MiniVan Mama??

I LOVE my Honda Odyssey!! Love the sliding doors, seats that fold and my navigation system (My sense of direction is terrible :) ) Not trying to be snotty here - but leather seats are nice because you can just wipe them up if you have a spill or crumbs etc...

Good luck.

Aarti.

Hi Jennifer,
I don't know if you have made your decision yet but I have a Chevy Uplander and love it! It is roomy enough for 3 kids and all their junk with room leftover. However, My husabnd is a GM salesperon and said our next car will be the new TRAVERSE hands down! I have seen them and been in them and agree!
Good Luck!

We have a 2007 Toyota Sienna and I love it. My favorite feature is that the windows in the second row roll down, the back ones vent. Last summer when we were looking it was one of two that had windows that roll down. The other was the Honda. They very similar in features. The others didn't seem to match up so for us toyota vs honda came down to interest rate and deal they offered. The others we drove were the dodge and the nissan.
good luck.

LOVE, love, love my Toyota Sienna. We knew we wanted a foreign vehicle due to their good track record so we were deciding between the Honda Odyssey and the Sienna. Although you can get more "thing" on a Honda for less money we chose to go with "less" options to get the better ride. Honda is on an SUV chasse and Toyota is on a Camry chasse making it a smoother ride in our opinion. With kids, the remote sliders are the best thing EVER!! We went w/o the DVD system as we feel there is a lot of conversation and looking out the window that takes place and feel that takes away from that if a movie is readily available. We preferred to save our money and eventually buy two DVD portables so they can just watch whatever the both want when we go on a long trip which isn't that often. Didn't really WANT a mini-van but love it more than my totally loaded other car. Good luck deciding!

I LOVE my Honda Odyssey. It has the best safety rating and is so comfortable. The middle seats are just like the front seats, so they are comfortable for anyone to sit in. There are lots of cup holders and hidden storage areas. I would buy another one!

I LOVE my Toyota Sienna! I bought it new in 2004 and I am very happy with it. I feel like it is a safe ride and a very comfortable one. The automatic sliding doors along with the automatic trunk are features I like a lot. I like all the storage spaces. We did not feel it was necessary to buy the DVD player since we do not travel far that often. When we do and if the kids feel like doing something besides talking, they bring along their V-Techs and play different games using their cartridges. One thing about all minivans that is great with little ones is the fact that the doors don't swing open while putting kids in their carseats.

We have a dodge grand caravan. it has the stow and go seating. This is the best invention ever made in a van. you can close the middle seats down and give more leg room for your kids (my boys are both close to six foot now) we also have the dvd player. this is great for long car rides. oh and my personal favorite. there is a place between the 2 front seats for your cell phone to sit. no digging thru a purse etc when it rings. and i always know where it is. lots of storage places in the van also. good luck on your search. this is the first vehicle in 20 years of marriage i am not ready to trade in after almost 4 years.
S.

I agree with everyone about finding a model with the stow-and-go seatings, as well as the sliding doors. In fact, I love that my sliding doors and my back bay door are automated.

I purchased our minivan at the end of 2006 and went back and forth between the Toyota Sienna and Honda Odyssey (both were the top rated minivans by Consumer Reports for safety and repair history.) I selected the Sienna because it was closest in look and feel to the more luxurious car I had been driving. (Ahhh...the days before children...!)

However, if you are planning on having three car seats in the van at one time, the Sienna can't take three car seats in the second row -- one would have to be placed in the back row. The Odyssey can take three car seats across the second row. However, I've got two car seats and they sit extremely well in the Sienna. I love our Sienna!!

PS: I did not want a DVD player. The last thing I need is a fight with two toddlers over putting in a movie for my 2 minute ride to the grocery store. Someday when we start taking long car trips, we will buy portable DVD players to bring along!

I have had 2 Dodge Caravans and love them both. The first one I had was a 1997. It was an extended version so it was about 10 inches longer in the back which gave your more cargo room; which was great when we went camping. It also had the power vent window in back and a control for the hear and air in the back. Sadly I was in an accident and the van was totaled, but I have to tell you it did great in the accident! A lady pulled out in front of us and I was going 45 mph on Rt. 120 the entire front of the van was smashed but the windshield did not break and we did not move an inch in our seats. I now own a 2003, but it does not have all the extras that the other one did. I bought both of my vans used and love them. I think they ride nicer than the Ford Windstar which I test drove, my husband is a Ford man.

Hope this helps,
S.

We have a Dodge Grand Caravan (the same thing as a Chrysler Town and Country - but less expensive).

I love it because it has stow and go seating. We do not need to remove the seats in order to get more floor space for moving things. I am not sure if any other vehicles have this or not. We have 3 dogs and it is nice that we can just put the seat down when they come with us. The kids have their seats and the dogs can have the back floor, they do not need to cram on one seat.

We also got the model that has a dvd player and a sun roof. My kids just love it! If at all possible, I would actually recommend getting leather seats. I never thought I would like leather, but let me tell you - it cleans up so much better than fabric!!