Looking to Buy a Minivan

Hi J.,

When buying used vehicles I always check the MSN Reliability Report as one source of information as far as what is a good make/model. I also go to Cars.Com and CarSoup.com to verify the going rate as well as run a Kelly Blue Book. Because of the rate of depretiation, I always buy used and not new. If you are getting financing be sure you have selected a term which wont turn you "upside down" in your loan; that is to say that you end up owing more than it is worth because you have stretched your payments out too long. Good luck & have fun!

J.,

We have a Chrysler Town and Country and WE love it (including my husband as it is his daily driver).

Our as the automatic side doors that open with the touch of a button along with the rear hatch... I never thought I needed them and now can't live without them, especially with young kids... We have a DVD player in ours ONLY for long trips, not for just going to the store...

We test drove every minivan out there and ended up with this one... We thought it was the best van for the money... Much much cheaper than Toyota and Honda - although they were nice, although we didn't feel they were worth that much more..

Someone else asked about this on this site... Search for that question and you should see alot of responses....

We have the 2008 Honda Odyssey and love it.

I can fit 3 car seats across the back row if needed and the 2nd row captains chairs are just as comfy as the front ones. It is very roomy. You don't feel like your head is touching the ceiling like it does in the Dodge Caravan. Ours has leather, navigation, DVD, etc., and are happy we spent the extra money. It can seat up to 8. The back row seats store within the floor with using just one hand and the second row seats are easily removeable if needed.

It also has a 5 star safety rating and my husband thinks it drives as smooth as a cadillac. :)

The Toyota Sienna is just as good too. We just like Honda. Have fun shopping and I would suggest making sure your car seats for your kids fit well and safely in whatever vehicle you choose.

I love my '08 Toyota Sienna, and like a previous poster, we bought ours at Walser Toyota in Bloomington - their no-hassle pricing was fantastic! I did a bunch of research, and we also went to another Toyota dealer, so when I finally went to Walser, our salesman could tell right away that he didn't need to sell me on it - he just showed me the inventory list, including the price, and asked which one I wanted to see. No matter what van you end up choosing, I would highly recommend a Walser dealership.

Definitely buck up for power sliding doors on both sides, and perhaps the power lift gate, which I don't have. I read that it takes a long time to open & close, but I have wished I had it more than once in the 11 months I've had the van.

Minivans are great. However I too have the GMC acadia and prefer it to my old van. I think it has more comfort and the appearance is sporty.
My friends all have the caravan or towne and country. THey do complain that the vehicles squeak a lot. THey were bought brand new too and I do have to agree with the earlier comment that minivans DEPRECIATE quick! Even with the bells and whistles!!! But the gas mileage is great. And there is the option of 4 wheel drive.
Have fun on the road!

We bought ours in October 06, but didn't want a minivan quite yet (our daughter is 14 months, so not even born when we bought it) so we opted for what my husband calls the "Man-y Van": a 2005 Buick Rendezvous. We love it! It's got the look of a more curvy SUV (regular open doors, not sliding), but the room of a van (3rd row fold-down seats). I've heard good and bad about this vehicle, but ours has been a dream. Mileage isn't terrific (local 19, freeway 25), but not bad.

I feel for ya! We transitioned to a minivan last year -- even thought I hate them! But, honestly, it was the best thing we did! We have 3 kids and a large dog and it works out beautifully! We leased a Town & Country. Although leasing is not for everyone, I do believe the Town & Country (and Caravan, which are the same thing) are one of the better choices. We got one with the stow 'n go -- wow! So much room!!! Having the seats fold completely down is great too since my hubby can put pretty much anything in the back. We also got one with the automatic doors -- and with an infant, that sure comes in handy! Glad we made that choice too!
Have fun picking the one you want!

We went from 2 cars to 2 mini-vans & all I can do is laugh - because I resisted the mini-van for SO long! We have an older model, 1997 Grand Caravan - which was great in it's time & still serves as a good second vehicle. Our primary is a 2004 Honda Odyssey - I LOVE this van!! It rides smoothly, has great storage, headphones for each child, auto doors & a stow-flat 3rd seat that I can change in an instant by myself. With gas prices soaring, we carpool with another couple as much as possible & I know they're not squished in that 3rd row. Plus, the Honda is one of the top rated in safety too.
Best of luck in your decision!

We have just recently changed from a mini van to the new crossover SUV/van. We got a GMC Acadia. Have you checked into any of them? Just like a van on the inside as far as room but so much more fun to drive any nicer looking. Ours has the navigation system for me who can't find my way anywhere, the dvd player for those long rides with whiny kids,and a backup camera which I think is SO useful when little kids like yours may be behind you........just another option to check out!

I currently drive a Town & Country (Chrysler) minivan as a company vehicle, and love it. Best features are the stow-and-go seating (if all seats are stowed, whole van behind driver/rider's side is open space)- plus, it's easy for a mom to use, and it's great that the seats stow, vs. coming out and needing to be stored elsewhere. The other feature common with vans that I LOVE is the automatic side doors/rear gate control on the remote. This is a fabulous feature and has proved invaluable.

I also have a friend who just bought a Toyata Sienna, and she really loves it as well.

Good luck!

We recently bought a used (2006) toyota sienna and my husband and I both love it. It has a lot of the bells and whistles (doors open by themselves, back door is auto, etc.) We drove home from my parents today in a huge snow storm and we felt VERY safe with the all wheel drive and safety features in it.

My husband found it on Craigslist.com It had been donated to the Courage Center and was being sold under blue book price at an auction house in Roseville. I highly recommend doing your research, you might find a great deal like we did. Once we knew what the pricing was like for a used vehicle, it was easy to see that this one was well priced and in GREAT shape (only 15,000 miles).

J.

SAHM to Joey (12-4-06) Charlie (3-24-05) and #3 due in Nov.

I have a toyota sienna. Gas mileage is good (27mpg highway) and has the best crash rating according to Consumer reports! It is comfy and rides like a car. Doesn't feel so boxy or bumpy when you drive. Just test drive one you will fall in love. The base models still have a lot of perks. And they are made in Indiana!

Hi, We bought a minivan last summer, and it was the best thing we could have done, but it was tough to make that leap! We spent two months researching and test driving vans. We really feel like we made a very informed decision. While the Caravan does have a lot of nice convenience features, its safety features are lacking. The main thing that concerned us is that the shoulder belts on the seat belts do not lock after being fully extended. This locking feature is very important because once your kids move into booster seats, if you cannot lock the seat belt, their belt can become too loose to keep them safe and they have too much freedom to wiggle around and not be truly restrained safely. We bought a Toyota Sienna. The belts lock, it has the best crash test ratings among minivans and it had a lot of great features which we loved. We got the 8 seat model which has three full size seats (the Odyssey has an 8th mini seat)in the middle row. This gives us the option of putting all three of our kids in the middle row allowing for more cargo space on our camping trips. It also allows us to have each of our kids invite one friend along on outings. Each of the middle row seats can be "tumbled" forward and locked out of the way, or easily removed. I do both of these thing myself with no trouble. And actually, the kids can tumble the seat on their own. The third row seats have a 60/40 split and can be folded flat into the floor. The Sienna gets a good mph and drives really nicely. It handled great in the snow this winter and we have really loved driving it. We also got a discount on our insurance because of the Sienna's Stability Control System. We bought our Sienna at Walser Toyota in Bloomington and also got free oil changes and car washes for life. Their separate family waiting area is great. Videos, toys, and treats to keep the kids occupied while waiting for the oil change! Also, the rumor is that the 2009 model will offer a hybrid. We are hoping that is true because we will be first on the list to trade ours in! A hybrid mini van would be ideal! Good luck! PS, our model came with one automatic sliding door on the passenger side. We thought this was a silly feature that we would not use, but the only way to get the VSC was to also get the auto door. Now I wish we'd upgraded even more to the model with two power sliding doors and a power liftgate. That power door is far better than I ever imagined it would be! Silly me. Now I am trying to get my husband to create a power door into our house! : )

Dodge Caravan's are the most practical and dependable. The Town and Country is fanatastic for storage. Whatever you do, in this market I'd avoid buying brand new. Like SUVs they have big gas tanks. It averages about $100 bucks a week conservatively. Vehicles depreciate the minute you drive them off the lot, so why take on a high payment for the next 3 to 5 years? If you choose well, a used minivan pays for itself in the long run and in a very short time. Think of it, no payments...except for the gas.

At the stage of life your at I would definately get a minivan and not a crossover. It is so nice, when you are still having to carry your baby, to just press a button and have the doors open. The automatic door is my favorite feature. I also have the built in entertainment center which is wonderful! But we do a lot of driving. I wish I could suggest a make and model. We drive an Oldsmobile Silouette but they don't make those anymore. One I've been looking at is the Honda, Odessy and the Chrysler, Town and Country. Good luck---I'll also be checking to see what people advice you.

I own a Chrysler Town & Country. I said that I would never drive a mini van, but here I am! I LOVE it! It is an older model 1997, but it is still great! There is plenty of room for the kids and their things. It is easy to drive and lasts a long time. No major problems with mine and it's going on almost 200,000 miles! My kids want me to get the newest town & country with the DVD players and swivel seats. If I could afford it, maybe. But I say, why DVD players when we can talk?
Good luck with your search. I purchased my van from Wally McCarthy's. If you get a Chrysler from a Pontiac dealer, used of course, then you can save money. they want them off their lot, so they will sell it cheaper than other dealers.
Also a good source to check out prcies and compare vehicles is carsoup.com. that's where I found mine. Good luck!
M.

Hi J.
I have plymoth grand caravan which I LOVE. Ours is 1998 so the new vans have many more options than ours. When we get a new one we will get stow n Go seating and a DVD built in. I have not had any problems with my van except usuall matainece and it has 175619 miles on it and still going strong. Good Luck shopping :)T.