Looking for a New(er) Minivan..... Need Recommendations

Christie

New member
We are looking to purchase a new-to-us mini van in the next 6 months. I currently drive a 12 passenger Chevy Express with both side doors (LOVE this!). This is my every-time-I-go-anywhere vehicle as our only other vehicles are 2 Jeep Wranglers. Not very practical when you still have 8 children at home.


Since this will primarily be my vehicle, I get to do a fair amount of the approving.

I need:

8 passenger seating would be fantastic, but not a deal breaker.
DVD/Entertainment
Good to Excellent ventilation (kids complain of not being cool/warm enough)
Cargo space
Navigation would be very, very nice
Adequate access to the back bench
The 4 yr old needs to NOT be sitting near the other 2 car seats, for safety reasons

I'd love to also get:

leather seating
easy seat removal/storage
some of the bells and whistles
automatic doors/hatch would be LOVERLY!!

Car seat situation:

DD 10 months currently RF in a KF30 (has plenty of room), will go into a Boulevard once she needs to move
DS 4 yrs ERF in a Boulevard (he fits per measurements), but will be moved into a Diono XRT to continue to ERF
DD 6 yrs will most likely move into a Frontier, currently FF in a Boulevard

I also have a (VERY tall) 7 yr old (too big for any kind of booster), a 9 yr old, and an almost 11 year old that will be full-time riders in this vehicle. Also have a 15 yr old and a 17 yr old.


I personally am leaning towards the Honda Odyssey. I've had a Grand Caravan before and LOVED it. But in looking at safety ratings, I have a feeling that the Odyssey will be better than the Caravan. Other than the Caravan, I have no real experience with mini vans.

We purchased our Express in '06 as an '05 with just under 20K miles. It currently has just over 122K on it.... and that includes several 1k+ mile trips (each way). We won't really be using the mini van for these kinds of trips since it won't fit the entire family still.

Alright, GO!
 
ADS

jjordan

Moderator
Depending on how new you're looking, Odysseys and Siennas may be your only 8 passenger options. If you're thinking 2004-2010 model years, then the 8th seat of the Sienna is better than the 8th seat of the Odyssey. If you're looking newer than that, the Odyssey 8th seat is better.

Apart from that, most of the items on your list seem to be related to trim level more than the actual make/model of the van. The exceptions are probably the removal of seats and the cargo space. I'm not really sure how different vans compare on those two features, sorry!
 

Christie

New member
Past experience (in buying a suburban) proved that occasionally some trims weren't available in certain seating situations. That's why I asked.
 

jjordan

Moderator
Oh, hmmm, yes it's true that the 2004-2010 8 passenger Sienna is not available in the highest trim level, but I'm not sure of what is or isn't available. MSN autos is a good place to find out all that stuff at once. Good luck!
 

tl01

New member
On the current ody, to get navigation and rear entertainment from the manufacturer you have to get either the touring or touring elite trim levels. Those models come with 8 seats. If you go with the previous model, you can get both nav and rear entertainment in the mid level trim ex-l. That model also comes with 8 seats, but it's 8th seat isn't as usable as the one in the current ody.

I assume you are keeping your Chevy van too... Have you thought about combining both vehicles and getting the new Nissan NV? Maybe you are looking for something smaller though for every day.
 

Christie

New member
Thanks for your info!!

Yes, we are keeping the 12 passenger. It's necessary for going everywhere as an entire family (at least once or twice a week).
 

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