S.L. asks from Boise, ID on March 31, 2009
Time for an Upgrade! I Need Minivan Recommendations.
I just got two lines on a pregnancy test, which means we've got to get a bigger car! I currently drive a Jeep Cherokee, and my two boys fit fine, but we've tried putting an infant seat in there too, and it just doesn't fit.
So we're just starting to look into minivans, but we hardly know where to start. We want to buy something used. We've never bought a new car and probably never will. We've also never had a car payment in our lives, and hope to never have to. We don't want anything too old, either.
My boys have been asking to get a minivan for years. They somehow think they're cooler than Jeeps :) They say it's because of the sliding doors.
We'd like to be able to haul at least as much stuff in as we can in the Jeep, although I don't know if that's a reasonable expectation. I can fit both my boys' bikes in the back to take them to the park. We can also fit plenty of camping gear and vacation stuff in the back too, although we have a roof bag for that if we need it.
Does anyone have any advice for us? What minivan(s) have you owned, and what did you like and dislike about it(them)? What sort of gas mileage do you get?
1 mom found this helpful
More Answers
K.C. answers from Denver on March 31, 2009
Love, love, LOVE my 2005 Honda Odyssey! If I were to buy another minivan right now, I'd definitely go with the Odyssey, with the Toyota Sienna a close runner-up.
K.D. answers from Denver on March 31, 2009
Congratulations! We have a Toyota Sienna eight seater. We can do 3 car seats across the middle seat, which leaves the back available. My husbands job takes him out of town for several months at a time. We get furnished places, but we take everything else with us. We've done growth clothes, out of season clothes, Pack 'N Plays, swings, bouncy seats, toys, etc. for a family of 5 for as many as 6 months at a time and never had to use a car top carrier. We even carry a printer/copier/fax with us and a few other things like that. The room is incredible. We'll probably never get anything else. We have a 2006 with 112,000 miles on it and have yet to do anything other than replace brakes and tires for repairs. We have taken bikes in it, too. I think the seats are very easy to raise and lower. Have fun shopping!
B. answers from Boise on March 31, 2009
Toyota Sienna! Start there! LOVE ours! Got it Fall of 2003 and still love it! We'll be fitting our 4th child in it this summer!
B.S. answers from Salt Lake City on March 31, 2009
I went out set on buying a Honda or Toyota because we heard they were the best, we test drove a few and were really disappointed with both of them. We ended up liking the Chrysler Town and Country best. We got an 05, we've been driving it for a year and a half and have really liked it. I think as far as cargo space goes all minivans are about the same. I have 4 kids and we travel and go camping a lot, We have had plenty of room. Sometimes we stow one of our captains chairs when we travel, it's nice to have that option, and they stow so easily.
I would recommend test driving a few and see what you like about them.
We are the same with purchasing cars and car payments. It's smart to buy used, although I hear right now that used car prices are going up. I guess because it's harder to get a new car right now. You might want to look into that. Good luck, and congrats on the new baby.
B.
L.E. answers from Boise on March 31, 2009
We LOVE our Nissan Quest. We bought it new in 2005(after my youngest was born). And 4 years later, still love our van. It's one of the more longer of the mini-vans. So, it can haul alot. We've gotten alot of compliments of how "cool" it looks from our friends & family-especially our teenage nephews. What's also nice is, it doesn't look too mini-van'ish. Which was a concern for my honey since he was trading in his beloved pick-up for this van. We have done road trips w/4 large adults, a teenage boy & 2 little people in this van quite comfortably.
Prior to owning the Quest, we did own a Dodge Caravan. We purchased this used and unfortunately, had one mechanical problem after another. We did enjoy the van when it was faithfully running.
Hope this info is of help.
Happy van hunting! :0)
L.
Email
facebook
twitter
StumbleUpon
digg it
kirtsy
Technorati
reddit
del.icio.us
blinklist
simpy
