What Minivan Do You Drive?

I too love my '05 Honda Odyssey. It's so roomy and easy for both me and my daughter (2 years) to get in and out. I love that you can load it up with groceries or whatever b/c of the folding third row seats. I also test drove the Toyota Sienne and loved it too - I actually think it's nicer but I didn't want to spend the extra money to get it as it was a bit more expensive. I also test drove the Nissan Quest and wasn't too pleased with it compared to the Honda or Toyota - the inside is nice and roomy but when I drove it it felt really big and like there wasn't much to the car - it felt kind of tin cannish, but that's just me. Good luck - I think you are making a wise decision in buying a minivan.

I love my minivan! I have a '07 Dodge Caravan. We just got it 4 months ago and I can tell you it is good on gas, fits a lot of people, and looks good for the price. I think they start at around $15,000. We have already took a trip to Tennessee in it and it did great. Good luck!

We bought an 07 Honda Odyssey last year and we absolutely love it!

I have a trailblazer and a Sienna. I love my Trailblazer but only like my Van. For a famiy the I prefer the Sienna but we drive the SUV more b/c it's newer. If I had a choose I would go with another Sienna or Town and County. Also look for ones that have Captian chairs in the back not the whole 2nd row. They are a pain. Also look for one that has the rear windows that go up and down.
Good Luck and happy shopping....

I've had my Honda Odyssey for almost 5 years now and I've loved every minute of it. I would love a new one- they have so many new gadgets! You can get everything now- sunroof, dvd, navigation, etc- all together. I couldn't get all that with mine back then- you could get one or the other. I did test drive other vans and I found that the leg room in the Sienna wasn't very good. I'm a tall girl and the front leg room on both sides wasn't enough. I love all the room in the Ody.

I have to second the Toyota Sienna! I love it. It does have get-up and go, but it is very roomy and safe too. My family loves it. We have had a Ford Areostar (now the Freestar, I think)...It was OK, then we had a Dodge Caravan...That was the worst ever! It had many, many problems with the transmission, and apparently it is not isolated to any particular year. Our Toyota has not let us down yet and is getting close to 200,000 miles! Toyota engines are built to last FOREVER!

I drive a Nissan Quest. i love my van, The only way I would trade it is, if for a new one.
D.

I drive a Town and Country and absoloutely LOVE it!

I have a 2006 Kia Sedona and love it.......I agree about the second row captains chairs and windows in the rear.......my van has the pep and drive of a sports car which has been invaluable getting on freeways. I like the way the second and third rows can be put down for hauling things.......we have portable TV and DVD players as for me, built in ones are just one more thing to break down....and I don't want them on all the time......have fun in shopping and making your decision....

I have a Nissan Quest...... they are a little more spendy than dodge or some of the others, but well worth the money. it is so comfortable and roomy. i also love the way the dash is set up and that fact that the gear changer is not on the stearing wheel. i havent had any problems with mine, i would recomment it to anyone

I love, love, love my '06 Honda Oddysey, but alas, I am selling it to get out of the lease. I took the but kicking on depreciation- you wanna buy mine? Gold, leather,new tires- loaded except for GPS & DVD. 31K miles; $22,000 OBO!

We had a KIA Sedona the first year they came out & had lots of little troubles with it, but generally were well pleased. Really had some great features & drove wonderfully! I think they've worked out many kinks in the last 6 years.

D.

I love our Honda Odyssey. We have the built-in entertainment system which is priceless. I love the inside configuration--you are able to get to the back very easily from the front seat. We have had no problems with it. I would stay away from the "run-flat tires" because only a dealership can work on them which is a bit of a pain. Overall it has been a great car--the only drawback is that I am one of 20 silver Odysseys parked in a row in a parking lot--I recommend getting a less popular color.

Hi!
I really injoy my Dodge Durango. I know that it isn't a mini-van. But I loved the space. It has a fold down rear seat. All the seats fold down to leave a large cargo area. And I injoy the fact that it has regular doors with regular windows that I can row down when needed. My daughter had her foot stuck in one of those old sliding doors. The door was automatic...so her foot was pretty stuck. not much damage...but still real scary. So we avoid sliding doors. And the Durango handles traffic well. My ex had an accident in it and the side airbags protected his head from scattering glass from the side collisoun. Well worth getting it repaired. Just a thought.

I had a town & country for 4 1/2 years until someone else hit me and it was totaled. I loved my minivan but the insurance company decided even though I was able to drive it to the shop to be fixed, the cost to repair it was more than they thought it was worth. :-(

Three words of advice, 1) whatever you get, I recommend the DVD entertainment system if you have kids. That was a lifesaver on more than one occasion. Of course you can buy the kind you can strap to your headrests now, but there are cords and setting it up. I like the built in ones myself. 2) Resale on the Odyssey is the best in terms of minivans. I was upside down on my Town & Country until I was 3-4 years into owning it. In other words, resale is not good if you're looking to trade in at a dealership for something else within the first 2-3 years of ownership on a lot of the minivans out there. 3) It's usually best to try to buy before the end of December. You'll probably have much better negotiating power (get the most money off of MSRP) if you buy by 12/31 than if you wait until after the first of the year.

Good luck!

Hi,

I have a Nissan Quest, and I really like it alot. When I shop for a new vehicle, an invaluable resource for me is edmonds.com. You can shop and compare makes, models, and prices for both new and used vehicles. For me it came down to a choice between a Quest or a Honda Odyssey, because, at the time, they both had the highest safety rating for minivans. That was 3 yrs. ago, though, so it may have changed by now. As far as features on the Quest go, mine had a built in VCR/TV unit in the middle between the driver's seat and front passenger. It was great until my oldest managed to break it. :0( Fear not, though, he lost many months of allowance buying a DVD player and case. Either way, as others have said, a TV with a VCR or DVD player is wonderful if you have a kid who screams when they're in the car for very long, or if you take frequent long trips in your car. I hope this helps!

D.

Get a Sienna Van, classy & very peppy, if you need to pick up speed they get up and go ! I just got a new one !
and I love it ! they will go forever...........

I drive a Toyota Sienna. I LOVE this van. It drives like a dream. What ever you decide to get I would suggest that you get a two door van with two captain seats instead of a bench. It is so much easier to get them in and out with a two door and the seats help to give them some room between each other and help give you some peace while driving. :) The only downside in driving it is the gas millage! Gas is not cheap these days! So I have car seats in both our car and van and take the longer trips in the car sometimes to save a bit.
Also you should try and buy private if you can, Its SO much cheaper than a dealer! You should use auto trader on the web to compare. That's where we found ours. It was a great deal!
Happy Shopping,
C.