Help me choose a minivan!

[Michigan Mama]

Not sure if this is the best place to post this, but we're looking to buy a used minivan, 2-3 years old, probabably.

We have 2 kiddos now, but hope to have more in the future.

I'd like it to be U.S. made (mostly - I know even for US made vehicles, a lot of the components are made elsewhere).

Any suggestions for me?

[Michigan Mama]

Hey - I know there are some proud minivan mamas around - any suggestions for me??

[Drummer's Wife]

Well, I am not currently a minivan driver, but wanted to say I would recommend a Honda Odyssey, Toyota Sienna, and a Mazda MPV (if you can find one). None of these, of course, are american made -- which may be why you haven't got a response.

The thing is, after having owned a Dodge Caravan and a Mazda MPV myself, I would not take the chance buying a couple year old American made minivan.

Really, I think you can't go wrong with an Odyssey. That's what I would personally be looking for.

[Drummer's Wife]

oh, and what I am actually looking into buying is a Mazda5. Not sure if you've looked at those, but you could get a new or 1 yr old model for cheaper than a lot of other brands - even ones made in the USA. It's just pretty small, though, compared to other minivans.

[ArtsyMomma]

I have an older model (1999) Dodge Grand Caravan. I have 3 kids with one on the way. I like it well enough. I've been driving it for a few months now and haven't had any problems. I wanted a Toyota Sienna, or a Honda Odessey, but they are really hard to find used, and the ones we could find were incredibly expensive.

[Juvysen]

FWIW, I'm under the impression that MANY, MANY toyotas are built in the US...

I'm looking for a minivan (probably) too... we have 2 months to find one, I guess... Dh doesn't want an older Dodge/Chrysler because he doesn't think they're reliable enough, and I've had a hard time getting myself to look into it.

[Drummer's Wife]

Originally Posted by Juvysen

FWIW, I'm under the impression that MANY, MANY toyotas are built in the US...

That reminds me, I think some Mazda's are made in the US, too.

[Michigan Mama]

I think that's true that a lot of "foreign" cars are actually made here, which is ok for me.

I guess I'm just sensitive to the fact, being here in Michigan - where like half of our economy is based on the auto industry - that it's important to buy stuff that's made in the U.S., keeping people here working, you know. I'd be ok buying an american made foreign car.

I live in a small town, in gm land, though, so I am thinking if I ever did need a repair on a foreign car, it would be hard to find anyone to do it! I don't think my local garage (that I've used for years and years) even services foreign cars...

Worth checking into, I guess.

[Juvysen]

Originally Posted by Michigan Mama

I think that's true that a lot of "foreign" cars are actually made here, which is ok for me.

I guess I'm just sensitive to the fact, being here in Michigan - where like half of our economy is based on the auto industry - that it's important to buy stuff that's made in the U.S., keeping people here working, you know. I'd be ok buying an american made foreign car.

I live in a small town, in gm land, though, so I am thinking if I ever did need a repair on a foreign car, it would be hard to find anyone to do it! I don't think my local garage (that I've used for years and years) even services foreign cars...

Worth checking into, I guess.

Being in Michigan, are you going to get dirty looks (or have your car keyed) if you're driving a toyota? I guess that'd be something to consider, too. I know there's a big culture of supporting the American car companies there, but I haven't been, so I don't know the extent.

My FIL told me, though, that many of the American cars are built overseas now, while many of the overseas companies have their factories here. Makes it sorta hard to know which way to go...

[Pinoikoi]

We are in LOVE with our Buick Terrazza. It is no longer in production, so you can get one for a good deal. Ours is a 2006. We got the top of the line model for the same price as a town and country that was the bottom level model. It seats 7 with pop up tables. It has awd (IMPOSSIBLE to find in a minivan anymore) but still gets 17 mpg in the city (which is more than most awd get).. Two side doors- not just one (we used to have a GMC that only had one side door and that SUCKED). Bonus storage in the floor.http://images.forbes.com/images/2003...za_426x283.jpg
http://www.netcarshow.com/buick/2006-terraza/

This one shows interiors, etc.. my color scheme is different, but otherwise mine is the same (leather interior, etc).. Front wheel drive IS standard, but the AWD version was also available.

We looked at the mazda5 because it gets 21mpg but it only seats 6 and the interior was really small as well. I think it is only front wheel drive also (which probably helps its mpg- but getting to take the family out off the beaten path was important to us..

I think the Chevy Uplander? is the same body structure as the Buick Terrazza and they should still be in production.http://www.automedia.com/NewCarBuyer...nder_ext_1.jpg

Issues I have with this minivan? Well, I am not a fan of the way many minivans have the back hatch pop UP.. (because I am short).. I prefer the kinds that open left to right rather than up and down, but that is not the way most minivans are made anymore, and wouldn't be a problem for someone a bit taller than me.

[chevy974]

I drive a Honda minivan and LOVE it. Dh has worked for GM and mazda and honda and Now has worked for Lexus for about 3 years. He said dont buy a Mazda made in US he has worked on them. If you can find an older one you have a great deal but they have to many problems now. I know there are some nice mini vans out there today But hands down I would choose Honda or Toyota for there dependablility and the many many years you will get out of it.

Many Blessings its exciting getting a new car
Amy

[greenmansions]

we will be getting a minivan this year, hopefully and will probably get a Toyota Sienna. My friend just got a 2006 and she LOVES it, except she says it's hard to get used to driving such a big car for parking it etc. She used to drive a Subaru Outback. We would consider a Honda Odyssey but we want AWD and my sister has one that is about 10 years old and it has needed a lot of repairs over the years, and we want reliability.

Our neighbor has a Kia they bought new about 3 years ago and they are very very happy with it. Whether that's made in the USA and whether or not you'd be able to get it serviced near you, I don't know.

One last thing, is that we live in an area where they don't salt the roads in the winter so you really get to see which cars last because nothing gets junked too early because it rusted out (unlike back in Chicago where I'm from). You don't see many older Dodge Caravans and their Chrysler counterparts out here, and what you do see is always blowing blue smoke out the tailpipe. Toyotas and Hondas are always looking good, even the older ones.

[SubliminalDarkness]

We have a 2007 Chrysler Town and Country that we bought in the spring. We got a GREAT deal on it, and have been happy with it. Of course, I didn't expect it to do miraculous things.... Just get us safely and reliably from point A to point B and offer us space to accommodate extra passengers or extra stuff. It's met those!

[buttercups.nest]

I have a 2003 Dodge Grand Caravan. We initially bought it as my husband's work vehicle (he is a carpenter, took out all the back seats so he could transport tools) but it is now the family vehicle. As it was for work we didn't want to pay money on a nice van lol

Overall though I actually like it. When we get our next one (this one is getting close to 200 K) I think we're going to look at getting a newer one....2007 maybe?

What I really like about the van is the gas medals have a button you can push to make them go forward and back. I don't know how many other vans have this feature but me and my hubby like our pedals at opposite ends of the spectrum! So WE LOVE IT!

Another reason we chose this van is the dual climate control. We are forever fighting over too hot, too cold etc. lol

The only thing I really wish I had that I am looking forward to in future vans is the stow n' go seating. Rather than physically taking out the seats (which we do now) you just fold them down and into the floor. This Christmas we went to see the inlaws....while it would've been nice to have the back seats taken out we didn't in case we were car pooling....in the end we didn't. For Christmas I got a rolling cart for my mixer and my daughter got a coloring/painting Crayola table....=two big boxes! So in this situation we definitely would've appreciated seats being gone...but if we took them out where would we put them? ie Stow n' go seats

As far as problems go....Caravans are notorious for having transmission problems. An aunt and uncle of my husband's had an older model Caravan and it went through 3 transmissions. Our first Caravan (I think it was a '98) also needed a new transmission and we have had our current van's transmission rebuilt. But then again parts are common so 6 of 1, 1/2 a dozen of the other

Hope that helps Good luck!

[Pinoikoi]

Originally Posted by SubliminalDarkness

We have a 2007 Chrysler Town and Country that we bought in the spring. We got a GREAT deal on it, and have been happy with it. Of course, I didn't expect it to do miraculous things.... Just get us safely and reliably from point A to point B and offer us space to accommodate extra passengers or extra stuff. It's met those!

We looked at the town and country last summer too. One of the dealerships here was offering a LIFETIME bumper to bumper warranty.. it sounded like a great deal just for that (I had never heard of such a thing before!).

We didn't get one because 1) they are all front wheel drive now, and dp was pretty thrilled to find a different minivan in awd and 2) I had the two dealerships trying to outbid each other to sell me a minivan and that dealership "said" they hit their rock bottom price and the t&c that was the approx price as the buick did not come fully loaded- the fully loaded model was close to $40K! 3) I was a bit skeptical of the lifetime warranty- like what would happen if that dealership closed and some in Alaska ended up closed this year, so I think it was a valid concern.