i NEVER thought i would say this, but....

[adon]

we need a mini van!: i've never been a fan...but we went on our first outing today with DD and DS and my mom in our little subaru legacy...it was such a funny site to see. my mom and i were squished against the dashboard. plus we have a yellow lab, ginger and when travel we use our jeep cherokee...but of course the gas is not the best.

so i officially need to give in: so anyone have any suggestions on mini vans?? i will probably look at used or certified used, we will probably have to sell or trade in our subi because it's worth more then the jeep any suggestions?

[Ackray]

I have a Honda Oddysey and I LOVE it. We got it years ago when we only had two babies. I am so glad we got one even though I never ever imagined ME driving a minivan.

One of the things that I really like about our minivna is that I can push the two middle row seats together (like a short bench) or pull them apart (2 captain's chairs). I don't know if you can do that with other brands.

[renaissanceed]

Yeah, we gave in & bought one a couple weeks before DS was born & I gotta say that I love it :

Much research led us to conclude that the Honda Odyssey, Toyota Sienna & Kia Sedona were the best quality but also the most $$. We ended up with a 3 yr old Montana which friends of ours were selling to buy the extended wheel base Montana. We had to also watch what would fit in our garage 0 not a consideration for most I'm sure.

My only problem is that the seats are heavy to take out. The stow & gp seats would be nice.

Sure is better than the VW Golf though.

[Curlita]

No advice, but right there with you... Our two outings in our Subaru Forester (which I always thought was quite roomy) have required me to ride with my knees basically up my nose. We definitely can't buy a vehicle... hoping I can tough it out until a) we can turn Conrad's seat around or b) Dylan is ready for a booster, whichever comes first.

[scheelimama]

We just gave in and bought a minivan 2 days ago. Like Edwina, research led us to look at the Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna. They have the best safety ratings. Honda's last much longer in general than Dodge (Just mentioning that since Dodge Caravans are pretty popular) and retain their value better than Dodge's. But like Edwina said, the Honda and Toyota minivans are more expensive. We were able to find a used 2005 Honda Odyssey that we really liked though. I actually just started a thread on this subject a few days ago over in Mindful Home management. You might find that interesting since you're also in the market for a larger vehicle. So far I love my Honda Odyssey! It's roomy, fits my huge Britax's pretty well (although, it's still tight putting a Britax Decathalon rear-facing, it's up against the passenger's seat), and it's easy for me to get the kids in and out. I gave up some of the luxuries so we could afford the better safer vehicle. It doesn't have automatic doors which would be nice with kids but not necessary, but it does have automatic locks, so I only have to press my key to lock or unlock the doors. It has the middle seats that slide together or apart like Stephanie mentioned. It has a nice big "trunk" with hooks to hang your grocery bags. But no extra perks like a dvd player or heated seats, which I really don't care about.

[Isaac'sMa]

We have a 1995 Honda Odyssey with about 200K miles on it. LOL. Not many of the nice features the newer ones have, but it's great. Even my dh likes to drive it and it's perfect for boating (we've got a roof rack on top for the canoe and the kayaks fit inside!) It still runs well...but I'm waiting for the day it dies so I can get a nicer, newer, safer and more comfortable one!

[dcgrl]

Adon, I really expected your post to read: I NEVER thought I would say this, but....I wish I was still pregnant!

Glad to hear it's just a little minivan envy!

[adon]

Originally Posted by dcgrl

Adon, I really expected your post to read: I NEVER thought I would say this, but....I wish I was still pregnant!

Glad to hear it's just a little minivan envy!

laughup: OMG can you imagine!!?

[adon]

we just put a call into our neighbor, and good friend. he sells used cars. he says he gets in siennas and odysseys all the time, but they go fast. it's a used car place that goes to auctions and things to find good cars. i think they actually buy to sell to bigger used car places. anyways, we got our jeep from him at a good deal. so we'll see what comes up. unfortunetly, we will probably have to go get a loan:. and keeping an eye out for one with a roof rack is a good reminder laura! especially with all the camping we do!:

[chrysalis]

i'm sure yogamama would be more than happy to just give you hers... : sorry...couldn't resist. (see her new thread in case you have NO idea what i'm joking about!!!)

[yogamama74]

Originally Posted by chrysalis

i'm sure yogamama would be more than happy to just give you hers... : sorry...couldn't resist. (see her new thread in case you have NO idea what i'm joking about!!!)

LOLOLOL Lisbeth, I was just coming here to say the same thing....I got a great deal on a minivan in Michigan for you...

[GinaRae]

I was so pissed when #3 was coming and I had to give up my car for a van but I ended up loving it! We bought a used van and we finally killed it this year. We just bought a 2005 Chevy Venture that's fully loaded. I prefer the Dodge Grand Caravan, but the price and van were right.

[mittendrin]

I never thought I'd say this but I would LOOOVE to have a minivan. We can't afford it, our priority is saving up to finally buy a house next year. So I am squeezing 3 carseats in the back of my Dodge Stratus. Trust me, it's not made for that....:

[adtake]

Another Odyssey owner here! This is actually my second Odyssey. I absoutly love it! My favorite features on the newer (2005 and newer) are the side window visors and the side window rolling down. I love the split seats. If you are even thinking of more kids you want a split back seat, so look at that when looking at vans. I love how the seats in the middle slide. Mine is actually an 8 seater. Has a jump seat for the middle row that is removable. We have used it a couple of times and it's sooo nice. The wipers do this cool thing when on intermiten...when you stop at a light or stop sign then go the wipers wipe reguardless of where it is in the cycle! soo coool!

If you are worried about then being slow or no get up and go, don't! The Odyssey has the same VTech engine as those little civics speeding around town! Nothing more fun than blowing one of those little things off the line

We looked at the Kia the last time and the Honda just won out... The Kia is priced lower, but resale is much lower than the Honda! I could resale my Honda right now for what I paid for it (used).

Watch Craigs List too! That's where I found mine!!

Now I'm curious about the Odyssey and it's owners....off to make a poll!!

[scheelimama]

Originally Posted by adtake

If you are worried about then being slow or no get up and go, don't! The Odyssey has the same VTech engine as those little civics speeding around town! Nothing more fun than blowing one of those little things off the line

Ditto! This really surprised me. But I have LOVED driving my "new" '05 Odyssey these past few days! It has so much get up and go! It's quite fun to drive.

[isosmom]

Another odyssey lover here. Have had it since August and I really like it. Still feel weird in a mini van though.