What kind of Van do you own?

draeray · March 2014

We have a conversion van that we love because it's so roomy and you can almost stand up in it. The downside to it is it's rear wheel drive (we live in Colorado) and the doors swing out and they are really heavy so we have to make sure our 8 year old doesn't smack the car next door everytime he opens it. The other down side is we only drive it on the weekends or after work and so that means we are each still driving our 'main' cars to work everyday. We are thinking of selling it AND trading in my car and getting a mini van instead. Tell me why you choose your van over another.

And for those of you who have a minivan and it's NOT AWD and you do live in a snowy state, how does it do in the snow?? Do I NEED AWD in Colorado since Toyota is the only one that has an AWD minivan?

wifeofadam · March 2014

I don't have a minivan. I have a Suburban. We were pricing out minivans when I was pregnant with #4 and ultimately decided on the Suburban because it was roomier and had 4WD. It handles great in the snow.

The thing is a beast, but I feel very safe in it and can fit two extra passengers in it comfortably, even with four carseats.

draeray · March 2014

@+adamwife+ we have a 4x4 truck that can seat 6 and an AWD SUV now. We are not interested in moving to a bigger SUV for a few reasons. The minivan is more practical for us because it gets WAY better gas mileage than our truck and my SUV and quiet frankly, our conversion van too. I drive 30 miles one way to work so gas is a big deal if I am going to be driving it full time. Also, getting kids in the 3rd row seat by having to move the 2nd row up with a car seat is a pain in the butt so we have kind of rules out going for the bigger SUV.

wifeofadam · March 2014

I don't have to move any seats to get to my third row. We keep one seat in the middle row down at all times, leaving five empty seats (two in middle and three in third). The two kids that go in the third row can get in the back themselves. I just open the door and they get in. We have DS1 FF and DD2 RF in the middle row next to each other (with the empty seat on the passenger side folded in for access to the back) and then DS2 and DD1 FF in the third row with an empty seat in the middle.

But yeah, gas mileage is awful. For us though, knowing we may end up with more kids, a Suburban was more practical than a minivan in the long run.

tamarar5 · March 2014

I have a Dodge Grand Caravan that I love. The only reason I'm looking into stepping up to the Suburban is the need for 4wd. Ate you looking at new, new/used, fsbo, or dealership? For some years, awd was an option in mini vans, but you have to look in the northern states to find them.

draeray · March 2014

@tamarar4, we are hoping to get new but could go used a few years old. I want DVD/Nav and a backup camera and those typically are in the newer models.

Right now, Toyota is the only manufacture doing AWD. Chrysler used to offer it but stopped in 2004 I believe.

Really, with us having a 4x4 truck that seats 6 as a back up, I am not sure the daily driver would need AWD as long as it's FWD but this van would be the family van taken out most of the time and used by me to get to work everyday. I truly am conflicted on whether or not I want to go AWD or not.

tamarar5 · March 2014

@draeray‌ Living in Colorado, if you can get a van with AWD and the other options you like, I would do it. Otherwise you're going to have weeks, if not months, during the winter where you aren't going anywhere. ILike I said, love my Caravan, but I cannot do another winter of being trapped in my house for 3 months. I couldn't even get my van out of the garage without getting stuck!!!

Granted, a huge part of my snow problem stemmed from the city never plowing. We had a total accumulation of over 100 inches of snow this winter and not once was our alley plowed, even though the city is supposed to do this.

happy_un-bride · March 2014

Just say no... To a minivan! We love in canada, and have awd (tho I miss my 4x4). I like to have at least one vehicle that handles the snow. Right now we have a Sante fe and a ford focus. So we have small/fuel efficient and comfy/awd

draeray · March 2014

@byebyebooze, can you PM me and tell me what you paid? I am looking out there and wow some $$$ for the AWD.

I found a new 2013 Sienna with 8,000 miles on it with all the bells and whistles other than AWD for a decent price but that's it. Everything that's not 100% new, is still super high priced and has more miles than I want on a car.

SidraJedi · March 2014

I have a Chevy G20 conversion. I sold my old Chevy G20 and bought a newer model (still used) and I am so happy I did!

I used to have a Nissan Quest though and I really liked it!

Rynleigh · March 2014

Our Quest is ancient (1995), but it runs and does the job. Hoping to get a newer Odyssey next year at tax time.

light52 · March 2014

I have a Dodge Grand Caravan and I love it. It is actually our second one. We bought this one used from my dad when he upgraded but it does have a backup camera and DVD player. My dad loved the backup camera, I find it a distraction and rarely ever use it. He has a Town and Country now and they are almost identical to the Grand Caravan. We've had a ton of snow this year and I've had no problem whatsoever driving our van in it. We tend to get ice with our snow and it still did great.

draeray · March 2014

So we went to look at both the Honda and the Toyota this weekend. I love the dash in the Honda. It has the Navigation seperate from the radio and it just had a nice flow. I loved the mini storage under the dash that is hooked up the the AC to keep your drinks cold. I felt like it was more cushy too for the seats. The middle seat in the second row was much more usable than the Toyota. However, it didn't store away in the back of the van like the Toyota did.

What I love about the Toyota is the Blind Spot Monitoring, the body style, and the option to get AWD. I don't care so much for the dash and the seats seemed a little stiff. I do like the Safety feature it has when the airbags deploy, it sends a response to the authorities to be disbatched.

I have read some reviews online that the Honda's tend to have transmission issues starting as soon as 50,000 miles. I *think* I love the Honda more but I am nervous turning down the AWD in the Toyota and knowing I might have to replace my transmission sooner than later is a turn-off.

I still am confused on which one to choose!

What kind of Van do you own?

What kind of Van do you own? 16 votes

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