Best Minivan? « Back to Group Discussions

[Chapsie]

Hey friends,

We currently drive a Suzuki XL7 (SUV with a 3rd row.. its the size of a van) as our family shuttle and wanted to trade it in for a minivan that will be easier to load/unload kids.  

We were thinking we could get a nice trade in price for our SUV, but found out that Suzuki is going out of business, so trade-in values for their cars have plummeted.  What a bummer!!!  

Anyway... we test drove an 08 honda odyssey last night and loved the way it handled.  It was a basic model though and didn't come with all the bells and whistles (do I need power sliding doors?  Do I need my kids to watch a DVD player in the car?)

My question is:

If you drive a minivan, what do you love about it?  What don't you like about it?

Is it worth it to get a different brand with more features for the same price or should we stick with the basic Odyssey for reliability and handling?  

The only other brand on the lot we went to was an 08 Grand Caravan and it wasn't nearly as nice to drive. A lot less expensive, and similar as far as features (and nicer looking IMO), but didn't seem as sturdy.

We've also driven a Sedona in the past that we really liked.  

This is new territory for us-- I can't believe I'm buying a van! (and excited about it, haha!)

Thanks for any input you might have!!!

[jodieanneanton]

We settled on a Kia Sedona when I was pregnant with DD2.  My husband is obsessed with safety ratings and I think it was between a Kia Sedona, Honda Odyssey and some SUV with a 3rd row (don't remember which).  The SUV was immediately out.  I drove both the Kia and Honda and liked the Kia better.  Good thing, too, because in reality, the Honda Odyssey was out of our price range.  I actually have a strong distaste for the automatic doors on the Odyssey, too.  You HAVE to open them that way, and if there is an electrical problem with the van, they wouldn't work.  Also, I have a distaste for permanent in car DVD players.  But mostly that is because I know myself well enough to know that the kids would be watching a movie any time we drove anywhere farther than 20 minutes away... Which we do at least weekly... I feel like I would easily just "fall back" on popping a movie in to keep them "happy."  (I have really low impulse control sometimes.  For example, I can't get a smart phone because I *know* that it would be way too tempting to have such easy access to the internet.  I would end up being "That mom" who just pecked away on her phone all. day. long.  I know that and don't want to be that way around my kids, so no smart phone.  It is the same concept with the in car dvd player.)  Movie on the way there and on the way back plus whatever else they watch during the day.  It would just add up to too much IMO for my family.  (Again, most of this is based on the knowledge that I would be the one at fault, allowing the movies to be put in, though.)

[Melany]

We have to have something that is 4-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. I go over the pass once a week and in the winter it can be bad. In fact, they closed it yesterday for about an hour. I wish they made a minivan that was well rated and all-wheel drive. 

Our minivan is on it's last legs. We actually inherited it from my grandfather because I was SO anti-minivan. I never would have bought it and tried to turn it down. Glad I didn't! It is a Mazda MVP. To be honest, having had the car as long as we have and knowing how much we abused it, I'd buy another Mazda. Our Mountaineer and my Volvo have been in the shop tons more than this car. I know my grandfather was hard on it when he drove it and we've been even harder on it. It's 12 years old. 

I am with you on the in-car DVD. For really long drives (we're talking overnight) we borrow MIL's portable DVD player and that's about as close as I want to get to having one of those in the car. We drive to Seattle A LOT, so there are a lot of 2-4 hour car rides for us. We also take the kids skiing at the pass every Saturday starting in January. My son will read and has become quite the bookworm. I think a lot of that started during last years ski season when he sat in the car every Saturday. He actually asked for a book light for the drive home when it was dark. If we had the DVD player, I don't think we would have cultivated his love of all things reading. 

That being said, with the REALLY little ones, I can see the draw of the DVD player as a way to keep it quiet in the backseat, but I know I'd turn it on and I know I don't want my kids to watch that much TV at a young age. My kids are too smart to see it in the car and not let us turn it on. 

[happylemon]

I don't like to be soap boxey, but my one suggestion is to research 'seat back failure' with any particular brand/model you might be leaning towards. Even if it does not change your mind on a vehicle, it will help you decide on seat placement in the car. A dear friend of mine lost her daughter in a car accident due purely to the seat back failure of the Honda Odyssey. It is a problem with all American made cars and most others as well, but very common with minivans as there are very typically young children riding behind the driver seat. Car makers know this an issue, but do not address the problem. There are several European brands that are much safer, but they are very expensive, so it is really a problem to avoid this. I have sworn to my friend that I would at least encourage those I encounter to become educated on vehicle safety to find the safest car seat arrangement for what ever car they pick. I can elaborate more on what I have learned if anyone is interested, but I don't want to stick my nose where it does not belong. This is a tough issue as budgets make it hard (I certainly can't afford to run out and buy a BMW)  and safety requirements don't really take young kids into account. My friends daughter was the 4th child to die in an Odyssey and nothing will change.

[Melany]

That's a little disturbing to google. How do you find out which cars, even if they are more expensive, are safer? Just because it's a BMW, it could still meet the safety standards. One site showed a video where a lawn chair actually beats the NTSA front seat requirements for weight distribution. 

[ancoda]

We have really enjoyed our dodge caravan.   

[happylemon]

My friend's lawyer recommends BMW, Volvo and Mercedes. ( I think those were the three, I am going to have to double check with her). He has dealt with many of these cases and has done lots of research and those are the brands that do not have the seat back failure feature as well as other safety flaws. (it is a 'feature' because it is designed to protect the driver or passenger from the front air bags). His other suggestion is to just go big. We wound up getting a 2005 Suburban, which because of the weight of the vehicle would have to be involved in a pretty high speed, high impact crash to have significant seat back failure. I also will not have my younger children forward facing behind the driver. When they are taller and have a reflex to turn their head, it is much safer (my friend's daughter was just at the right height to have the headrest hit her in the forehead). Behind the driver seat is the least safe spot in the car for children because there is always someone in the drivers seat when the car is operating. And, statistically when the whole family is in the car, the heavier person (usually Dad) is in the driver seat. Now that we are having #4, I have to have someone behind the driver so I plan to keep the forward facing girls in the third row and the rear facing babies in the middle row as long as I can. It is scary, but you just do the best you can and make the best choice you can. It would be nice if manufacturers would fix this, but the fact of the matter is that it comes down to money. If they can protect the driver or grownup (bread winner) of the family by reducing injury from air bags, car makers pay out less in lawsuits than they do if a child in the back seat is killed or injured. Rather sickening.

[ClumsySugarPlum]

Yikes, sarah. I didn't realize seat back failure was an issue. And, I'm sorry to hear about your friend's daughter. DH and I will have to do a little research about this. We currently have a used Honday Odyssey. It's a 2000, I think, with about 245,000 miles. The car has really lasted for us and we don't have any complaints; although, I will have to at least look into safest placement of carseats throughout the car. We usually keep our third row stowed so we have room to haul stuff. Only one kid right now.

[velveeta]

We have a 2007 Toyota sienna. We bought it just before number three child in 2010. I absolutely love it! The only thing is I wish we had gotten the eight seater. We homeschool and have other kids with us a lot. I do allow my nearly ten yo to ride up front when we are jam packed.

As for entertainment... We found it cheaper not to do "integrated" DVDs or anything. Cheaper and way more flexible to get iPads all around! And can change up content better, IMO.

Good luck! Our van is my favorite "baby gear" we ever got. Fwiw, we have three kids and another due in march...

[spughy]

We recently got a Mazda 5, which isn't really a minivan but it can act like one in a pinch.  I love it to bits (except for the unfortunate incident in which it locked me in and set the alarm off if I tried to get out.. but we got over that..)  I like that it's no bigger than most cars, uses no more gas (it uses more than our old Honda Civic did, but that was hard to beat) and isn't any harder to park than most cars, but still has the sliding doors and ability to seat 6 of a van.  Very handy and good for small families with pets who travel with!

[Chapsie]

Well... we wound up getting an 08 Sienna!

It is great and we're so excited about it!  :)  A very comfy, smooth ride.  

We were debating between a basic model 08 Odyssey and the Sienna XLE which had a lot more cool features.  It was a tough call, but I'm glad we spent a little extra to get the Sienna. (leather seats which will be easier to clean, the power sliding doors, the "conversation mirror," better audio speakers, a sunroof, tow bar, roof rack, etc...).  I liked the Odyssey a lot though... Like I said, it was a tough choice!  In any case, a van is soooo much more convenient with little kids than our big 3rd row SUV ever could be.

Thanks for all your input.

I did look into seat back failure, too, and that will definitely influence our car seat placement.  Thanks for mentioning that, Sarah, and I am so sorry for your friend's loss!  So tragic.  

[happylemon]

I am glad you all don't mind me bringing it up. I hate making people feel like there are no good choices or hopeless as most of us can't just run out an buy a  new car any time another safety feature backfires! I just like to encourage parents to think about seat placement, and hopefully the more people know about this and any other short comings of car safety, the more likely it will be that they will be fixed eventually.

Also, we have previously had a durango, in which the third row was useless. The Suburban is so much better and we have noticed no difference in gas mileage. We have captains seats in the suburban which make the third row much more usable and there is still cargo room, 4wd and towing capabilities, which we need. When we were looking at mini-vans we considered the Sienna since it has all wheel drive or 4wd capabilities (I can not remember now which it was).

[ehazzard]

We just got a 05 Toyota Sienna as we are expecting baby no. 3. I am SUPER excited about having the room (we felt like sardines in our 04 Subaru Forester with just two kids), but am a little confounded by the whole seat back issue. Sarah2881, thank you for bringing this up. Where do you go online to see how to best configure your car seats? We have a five year old, a 2.5 year old and will soon have an infant. The Sienna has split captain chairs that can slide over so one is behind the driver and the other seat is in the middle. Who do I put behind the driver? I had never heard about this issue and now I am terrified! For what it's worth, we really wanted a Volvo SUV but the only ones we could afford were older and therefore not recommended by our mechanic. Now I am concerned about the safety of the Sienna. Wish I would have seen this sooner... Thanks in advance for feedback!

[ehazzard]

And how do you feel about the removable infant seats. I believe we have a Graco Snugride. It will be rear facing but should I just go ahead and put the baby in a rear facing Britax behind the driver? My plan was to put my forward facing 2.5 year old behind the driver and the baby behind the passenger seat and the five year old in a booster in the back row. Now I am thinking this is not right given the potential for seat back failure? I HATE car seats issues! It's one part of parenting I find most confusing!!!

[ACarter]

I personally love Caravans. I've had 3 in my lifetime and each one has been a good, reliable car. Stow away seats is the only feature I see as must have. Having the ability to stow away your seats if you need to carry something is amazing.