Must-have Minivan Features?

I think the biggie would be the row to access the third row if you have more
than two kids. If I had to guess, I would think a lot of folks will say DVD
players. My feeling on this is no way. Kids today have toys that sing,
dance, repeat letters numbers and light up. We wonder why kids are ADD.
Can't they just sit in the car and entertain themselves. Even on a long trip
there are so many games to play with each other and with whoever is not
driving. Kids today just have no idea how the pass the time quietly. I know
I will be slammed for this but just my opinion.

Cup holders in the back are wonderful for children! Seats that recline and fold down for cargo are great.

We are always in the car but the DVD players are so just a luxury. We have only used ours for long drives. And I mean LONG drives. Otherwise, the car is time to listen to some music and talk, catch up on what's going on, go over spelling words for school, Bible verses for Awanas, talk about what we're gonna do when we get somewhere, and play verbal games.
I think the power doors help a lot. Not absolutely necessary, but definately something nice!
For us, stow and go (where the seats fold down into the floor for added room) is AWESOME and definately a huge help. (I don't always need all the seats; I only have 2 kids most of the time......but I have a stroller, we take lots of day trips where I like to just slide the ice chest, and whatever we need for the park or beach, etc).
The ability to cool or heat in the back where the kids are is very big to me! That way you don't freeze yourself out trying to cool them down.

Like other moms said -

Leather seats - very easy to wipe up!
I also wish I had rear windows that went up and down
Power (sliding doors)
If your van is not garaged and will be out in the winter - then get remote start (I really wish I had that )
I'm terrible at directions - so I need a GPS!! Love it! But if you have a phone that does it - pass!
I don't think a DVD system is a must- the kids just end up getting more TV time. Plus I get some good quality one on one time with them without the TV - its amazing how much they will tell you in the car!
Buy good vinyl floor mats throughout - or else the carpet gets trashed in the winter time!

Enjoy :) I can't imagine not having my mini van!!

We LOVE our Odyssey. Love having two automatic doors, love the space, leather seats (terrific with spills), heated front seats, DVD player, GPS. I thought I wanted that extra seat in the second row, but we've had it removed all of the six years we've owed the minivan.

I was really excited about the voice command system when we bought it but that has become a joke. You basically have to learn another language to make it work. Tried to guess one time the command to turn on the radio and ended up with the heater on, or something goofy like that. Never had time to learn the right language with two young kids, so I've never used it. I would say this is a very optional feature, unless you have time and interest in mastering the code words.

1. wheels
2. i always think a roof is usually important
3. oh and windows

now seriously i liked the honda doors that opened automatically but after 10 yrs. the doors are starting to show their age. right before christmas it cost around $400. to fix mult motors in one door. other automatic door was fixed summer of 2009. my drivers window motor is also broken but we dont want to put out the money to fix it about $ 350.00. so i try to remember never to open it then its fine.
overall it drives incredible and we feel safe in it. i think all vans now there back window that open in back. my kids always tell me in the summer they wish they opened. we have a honda , odyssey.

a luxury would be for me heated seats, gps, sun roof, remote car starter, Tv in the back, alarm system, on-star, etc heck if you can get some go ahead and get it though. For me must haves are, power doors, automatic windows, and doors. Single cd player and radio, heat, air, my seats to be able to be adjusted easily. A seven seater, for family and friends to take trips with. And storage, nice size trunk space. Good luck we will be on the same search soon. So who knows it may change as we start to really look.

I would say the double power doors and stow and go seats are the biggest things... it is so much easier to push a button and have the doors open and let the kids load in...

and the stow and go is a life saver when you have kids... each kid can store their own bags/supplies right under their feet, no fighting about where everyone's stuff is.

I also agree that the heated seats are one of my favorite things, year round... it's like having a heating pad built into your seat, great for achy backs like mine.

I've had a few vans and several features. I could live without leather, moon roof, heated seats. I definitely need side doors on both sides and automatic ones (even having the trunk automatic helps). Remote locks is a must. The air pump in back has been nice for blowing up air mattresses and stuff. I could live without dvd players but now that I've had one they sure are nice for long trips. Most of this stuff is prob standard now anyway. Good luck!

Stow and Go....There is so much room in there! I don't have power doors, but I wish I did. I also do not have windows that go up and down in the middle or back but my sisters van does, and it's fantastic for the kids, I wish I had that too. Good luck!

Double power doors, second row to walk through, and leather are my tops. I have a 2007 Odessey and LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE IT! No GPS, but we do have a DVR. It's good for long trips, but we don't use it every day - so that's a personal preference. Now you can always add those later if you need them or get the portable ones for long trips only. Good luck! One luxury item I sort of wish I had was a back up camera (also can buy aftermarket) just because it is large w/ no visability behind the car ... and we have lots of kids on our street - I am just super careful.

Dual power doors, dual climate control, and stow n go seats. The dual power doors are the biggest thing...why get a minivan and not have them?!?! We also looked for one that had lots of cup holders and plenty of storage (a must if you get a van without stow n go). A DVD player is a must, but it is usually cheaper to just buy each of your kids a personal one (fewer fights too) than to have one in the car. Obviously, if the van you fall in love with has one, then great, but I wouldn't make that a requirement as it is really cheap and easy to get them on your own! Good luck!

We had a mini-van when my daughters were little (they are 7 and 5 now) and in five point car seats still. The one feature that I was glad we had, but didn't consider it a necessity at the time, was dual sliding doors. While most have this, some still do not. It was a life saver when it came to buckling the girls into their seats. Another feature, that our van didn't have but our SUV does, that is a luxury when going on long trips is an in roof DVD player - the down side is that it plays through the speaker system, so we can't use the radio. We just use our iPods, so the kids stay occupied and our sanity is in tact when we arrive.

Dual POWER doors!!!! Dual climate controls as well. Tvs are nice, but not necessary.

Hmm, I have had a mini van for almost 9 years now, so power doors (at least 1 is essentail), power windows and locks. For us, having 8 passenger is needed so that means 3 seats in the middle, however, the seats fold up nicely for easy access to the third row when I need it. The extended version is definitely a must, it will give you extra space for storage, especially if you don't have stow and go seats (I have never had those). My kids are 16,13 and 8 so music is necessary, we have a stereo system that allows them to listen to a cd with headphones while I can listen to my own radio station, that has saved many a fight! Windows that open somewhere in the back are also great, we have power windows in the rear seats that open out and middle row windows open out but the kids find it hard to open and close. I could live without a dvd player, hate leather seats as they are too cold in winter and too hot in the summer. A remote starter is wonderful but you can add that on anytime, I will definitely be getting one with my next van/SUV which will likely be in the spring. Have fun shopping!

I wish I had stoe-&-go storage (where the seats fold into the floor). Such a pain to take out the seats. They are heavy and getting them back in is a pain, plus you have to find a place to put them while they are out of the van.

I would also love to have the middle windows roll down. I don't know if all newer vans have this feature but I KNOW my kids would sure appreciate it!

Automatic doors would come in handy at times but I guess would be all that necessary. We don't have a DVD player and have been ok without it. I have had my van for almost 6 years now. We have taken numerous road trips in it and have managed to make do without. Would have been nice though.

Our van has a third row that is split in two. It acts like a bench seat in that you can put three people back there but makes it easier to take the seats out of the van because it's not one HUGE piece. Still a pain though :o)

Some sort of cup holder/food holders in the back for the kids are great. For now we are using the little things that come out of their booster seats but I do not know what we will do when they grow out of them! Just didn't think of it at the time. Our van has them way in the back but my kids sit in the middle.

Good luck!

I have a 2009 Toyota Sienna, and LOVE IT!

Biggest perks for us are 8 passenger seating (but I'm going to want access to the third row soon -- #4 comes in March), dual sliding side doors (ours are automatic, but I could live w/o that) and seats that fold down easily in the back if they're not in use.

I do like how the kids' windows can roll down quite a bit in the back, and they have access to the a/c and heat controls to adjust in the back when they get bigger. But again, these are both luxuries.

If I had to do it all over again, I would have bought used and saved up as long as possible to pay the entire amount of the vehicle in cash. That's where the true bargains are!

I have been a nanny and I love kids so while I don't have any of my own, I do have a whopping 11 Godchildren and a great nephew, all of who I usually see on a weekly basis. I have a minivan with 5 carseats in it!!

The leather seats are the most important feature. It costs more, but they wipe clean incredibly easily and you don't have to worry about spillage of drinks as much.

I also love my automatic doors. Makes it easy to load the kiddos all in the vehicle and also open the door while carrying one and holding one's hands. The automatic doors are also a Godsend for loading the groceries.

The middle row bucket seats to walk in between is harder said then done because bumping one's head on the ceiling happens more often then my head would like! The stow and go seats are great because if you only have 4 kids that need to be in the back, you can fold one of the seats down in the middle, making it much easier to buckle the car seats in the back row.

The stow and go seats does allow for one to become a pack rat in the car. I tend to carry everything but the kitchen seat around with me so be aware that is a potential problem unless you are an organized person.

I have a dvd player in mine and love it long car drives. While I love talking to the kiddos, sometimes its nice to put the dvd on and get to talk to the adult (or older kid) in the front seat without interruptions!

Do note in the town and country, there are only latch systems for 2 of the three seats in the back so while you can fit 3 car seats (depending on variety...I can get 2 backless boosters and a fwd facing carseat back there), only 2 can be latched.

Hope that helps...

TWO power sliding doors, middle windows that go down, and stow and go seats.

Only when I am unloading groceries do I wish I had the power lift. Otherwise it is not a big deal for me to open and close the hatch.

I used to think that DVD players were not a must. But, I happen to get one in my used Durango we purchased and now - I couldn't imagine not having it. Ha Ha. It is soo nice to have when I have 10 different errands to run and the kids used to always be "are we done yet..." now I don't hear a peep out of them. I may be scolded for saying a DVD player is a must.. but, if you are in the car alot, it is actually quite nice.

Oh ya.. if you get leather.. get the heated seats too - sooooo nice in the winter time (again... got lucky and it was in the car, it was def not on my wish list, haha)

Have fun shopping.

Cup holders, leather seats (so much easier to wipe up spills) and a rear entertainment system (make sure you have enough headphones to go around to prevent fighting). Congrats! Hope you find what you are looking for.

Just being a bit of a smarty pants...

Must haves - Seating for 6, 4x4 suspension, and a truck bed. : )

Can live without just about everything else.

Sorry, I'm a mini-van 'hater'. One of my biggest issues with any mini-van other than the Astro/Safari (which GM quit producing) is that the seats have too long of a reach... Basically the part your butt goes on is too long from seat back to the front (leading edge) of the seat. If I sit all the way back to where my back is touching the seat back, I look like a little kid sitting on a couch because my knees are where others thighs would still be. I'd have to stuff pillows behind me and duct tape them to the seat... So, I've owned SUV's or station wagons or cross overs.