Minivan Reccommendations

I love my Chyrsler Town and Country. I just ended my lease and bought the new one. (They won't lease anymore) Good luck. S.

Look on craigs list we just found a 2006 32 thousand miles for 11,800. I got a dodge and love it. good luck also vw has a lease available. I have a couple friends that have hondas they love them but they are expensive.

My bigger concern with buying used is that mini-vans just aren't made anymore. If you had any major problems, you may have higher costs to repair. Just something to think about. If you do choose new, I highly recommend the Ford Flex. Gas mileage is 21 in city, and 24 highway.

Hi I am C. and I have a Town and Country minivan and it is great. Special to be stow&go. It is a lot of space and buy a old one because they have a great deal now. You can find on-line.
Best Regards
C.

I own a Ford Windstar and love it! It has 3rd row seating and the seats come out if you'd like to haul something. It's great and very spacious!

On this subject I feel like an expert. I have owned a mini van for the last 20 years and I think I've tried them all. In my opinion no one can beat Chrysler/Dodge. If you can get one with stow and go do that. To remove seats is horrible. The stow and go makes life so much easier. I did not like the ride of the Ford but a Dodge Caravan or Chrysler Town and County -nice.

I love my Grand Caravan!!

We love our Ford Windstar. Its 8 years old, has 160,000 miles on the engine, runs great, gets about 20miles/gallon (bad, but for that old, not that bad), and has not needed much maintenance. I hear the Freestar is even better.

We purchased a used Town & Country "touring" with stow & go after the birth of my daughter - it's a 2005. We've had it almost two years now and love it. It accomodates all the baby stuff, our 80 lb lab &, often my MIL for short or long trips (we've taken several cross country ones already). I haven't actually checked the mileage for an exact rate, but I know it does better than the (much smaller) Plymouth Breeze I was driving before we got the van.

I swear by my Town and Counrty with electric side and rear doors. I think mine is a 2007. I know they are even better now, but I love my 2007 just fine. It is soooo nice when your hands are full of babies, bags and juice boxes. LOL If you can get a finger free that is all it takes. :) It also has lots of storage space "stow and go" and lots of space in the back. Yo can also fold the rear seats down for those big costco or sams club runs.

Just wondering why you NEED a minivan? With only 1 child wouldn't it be better for the environment and your gas costs to go for a smaller car? I had a Chevy tracker and twins and it was perfectly large enough to take all our camping stuff for a week away, do the weekly food shop etc. Coming from the UK where cars are much smaller, I find that the cars here are too big with lots of wasted space and add ons that you rarely use. Think green and save cash and the planet....

I just bought a Chrysler Town and Country and I love it. This is our 3rd minivan, the last 2 were Dodges (my husband still drives our 1999 Grand Caravan and it has over 120,000 miles on it.) We did lease a Dodge Durango for a couple years, but I went back to the minivan, even before gas went up in price because I love the sliding doors and the stow and go.

K.,

I would stay away from the older Dodge and Chrysler caravans. They both have problems with their engines and need the transmissions replaced after about 5 years of use (depending on how much you drive).

I know other moms are recommending American, but my next mini-van would be a Toyota or Nissan. I have not heard of any problems with these vans and most of them are made in the USA.

A great place to check out car ideas would be Car Talk with Click and Clack from NPR. Here is their website:
www.cartalk.com

On the site they have a number of different resources that include owner reviews of cars, places to find good information regarding cars, etc.

Good luck with your search!

-C..

Hello! I personally would not recommend a GM Venture I had nothing but bad things when I had mine and a few friends had one too same thing not good! There is not enough room for "kids stuff" and it just is not a very reliable van between the windshield wipers both front and back to the electronics of the whole van and mine was brand new! I have always had GM products but have heard very good things about new and used Chrystler minivans! Good luck to you and hope this helped!
K. D.

We have a 2001 Pontiac Montana, which we've had since 2001. It has been very reliable with no expenses other than the normal (oil changes, tires, etc.). We needed a van because we took in four of our grandchildren (ages now are 12, 8, 6, 4). It seats 8 (which is needed with 2 car seats and 1 booster seat. I hope this helps.

Melody R.

Hi K.,
We have an 04 Venture. It's very nice and we haven't had any problems besides brakes, that kind of everyday stuff. We have had it for over 2 years now and it has been great to us! We have 5 kids with 4 of them in car seats and we haven't had any problems. There is lots of room for all our stuff, and trust me I have filled it to the top full of stuff! We picked out our van by checking consumer reports and what was recomended. That was a good one! Don't know what I would do without it!

We bought a 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan earlier this year and I absolutely love it. It had about 34,000 miles on it when we bought it and we've put about 1000 miles on it so far. It runs great and is SO convenient for hauling our kids, the dog, and all of our stuff around. I also love the stow and go seats in the back, we usually leave them down but it's so easy to pop them up if we have extra riders. Ours has the 5 point harness car seats built in too and that is super convenient for my 3 year old. My hubby was very reluctant to get a minivan but even he admits he's glad we have it...we travel out of town a lot and I don't think we could fit everything in any other way.

We have a Pontiac Montana. It's an older model as well. Before we went shopping we determined what features were important to us - bench or bucket (or Captain's) seat in the middle, double sliding door, do they need to be automatic or not, things like that. For us we knew that we wanted double sliding doors with bucket/captain's chairs in the middle. This made it easier to load our two daughters into the van (without having to reach across or climb in), and by them each having their own seats the car seats fit better and they had their own space. We didn't need the automatic doors, although the passenger side door is automatic (the driver side back door is not). Right around 160,000 miles we had some engine problems, but we decided that the van was worth keeping so had the engine rebuilt - we have had it for almost 3 years now and love it (we bought it with 132,000 miles on it). It's an extended length, so even with all seats in (including the 60/40 split rear) there is a lot of storage space. We've take the whole family (4 of us) plus the mother in law to the cottage in Canada for a week with all seats in the van and have had plenty of packing space. It's a great vehicle. Hope this helps.

I recently rented a minivan, (keep in mind here that I hate them...sorry! :) and I actually relaly liked it. It was the Toyota one, I dont even remember the name now (Sierra maybe) but it had so many cool features that I was impressed. My kids keep bugging me about it cuz we are looking at new cars and they want that but I just cant do the minivan thing :) But they keep bugging. Anyway to your question, I would reccommend the Toyota one very much, it was a very nice vehicle. And yes I did break down when we were at the dealership yesterday and let them look at one...uugh! And I dont know where u live but the guy at Spartan Toyota in Lansing was amazing, I usually dread looking at cars but he made it so much better...his name was Stefan Garrison.

Happy hunting!

After a lot of research we chose a Honda Odyssey which we love. We looked at resale value and a lot of the consumer reports. The drawback we have never bought non american. It was a very hard decision - but we did it and we are very happy with the vehicle. check out edmunds.com if you haven't there is a lot of info out there.

We had a Chrysler Town & Country--what an awesome ride with alot of storage and sitting space. I miss my van! We leased it, so now I'm driving a Jeep. Check out the Town & County before you make your final decision.

-MC

K.
We are looking at minivans as well and everyone we chat with and one that is afforable and will last for years to come are the Honda Odyessy and the Toyota Sienna. Both are great there are some features that are a bit different. If you are looking for 4 wheel drive the only minivan out there now is the Sienna. However we are looking at the Odyessy because of the features and the look of the interior. It also has the a 5 star crash test rating for side and front!!! Now that is awseome! No other minivan on the market has that. And they will last more than 2 years. Try 10+!!! Hope I have helped

We recently bought a used Dodge Grand Caravan and have loved it. It has the stow n go seats and power sliding doors which are great. We bought ours from Penn Auto Sales in Lansing and got a great deal on it. They buy a lot of cars that are just off their lease, which was true for ours, and turn around and sell them for a good price. Check them out and I'm sure you will be glad you did :)

K. ~
I don't know how far back you're looking....but I drove a Ford Windstar for 6 years (I leased 3 times). I loved it! It had lots of space behind the back seat, plenty for vacations for us, and since it was front-wheel drive, it handled great in the snow. It was built on a Taurus frame, so it drives like a car.
Now, there are so many more options. And I know they stopped making the Windstar about 4 years ago (that's when they started the Freestar).
good luck!
D.

K.,
FYI-The Dodge Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country are basically the same car. Same manufacturer, just minor changes and rebranding. They both have the stow and go seats.
I have the Dodge Caravan, a 2006 and don't know how I survived without it. I've got three kids all in car seats.

I didn't think I would want a minivan but when we found one I fell in love with it.. We bought a Chrysler Town and Country Used.. 19000 miles 2006 excellent condition for alittle over $18,00 out the door. Even know we are in Hartland we went to Livonia Chrysler Jeep Dealer on Plymonth bwtn Middlebelt and Merriman Rd. They will work with you to you the best best deal.

We just bought a new one yesturday. One of the websites I used to research was Edmunds.com. They have great reviews and other informtion. Our 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan was stolen about 2 weeks ago. If you go with a Chrysler (which I love) try and get one that is a 2006 or newer. They have the new keyless entry and it is impossible (- dealer claim) to start without the key. We've had Chrysler minivans for the past 14 years and loved them. Of the newer models (2008) the Kia was my next favorite. I'm short and have to make sure that the drivers seat is not too deep. The Chrysler and Kia drivers seats fit my seat! Good luck with the search. G.

Hi-I drive a Grand Caravan. Previously I drove a Venture, and before that a Grand Voyager. The Grand Caravan with the Stow and Go is hands down the best (and easiest to use) feature-ever! I do a lot of city driving, and average 19-20 miles. When I take a highway trip, I get 24-25. I have 2 kids in car seats, and a St Bernard. What I also like about the stow and go, is when all the seats are up, you have a "trunk" in the back which is very nice-nothing is rolling around in the back. We also have the power doors and liftgate, and dvd system. I know things are tight, but you really might be better off buying new-sales are so far down right now-try to purchase an '08, since the '09 models are now out. I know financing can be tough right now, but lookt at your local credit union-they still offer the usual rates and guidelines. Please do cinsider buying American-it just could not be more important right now. BTW, I have almost 60K miles on mine and have done nothing but tires and brakes. Any 4wd models eat much more gas, and wear out tires much faster as well. You really only need 4wd a couple of times a year, so who wants to pay for it yearlong? Good luck! Lastly-see if you can find an employee so you can get a number allowing you an employee discount-which can save between 2 & 5 thousand dollars!

I have a 2008 (yes I know it is new) Dodge Grand Caravan and I love it. I also had a 2006 that I liked. The stow and go seats are wonderfu. The only difference is in the 2008 the sliding door windows go down. This is my 3rd Grand Caravan lease and I am considering buying this one. Good luck.

My only advice is....please please please....buy American!! Even if you are not buying new, you still support Michigan economy, and truly...it needs your support!!

I have a Chrysler Town & Country and I love it. The stow and go and the sliding doors making my live easier with two young children ages 3 & 4.

K., Loved my Caravan, (crysler/dodge) drives like a car, easy access to the kids and back. Hated the Ford Astro.good luck Kath

My husband and I both drive "extended" minivans (for more storage behind the third row of seats and our family loves automatic doors, removable seats and built in DVD with wireless head phones. Also, my van has (but not my husband's) a built in air compressor behind the third row of seats - this is wonderful for airing up my tires, bike tires, basketballs, etc. Oh, I also love my rear windshield wiper and my roof rack so I can strap on extra storage, as well as the family Christmas tree (ha! ha!)

Good luck!

K.-My husband and I have two mini vans. Our first one is a 1996 Town and Country that we got in 2001 with only 45000 miles on it. It now has 140,000 miles and is still doing great even living in Michigan and Georgia with it. At the end of Feb. we just purchased a 2007 Dodge Grand Caravan. We love it!!! The automatic sliding doors and electric hatch, plus all the storage it has. I will always stick with the Dodge/Chrysler mini vans. Before you make any decsions go test drive all of the different vans so you can get a feel for how all of them are. I hope this helps!

Hi K.,

Do you know anyone who works for Chrysler? If you do, they can get a van from the Marshaling Center, which is out by the Palace in Auburn Hills. It's executive vehicles that have been turned in and believe me you can get them for an awesome price. We are looking at getting one in the coming year (after we see how the big 3 end up) and I am totally excited to get one. There are so many features and they are the most practical choice for a family with children. I love my Jeep Grand Cherokee, but I won't miss it and it's small back seat!!!
Good Luck!
J. in Macomb

I didn't bother to read all of the recommendations, so I am not sure if this has been suggested. If you go to the website www.autos.msn.com you can view any make and model of vehicle by year and find out if there are any common problems owners have experienced with it. It also has user reviews, kelley blue book and info on safety rating. I would recommend checking that site out. It is pretty thorough and easy to navigate. Hope that helps.

We just bought an 06 Chrysler Town and Country Touring, and we LOVE it. It has stow and go seating, so I was able to pick up our crib and mattress from Babies R Us the other day all by myself in the van. It took about 2 minutes to put all the seating into the floor, and the van was completely empty (except for my toddler in her 2nd row seat. It's AWESOME!

My favorite is still the Transport. I've driven lots of minivans and it is still my favorite. It has soooo much room, way more than any other minivan, and it was great on gas. I loved that van and I would give anything to get another one. Hopefully I will soon. You really should check it out. Bet you could get an old one at a great price. If you can't find one, look at the Montana, it is the same vehichle, just the newer version of the Transport.

My daughter and I both have Dodge Grand Caravans. Mine is a little newer than hers. We love them and have had no particular problems with them.