What's new

New Vehicle ...

JillW

JillW

I love lavend ... zzzzzz ...
Joined
Mar 1, 2013
Messages
2,511
... so now that we are going to have grandbaby # 3, we're considering getting a van. A van!! Never did I imagine driving a mini-van! I've had different mid-size SUV's for many years. Currently have an Audi and swore it be the last vehicle I bought until we retired - however; it is already cramped with 2 full sized car seats - there is no place for the third bambino - so ...

I have to admit, I'm not a fan of the looks of most of the vans out there - but would love to hear thoughts from van-owners ... I know there are a lot of fancy ones on the market.

Please do share. :-)
 
We just bought a 2016 (used) Town and Country and oh my gosh it has so many bells and whistles I still can't find them all!
top ones for our family
separate temp controls for driver (me freeze it out 63) passenger hubby at 72 all the time. and back at a cool 68
Sirius radio and DVD player!
all the seats can collapse and go into the floor. NO taking them out for storage. Plus there is storage in the floor too! Big windows all around and they are lower on the side so more visual room for kids too!
airbags everywhere!
bucket seats even in back and full seat belts even in the middle back row!
the back doors and hatch are hands free - I love it! My boys would hang from the handle of our old one!
We were able to get bumper to bumper as it was so low on miles.
The seats are leather, and I have never had leather seats. I feel like royalty!
 
My aunt and uncle, who have a lot of grandkids (IMHO lol), got a GMC Acadia. They didn't want a van so they went with a suv with 3 rows. Technically it's a crossover midsize suv--it's not even a full size. They can fit all their grandsons and their car seats/boosters in it to go to basketball games (they have 4 grandsons).
Anyway, I mention that simply cuz you might feel more comfortable in it. You can fold down the 3rd row when it's just you and dh and you've got lots of trunk space. And don't forget: grandbabies get bigger and eventually don't need car seats and they can get in the car all by themselves. So this stage isn't forever. :) Drive what you want!
 
We have a Kia minivan. It is 9 years old and still going strong. I sort of want a new SUV or something but don't really want to pay for one. :D Anyhow, the KIA has been great -- good safety ratings and it has been pretty reliable over the years, with a few electrical glitches here and there. When we were shopping, we looked at a whole bunch of minivans and really liked the Toyota Sienna. We weren't expecting to get the KIA but when we went to the dealership, we found it was virtually identical to the Sienna but about $15k cheaper. So, we bought it on the spot and I have not regretted it.
 
I 2nd the Acadia! We've had two- our latest is all decked out with the DVD player & such. I LOVE it! It's perfect for our family- 2 kids involved in lots of sports & a dog! ;) The 3rd row folds down so there is a lot of storage if you need! We've gone on a road trip with 4 adults, the 2 kids & the dog & were all comfortable!
 
GMC Acadia here... best car for a lot of people, stuff, and enough space. I'm not a fan of mini vans, and this was a compromise. We love it! Captains seats, and a third row. Just like the other said... :) Oddly... cars make me feel confined, so the sun roof, and moon roof in the back are wonderful!
 
jk703 said:
cars make me feel confined, so the sun roof, and moon roof in the back are wonderful
Click to expand...
Me too Jenn! That was one thing on my list when we were shopping that was a must have & hubby thought I was nuts! :P
 
Our 2004 Toyota Sienna is still serving us very well and has given us hardly any trouble, even now, at 13 years old and well over 100K miles. I also think Hondas must be excellent too because my husband's car, a 1998 Honda Civic, is even older and I think has passed 200K miles. We were debating between a Honda Odyssey van or the Sienna in 2003 when I was pregnant with our second baby and we learned that those two always take turns being the best. The year we were buying Toyota happened to be slightly better than Honda, so we settled on that one. I think it was something about the air bag technology that was best at that time. The dealers also repeatedly informed us the Sienna has 14 cup holders, which did NOT sway us, but made us laugh a lot. :giggle
 
I'm going to keep watch on this thread. We're trying to get our 16-year-old Honda Odyssey going for another 18 months, until DD is out of high school. I like the cargo space the mini van has, but I hate the way I'm treated as a mini-van driver. People loooove to cut me off, ignore me, etc., etc., because I'm in a van. My DH never has the same problems driving his crossover SUV. I have no idea what to get when we replace it, but not another mini van.
 
Re-reading the original post I wonder if I didn't answer completely, only talking about the technical qualities. I have really liked having a van. It's very comfortable. It's not at all cumbersome despite its size. I still have no trouble parking, even parallel in between two other cars (which I do a lot downtown). I feel a little safer on the freeway when big trucks are around (especially compared to my husband's little Honda Civic!). And I love having so much space. The kids can spread out. We transport friends to events or bring them home sometimes. We bring my daughter's piano to her events. We help transport stuff for my daughters' theater performances sometimes.
 
As a parent of small kids, I reluctantly grew to love our minivan. A key thing was that with the sliding doors they weren't slamming doors into neighboring cars every time we tried to get in or out. And we could also haul a lot of stuff. We got rid of it probably 5 or 6 years ago though.

As grandparents, my parents opted for a crossover SUV... still car-ish, but plenty of room for everyone. We took their Buick Enclave on a couple of big road trips together over the past few summers. It was very comfortable... even with three adults, two teens and a whole bunch of luggage.
 
I was going to mention looking into a smaller SUV if you aren't really wanting a minivan. We ended up purchasing a 2016 Ford Explorer but the Acadia was the other we were looking at. I think the smaller SUV's are great for those of us that need a larger vehicle but aren't wanting a mini-van. I love having the 3rd row if I need it. I've traveled with adults in the back seat and they said it was very comfortable. I'd shop around if I were you. :)
 
Love the input so far - thank you!!

I mentioned the Arcadia to hubs but he really thinks the van is the way to go - we'll see!

I hate to think about another car payment ... boo! But I was just looking online and there are some good incentives on the Pacifica right now.

I also need to check to see if I can even trade my Audi off - it has the stupid airbag recall (Takata - the ones w/ shrapnel in them!) I haven't even been given a firm date when they will replace it ... since it's national recall I'm not sure I can trade it in ... but then again - SO many cars have that same issue - I can't believe no one is selling theirs with the bad airbags.
 
tkradtke said:
I reluctantly grew to love our minivan. A key thing was that with the sliding doors they weren't slamming doors into neighboring cars every time we tried to get in or out.
Click to expand...

Traci and I were separated at birth, so it's not surprising that she always says exactly everything I was just going to say.

Also on the SUV vs. minivan thing, Minivans really do have more cargo space since they have a lower "floor" and compared to the 3 row SUV we had before, the minivan is much easier to get into that third row. The downside is that it's a minivan. :D
 
We have a Chrysler T&C, too. I have a 2 1/2yo (and a 7 1/2yo), and the remote open side doors are SUCH a lifesaver for us. I love being able to remote start on cold school mornings & then remote open the side door from inside the house so both kids can run out & get in (and get out of my way!) so I can put my shoes on, grab my purse, and lock the door in peace.

I spend an hour & 45 minutes in the car every day getting my daughter back & forth to school so I can attest to how roomy & comfortable it is, too. I also like being able to sit 'up' so I can see my surroundings better.

I really can't think of anything that I don't like abt it! Once my son is able to open his own door & buckle his own seatbelt, we will likely trade it in for an SUV but I think it is the PERFECT vehicle when you have littles to haul around.
 
I swore I would never be a mini-van driver, but then when I got pregnant the 2nd time and realized I couldn't fit another rear facing car set into my tiny little Saturn car, we bought our first mini-van. I'm on my 2nd one now and while I don't get excited about the look of my van, I really do love almost everything about it. I love that i can fit lots of kids in there (which I need to do often as a parent of sports playing middle schoolers). I LOVE the stow-and-go sets in the back. I can fold ALL of the rear seat down into the floor and fit things like couches in there! SO helpful! I've also used that to get lumber for my random building projects through the years.
 
I loved my 2006 Honda Odyssey and it was really nice not like the lower model Dodge Caravan's that you get when you rent a minivan. But now I have a 2016 Honda pilot and it's awesome! I love the pushbutton to get into the third row. Like Sarah said it can be left down when you don't need it. It fits 8. I picked it over the GMC Acadia because when I was looking to replace my minivan I needed something easy for the carpool kids to get in the back. The Honda pilot had the easiest way to get to the third row. I tested the Toyota Highlander, Nissan Pathfinder, Buick Enclave, the GMC Acadia, and the Chevy traverse but the new Honda pilot was the best. I absolutely love it. I would have kept my Honda Odyssey minivan if it would have had all wheel drive, but it didn't and I wanted that for the snow days.

Good luck in your search.
 
Last edited:
We have a 2005 Toyota Sienna that is still going strong, 230,000+ miles later. I like it a lot because it has the same frame as the Toyota Camary (4 door sedan). So it turns more like a car than a big ole van. And yes, lots of cup-holders and the fold down seats that completely go flat are amazing! I can get a full sized couch in the back. I will be downsizing for our next one though. We are at the end of kids but before the grandkids stage.
 
We had a Dodge Grand Caravan when Daniel was little and it was awesome. It totally saved my back when he was in a car seat.

I don't miss driving that big thing now that we have our Kia Soul, but I do miss being able to pile a bunch of family/friends in . . .
 
Back
Top