Do I need a minivan?

[Anonymous]

I have a three year old and a baby on the way. My mom babysits and my brother lives with us, so we routinely have 3+ adults and DD throughout the week if we say go out to dinner or something. Add my dad to the mix when we do family activities every couple of months. We drive for all family vacations including drive to Disney. I currently drive an Acura MDX and absolutely love it. Except I cannot really access the third row. It’s great for traveling and shopping and the seats are routinely down in the back row. When my brother has to sit back there he has to sit sideways. He’s 5”11 and not overweight or anything. Dh is adamant we need a minivan. It would be my daily driver and I drive into the city by myself. During the week I’m typically solo. Do I really need a minivan!?! I’ve had a bad back since a cheerleading accident at 16, and am 31 now. Leaning over to get baby out of middle seat sounds daunting. Putting him/her on the other side would eliminate the second row and that third row is a joke. But, minivans seem bulky.

[Anonymous]

Yes.

[Anonymous]

How many cars do you have?

[Anonymous]

You need more space in your car but then you think minivans are bulky? There's no magic car out there that will have the space you need plus the aesthetics you crave. Get the minivan and enjoy it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a three year old and a baby on the way. My mom babysits and my brother lives with us, so we routinely have 3+ adults and DD throughout the week if we say go out to dinner or something. Add my dad to the mix when we do family activities every couple of months. We drive for all family vacations including drive to Disney. I currently drive an Acura MDX and absolutely love it. Except I cannot really access the third row. It’s great for traveling and shopping and the seats are routinely down in the back row. When my brother has to sit back there he has to sit sideways. He’s 5”11 and not overweight or anything. Dh is adamant we need a minivan. It would be my daily driver and I drive into the city by myself. During the week I’m typically solo. Do I really need a minivan!?! I’ve had a bad back since a cheerleading accident at 16, and am 31 now. Leaning over to get baby out of middle seat sounds daunting. Putting him/her on the other side would eliminate the second row and that third row is a joke. But, minivans seem bulky.

That tells me you have not driven a minivan (not even a test drive). Minivan's chassis is based on passenger cars (not truck based). It will drive no different than your passenger cars (except sits higher).

[Anonymous]

What car does your DH drive?

[Anonymous]

Finally, a non-minivan-makes-me-look-such-an-uncool-mother minivan post. Go test drive or even rent one out for the week or weekend and find it out yourself. I own a mid-size SUV and rented a minivan during a trip in LA and I could tell you that the difference is marginal. It might be daunting at first, especially when you're going on reverse or parking, but the tech nowadays is so driver-friendly it's more of an adjustment than a challenge. Another thing, sliding doors. Enough said. We're going to get one when our two kids are older and when we need to start carpooling kids to places.

[Anonymous]

Op here. Dh drives a 20 year old two door Honda coupe that I had from college. We may be able to get another two years out it.

[Anonymous]

I just drove into DC Saturday. While the sliding doors are nice in a suburban parking lot, they are a necessity in the city. Putting the baby and toddler in car seats is so much easier. My back hurts just thinking about all the hunching required for a sedan/SUV. Plus there’s no room for a stroller! It’s stressful to drive the kids in the DHs car now that I’m used to all the comforts of a minivan. And yes, it’s much easier when grandparents visit and we can fit everyone in one car.

Once you get one you will wonder what took you so long.

[Anonymous]

Yes.

Start the stages of grief now so that you are at acceptance by the time the baby comes.

[Anonymous]

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

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Finally, a non-minivan-makes-me-look-such-an-uncool-mother minivan post. Go test drive or even rent one out for the week or weekend and find it out yourself. I own a mid-size SUV and rented a minivan during a trip in LA and I could tell you that the difference is marginal. It might be daunting at first, especially when you're going on reverse or parking, but the tech nowadays is so driver-friendly it's more of an adjustment than a challenge. Another thing, sliding doors. Enough said. We're going to get one when our two kids are older and when we need to start carpooling kids to places.

Minivans have rear view cameras, it’s just as easy as backing up a sedan (which I also the rear view camera for reversing.)

[Anonymous]

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.