Sienna or SUV???

My husband and I have decided to buy a new car and need one with a third row. I had decided on a 2005 Sienna XLE Limited AWD as loaded it comes and think I would love having it(they are sooo nice!)...the problem is that I don't know if I can commit to driving a mini-van at 24! It just isn't me and I think I might regret it...even though I always envyed the women at the park that have a nice convient minivan. So I know many of you have the new Sienna and could you tell me what you think? Do you love it? My husband and I are both SUV people and if we can't commit to the Sienna we are looking at the Lexus GX470 or LX470(or Toyota Landcruiser), the Lincoln Navigator, Cadillac Escalde, or the Nissan Armada...does anyone know if these are okay for carseats in the third row? The only SUV I know carseats do okay in the thrid row is the Suburban's but I don't want one of those. So if anybody knows if it is totally safe for kids in the third row in the above mentioned SUV's or if it is significantly less safe then being in the thrid row of the Sienna. Thanks!

www.suvsafety.info might have more info... but man, just go for the minivan. driving an SUV just makes you suffer the inconvenience of doors that open outward (sliders make your life SO much less stressful when kids open them in a parking lot--no worries of hitting the car next to you!) and third rows that are hard to get to and increased rollover risk that don't make you look or feel any cooler than all the zillions of other suv drivers trying to look and feel cool.
I fought off the minivan, too...and I regretted every second I owned my AWD gas guzzling Buick Rendezvous and couldn't get anyone or anything into the third row without acrobatics, lol.

Um...me? Biased? Opinionated? naaaah...

You know you are so right! I am SO all about safety when it comes to my kids...it's just time for me to bite the bullet! I just keep thinking about the dual power sliding doors too...oh, and the power rear hatch...those will be so nice! And the gas mileage will be nice too, especially since we might relocate in June 360 miles away from our family and will be making the 700 mile round-trip drive twice a month. And I guess my husband will always have a "cool" car or SUV that I can take when I am kid-less or out on the town with him or the girls. What van do you have? Are the new Honda's as nice as the Sienna? I love the outside looks of both, the Sienna just seems more luxurious inside from what I have seen on the web. That is what I needed though...somebody to tell me I would like a van more! Thank Jools!

I only have the 2003 Ody, and we liked it about equally the same as the 2004 Sienna, but Honda had better financing at the time....

I don't think they have *many* big differences...the Sienna has more LATCH positions, though... I know you can look at www.odyclub.com for forums full of Ody-lovin' geeks, I'm sure there must be a Sienna Club too...you might get plenty of the ups and downs of each.

Our other car is going to probably be a Mazda RX-8, so I can get my sporty car moments in, soon enough, lol.

So you like your Honda a lot? My husband came up with a pretty good idea. The main reason we are going to buy a minivan or something with a safe thrid row is because we might be relocating 400 miles away from all our friends and family. This means we will be driving 800 miles every other weekend on average and we want something comfortable and easy for all the pending road trips. The plus of a minivan for these is the better gas mileage and less risk of rollovers. But my husband said that we could buy a used Honda (2002-2004) with about 40,000 miles on it and also keep our current cars. That way I will know if I love having a van and want to spend $40,000+ on one or if I am going to prefer driving my SUV over the van once I get it. So I think that is a great idea and then I could keep the Honda until the Hybrid Sienna comes out because that would probably be a good option for us. So sorry for the novel here...but let me know what you love about your Ody and anything that drives you nuts!! But all in all for a van a couple years old I think the Honda is the best looking by far so I already know that is the one I will get. Off to pack a bag becuase we are driving to our possible new home state in the morning! And thanks for giving me advice on how to put the seats for it...from the other forum!