Minivans - Zelienople,PA

Dear S.,
We have a Kia Sedona and love it. It is front wheel drive and is fine in the snow. It also has a really high safety rating!
Good luck!!

I have the Toyota Sienna, not with the AWD. I know the Honda and Toyota have that option, but with any minivan with AWD, you are forced to only have the run-flat tires, no spare. If you ever have to replace them it is VERY expensive. That is why we opted for the non AWD. As long as you have good tires on the van, it should be fine in snow.

Do you mean the Nissan Quest? I had a Quest, and I wouldn't get one again. Why, a lot of reasons, but it wasn't necessarily a bad vahicle, just personal preferences in regards to performance.

How many seats do you needs and what is your budget like? I have 6 kids, so this wasn't an option for me, but as soon as the two oldest are in college(give me three years) I am looking at the Chrysler Pacifica. Love it! 3 row seating offers seating for 6. Comes in a number of different drive options(AWD, FWD). There is even a built-in child seat in many models, which is a HUGE seller for me.

I currently drive a Chevy Venture, and, although I originally shied away from American brands, I'm really happy with this van. I have the 2001, Warner Bros. edition, which just means we have the vcr(can you say obselete?) and a few other perks of which I am unaware. It has seating for 8, which was what I needed, a built-in car seat with 5 point harness(so convenient). And a number of monitore like 'range' which tells you how much gas you have left in terms of miles.

I do not have AWD, and I have never had a problem with handling. I live in South Jersey and we don't really get snow, but we do get freezing rain and then the temperature plummets overnight and we have icy, icy roads in the morning. Of course, I grew up in central PA in the middle of the mountains, and my birthday is in the middle of winter, so I learned to drive on snow and ice and it doesn't daunt me.

"Just drive like there is an eggshell under the peddles" is what my dad always used to tell me. Don't accelerate or break fast, ease into every action and you'll be fine with or without AWD/FWD.

Oh, and the Honda Odyssey is a great van as well. We have a few friends who have had them, and we haven't heard any complaints about how they handle. But my heart truly belongs to the Pacifica. IMO, if you don't need to get a hulking minivan, don't.

S., Congratulation on your new addition. I am the parent of a 1 birth and 1 adopted child as well.
I had a 2001 Nissan Quest that I traded in in 2004. I was frustrated with a 3rd row seat that got in the way, but more so by the MANY small things that kept going wrong with the van. We live 25 miles from a dealer so trips for repairs were a pain!
I bought a 2005 Honda Pilot which is AWD. I love it. It seats 8, but I can have the 3rd row seat flat most of the time that we don't need it. I really like the versatility and the non-van feel that it has. People get 4wd or AWD for the snow, but I actually appreciate it in heavy rains. It helps keep your vehicle from hydroplaning and is much safer. This is our 4th vehicle w/either 4wd or awd. Yes, no vehicle does well in ice. Yes, Honda has the VSA on their Accords and other cars which is awesome (my husband has it). I personally feel much safer in an AWD or 4WD in PA, but that is just me. Driving carefully is always the best!

Hi S. - I have the Honda Odyssey, which I really like, but it is not AWD. I love that the second set of windows roll down. I also really like the removable seat in the middle and that the seats slide over. I have had a Honda Civic, Accord and now the Odyssey, I have had ZERO issues with them mechanically.

I believe the Toyota Sienna comes in AWD.

As for the Honda and bad weather, it has a thing called Vehicle Stability Control, which is great for slick surfaces, but not icy hills. We were driving in VT a year ago and got caught out during a snow storm, as we were returning to my in-laws home, their road (which is a hill) had turned to ice. When we had trouble getting up the hill the VSA kicked in and it slowed our van down and we actually slid down the hill on the ice. If not for a guard rail we'd have gone over an embankment. Needless to say, there were about $1700 worth of body damage. My husband realized that in order to get up the hill and get home to is parents, we needed to turn off the VSA. When the VSA was off, we made it up the hill.

Good luck on your purchase and welcome to the ranks of the Minivan Moms!

I bought a Honda because the windows in the middle go down. Toyoda is the only other van that the windows go down, but we like the ride and look of the Honda better. I had a friend but a two year old Honda and recieved a great deal and love it.

us.

I drive a Toyota Sienna and love it. We got it after owning a Toyota Sequoia, which we were outgrowing because we were adding a child. Even though this SUV has a 3rd row seat there was little room for a stroller and things behind it, and acess to it was not car seat friendly. Anyway, I love my Sienna! It handles perfectly in the snow and ice. Its nice and roomy, and has tons of room for strollers and other equipment in the back, which has a nice deep gully. We are even able to pack it for vacation easily.

I used to have a minivan that did not have AWD. If I was driving on a flat road, it was OK, but terrible on hills. There were times I had to get the kids and groceries out of the car and walk the last 2 blocks home because I tried getting it up the last hill to our home for 20 minutes without success. The Toyota Sienna has an AWD model. I've never driven it, but if I had to go back to owning a minivan, I wouldn't even consider one w/o AWD.

I just got a Chrystler Town and Country Touring edition last May. I absolutely LOVE it!!! We ended up going with the Chrystler for several reasons. First, it has amazing safety rating. Second, we got a lot more bang for our buck. My Town and Country is fully loaded and I paid what I would have paid for a very basic Honda Odysey. I do not have AWD, but it does have Electronic Stability Control which has kicked in several times this winter to stabilize the car and keep it going straight in the snowy and icy conditions. I think the car drives wonderfully.

We opted for the stow and go seats b/c it is significantly easier to just drop the middle row of seats if you need to make a run to Home Depot or something. Having to actually pull the seats out of the other models and store them somewhere is a pain. I can actually store the seats (and I could do it pregnant!) whereas my husband would need to pull the seats out if that was the set-up. The Town and Country also comes with Swivel and Go seats which we didn't like. First of all, we would rather have the stowing option and secondly, there was hardly any room to sit with the seats swilved and the table up- it was just too crammed.

All mini-vans now have power windows that actually go up and down in the second row and stowable 3rd row seats, so you don't have to go with a particular make to get those features.

I absolutely love my power sliding door and power lift-gate. Absolutely non-negotiable in my mind- it makes it so much easier to get my baby and her gear in and out of the car when I only have one hand (which seems to be all the time!)

The Chrystler also has "tailgate" 3rd row seats meaning you can actually flip the seats backwards to essentially sit in the truck. Great for tailgating or cleaning mud off of shoes after soccer practice, etc. Not a necessitiy, but definitely a nice addition.

The only option that is not available on the Chrystler that I wish I had is the ability to move one of the middle seats from the window to the middle of the vehicle (this is available in Toyota and Honda). Being able to do this would make it easier for people to climb into the backseat.

Good luck in your minivan search. I used to have a Civic which I loved (pre-baby!) and now I can't imagine driving anything but my Town and Country.

S.,

I'm driving a Chrsysler Town and Country. For me it's the perfect vehicle. I actually learned to drive in a Dodge Caravan (basically the exact same van) so it's sort of like coming home.

I have no real issues in the snow and ice with it. But I am a bit biased, I grew up and learned to drive in Pittsburgh, so the snow and ice we get here in Delaware is minimal in comparison. With good judgement, and a little caution, I think these do real well in the snow. We can even get up my parents driveway most of the time, which says something because once the hill ices over (abotu .25 mile) it can be touch and go as to whether or not you'll get up the hill.

What are your main reasons for wanting a van? How often will you be hauling gear? How often will you need to take teh seats out?

We travel a lot with a 17 month old and a 70 lb rottie (in a crate) so I'm frequently needing to have more cargo area. The Chrsyler/Dodge brands are the only ones that offer stow and go seating where the back row AND the middle row captains chairs BOTH fold FLAT into the floor. Some vans offer the back seat folding flat and the middle row folding down, but those few inches made a big difference for us. It's so nice to be able to just fold the seats into the floor. The van I grew up with had removeable seats and it's a PITA to have to actually remove the heavy seat, find somewhere to store it, . . .

Good Luck!

S.

I have a Honda Odyssey. I have been driving it for 3 years now and feel very safe with my children. It is very easy to drive and I have not had any problems in the ice or snow. I would test drive one. We are very pleased with all of the safety features and I really like that I can get the children in and out of the car safely with the sliding van doors. We still have plenty of room in the car with 3 small children in car seats. I love my minivan and could not imagine getting around without it and this is coming from someone who swore she would never own a minvan.
Good luck with your car search!

I have a Chrysler Town n Country for the past 3 years and love it, cannot wait to get another one in a year. I love my van, its great in the snow and ice and gets great gas mileage. also i love the fact that it has stow in go seating. we do alot of traveling and its nice to be able to store the seats instead of taking them out and then when we get to a place we can have the seats instantly. plus when you are using the seats there is storage underneath, which is nice to keep stuff. hope this helps.

I thought AWD was bad and you don't want that. I have a minivan and it is good on the ice and snow just as I am sure you know you have to use caution. I didn't want a minivan at 1st as I was used to a small car but I got used to it, now in a car I get scared becasue I can't see liek I cna in a minivan. I am short so I get paranoid, lol. Good luck in your decision, I think you will like your new minivan!

I love my 08 Honda Odyssey. I used to have a Trailblazer and I really didn't want a minivan. We have a 10yr old and a 20 month old and often carry other kids. I love the space and cargo room. We've had ours almost a year and have had no problems.

Good luck!

I currently drive a 1996 Honda Odyssey with over 197,000 miles on it. My parents passed it to me with 120,000 mostly highway miles. I've only replaced tires, brakes and battery. I LOVE it. Well maintained and just keeps on going. I've never been stuck..it's front wheel drive. The rear seat folds in flat and the middle seats come out completely - I can carry them. I have packed it very full with adults and/or stuff with no problem. Easy access to all seats for carseats as well. I put my 4 grandkids in with carseats, no problems.

Good Luck!

I love my Dodge Grand Caravan. It's front wheel drive, but I have had very few problems in the snow (although my husband says for a woman I'm actually a good driver!). Like the Odyssey it's got the Stow and Go, which is great for stashing diapers and wipes, and you can't beat it for vacation for putting things like non-perishable food and household goods for our vaca house. One thing I've noticed that I'm not crazy about is that it's only 4 yrs old and I've already gone through 2 batteries (just the other day changed it), but I think it may be because I use the automatic doors a lot when it's not running (battery powered!) Other than that, even my manly husband enjoys driving it because he's tall and it has good leg room. Good luck in your search. I fought getting one but had to and now wouldn't drive anything else.

Hi, we bought a minivan last year, after I have driven a 4 wheel drive for many years. I can tell you this winter I have NOT been able to get out of my driveway, which is uphill and gets icy...I have a Town and Country..it is lousy driving compared to our Jeep Grand Cherokee. My friend has been stuck in my drive too, she has another minivan, not sure what type but if I had the option I would have bought 4WD.
N. F

awd, 4 wd does nothing on ice

unless you live and drive in lots of snow, front wheel is perfect. Also better gas mileage

I would search vans first but safety ratings. That would be the Honda Odessey and Toyota Sienna. We have the Honda and adore it! Ours is not AWD. Snow and ice isn't going to matter so much with AWD. I was born and raised in northen MI and if you're driving on ice, ice is slippery and you will slide. It's about how a driver handles the wheel. We love our Odessey because it's much roomier, the drivers seat with the steering wheel is much more comfortable and adjustable. We have triplets and an older child still at home so we needed allot of room. The trunk space is huge. The Toyota didn't have as much room and the steering wheel used a telescope instead of tilt to adjust, which we found annoying. We had to drive a Toyota for a week as a rental and missed out Honda like crazy! At the end of the day, check out the safety ratings to see which ones with with stand a crash better. That was our main concern with toting our children around.

K. B
mom to 5 including triplets

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Hi S., I have had two minivans so far...(we purchased both of them used) a Pontiac (had it 6 years), and now a Plymouth(which we have had for over 7 years). Both had/have front wheel drive and handle beautifully in snow and ice. The biggest adjustment you have to make when going from a car to a minivan is learning how to handle the size difference. Otherwise they are just like driving a car. Best wishes & have fun!

We rented a minivan for our vacation this summer. We had a Kia Sedona, and we all loved it. We drove it from Delaware to the Florida Keys, and the kids said it was a comfortable ride. We thought about purchasing one when we got back!