Question for All You Minivan Drivers!

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Discussion Overview

The thread centers around participants sharing their experiences and opinions regarding various minivan models as one user seeks advice on choosing between them. The discussion includes personal anecdotes about specific models, features, and preferences, as well as comparisons among different brands.

Discussion Character

  • Anecdotal
  • Opinion-based

Main Points Raised

  • One participant, identifying as a consultant, is considering the Hyundai Entourage, Chrysler Town & Country, Dodge Grand Caravan, and Honda Odyssey, seeking opinions on these models.
  • Another participant mentions they drive a full-size van but has heard positive feedback about the Honda Odyssey.
  • Several users note that they or their family members love the Honda Odyssey, citing its recent award for best minivan.
  • One participant shares their experience with the Toyota Sienna, highlighting its spaciousness and cargo capacity, especially for families with multiple children.
  • Another participant expresses satisfaction with their 2008 Honda Odyssey, mentioning a desire for a remote powered trunk feature found in other models.
  • A participant discusses their positive experience with the Town & Country, emphasizing features like stowaway seats and dual air conditioning.
  • One user mentions that they have noticed an increase in Honda Odysseys in their area, linking it to popular culture references.
  • Another participant shares their love for their Ford Freestar, highlighting its capacity and fuel efficiency, despite it not being one of the top picks.
  • One participant describes their experience with the Honda Odyssey, mentioning features like Bluetooth and a DVD player, and expresses a preference for it over the Dodge Grand Caravan.
  • Another user recounts their experience with a Toyota Sienna, praising its comfort and functionality for family trips.
  • One participant shares their challenges with parking their Odyssey but appreciates its features that meet their family's needs.
  • Another user mentions their positive experience with a KIA Sedona, suggesting it as an option worth considering.
  • A participant shares their long-term satisfaction with a Dodge Grand Caravan, noting its reliability and capacity for transporting passengers.
  • One user highlights specific features they prioritized when purchasing their Chrysler Town & Country, such as adjustable pedals and ample interior space.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Views differ among participants regarding the best minivan choice, with some expressing strong preferences for the Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna, while others advocate for the Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan. No clear consensus emerges.

Contextual Notes

Participants share personal experiences and preferences based on their family needs, vehicle features, and individual driving experiences. The discussion reflects a variety of opinions without implying any official recommendations.

Who May Find This Useful

Consultants and families considering purchasing a minivan may find the shared experiences and insights helpful in their decision-making process.

A
abaker1
Gold Member
Messages
188
We are shopping around for a mini van and have narrowed it down to our top picks, but are having a hard time deciding between them! Of course all the salesmen at the dealerships tell you that theirs is the best!! But I thought it would be nice to get someones opinion that actually drives them!! :)
The ones we are deciding between are the Hyundai Entourage, Chrystler Town & Country, Dodge Grand Caravan and the Honda Oddysey.

I would greatly appreciate your opinions!! Which van do you have and why you like/dislike it! Thanks so much!!:)
 
Sorry, I drive a full-size van! I think I've heard people on here raving about the Odyssey though...
 
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My sister and my DH's buddy both drive Odysseys and love them. They also just won an award for best minivan.
 
If you do get a minivan I would totally recommend the Toyota Sienna. I am sooo not a minivan person, but I love this one. We have the 8 passenger, which is so handy, we can get 3 kids in the second row for tons of cargo space when we need it (like camping trips) unlike most vans where with 3 kids you have to use at least part of the 3rd row, which leaves hardly any cargo space, barely enough for groceries (the town and country is terrible for this IMO).

If you are not 100% set on a mini-van, I would consider a cross-over typr too, for better gas milage. We also have a pontiac vibe and LOVE it - it is pretty small, but great for cargo/storage. The front passenger seat folds completely flat and has a hard plastic back for hauling long stuff that can go from the rear all the way to the front. It is a sister car to the toyota matrix, so it has toyota quality. We are even considering taking it on our summer trips instead of our minivan because of the gas prices, and that would be with 3 kids in the back, all in car-seats/booster seats.
 
We have a 2008 Honda Odessey, we love Honda's, my past 5 cars have been Hondas. The only thing I wish the Honda's had were the remote powered trunk. The Siena and Dodge/Chrylser's I believe have those. Other than the trunk, I love my Honda.
 
I drive a Town & Country. We love it. Prior to that we had a Caravan, it was great to. We never had any problems with either van. However I love the new Town & Country, stow away seats, the option of a table for the back passengers. And dual air is a must, our Caravan didn't have that. I guess we are just Dodge/Chrysler folks, my DH now drives a Dodge Ram.:)
 
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  • #7
Now that we've been seriouly looking for a new van we've noticed a lot more of the Odyssey's around! We even notice that Jon & Kate on the TLC show drive the Honda Odyssey too!

Thanks for your input! The last 2 vehicles we purchased were spur of the moment so this time we're actually taking the time to research our options!! Especially since I'll be the one making the payment with my PC earnings!!:D
 
I have a ford freestar and I love it and i love the features that with it i know that it isn't in your top pick but i love my minivan i was just telling hubby i couldn't imagining not having a minivan cause it holds so many things and people !!!!! I think it is a great car for any family and we get about 27 miles to a gallon which with the way the fuel is going these days it really is nice. I just feel really you couldn't go wrong with your choice just make sure it has eveyrthing you might want or do want.
 
When we have friends over or playgroup, it looks like a Honda ODessey convention, everyone we know has one :)
Ours has the bluetooth, Xm radio, dual air, DVD player ( a must), leather etc... We love it, it pretty much has everything and drives like a dream :)
We do have a friend that has a Siena and they love , they are Toyota people.
 
We drive an honda Odyssey and Love it and used to drive a Dodge Grand Caravan. Recommend the Honda over the Dodge anyday! LOVE IT!
 
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  • #11
Thanks again for all your opinions!! It really helps!!! There are just so many options out there!! Most of the dealerships have been so nice--actually letting us test drive them for the weekend. My DH is telling me we need to wait until Fall when they are offering better deals on the 2008's to try to make room for the 2009's. I'm not sure if he's just telling me that so I hold off a couple more months or if we really will get a better deal if we wait!!??
 
We have a dodge grand caravan and I really like it. My SIL has an Odessy and she really likes hers. We bought ours on a spare of the moment decision, mainly cause I would not travel 350 miles waiting for my car to die.
 
When we were looking for our mini van, we asked some car repair folks my husband has known for a long time.
I had always driven Fords--my husband Chevy or Buick.
We were looking at Honda or Toyota.
Our friends told us that the Toyotas rarely came in for service.
And having ours now for 4 years, it is true--we drive about 70 miles each day round trip to work--we consistantly have 24 miles to the gallon--with almost 112,000
Oil changes, tires--I think one major repair in the four years is pretty good to me.
Just my $.02.
 
I have a Toyota Sienna and I love it! I had to buy a new van 2 1/2 years ago when my Nissan Quest was totalled in an accident - I was ticked because it was paid off - had low mileage and I'd only had it for 6 years - however now I'm really happy to have my Toyota Sienna - it's great for long trips - lot of room - rear heating and air conditioning which can be controlled by the kids in the back as well. Love the automatic door on the kid's side. We took our family of 5 plus my mom and dad on a trip to South Dakota from Illinois last year and it served us well - we were able to fit everything in it. Definitely test drive a bunch - we test drove the Quest, Odyssey and Sienna and really like the Sienna the most (along with the price!) - good luck!
 
Last year we upgraded to an Odyssey from an Accord. Love my van, HATE parking the bloody thing. After one year I still haven't gotten used to the fact that I can't see the front bumper and I am a horrible judge of distance. That's just my qualm with mini vans in general not the Odyssey specifically.

I do remember having three requirements when van shopping though:
1. I had to be able to see all the kids from the drivers seat.
2. Kids had to be able to easily get to the third row.
3. I wanted an 8 seater, "just in case".

Our van has the removable/stored eigth seat, I can see all the kids, and the kids can get to the third row easily. Throw in the fact that the third row folds down into the trunk for fantastic trunk possiblities and I was won over quite easily by the Odyssey.

Now if I could learn to park the thing in the garage without having to use a mattress to stop me from hitting the shelves it would be an utterly perfect vehicle.
 
I know this wasn't one of your choices but we bought a KIA Sadona in March and I love it! They my be worth looking into! (the MPGs are great too!)
 
I have a 97 Doge Grand Caravan with 249000 miles and it looks great and runs great! Crazy right.... I do have newer Toyota Corolla that I drive now due to gas prices. But I still use the van when we are going somewhere and need to seat more passengers.
 
We have a Chrysler Town & Country and I love it. We had a few non-negotiable items when we purchased ours as well...

1. Adjustable pedals - I'm 5'1" and DH is 6'2", so we are constantly adjusting the seats depending on who is driving. I despise having to move the seat up so close to the steering wheel to drive and once we found T&C had adjustable pedals, that was our #1 priority!

2. HUGE inside. DH does remodeling as a side job and wanted to be able to transport lots of supplies. He can lay a full size sheet of drywall flat when the seats are folded and can put pipes up to 9.5' long and still close the tail gate.

3. Stow 'n Go with back seat 60/40 split. With 3 kids one of them has to be in the back row, but still wanted some "trunk" space if needed. Oldest DS sits in the "40" part of the back seat and I can fold down the "60" part and have as much room as I need for just about anything.
 
abaker1 said:
Thanks again for all your opinions!! It really helps!!! There are just so many options out there!! Most of the dealerships have been so nice--actually letting us test drive them for the weekend. My DH is telling me we need to wait until Fall when they are offering better deals on the 2008's to try to make room for the 2009's. I'm not sure if he's just telling me that so I hold off a couple more months or if we really will get a better deal if we wait!!??
Click to expand...

You might really get a better deal if you wait! Once the 2009's come out, they will work really hard to get the 2008's off the lot - and with the economy the way it is - I'm sure there will be plenty left to choose from!
 
Ditto what Becky said! We got a great deal doing that for our Vibe.
 
We have a Kia Sedona that I love. We bought it new 5yrs ago and besides the maint. checks, I have not had any issues out of it. It has 90,000 miles on it. I plan on driving it untl it falls apart, I like havng no car payment!
 
ChefBeckyD said:
You might really get a better deal if you wait! Once the 2009's come out, they will work really hard to get the 2008's off the lot - and with the economy the way it is - I'm sure there will be plenty left to choose from!
Click to expand...

We purchased our 2006 T&C van at the end of November 2006, but had been looking at them for a few months. We saved a bunch (about $3000) because we waited not only to the end of the month, but the end of the year as well... the sales people were trying to make month-end and year-end goals and the dealership was trying to get rid of inventory by the end of the year. Gee... month-end/year-end sales goals... sounds kinds familiar!:rolleyes:
 
We have two Dodge Caravans. On is a 2002 and has 148K miles the other is a 1998 and has ..... 289K miles. Neither has ever given us any major problems. We are sold. Good Luck...
 
abaker1 said:
We are shopping around for a mini van and have narrowed it down to our top picks, but are having a hard time deciding between them! Of course all the salesmen at the dealerships tell you that theirs is the best!! But I thought it would be nice to get someones opinion that actually drives them!! :)
The ones we are deciding between are the Hyundai Entourage, Chrystler Town & Country, Dodge Grand Caravan and the Honda Oddysey.

I would greatly appreciate your opinions!! Which van do you have and why you like/dislike it! Thanks so much!!:)
Click to expand...

I have a KIA Sedona and LOVE it. Better pricing than some of the others too.
 
I have had 2 caravans, the last one was a 2001 -- 6 months after we got it we started having problems!!! I hated every day I had to drive it, I felt like painting it yellow! 2 years ago we got a Honda pilot and love it, If I were going for a van I would go HONDA all the way!!!!!!!!!!!
 
AnnieBee said:
Ditto what Becky said! We got a great deal doing that for our Vibe.
Click to expand...

Hey - you just got a Vibe? I just got one over the weekend (a 2009 - there were no 2008's left anywhere!). I had to trade in my Chevy Uplander minivan since it was a lease and I was at 47,800 miles on it (limit was 48,000!!). I had to get another GM vehicle since it was part of the 'pull ahead' program (they paid 2 of our lease payments and let us get out early instead of paying the mileage penalty), so we chose the Vibe b/c of the fuel efficiency and mileage. I love my new "little" car! After driving a minivan for 7 years, it really feels weird, but now I don't have to worry about denting my fender anymore - those minivans are so huge and so hard to maneuver!!

To the OP - I have heard great things about the Honda Odyssey, too - never got one b/c my dad worked at a Chevy dealership, so I always had Chevys. He's now at a Lexus dealership, and I would have LOVED to get a Lexus, but it wasn't in the cards. Maybe next time - that'll be my "dream" car! ;) Good luck and happy shopping! :D
 
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  • #27
Thanks everyone!! :) It's so nice to hear all your opinions!!! We're going to keep test driving and see what we like the best!
I've come up with a couple of must haves that we'll go by!! Automatic sliding side doors & hatch, DVD player, and a rear seat that collapses into the floor! (like the stow & go in the T&C).

I'll let you know what we get!!:)
 
we've got an Odyssey and we LOVE LOVE LOVE it. I don't know what I'd do with a smaller vehicle and my pig pen children. (I love them very much) but with all the gear and all the kids...and the hubbie....(sigh) The Honda is a must.

Get one! (grin)
Sheryl
 
I have the Sienna--LOVE IT--
have had Odessy and Windstar-T$C on vacation====love the Toyata!!
 
I had a Pilot before the Odessey and loved it but with 2 carseats and a teenager, the Pilot isn't family friendly. The Pilot says seats 7, but not 7 comfortably, but had not one problem with it, was sad to trade it in. we have had a civic, accord Crv, Pilot and now the Odessey. We have never had any problems with any of our Hondas. We also have had a BMW that we never had a problem with and we have a Nissan Pathfinder with over 100K miles that runs great ( DS will drive that if I let him get his license) and a 2008 Nissan Maxima, DH loves BMW's and Nissans.
 
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