Dare I say..... Minivan?

ashleymarie1027 · November 2014

It's coming time to replace my car (an 07 v6 Altima which I LOVE)... And with the LO and a theoretical LO#2 in the not so distant future ... We are considering a ... Minivan.

So while I get over my ridiculous mental mind block to driving a road-sofa-soccer-mom-mobile... Thought I'd poll the crowd:

do you have one? If so: which one? Love it/hate it? Don't have one but are jealous of your neighbor who does have one? Embarrassed you're driving one but secretly love it?

In all seriousness, we're looking for a 6+ passenger car and just have no clue.

Extra points for anyone who drives one in snow - how does it handle? (apparently AWD is not a thing that comes with minivans unless it's the sienna... Grr).

mcvgal · November 2014

My friends that have mini vans love them. I just don't see myself ever getting one, because growing up I was used to a full size conversion van

My sister in law came to visit of the summer and we had to borrow my parent's conversion van so that we could all get around town together. Another tthing to consider with minivans is the seating styles. Some have 2 rows of seats while others are 2 bucket seats and a row in the back. I am all for easy access and prefer the 2 buckets seats and one row in the back.

[Deleted User] · November 2014

I'd love a minivan for the convenience but living in New England weather is a factor and the Sienna with FWD is out of our price range right now (there don't seem to be many pre-owned ones around). My sister had the Honda Odyssey for a few years and I really liked it. It was pretty easy to drive but she really didn't think it was good in the snow and ended up getting a GMA Acadia instead. That was a few years ago so maybe the newer models are better.

littlemissmarla · November 2014

I drive a Dodge Journey, it's a crossover and is a 6 seater but we keep the last row down for more trunk space. I love it. It's the best of both worlds, good amount of room but doesn't feel so minivan-ish.

bullybutt · November 2014

Nichole8787 · November 2014

I have a Mazda 5. It's like a micro van. It's a six seater with captAin seats, sliding doors, storage containers under the seats and the back seats fold down. I love it. Very convenient and gets great gas mileage.

darkangel42 · November 2014

Maybe because I'm from Europe, the land of tiny cars, but I don't understand why people get minivans with seating for 6 and beyond when they only have 1 or 2 kids. Is there some kind of bonus to it that isn't immediately obvious? Genuinely wondering.

kjskjs · November 2014

I have my eye on the Honda Odyssey currently. We have two kids currently and have talked about a third. Even if we only stick with the two it would be nice to be able to fit more than just our family in the car. It'd also be nice to have the extra room for road trips to visit family. I think minivans get a bad rep but there are some very cool options out there nowadays with tons of perks.

chevronseven · November 2014

darkangel42 said:
Maybe because I'm from Europe, the land of tiny cars, but I don't understand why people get minivans with seating for 6 and beyond when they only have 1 or 2 kids. Is there some kind of bonus to it that isn't immediately obvious? Genuinely wondering.

Wait, you're from Europe??? (sarcasm)

We only have one kid so far and I want a minivan. I never thought I would but we rented one for a road trip and I am spoiled by all the space now. Especially the stow-and-go seats. Plenty of room for all our stuff plus room for a bed for whoever isn't driving, and the sliding doors were wonderful.

Hoosier722 · November 2014

I have the Toyota Sienna and love it. If you want 3 or more kids, it's a must. I also never thought I'd drive one and we looked at the crossovers, but I'm so glad we did the van. It's great. I live in Chicago and it handles great in the snow.

lowen83 · November 2014

I have a Chevy impala and two kids. Double sit and stand stoller fits in my truck but NOTHING else will fit with it. 2 kids in car seats and 3 adults is what will fit with no additional room. I'm all for a mini van. Do I prefer a bad ass fully loaded 7 passenger SUV well duh but with a van the typically get better gas mileage, cost a little less and come fully loaded as well or even have a few more bells and whistles then a fully loaded SUV. I'd drive a honda odyssey in a heart beat!!

littlemissmarla · November 2014

Oh can I add that if it's an option for whatever vehicle I would recommend keyless entry, my car has keyless entry.. meaning I just have to have the keys on me, in my pocket, bag..etc and the door will unlock as long as i'm right there. It's SO convenient with the baby, never have to worry about trying to dig for them!

darkangel42 · November 2014

ohdarla said:

Oh can I add that if it's an option for whatever vehicle I would recommend keyless entry, my car has keyless entry.. meaning I just have to have the keys on me, in my pocket, bag..etc and the door will unlock as long as i'm right there. It's SO convenient with the baby, never have to worry about trying to dig for them!

I'm with you 100% on keyless entry. It's magical and every parent should have it whatever they drive.

So it's a space thing with the minivans then? It made sense for 3+ kids but not for people with 1 or 2 until someone said about bringing extra passengers along or a double stroller, I didn't think of that since my 2 are so far apart and we live too far from everyone to ever really have passengers. Back home, I've never seen a minivan and people would just take 2 cars but everything is closer together and gas mileage is much better too, 15-20 mpg better than here is usual.

Are they better for long journeys than a regular car (like a honda accord or a Toyota Prius)?

abundancenow · November 2014

We considered a mini van, but ended up with an SUV. It was a better match for our family activities. We go off road to camp and mini vans just didn't compete. The Ford explorer, Nissan Pathway, and Honda Pilot are all very roomy for a family with a few passengers.

ashleymarie1027 · November 2014

@darkangel03‌ it's a space issue for us too - we live 5 hours from DH's family so that's a long drive; and my family always has to fly in and they don't usually rent a car. I'm also anticipating hauling around the lo's buddies at some point.

I drove a pilot last weekend and really liked - but the gas mileage is a bummer. At least I take an express bus into work so the commute in my actual car is short.

@abundancenow‌ thanks got the other sub tips - I'll be looking into the Nissan for sure!

darkangel42 · November 2014

Makes sense with the 3u3 because of car seats, there'd be no chance of fitting 3 in my car!

Do you minivanners travel far very often? What makes them better for travelling far? What even counts as "far" in this country?

stefaniew26 · November 2014

Honda Pilot seats 8 and we LOVE it

Soon2BMrsN · November 2014

Hell no to the minivan. Always and forever. I have three kids and a (brand new/awesome) Toyota Highlander. I like to think I'm still marginally cool.

Skeemer · November 2014

We just bought a used Dodge Caravan. It's AH-MAZING. Mostly because of the space. I didn't want to drive a mini van but I honestly don't care. It's transportation that is suits our family needs. One of us can sit in the back with the muffins & hand over toys, bottles, snacks & etc. It has made our trips & lives 100% easier.

caybeh · November 2014

Lurked chiming in. We bought a minivan when I was pregnant with DD. We have two kids. We have a Town and Country. I love it, but have always wanted a minivan. I'm weird like that. The space is so nice, especially the stow n go. We live in ND, but it hasn't snowed yet, so I can't tell you yet how it does in snow. My sister has a Caravan and has had it for years. I think theirs does ok in snow.

Ok....lurker chiming out...

argonne · November 2014

I have two kids. Have not needed a minivan. I will not drive a minivan. I just can't. We rented one for a race (great for hauling DH's bike and luggage around) down in Florida. The room was nice, but I am still not convinced. If I need that much room, I will buy a Tahoe/Suburban with the first row captains chairs.

Right now we all fit fine in my X3.

ashleymarie1027 · November 2014

Thanks for all the responses ladies; I have two things to add:

1) for the minivan lovers (this is hilarious): https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9870447

2) were buying a Honda Pilot today! We decided we weren't ready for the minivan and We really wanted four wheel drive. It snowed this morning of course... Seems ironic that the last day I drive the Nissan it would snow

abundancenow · November 2014

ashleymarie1027 said:

Thanks for all the responses ladies; I have two things to add: 1) for the minivan lovers (this is hilarious): https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9870447 2) were buying a Honda Pilot today! We decided we weren't ready for the minivan and We really wanted four wheel drive. It snowed this morning of course... Seems ironic that the last day I drive the Nissan it would snow

Congrats, we love our Pilot. Did you get the dvd player? It's great for longer trips.

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