Time for a New Car

It's funny you say you would NEVER drive a minivan. I said the same thing. In fact, I thought I might still one day be able to figure out how to have that convertible!! ;) LOL

The first "bigger" car I got was a Saturn VUE (SUV) which I would NOT suggest. When we knew we were going to try for baby #3 and I saw how quickly the trunk space goes, I began researching minivans thinking it still didn't mean I'd ever end up actually buying one.

I've had my Honda Odyssey now for 4 1/2 years now I think it's been and I LOVE IT!! My husband just asked the other day if anything happened to my car what I would buy next and I told him another Odyssey in a heart beat. It has the most amazing pick up, the most space in any car I've ever seen (I've compared cargo space on minivans and SUVs and it blows all the others out of the water!), has had the least amount of issues, etc.

Like I said, I swore I'd never drive a minivan...now I can't imagine not having mine. Please feel free to let me know if you have any questions.

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I bet you're going to get a lot of mini van moms trying to convince you that it's the way to go! Most of us said we would never do it, but then the kids came along and it's just so practical! I have been driving a Nissan Quest for about 3 years, and now I can not live without it!!! It has so much space. We can travel comfortably with 6 people (7 if we have to), and still have cargo space. But my favorite feature is automatic sliding doors!!!! When it's time to get in the car, I just push a button and my 2 kids can climb into their seats on their own (ages 2 & 5). My 5 year old buckles herself up, I buckle the 2 year old, hop in the drivers seat and push the button for their doors to close. I probably sound lazy, but it saves so much time for loading and unloading the kids! This week my husband needed the van to move stuff, so I had to drive the kids around on our sedan all day and I missed my van BADLY! I never thought I'd like it so much, but I don't think I will drive anything else as long as I have kids to drive. I'd suggest checking out BOTH SUVs and mini vans, compare all of the features and go with whatever you think suits your family best. Good luck!

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Hi J.,
Chevy Traverse is what I will be getting when we need a new one. They seat seven (with an option for eight). They have the room of the mini van with a very stylish look. I would consider it a cross-over. Great gas mileage with loads of different options (colors are great too).
Happy shopping!

I drove an SUV years ago so have no suggestions for that...but I CRACKED UP at your "swore I would NEVER drive a minivan" comment. I swore that very same thing! I also swore I would NEVER drive a station wagon. Do they even make those anymore? Best of luck with your purchase!

I drive a Hyundai Vera Cruz and love it. It has the 3rd row seating and seats 7. It is getting to be time to trade it in and I am debating between getting another one except the nearest dealership to me is over 100 mi away, so I am checking out other crossovers. So far, it is a tie between the GMC Acadia and the Buick Enclave. However, the price point on these is so much higher than a Hyundai and the warranty is much better on the Hyundai as well. I did drive the Kia Sorento and while it too has a great price point, it felt smaller than my Hyundai, which won't work well for me.

I don't blame you on the whole mini-van thing :) I swore them off about 5 years ago! However, the one thing that I do miss about having a mini-van is not worrying about the doors swinging into the car next to me. We live in a windy area and I am forever watching for that.

Good luck!

There are lots of things I have done that I said I would NEVER do. LOL

One of the things intelligent people do is add facts to their knowledge base and then analyze changing situations and the new facts they have acquired and change their minds if necessary. ("if necessary" is the key phrase.)

Most of the things I said I'd never do, that I did, I did because of added knowledge. 100 years ago it was "common knowledge" that women didn't have the political knowledge to vote and blacks didn't have the mental abilities to do anything as complex as medicine or engineering. Now people voicing those opinions would be looked upon as foolish and stupid.

I've had vans, minivans, SUV's and transition/cross-over vehicles like the Odyssey (sp?). Each one served its purpose. Based on what you have said I would buy a crossover like the Odyssey. My crossover got 75% better fuel economy that did my minivan (GMC Safari). It was worth it to me to put that money I didn't spend on gas in my pocket or in our vacation spending jar. Would you rather the BP CEO or the Exxon CEO buy a bigger yacht OR you and your family go on a nicer vacation? Unless you are a sahm that drives less than 6,000 miles a year, just the money you save on just gas, could buy you and your husband a cruise every other year.

I swore I would never have a motorcycle too. It cost me $.25 per mile to drive my truck. It costs me between 4 and 5 cents per mile to drive my motorcycle. With todays economic times, I needed the savings.

Now you have a little more knowlege. What you do with the knowledge is up to you. Good luck to you and yours.

I recently bought a new vehicle (last month. I just got remarried and we have 3 kid between us and will be having one together hopefully some time next year! So I know the feeling. We have a 10 year old, 5 year old and 3 year old...so 2 car seats right now! I was looking for something small because I cannot drive a sububan or tahoe...because they are too big for me and I am not into the minivan thing.
So after looking for 2 months at different vehicles, we bought a Dodge Journey. It has a 3rd row, and has built in booster seats, built in ice chests int he floor board, which we love to keep snacks in for trips, or you can take the bins out and use them for toy storage, it has satellite radio, onstar, rear view mirror to see the kids, bult in coke cooler above the glove compartment, DVD player in the dash board, rear air and such for the back, CD player where you can download all your CD's so you are not switching thru cd cases while trying to drive, you can play your mp3 player or ipod thru the speakers, storage compartments under the actual seats to put purses and valuables when you are running in somewhere. etc.... It has so many features I could go on and on. We fell in LOVE with it and I am so glad I got one. Everyone that sees it, thinks it is so neat!!

I've also sworn off minivans but now I want one BAD!!!

I just got the new 2010 Honda Pilot (Touring). It holds 8 people and I have 2 car seats in the back and the 3rd seat can open up to allow access for the 3rd row. I have fit 6 adults in it comfortable. It can also hold 3 big car seats easily in the middle row. All seats are latch ready for car seats. The gas mileage is above average for an SUV and it has lots of room for traveling. We got it thinking we may have a 3rd kid. I love it!!!!

I love my Toyota Sienna - and my husband loves it as well!!! We just did our annual drive to the beach in Florida - mom & Dad, 2 kids, 2 grandmas and luggage for 1 week - and it all fit in the back - the storage was amazing!!! We normally drive in our Expedition (which we still love but its old) and we always had to put stuff on the roof because it couldn't fit behind the third row. Plus my husband loves the nav, DVD etc - he is crazy about the technology of that car. And like others have said - you cannot beat the convenience of a minivan - I will never have to worry about banging doors in parking lots again - or putting the kids in the car in the rain. And the Toyota has the footrests that pop up from the seats which is great for kids in booster seats to be comfortable so their feet do not dangle anymore. Other things we love - power lift tailgate, parking sensors, backup camera. And it drives like a lexus - I had no idea that a minivan could be so luxurious or I wouldve bought one years ago...