We are looking at purchasing a van. I use to hate vans and refused to drive anything other than a car or SUV but now with 2 kids under the age of 26mths we really need something with more room ,that would allow me to get into the back while we drive if needed. Our current SUV can only hold the double stroller. We need a reliable, comfortable vehicle with a lot of room for passengers and stuff. Please let me know if you have a van that you love and some of the positives and negatives about the vehicle.
Thank you for your advice. I heard the Honda Odyssey's are the best but unfortunately they are too expensive for us even used ones are too expensive(over $20,ooo used). We are looking into the grand carvan and I know I am going to love the extra room. We are making our purchase this weekend!
I drive a Nissan Quest and love it for it's looks, as well as all of the room. It's beautiful, quiet and handles wonderfully. Good luck on you search.
K.
I was in the same boat as you. I hated vans. I had bought a Honda Pilot because I couldn't stand the thought of being a mini van mom. However, after 6 months with the Pilot, I realized that I made a BIG mistake. I hated it. Very impractical for our family. We ended up trading it in for the Honda Odessey. We LOVE this van. We got it brand new and fully loaded with leather (which in my opinion is a must w/ babies/little kids) and DVD player. I always have more than enough space to bring kids, groceries, strollers, etc. I only have 1 kid currently but we are working on kid 2. I do carpool with my friend a lot to different playdates and the power doors are awesome for getting the kiddo's in and out easily. We test drove and researced the mini vans quite extensively. We went with the Honda first for their reputation for safety and second because it was the coolest looking van on the market. (if vans can actually be cool) Being 28 years old I had a really hard time with the van thing. I know that I made a good choice.
A van would be good i dont remember how to spell it but a Honda oddesy is a good choice or a Subaru van would be good as well.
I was just like you but now LOVE my minivan! It's so much easier! However, even though it was really affordable, has great safety rating and a great design... my Mazda MPV (2006) purchase last July has no air controls for the back seat or 3rd row rear seat. In Florida... whoever's sitting in the back doesn't get quite enough air. I've worked it out so far for my daughter but only have one child, 18 months. Other than that... I love it and even though it isn't that sexy... it's WAY more functional. I can also recommend the Honda Odyssey for more features that mine lacks. My sister has a new one (also 2006) and it's awesome but was at least $7,000 more than mine at retail. Mine was around $17,000.
Good luck!
K.
Hi B. -
Well being a person that SWORE she'd NEVER drive a minivan, but then found that when I was about to have our third child (2 years apart each) and knew that I would HAVE to have something more than my car to fit 3 car seats comfortably, plus enough "stuff" for three kids - we went Mini Van shopping.
My husband and I decided to go with the Dodge GRAND Caravan and I never regret it. We love that vehicle. We now have a fourth child and we STILL have room. Our Van seats 7, removeable seats (ours was purchased just MONTHS before they came out with the stow & go- kinda wish we had that - okay not kinda, I definately wish we had that) plenty of room in the back (I fairly recently had 2 school agers, plus my just under one year old, plus 2 other 1 year olds that I was babysitting and could fit them all in my car without issue including 1 single stroller and 1 double stroller, diaper bags galore, "stuff" for my older kids (things to keep them busy in the car) plus whatever else I felt the need to have.
So I definately recommend the Dodge Grand Caravan - we got the "ex" model - it makes things like CD Player, Leather Seats, Automatic side doors and rear hatch opening, cruise control,rear AC/Heat controls,standard rather than "additions" thus making it cheaper. We did still pay approx 30K for it, but we BOTH still feel it was VERY worth it!
We also have NEVER had a mechanical/engine problem with it (though did spring for the little bit of extra warranty - typically you get 7 year, 70K miles when you buy new off the lot, we paid extra to get the 10 year 100K miles warranty - bumper to bumper).
This van is safe, roomy and affordable for the average family. We looked at the Toyota Siena, we loved it, but it is QUITE a bit more pricey when you look at the same features you can get in the Caravan, and I am pretty sure that the "GRAND" caravan is 5" longer than the Sienna, which may not seem like much, but when you are hauling multiple children and their "junk" that 5" could mean EVERYTHING!
PS: we have taken this van on MANY road trips from FL to IL, and smaller trips like to Orlando, Atlanta, New Orleans etc. and ALWAYS have enough room to all our "stuff" that we need with us!
Hello! We own two minivans and LOVE them both! But our Honda Odyssey is by far the BEST vehicle we have ever owned BAR NONE! We have four kids under 13 and we have driven all 6 of us to North Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee. It not only held all of us, but our luggage, coolers, and the kids endless toys! I truly can't say enough about the ample space in this VAN! It runs like a dream and is very comfortable. The kids sleep in it better than in their beds! Obviously, I recommend it to everyone looking for a van! Good luck in your search!
C.
I have a Dodge Grand Caravan with Stow N' Go seating and automatic everything and I couldn't be happier with it. It has been perfect for us having twins and all that goes along with them. Hope this helps.
B.,
we finally got a van. With two kids it is great. So much room for the stuff we need to take with us. We got a honda odessey ex. We love it. Lots of room and i love the cargo area. Go and check them out. Honda doesn't do all the rebate stuff but they don't waste your time either. We were in and out with our van in 2 hours unlike the ford place. There 3 1/2 hours and no van.
