mini van owners...which do you LOVE?

mshel

mshel

I Love Summer
Jan 4, 2007
3,150
5
#1
We have an '05 Chevy Uplander and GM just bought it back from us due to major and repetitive safety issues.:wtf:

I thought of getting back into an SUV, but I realized how much I CAN'T live w/out the electric sliding doors. THey're a MUST for me now.:tup:

We're thinking of a Honda Odyssey or Toyota Sienna. My husband just can't get over the ugliness of the Town and Country (sorry T & C owners :yes:) so that's out.

Tell me what you've had great luck with and would buy again, please.:tup:

THANKS in advance.
 
#2
Got an 07 Odyssey in March, I really am loving it..and I didnt want a minivan at all. I cried on our way to buy it, I kept saying "I don't want a van"

The Kids LOVE it, and they are so quiet now..and don't fight in the back like they did in my SUV.

We got an EXL with the entertainment, I was going to get the Touring, but learned that they are having major problems with their Run Flat tires..and they are incredibly expensive to replace.

Somebody hit me in a parking lot the other day, I am so bummed. Now I have to get some body work done on it.

But so far I love it, but I dont' get the gas mileage that I thought I would. I think I get around 19 miles per gallon, havent done any better than that yet.

Happy shopping!
 
#3
I tried to fight the mini van thing but with third kiddie on the way had to give in. After looking at the Sienna and the Odyssey we bought an 07 Odyssey in March . We got the EXL with DVD entertainment-8 seats (boy, this sounds just liek Guccimamma). We installed our own reversal cams and that made me feel more comfortable driving it (I waited a whole month).
 
#4
Another vote for the Odyssey! I don't own one, but I just rented one for the last 5 days while out of town and I LOVED it. It handled really well (like a car, actually) and it didn't feel "floaty" like a lot of other rental minivans I've driven. It had decent pickup, which came in handy while navigating the jungle of freeways in L.A. Space-wise, I couldn't have been happier....we fit 5 adults and 2 kids in carseats PLUS luggage in there. Even DH (who hates minivans) said that when my Subaru Forester dies, we will definitely be getting an Odyssey!
 
#5
KristyDarling said:
Another vote for the Odyssey! I don't own one, but I just rented one for the last 5 days while out of town and I LOVED it. It handled really well (like a car, actually) and it didn't feel "floaty" like a lot of other rental minivans I've driven. It had decent pickup, which came in handy while navigating the jungle of freeways in L.A. Space-wise, I couldn't have been happier....we fit 5 adults and 2 kids in carseats PLUS luggage in there. Even DH (who hates minivans) said that when my Subaru Forester dies, we will definitely be getting an Odyssey!
Click to expand...


Kristy,

So funny you mentioned that because I actually traded in my beloved (and I mean LOVED) Subaru Forester for the Mini Van. I won't admit it to DH but the Odyssey is totally growing on me.
 
#6
Thanks ladies for your input.

But...Riley and Gucci....do you realize we've just confirmed that out of the entire tpf community...we are the only 3 that drive a mini van!!!!!!!:nuts::nuts:

Are we that big of loser???:roflmfao::sad:;)
 
#8
I vote for the SUV...sliding doors are nice, but I love the new Yukon/Tahoe and Escalade...put it on some nice rims and you will be the hottest soccer mom around! LOL :smile:
 
#10
mshel,

I had a thread I made about the mini van thingy back in March when I was whining about it and actually, in that post a lot more people admitted to driving one. You really won't regret it, it is so much easier, the power doors are the best thing ever, the space iniside is amazing, and to be honest, my Odyssey EXL has everything that my dad's Mercedes does and MORE!
 
#11
OK, count me in as part of the Odyssey Gang! We bought our 2003 Honda Oddy EX back in 2002 because our cars were just not doing the trick for all the stuff we had to carry in addition to our b/g twins. We have the entertainment package, and I'm STILL very happy with this minivan. Sure, the electronic doors are fantastic, but the seat height of the minivan is just perfect and helped relieve my aching back from having to bend down or stretch out when seating my children.

We do 2-3 long drive vacations a year -- like driving RT between DC and Quebec City, or RT to Orlando, etc. -- and the Oddy's smooth ride is just a dream. PLUS, it's pretty good in terms of gasoline mileage, and we have all the space to lug our stuff around.

Finally, no, we're not losers. We're just moms who drive vehicles that are practical for OUR purposes...:smile:
 
#12
I'm a minivan lover too; in my age category (middle age empty nester) it's surprising how many have one along with their other vehicle. Our first was when the boys were in h.s. and we've had one ever since.

My current van is a Sienna; 100k miles without a bit of trouble and now the darn thing is broken and no one can fix it, so I'm down on Toyota right now. I think my next minivan will be the Honda

You may wonder why would empty-nesters want a van--it's easy for the dog to get into and they are great for road trips--we travel more by car than air now.
 
#13
Awww...I knew we'd get a few more to come clean! :smile:

The vehicle I have now is a minivan....it's fully loaded and I realized when having rentals that I just can't live w/out the electronic doors. THey allow my two oldest kids (3 and 6) to be so much more independent...and the 2 yr. old is at the stage where she likes to climb in by herself to.

But, we've had problems recently and gm is buying back our van! So, we're on the (dreaded) hunt for another.

It really sounds like the HOnda is a favorite choice!! I love being able to ask my tpf buddies! My dh couldn't believe I posted a thread....I say, where else can you get opinions from around the world from people willing to share??!!
 
#14
Quote
*My current van is a Sienna; 100k miles without a bit of trouble and now the darn thing is broken and no one can fix it, so I'm down on Toyota right now. I think my next minivan will be the Honda *

^^ Really? It broke ? What did the toyota service people said?

We just got a Toyota sienna 2007 last april. LOve it!!!
Me and hubby will never get an SVU, because of value for money..we go with what is economical. And MINIVAN is the way to go:tup:
Yeah , he wasn't sure between an odyssey and sienna..but because my dad said that of all the vehicles he owned, toyota gave the least problem and he owned a mercedes, volvo, nissan, peugeot(European brand) and a few more throughout my lifetime..

But sometimes hubby do wonder, maybe we should have gotten an Odyssey instead even though it cost more..:shrugs:
 
#15
One of the reasons we're looking to the honda over toyota is that honda seems to organize their packages in a more user-friendly manner. Meaning, that w/the toyota, to get all the bells and whistles we want, there's only one model. But, the honda adds on a lot of features as they 'go up' the model list. (did that fragmented sentence make sense? ;))

Does the 'stow and go' feature work as easily as advertised? Is it really just push of a button?
 
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