You should consider the Kia Sedona. Gets great reviews, very dependable and you get a lot of extras for your money.
Minivan Recommendations
- Thread starter DreamyCy
- Start date
We are on our second Chrysler Town and Country. Both have been great. Lots of room, 3rd row, good in snow. We are a family of five and I never thought we would own a minivan. Great for vacation, road trips, etc..
Test drove every van on the market in late 2017. Ended up buying the Chrysler Pacifica plug-in hybrid model. It goes about 30 miles all electric and then switches to hybrid and so we rarely fill up in the summer unless we are on a trip. The batteries aren't nearly as efficient in the Winter so we burn more gas there. The Sienna was so outdated back then, and I'm not sure if they updated it. The Honda was nice, but had a funky transmission that I think they ended up swapping out for a different transmission. The Kia was ok. The Dodge was a cheap box. There is no comparison between a mini-van and an SUV when you have kids to haul. The utility of the van is far superior. The entry model Pacifica will get you under the 30k but just barely.
Bought a 2016 Sienna a year and a half ago and have had no complaints thus far. I have to admit I was like most men that scoffed at a minivan but you can't beat the practicality of it. The sliding doors are absolutely freaking amazing when it comes to getting kids and stuff in and out in a parking lot (read no kids swinging the doors into another vehicle).
My wife used to use all 8 6 back seats for her daycare but we haven't used more than 6 or maybe 7 once outside of that...kids are still young though so that is probably guaranteed to change. Last weekend we went to the QC Airshow and took advantage of the Car Load pass for $50 for everyone we got in there. Four adults a teennager and a 4 year old compared to $20/per adult and I think $15 for the teen.
The versatility is amazing. Lay the seats down/take them out and you basically have a pickup. I now use it to transport both my dad's and my snowblowers along with just piling it full of stuff to take to the dump and Goodwill.
My wife used to use all 8 6 back seats for her daycare but we haven't used more than 6 or maybe 7 once outside of that...kids are still young though so that is probably guaranteed to change. Last weekend we went to the QC Airshow and took advantage of the Car Load pass for $50 for everyone we got in there. Four adults a teennager and a 4 year old compared to $20/per adult and I think $15 for the teen.
The versatility is amazing. Lay the seats down/take them out and you basically have a pickup. I now use it to transport both my dad's and my snowblowers along with just piling it full of stuff to take to the dump and Goodwill.
My wife had a Chrysler . Loved the van, but hated the road noise that went along with the stow and go area. Those hollow floors just made it loud. Traded it in on a loaded Kia Sedona and have loved it ever since. High end interior, quiet and super reliable. We’ve had it over 3 years and haven’t had any issues.
I grew up with my parents always owning a Caravan/Grand Caravan, they can't be beat for their versatility. Parents love having one so much my dad even bought a new one (2016) after me and my sister had moved out. Sliding doors make in/egress for kids easy and don't have to worry about them door dinging others vehicles. They can have decent tow ratings, we pulled a utility trailer with 3 atvs or the motorcycles often, can fit 4x8 sheets of anything inside. now its used to haul bicycles and gear every week, you can fit a tandem and 1-4 other bikes in depending on if your also carrying passengers, it was the 4 of us with the tandem and one other bike inside usually (2 or 3 others on a hitch mount). wish I could talk the GF into one for our next vehicle as kid/people hauling is what minivans where made to do. To the ones saying you lose your man hood by driving a van?? No you lose your man hood caring about what other people think about what you drive, real men use the best tool for the job, and for kid/people hauling that happens to be a van!!
tires are the biggest drawback for most vehicles, I've witnessed a few AWD suvs (newer lowprofile rims and tires) stuck in snow that I would just cruise through in the GFs current Sonata.
I've seen Grand Caravans with over 300k being used as taxis out in the DC area one driver had said she bought it used with about 70k miles on it and had been using it since with only replacing the wear/tear items.
except for normal weather and even then the better handling is really perceived by most because lets face it people suck driving in inclement weather. better tires make more difference but most people just throw on what ever is cheapest when it comes to that fact. hell for generations people mostly had RWD vehicles before FWD became more widespread.
Most 3rd row suvs/crossovers have less interior room and are more expensive then an equivalently equipped van.
Last edited:
Not specific to Van's, but indicative of the increasing quality of autos across the entire industry:
I love the styling of the Flex but unfortunately the girlfriend hates it, I would splurge and get the Ecoboost AWD. a tune and a few bolt on's = one fast sleeper when it comes to the red light drags (450hp+)
sliding doors are the best thing on vans, they get out of your way even in tight spots and don't have to worry about your kids accidentally door dinging the vehicle next to you. the spare tire is an option on the Chrysler/dodge vans now, I think it was like $300+ option but you can buy the wheel and shield for under $200 on ebay.
as I replied to another poster, I've driven around newer AWD suvs stuck in snow in my GFs FWD Sonata even on worn tires. its all about actually knowing how to drive or even knowing your tires are **** to begin with.
Kia/Hyundai are kinda of under rated still. they aren't the cheap econoboxes they used to be in the early 2000s, but they still have the 10yr/100,000mi warranty.
200k really is the new 80k.
I got a 2-3 year old Flex last summer. I actually LOVE the styling. I so hate the shape of the newer crossovers, especially the Toyota/Lexus line. The Flex is nicely squared off with just slightly rounded edges. Plus I like not having the same thing as everyone else on the road. (A bit of a contrarian am I.) I think of it more as a traditional Station Wagon/Family Truckster type vehicle. Almost nobody makes a real station wagon any more, so that made me want one.
It's actually quite roomy as the squared shape fits lots of stuff in there. Came with a trailer hitch package too. Plenty of pep. The 3rd row seats are a joke unless you're under 12 years old though. Really great for semi-annual migration to/from Florida.
And they seem quite a bit less costly than a similarly equipped Edge.
After all that, if I were to pick a mini-van I would go with the Odyssey.
Chrysler town and country and caravan are basically the same guts with different interiors. i knew it was risky but we bought a town and country used 2014 model and so far so good but im sure i will regret it. luckily its not a commuter car and stays home most of the time. u save a lot of money going caravan or t&c but t&c discontinued in 2016 so u could pick up a 2015 or 16 and get one with 40k miles under 20k. i have a good mechanic which is why i took the risk. u can get leather seats and full sto and go with t&c. full sto and go is awesome if u dont have a truck. can fit 8-10 ft boards easily and a few 12 foot. many trips to the dump...
We have had an Odyssey for nearly 2 years. I would say focus on features more than brand of the vehicle, we got the Odyssey because of the power backlift, backup cam and dvd player.
I've driven a Sienna and a Grand Caravan and I'd say stay away from the GC. It does have more features for the money, but it just doesn't drive well. The Sienna has no issue going as fast as you want on the highway. Triple digits along I80 didn't phase it at all. Ride is as smooth as a sedan. The GC is bumpy and shakes at high speeds.
We had the AWD Toyoda for 6 years and it was a solid vehicle for my wife. We put about 110k on it and never had a major issue with it. The only problem we had was a rim with a slow leak.
Currently driving our second Honda Odyssey van. (2006 & 2014) We have had no major problems, very comfortable ride, and as mentioned a couple times in this thread, the sliding doors are perfect for loading kids/grandkids in and out of car seats. I love the versatility, being able to haul lots of people, plus cargo space when needed.
