Minivans.
kel716
member
Alright, so DH and I are looking ahead to our next car, and I think we need to go the minivan route. We know we need something bigger, and that boils down to a minivan or an SUV. In my limited research (reading on here, talking to friends), it's a matter of function vs. looks. And in my world, function wins.
Anyway, I've always driven a Toyota, so we'll obviously check out the Sienna. I feel like power sliding doors are a requirement. Other than that feature, and the added storage space, what other features do you think are important.
And if you like your minivan, recommend it.
And on a side note, as we look at financing this thing, we're taking a huge gulp. I'm really grateful we paid of dh's car this past spring to help ease the pain of a new car payment. New or used, good grief!
Re: Minivans.
Good luck with your choice. I might be about to jump over to the dark side, too. I found an older mini van in pristine condition with less miles than my 08 Rogue. We will likely pay the $2k cash that she wants for it, and ditch the $400+ payment and recoup the equity on my car. I swore I would never consider a van, but it is so practical with kids. Hoping I don't eat my words.
FWIW, our hospital has a mini van that they use for a courtesy shuttle. It is an 11 Odyssey, fully loaded, and it is the nicest ride. I never considered a van until I rode in that one. So nice! Almost luxurious. Not what I remember from the 80s/90s.
We got a Sienna about a month ago and I LOVE it. Full disclosure: my DH works for Toyota. We decided on a minivan over anything else for that reason and it is soooo much easier to DD in and out of a minivan than any other car. One of the moms at day care has a shiny new car and she told me she was jealous of my minivan for that very reason. We first started by looking at used Siennas and Odysseys. The only problem was there were almost no low mileage used Siennas out there.
I don't buy cars without looking at the reliability rating in Consumer Reports and I found that the Odysseys had a history of weird problems (particularly transmissions) and some years were not recommended. I had also noticed some of the weird electrical/rattle things in our Element that were reported as problems with Odysseys. So, we decided to go with the Sienna because I felt more comfortable with the reliability ratings. Oh, and it was really funny because a week after I bought it, DH got to look at side by side comparisons of transmissions from several different automakers. He said they were all pretty much the same except for the Honda and wondered if that's why there are more problems.
I believe there is a cashback incentive on Siennas through labor day as well as really good rates for financing. I wouldn't be surprised if you found similar deals from Honda and other automakers too. We ended up buying from Dry Ridge Toyota, a 45 minute drive from us, because they comes so highly recommended by DH's coworkers (even when Kerry is like 10 minutes from their office). It was worth the drive and I wouldn't hesitate to purchase a car from them again.
As far as other features go, a DVD player is great for kids. Ours has a headphone jack so we don't have to listen to the movie, either - great perk
It is also nice to have the built-in GPS if you can get it inexpensively. Aside from the storage and sliding doors, I think those are the most important features in our van.
We have the Sienna. It's a couple years old, so it's not the latest body style. I don't find it bulky or hard to handle at all, but my every day drive is an SUV built on a truck platform, so the van is naturally easier to handle for me. We looked at Kias, Hondas, and Toyotas before deciding. In our minds, the Toyota has the more luxurious interior. While I'm not knocking Honda's reliability/performance ratings, I think it feels "plastic-y" and cheaply made inside. The Toyota is much more nicely appointed. That may or may not be important, since kids are regular passengers.
Friends of ours bought the Kia minivan and it is nice. They like it really well. We didn't think it compared to the Honda or Toyota though.
So my vote is for the Sienna.
Tyler Anthony arrived on 9.21.09
The Chronicles of Justin and Tyler
The features I love in mine are the power sliding doors and power hatch! It's so nice when you have 3 kids with you and a cart full of groceries. The entire car just opens up for easy access into everything and to get everyone situated.
The seats must fold down in the back in the third row. We have a DVD player with wireless headsets. Katie can watch her movie and I can listen to the radio. A must have especially on long rides.
Katie: 1/16/08 2lbs. 15oz.
Abby & Emily: 12/31/10 6lbs. 2oz. & 5lbs. 7oz.
I am a long-time Toyota owner and lover. I had a Civic in colleg that was a piece of crap (it was in the shop more often than not), my DH had an Accord that's transmission blew out at 75,000, and my ILs have an Odyssey that they hate. I don't know the specifics of why they hate it so much, but they have complained about it non-stop since it was pretty much new. After a few years they went out and got a Hyundai Santa Fe instead.
So I'd vote Sienna. My grandma and mom have both had them and LOVED them. We'll never buy a Honda again.
I have a 2010 Kia Sedona and really love it. It did not get any bells and whistles and saved a bundle by buying it with 11,000 miles on it. I thought I really wanted power sliding doors and I ended up without them. I have read that motors go bad on the doors and it usually costs about 500 bucks to fix them. Our doors are very easy to open and I don't feel like I am missing out on anything. We also did not opt for the DVD player. Again, it can be costly to have fixed if they go out. We bought a dual screen travel DVD player for 70.00 bucks and use it for long trips. I'd prefer Charlotte not get used to watching TV in the car during every trip anyway.
Just thought I'd offer up the "cheap" option :0)
We have an '09 Volkswagen Routan. I like my van, but I don't LOVE it. It seems much smaller when compared to my sister's Odyssey. I've been looking around for good deals on the Odyssey, or Sienna.
As far as features go, we have the sliding doors (which are so convenient and are nice to have when you have multiple children)...I am able to hit a button, and Jack and Annabelle climb in and into their seats while I get Aubrey in. Then I go and buckle them in.
We don't have a DVD system. We have a dual portable DVD system ($80), that we use for longer trips. Like Andrea said, I don't want them to get used to watching TV in the car.
I wish we had a power lift gate, but that is something I'd be willing to live without, even if we buy another van.
The captain seats in our van have to be taken out if we want to have the whole back area open...I know in the Odyssey they just fold down, which would be nice!
Anyways, HTH!
I have angered the masses with my anti-Sienna stance! HA HA HA HA! Like I said, I love, and have loved, all my Toyotas but I spent several days driving the 2011 Sienna and I did not care for it at all. The thing was too massive, it has a large blind spot because of its size, and I did not feel confident with its handling. So sue me.
FYI: The only year since 2004 (two major redesigns ago) that the Odyssey has had any reliability issues was 2007 - in my opinion one year of poor performance is not a "history" of reliability problems. But perhaps to other people one bad model year constitutes a history of reliability problems. If that is the case I don't know how those same people could justify buying Toyota after the major recalls in recent years because that, too, would indicate a history of reliability problems, no?
I can't link to the consumer reports guide because it's a subscription service so I am trying to do a screen shot. Let's see how it turns out. Well crap, I can't figure out how to do that. Anyway, if anyone doesn't believe me, I will give you my login for consumer reports and you can see for yourself.
And can I just saw, WOW, people get a little riled up and defensive about their car choices. It's a car for God's sake.
I'm confused. I didn't read any of the PP responses as defensive or aggressive. OP asked for opinions, and that is exactly what people gave. No?