Your Likes in a Minivan

I just got one a month ago. My husband did a lot of research on saftey and price....we decided the kia sondona. I really didn't want a minivan but I am so happy I have it. I love the keyless entry and the captain seats. We did get a really good deal.

I know how u feel. I only have 1 kid but I just recently bought a Dodge Caravan from a used car place. It's a 94' but has 3 rows of seats with cup holders and a lot of storage space. For gas it takes about 30 bucks to fill it up all the way. I hope that helped. Feel free to ask me any more questions about my van.

Hi S., I only respond to the questions on this website that I *KNOW* a LOT about. I research cars, along with Carseats daily. There are definitely some minivans you want to avoid. The issues would be reliability, carseat compatibility, resale value, and of course SAFETY. If you can give me your budget I would be happy to recommend a safe and logical minivan for your family.

The Kia Sedona is NOT at all like the Honda Odyssey (as a previous poster said).

My top picks for new are:
Honda Odyssey
Toyota Sienna
Kia Sedona
Hyundai Entourage (same as Kia Sedona)
Nissan Quest

As far as used, that would depend on certain years, and your budget:
Honda Odyssey
Toyota Sienna
Kia Sedona (Certain years ONLY)

Please feel free to private message me with your budget, carseats, and what features are important to you. This is my Passion (car's and carseats). I would feel priviledged to help you.

I loved the Ford we rented one vacation because of the dual back doors. I recently was in a friends new Chevy and I didn't like that you had to release the lever to shut the door.

I wish I could offer more but I'm still driving an 89 Ford extend cab from my college years. I did have an 89 or 90 something Aerostar but the costs on repairs on that thing were huge.

MAKE SURE TO GET A WARRANTY AND A CARFAX. Avoid any car from the gulf region, ask to see the title to see where it is from.

Let me just say, my minivan has saved my life... my sanity! :) I only have a 2 year old but I also have another one on the way. It is so nice, because before I had a Dodge Stratus, and my daughter was a swing/exersaucer baby. So in that little car traveling out of town... I was cram packed. So, let me just say, that its so much easier, especially with you having more kids than I! It's great to b/c of their friends and yours of course too! A lot more room and a lot more adequate. I'm only 25, and I never thought that Id be driving a minivan already! :) I was kind of bummed when I first got it due to that... you know that's the older peoples cars! But honestly I wouldnt trade it for the world. One thing I would suggest is find the dual temperature controls... for the front and for the back. That would be a lot easier on us. And the 4door of course. I have an 02 Dodge Caravan... love it. It's great on gas, easy to get in and out of, and also easy to manuver around in to clean and pack stuff in. Just a food for thought!

Hi S.,
I drive a Toyota Sienna. There are rear controls for heat/air. The second row seats are captain seats, so it makes it much easier to get to the rear seat. There are double sliding doors which are so convenient because you can enter/exit on either side. We were looking between the Sienna and the Town and Country. I think they are both great buys, but the Sienna we found was more affordable, so we decided to go with it. I think the one thing the Town and Country had that the Sienna didn't was stow-away rear seats. We have had two Toyota vehicles now, and I can personally say they run well. We haven't had any major repairs or problems - just your regular maintenance, and they last a good while. Good luck shopping!

I am a mom of three and also drive an older minivan. I would suggest trying to find one with double sliding doors! Mine has one and it's a pain in the butt sometimes that I can't just load them all in the same side I get in. I also suggest making sure you have easy access to your backseat. Some minivans are set up like 2-door cars...where the seat in the middle row (you know, there's the front seats, the middle seats, and the far back seats) flips foward so that more passengers can sit in the back row. I have 3 carseats and I don't think it would work well with carseats to flip those seats up all the time. Another thing that I personally would like to have is tinted windows and not because it looks "cool". Minivan windows are so large and for my kids the sun is always in someone's face. I tried to buy those window screens you can get as shades, but I'd probably need 6 of them to cover all of the windows! It would be much easier to have the windows tinted so I didn't have to hear them whine about the sun. :) I hope I could help you a little. Happy shopping!!!!!

first, a little about me: i have 4...2 are in elementary school(they have the removable boosters), and 2 in preschool (they have the highbacked carseats)
Here is my opinion on what are "musts" for me (in no particular order):

1. dual sliding doors
2. middle row seat that can be configured how you like....meaning, you can put the 2 middle seats together, like a bench, or just have one, or put the "space" in between the seats. if you have to get kids in and out of that back row AND have carseats that you have "permanently" buckled in, you want this feature. otherwise, those kids in the back are crawling thru the middle, and over the carseats with the little ones in them to get out. and forget folding them forward with a highback safety seat in that 2nd row...you'll be taking the carseat out every time you need to fold it down.
NOW>>.if you have older kids that either use the removable booster or don't use carseats at all, this isn't an issue.

3.if you can get windows that roll down in your sliding doors, that's a big bonus for the ones riding in the back...it can get hot back there, and you don't want to always be running your airconditioning.

4. keyless entry

5. this is something i don't have but wish i did...this is the seatbelt configuration in the SECOND ROW..seat belts (shoulder harness) that come from the top of the seat, rather that from the side of the vehicle. i have an odyssey, and i have the seatbelts that come from the side of the vehicle. they are always extended, because i have those 2 highback carseats for my little ones. my middle row is configured like a bench. the access from the back row to the passenger sliding door is right by the door, rather than in the middle between the seats. so what happens is the kids getting out of the back sometimes get caught in the extended sholder harness as they are getting out. my kids are pretty good at maneuvering so this isn't a huge issue for me, but when i pick up other kids, they can't seem to get past them...so i end up getting out of the car and releasing the shoulder belt, letting them in, and then fastening it again. what a pain. the next time i am definitely going for those other kinds of belts.

these are just my likes!!!
good luck!!!
K.

I had a precious baby girl March 23, 2006 and we bought a mini van three months later. My Xterra was too hard to get the seat in and out of. We bought a Nissan Quest. I love Nissan's we've owned 6 different Nissan's in the last 11 years between the two of us. The van is great and drives great to me, it's just like all my other Nissan's. I'm not one for extras but the automatic doors are great and the back seat is a hidaway so it's great for when we take our labs with us on trips and still have room for luggage and baby too.

good luck shopping.........Nissan's aren't too expensive either my payment is $368 for a brand new vehicle.

E.

Hello! I am a mother of four kids ages 7-2 years old. We are on our second mini-van and I love it! We had a Dodge Caravan Mini-Van to start and it worked out well for the amount of time we had it. We purchased a Chevy Venture which can hold up to 8 people and still has a storage area in the back of the mini-van. We went with this style because it with four kids, we can still take along two more people if necessary in our van as needed.....grandpa, friends, family. With the mini-van, it is easier to get the kids in and out of the van. It has two sliding doors. One is automatic and has been very convenient, especially if coming out of a store and during bad weather. Our van is pretty much basic, however, we chose to get the DVD player built in. It has been the biggest blessing ever. For long trips it is great to keep them occupied. Also for the short trips we keep a Tom and Jerry which requires no sound to watch. That way we can listen to music and not always have to listen to a movie and such. It also comes with headphones so that the kids can listen to the movie and then the radio/cd can also be listened to. There are times that we do not allow the kids to watch the dvd at all, so it hasn't completely taken over the van. The Chevy Venture itself is a smooth ride. It rides like a car and in no way resembles the
drive of an SUV or a truck. The gas mileage is not as good as say a little car. But it gets much better gas mileage than our Chevy Truck by far. There seems to be alot of room inside the mini-van so with having four kids and two adults all together, it is not so tight or closed in while driving. Our van handles the road well and smooth. And it is nice to be at a level as say a truck. I can see alot of the area around me while driving. When we had our car before the two girls came along to make our four kids, when driving in the car, we felt that we were so low to the ground and couldn't see much around us. We love our van. I also like the Montana Van by I think Pontiac?????!!! Not sure of the maker at the moment. Friends of my dad just bought one and it is a nice ride as well and very roomy inside too. We also looked at the Town and Country Mini-Vans and they were real nice. The thing that sold us on our Chevy Venture was the 8 passenger seating and the DVD.

One last bit.....friends of our had a Dodge Mini-Van. They got rid of it and got an SUV. They are now back to a Dodge Mini Van. They have two kids.

Good luck in your search!

I have a 2002 Dodge Caravan, gas mileage is good. It has a sliding door on both sides and that works great with the kids

keyless entry! :D I hate digging for the keys with a kid in one hand, unlocking and opening a front door, then opening a side door.

I don't know much about newer models, because I was also on a very tight budget when we got ours. We bout a 94 GMC Safari from a family in our neighborhood. It doesn't have the rear-driver's side door. It would be a nice feature, but I don't find it too inconvenient. It has tons of room, especially behind the back seat, which a lot of minivans don't provide. I would definately recommend going for a sport model that gives you that extra room in back. Since mine is older and starting to have some engine problems, the gas mileage isn't so great now. My sister had a newer (I think a ###-###-####) Nissan Quest, and she loved it. It wasn't as spacious, but it got decent gas mileage. The Safari's and other vans like it (GMC's) are known to get a lot of miles on them before having major problems. Mine currently has around 135,000, and we are just now starting to have some problems. But we were told that once they are fixed, they can easily get upwards of 200,000 miles or more. My husband's aunt had an Astro that had over 150,000 miles on it, and still ran great. If I were to get a newer one, I'd love to have the Stow and Go feature, with the seats that fold into the floor. I've heard those are amazingly convenient.

we just got a Kia sadona... It is the same thing as the honda something or another.. No kidding same thing!!!! but cheaper!!!

Side air bags!!! Safe as can be!!! that is my pitch!!! I want my little guy safe... I want us all safe.. WE go camping alot! and this is what we need!!!!

Lots of room Our own AC vents the guys in back can get thier own Hot or cold temps but individual how much does that make sinces... Me and hubby have our own temp controls!! Oh ya!!!! He loves that!!!! We did not get all the extras.. We did not need all that stuff and our payments are only like 350.. we did get extra warentee.... if that helps... it is the 2006 we got and I LOVE the side doors windows GO DOWN!!!! ME LOVE THAT!!!!!!!

It is a nice van... the keyless is nice... I had a remote start put in at best buy cuz I dont like to be hot in summer and cold in winter!! so Ya.. Me spoilled!!!!

But It tells you when your tires are low... ANd what tire... WHen on Ice it will take control so you dont slip and slide all over.... it will sincer what tire needs to break.. ya know.. It is so cool!!!!

sorry for the comercial.. but I reallly love it!! I miss my car like crazy! but It will do I am liking it... I put clings on window for Josh so he can look out and have something to see... He loves them... I have clings on all the windows... Better than Stickers Goodness!!! Each season I can change them! heheheehh

Good luck and have fun shopping!!!!

I just recently purchased a used Dodge Grand Caravan and it's absolutely wonderful!! I would definitely recommend it to you. One option I have found to be a god send is the power sliding side doors, they are wonderful when you have your hands full with a kid and a diaper bag and/or groceries. Also some of the newer ones let you know exactly how many more miles you can go before you need to fill up. That's kinda nice too.

Hi Sherri
Well I'm not gonna be much help but we took the dodge caravan to omaha, ne to go see the zoo up there we went for the weekend, 4 kids and me we had it loaded down 2 strollers all of our bags and a cooler this was 3 years ago rented it from enterprise I LOVED IT.
Then we went again 2 years later and rented the ford freestar I didn't like it we were so cramped everywhere and the same amount of stuff.
Now I can't comment on what features I would like to have because I don't have one but we to are buying one and so far what I have found is the Kia sedona is the one I like. Kia redesigned the sedona starting in 2006 and I want that year because it has the side curtain air bags, and the captains seats in the middle and that comes standard. I hve seen them in our area for around 18,000 with somewhere around 20,000 miles on them give or take. I love the caravan but will go with the kia sedona because it comes standard with alot more features and the warranty is awesome. sorry not much help. W. mom of 4

I agree with the tinted window comment...I am so glad mine has that feature. My van is a 99 so it has a lot of older features. I had a rental a few weeks ago while mine was in the shop and loved it. It was a Dodge Grand Caravan. I also suggest rear heating. I think all of the newer ones have two sliding doors...that should be a must! The seats that fold into the floor are nicer than the ones that you have to take out...they are heavy and hard to take out on your own if you ever need to haul anything. Also....if you do a lot of traveling a luggage rack is a big deal. Mine doesn't have that and if we gone on long trips it would be very nice to have that option for extra storage. I get about 19 miles per gallon average on my 99 Windstar. If you are looking for used but newer with low miles we saw a lot at CarMax in different makes and models. Best of luck. C.

We recently traded in our minivan (Kia Sedona) for a 2004 Ford Explorer SUV. It handes MUCH better in the snow since it's 4x4, the van slid terribly with all the snow and ice this past winter. And we get the benefit of a minivan b/c our Explorer has 3rd row seating so it seats up to 7 just like the van! Plus it was cheaper and maintenance and insurance are cheaper too since it's a Ford and not foreign vehicle. Although I must say we didn't have any mechanical problems with the Kia Sedona, it was a good van and good quality for the price--ours had all the options. It was roomy and comfortable, but we just felt too old to be driving a minivan! I'm only 26 hubby will be 27 this month, the Explorer SUV fits our lifestyle and personal taste much better. I wish we'd thought of it before buying the van in the first place but we didn't know the newer explorers came with 3rd row seating.

I drive a Toyota Sienna which has two side sliding doors, rear control for heat/air - that's also controlled up front. The middle seat is a 3/4 seat (if they call it that?) which worked great when our kids were much smaller - but now they can't keep their hands off each other. But it does make it easier to get to the back seats. It rides like a car also - which I like and seats 7. The gas mileage is also good - but I can't quote a number - as my husband is the number keeper.

Hey, S.. I recently traded in my 4-door Mercedes for a minivan. It was a bit shocking at first, but I think we made an awesome move! My husband and I did a lot of research before we even began looking at vans. You will find that Honda has the best consumer report all around and Toyota is second. Both of these vans hold thier value, so they are more expensive. We found that Hondas and Toyotas that we several years old cost the same as newer brands like Chrysler, Ford, etc. However, in my opinion, my child's safety is worth spending the extra money. We ended up buying a 2002 Toyota Siena. I love it because it has a VCR (I would recommend getting one with a DVD player b/c tapes take up a lot of room) it also has a lot of room for drinks. There isn't much storage space, which is nice because it forces you to keep it clean instead of stashing a bunch of junk in your vehicle. I also love the fact that the very back seats are easy to fold up and out of the way, allowing more room for a stroller, pack and play, shopping bags, and emergency items (jumper cables, blanket, torches, etc). As far as gas milage goes, the van does not get near as good of gas milage as my car did. Good luck in your shopping. Let me know what you decide. God bless!

we bought a used nissan quest (2004) when i had my third in aug. i love it!!! i was trying to lug those kids around in a grand am. it was horrible and probably not the safest thing. anyway, i like the dual sliding doors, only the passanger on mine is power and keyless, i would prefer both sides but one is better then none, both being sliding is a must. i also like that the third row seat folds flat too, it's handy when needed.

I was in the same boat as you a few months ago and I am so happy with the decision I made. We were shopping for used and really thought about the Town & Country because of so many extras that were really convenient. Then my hubby took me to the Kia dealer and I was so surprised at how nice they were. We were able to get a 1 yr old 2005 Sedona for the same price as the 2002 Town & Country. The real plus was that the Kia's come with 10 year BUMPER to BUMPER warranties and ours still had 9 years left that was transfered to us. For our family we didn't really have the option to drop $$ in the car after purchasing when things went wrong so the warranty was the deal breaker. If you can swing a little more, the newer Sedona's I am thinking 2006 and up have the Stow and Go feature. I was worried that I would regret "settling" for a Kia...but almost a year later I still LOVE that van! I hope this helps and GOOD LUCK!!!

We have a 2001 Villager. Wish we got the 'powersliding doors' thing (but if you are looking at an older model van make sure that they have a feature that senses if something is blocking the door...A nurse mentioned that those early doors caused a lot of arm/finger injuries)

Sliding doors on both side and captain's seats are the two features I like. We have removed one of the captain's seats to increase the space and manueverability. (I have three kids who need to be spaced a part...drive car pool for a neighbor girl...one of mine plays cello!)

I think the gas milages stinks (but our car was a Topaz that got around 30 in town so I was spoiled).