Minivan question

[Anonymous]

We have twins on the way and also have a 3 yr old still in a carseat so I think this is the route we have to go ... sell my beloved outback for a minivan.

We are on a tight budget so I was hoping to get opinions on what features could you do without versus which ones you could not live without.

Thanks in advance!

[Anonymous]

OP here - looking at Sienna and Odyssey

[Anonymous]

Never, ever thought I'd see myself driving a minivan. But, with two in carseats it was a must. I love my Honda Odyssey!!! We looked at the Siena as well. The Honda was just a bit bigger.

[Anonymous]

OP I posted in december sometime re: minivans and you may be able to find the posts. We are in nearly the same situation and I think are opting for the I did not want DS (who will be just 20 months when the twins arrive) to be alone in the 3rd row.

[Anonymous]

I don't think you can go wrong with either one. I have the Sienna. My favorite feature (available on both) is the automatic sliding doors. I cannot remember what it is called, but we also have this parking assist feature (basically like sonar) -- it is great for parking, but I really like it when backing up as it will give you an audible warning if it senses something behind the car (the something has to be a certain height above the ground, but I'm guessing something in the range between 15" and 2 1/2 feet). We also have the backup camera (which I like), but I find the sonar feature more useful.

[Anonymous]

After test driving the Sienna, Odyssey, Grand Caravan, and the Kia Sedona, I chose the Sedona. While all the others had more storage space, I did find one thing that the Kia had that the others didn't. A "conversation" mirror that I could easily use to check on my babes in the back seat. I just got the basic model, no automatic doors, but the EX has them. I have been really happy with the van, and have driven it everywhere, so many car trips. One with an entertainment system is nice, but i found it to be more economical to purchase a separate DVD player.

[Anonymous]

OP 14:51 poster here - I just realized whne trying to make a spelling correction I left out the name of the minivan we are looking at - the Sienna. It is the one we could fit 3 car seats in the 2nd row. We could also do this in the Honda Pilot but the Sienna is more comfortable and seems to ahve more space and automatic doors. You can rent one for the weekend to realy check it out before buying one.

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure I remember this correctly,... but we looked at the Sienna and the Odyssey. We ended up picking the Odyssey I think because it had a bit more room, and there was something about the convenience of getting the rear seats in and out.

I think the 3rd row on both cars folds down into the car (that's HUGE). But my recollection is that the second row seats on the Sienna you had to take out or something, while the Honda's fold mostly forward? I can't remember... I just am convinced that no matter how easy the salesman says it is to take the seats out... its a huge pain. So, if you have 3 kids, chances are you'll also need to be able to transport larger furniture items from time to time.

I love our Odyssey, but our friends have a Sienna, and they love that too. I think both are really well made, and you'll enjoy either one.