Minivan Help

steffie080910 · January 2015

Anyone have a Honda Odyssey or Toyota Sienna?

We are expecting our third and are taking the leap to a minivan. We've narrowed it down to these two. Both have features that we like, but I can't decide between the two. If anyone has either I'd appreciate their opinions on it...pros, cons, etc.

Thanks!

ktplusbby · January 2015

Now we have to help shop for cars too?

specialsn0wflake · January 2015

No one cares what car you drive.

steffie080910 · January 2015

You don't have to be rude! I was just curious if anyone has one of these vans if they like them and why.

ktplusbby · January 2015

That's what consumer reviews are for.

Unknown · January 2015

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steffie080910 · January 2015

I have read those. I was looking for some first hand experience from other moms.

Unknown · January 2015

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ktplusbby · January 2015

SHOW ME THE CAR FACTS! Or is it car fox? Car fax?

tjheld · January 2015

I am not sure which ones are better but good luck with deciding and taking the plunge!!:)

triciaj1 · January 2015

I don't know how many of your kiddos still need car seats but I went to the dealers with my two car seats and put them in each vehicle we test drove to see how it would actually work for us getting the kids in and out. Maybe that would help?

carter604 · January 2015

I'm not a minivan person, but I prefer the look of the Honda Oddyssey over the Toyota Sienna

anna&jl2011 · January 2015

My mother has a Honda Odyssey and loves it.

SMFB · January 2015

Sorry I can't afford one. Now I feel bad. Thanks.

Sargeantpepper · January 2015

I hear the Siennas are nice but I don't have one.

nereese · January 2015

I have a Sienna and absolutely love it! My husband and I like the look of the Sienna better. We have friends that have the Honda minivan and they like it too. They are fairly comparable.

NagaWater · January 2015

SMFB said:
Sorry I can't afford one. Now I feel bad. Thanks.

It's ok @SMFB‌ I can't either. And our 4 runner is almost as old as me, has foam missing from the drivers seat, and has coffee splatter stains on the ceiling

shayrenee86 · January 2015

They're all hideous either way.

NagaWater · January 2015

Honestly OP I would get the Honda if I was forced into getting a minivan.
That one has that coolascrap vacuum thingy.

CivilMommy · January 2015

I live in MN, so if I were deciding between the 2 I would get a Sienna b/c they are the only one that offers 4 wheel drive.

We were deciding between a Ford Flex and a Toyota Sienna...both with 4/all wheel drive options.

Sharon&Paul · January 2015

We have the Town & Country. I can not really help with the two you are looking at. We went for the two caption seats in the middle. This is our fourth child and fourth in carseats. Definitely consider carseats when looking at the vans. Only one of our kids can unbuckle herself. It is a pain to get into the back seat to buckle a child. We are going to remove the one caption seat. put the baby in the other caption seat. Then buy three Radian carseats to fit across the back seat. This gives us room to get to the back to buckle and unbuckle.

You may want to try the parenting board or the over 35 boars. i think you will find more people with larger families and possible minivan experience. Good Luck.

steffie080910 · January 2015

Thanks for the suggestions!

kellyPhillips13 · January 2015

Hi there:). We bought a Honda Odessey and we love it!!! We are expecting twins, and have two girls already 11&16 so we made the switch as well. You won't believe all of the storage, and how nice overall they are!!!! Hope this helps some.

NagaWater · January 2015

klingspwn said:

NagaWater said:

SMFB said:
Sorry I can't afford one. Now I feel bad. Thanks.
It's ok @SMFB‌ I can't either. And our 4 runner is almost as old as me, has foam missing from the drivers seat, and has coffee splatter stains on the ceiling
Have you tried to use resolve on those coffee stains? Maybe they're too old now? My friend left a pop in her car on a really cold night and it exploded all over hell. She just used resolve and it literally looked like nothing ever happened.

They've been there since before I met DH. I doubt anything would remove that Picasso now

miracle4x · January 2015

Sharon&Paul said:

We have the Town & Country. I can not really help with the two you are looking at. We went for the two caption seats in the middle. This is our fourth child and fourth in carseats. Definitely consider carseats when looking at the vans. Only one of our kids can unbuckle herself. It is a pain to get into the back seat to buckle a child. We are going to remove the one caption seat. put the baby in the other caption seat. Then buy three Radian carseats to fit across the back seat. This gives us room to get to the back to buckle and unbuckle.

You may want to try the parenting board or the over 35 boars. i think you will find more people with larger families and possible minivan experience. Good Luck.

We are also having our fourth child and are looking at minivans. I'm thinking we'll probably end up with a Caravan or Town & Country or similar (we're buying used) and I'm wondering about the captain seats in the middle compared to the single, two-person seat in the middle. What do you think would be easier? I have an 8-year-old, 5-year-old, and 3-year-old (so we'll have a total of 2 in carseats when this one is born). I'd appreciate your opinion!

Sharon&Paul · January 2015

miracle4x said:

Sharon&Paul said:

We have the Town & Country. I can not really help with the two you are looking at. We went for the two caption seats in the middle. This is our fourth child and fourth in carseats. Definitely consider carseats when looking at the vans. Only one of our kids can unbuckle herself. It is a pain to get into the back seat to buckle a child. We are going to remove the one caption seat. put the baby in the other caption seat. Then buy three Radian carseats to fit across the back seat. This gives us room to get to the back to buckle and unbuckle.

You may want to try the parenting board or the over 35 boars. i think you will find more people with larger families and possible minivan experience. Good Luck.

We are also having our fourth child and are looking at minivans. I'm thinking we'll probably end up with a Caravan or Town & Country or similar (we're buying used) and I'm wondering about the captain seats in the middle compared to the single, two-person seat in the middle. What do you think would be easier? I have an 8-year-old, 5-year-old, and 3-year-old (so we'll have a total of 2 in carseats when this one is born). I'd appreciate your opinion!

We like the captain seats. I felt the captain seats were more comfortable than the stow & go. We went with the swivel seats. I had thought I could rear face the seat with a carseat, but later learned that was not recommended. We do frequently remove one captain seat to get to the back. The Stow & Go may be easier to just put one seat away in the floor instead of removing the whole seat from the car. We have a 6, 4, and 2 year old with one on the way.

daniellc · January 2015

This is probably the first time I actually feel like I could offer some advise. I actually manage a car service shop so all I look at is cars all day.
You really can't go wrong with either toyota or honda. They historically put out solid vehicles (although they are adding some stuff and it is really taking the quality down). However, keep in mind that the Honda Odyssey is a little bit more pricey to fix (that important if you plan on buying used). Also, as of 2011 (i think) they mandate full synthetic oil changes which will cost you $70ish each oil change. On the other side of that you get to go roughly 7,000 miles on that oil change and it is very healthy for the car.
The Sienna, has the same full synthetic oil change concept except they require 6.4qts of oil (more then the standard oil change) which means that oil change will cost u $100ish.
Both cars come equipped with 17 inch wheels so tires will be equally expensive $600 easily on mediocre tires.

I personally will never buy a minivan. It's just a preference but my husband (25 years in the automotive service biz) and I both agree that the g. Caravan and the town and country are the best bang for your buck.
Keep in mind ALL CARS WILL BREAK DOWN IF YOU DON'T MAINTAIN THEM. I hate dodge and Chrysler because they are historically shitty cars....BUT they are cheap to fix and if you maintain them they are not bad cars.
Plus the huge perk is they offer the stow and go and I hear so many customers say that is critical! Oil changes are cheaper; tires are cheaper; the big maintenance stuff is typically cheaper. Parts and labor is cheaper.
So if your gonna buy new get a caravan and just turn it back in after 100k.

Just do me a favor and your local mechanic. Spend the money to do this spark plugs, coolant flashes, transmission services and you will love any car you buy.

P.S. ask the sales person if it's all wheel drive; has a cvt transmission, or timing chain vs. Timing belt. ..all these things will cost more money to maintain!

Rumm · January 2015

I rarely post but I thought I would throw in my two cents since I was in your same situation a month ago. We have 4 yo, 2 yo and twins on the way. We settled on the Odyssey. Here are a few things to consider:

1. If you have young kids, check the latch layout. Many vans only have latches in certain areas. I remember the Odyssey had the best latch placement. The Dodge had the worst. You will have to look online to get more details on placements. This was only a spot check for us.

2. We wanted the eighth seat. We felt that the Odyssey had a more studier seat and also came with latches for installation. I do not recall the Sienna having latches as part of their eight seat AND the seat seemed flimsy/rickety/cheap. The only plus side with the Sienna was the eighth seat had a spot to be stored (in the back) when not in use while the Odyssey has to be removed from the car completely.

3. If you can swing the price, go with leather. So much easier to clean up kid messes.

4. If you haven't test drove them, then do so. Bring your car seats if you can to see how they would fit. DH and I made our decision just by driving it and experiencing the vehicle. The toyota just didnt give us as nice of a feeling as the Odyssey did. It could be the opposite for you.

So far we are extremely happy with the Odyssey Minivan. I love that the back doors slide open instead of swing open (like SUV's). Makes parking in tight spaces so much easier for getting kids in and out.

Sharon&Paul · January 2015

I thought I read some where you can add latches hooks to the minivan. However, now that I am looking for it I am not finding it.

slipsintothesea · January 2015

My grandma recently passed away and my parents gave us her Honda Odyssey. We are having the first grandchild and since my husband was rear ended and in a pretty bad car accident we only had one not very baby friendly car. My husband and I both really like it. We also love how easy it is to put the seats down in the back because we have two big dogs.

hpolansk · January 2015

I love my honda odyssey! I like that 8 can fit. Sometimes I need to fit 8

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Minivan Help

Re: Minivan Help

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DD 7/2010, DS 3/2012, #3 due 4/24/2015

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