly, but if the issue is going out to dinner in 1 car, just get an uber for the extra people. It's probably cheaper than getting a car that's bigger than you need 90% of thetime.

[Anonymous]

It’s really not that much of a stretch from an MDX to an Odyssey. Just get one.

[Anonymous]

You don't need a minivan. Your DH wants a minivan. There's a difference. We're a family of 4 in a compact SUV and we're perfectly fine (and for us, the stages of grief were giving up the compact car for the compact SUV when we had a second kid). We have in-laws visiting regularly, but if the issue is going out to dinner in 1 car, just get an uber for the extra people. It's probably cheaper than getting a car that's bigger than you need 90% of thetime.

I disagree. We added another adult to our house recently and squeezing 3 adults and 2 kids in our Subaru is tough. And then there's no room.for friend of kid, or visiting parent, etc. We end up driving two cars a lot, which is also.parkibg, tolls, etc. I think if you regularly are driving 5 with two car seats, look into a van or similar...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand the problem. We have an infant and preschool car seat in our pilot, and you can still access the 3rd tow (albeit from passenger side)

Infant car seat is on outside driver side, preschooler is in middle, they are on the 2/3 split of second row, so 1/3 split slides forward for 3rd row. I assume your brother would just sit in the 2nd row with you and DH in front?

Make sure you have running board, that makes access way easier. But you don’t need to get s minivan, but they are nice. But they are longer and a little wider so will be harder to park

You have car seat problem not a car problem

Op here. I have a serious back problem. Reaching into the middle to get baby out is not going to work for me at all. So one will be on each side and can no longer fold the seat at all. My seats do not slide forward but fold.

Put the 3yo in the middle. She can buckle herself.

An older MDX? The middle seats on the newer ones slide forward.

[Anonymous]

Anyone with 2+ kids will love a minivan versus an SUV. Suburban Mom's will dis a mini because it isn't cool so they all drive the same SUV's to be cool but they all make the same mistake. The sliding doors, the captain's chairs, the easy access all make life so easy with a mini. Screw the cool factor, which is no longer cool because everyone does it, get a mini and make your life easy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand the problem. We have an infant and preschool car seat in our pilot, and you can still access the 3rd tow (albeit from passenger side)

Infant car seat is on outside driver side, preschooler is in middle, they are on the 2/3 split of second row, so 1/3 split slides forward for 3rd row. I assume your brother would just sit in the 2nd row with you and DH in front?

Make sure you have running board, that makes access way easier. But you don’t need to get s minivan, but they are nice. But they are longer and a little wider so will be harder to park

You have car seat problem not a car problem

Op here. I have a serious back problem. Reaching into the middle to get baby out is not going to work for me at all. So one will be on each side and can no longer fold the seat at all. My seats do not slide forward but fold.

Put the 3yo in the middle. She can buckle herself.

An older MDX? The middle seats on the newer ones slide forward.

Hmm we’ve never had her try to buckle herself. She definitely cannot tighten her straps. Yes, 2010.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If your DH wants a minivan then he should get one. Problem solved.

Since your DH's car is 20 years old, you're going to need another car soon anyway. Buy a minivan. Unless it's his or her car thing, you can drive the MDX most of the time and drive the minivan when needed. I don't think your DH would mind driving the minivan daily because it's better than a 20 years old car he's driving.

That’s the kicker!!! He does not want it to be his daily driver. He has very tight garage parking in Bethesda and being from Georgia he is not the best parking. I’ve never seen someone botch a parallel parking job so poorly! He can barely park my mdx. He needs to be comfortable with what he drives. And the dents and scratches on my old Honda don’t bother me as much

My odyssey parks itself. Problem solved.