favorite minivan for 2 or 3 kids?

[VanIsleMommy]

so the SUV's with captains chairs like the traverse or enclave are not even close?

I can buy a brand new dodge van cheaper than buying a used honda van with lots of km on it, however they tend to devalue really fast. something to consider since I am for sure not going to keep a van forever. everyone I know with a dodge van has repairs after a few years. my DH has a brand new dodge truck only because it was the cheapest option at the time and had a center console option he liked. I despise the forward headrests in it.

 

[canadiangie]

so the SUV's with captains chairs like the traverse or enclave are not even close?

I can buy a brand new dodge van cheaper than buying a used honda van with lots of km on it, however they tend to devalue really fast. something to consider since I am for sure not going to keep a van forever. everyone I know with a dodge van has repairs after a few years. my DH has a brand new dodge truck only because it was the cheapest option at the time and had a center console option he liked. I despise the forward headrests in it.

You need to decide what you need in a vehicle. How much cargo space do *you* need? Minivan diehards swear that you can't get much done with most SUVs when it comes to cargo space. Some SUVs offer more cargo space than others, and most offer a 60/40 split in the 3rd row, meaning you can have a person sitting in the 3rd row and still have almost all of your cargo space. Personally I prefer not to haul too much in my cargo space on a day to day basis, and manage just fine with the cargo space behind my 3rd row.

In terms of going from an Equinox to an Enclave, for example, I'm not sure you're gaining much other than captains chairs.

Really honestly I think you need to make a list of what you really want.

Cargo space is probably the most subjective topic, so I wouldnt necessarily focus on that too much.

But sliding doors, you really need to decide if you WANT them. If you do, then minivan is your answer.

Captains chairs, you really need to decide if having them is going to solve all your issues. If so, then get an SUV with captains chairs, but be cautious with the traverse and clones. One tether anchor 3rd row dead center is really irritating IME. Really limits you in terms of seating config with three kids.

Cost, if you want to keep said vehicle for only a few years or drive it into the ground. I knew I'd only keep a van for a few years -- if that. Financially it made the most sense to buy a vehicle I loved and knew I'd keep for a good long time. Vehicles are the worst investment any of us make, but only you know your finances.

Personally, no, I would not buy a GrCaravan. If I went van it would have to be an foreign make... even a Kia Sedona (which offer a much better factory installed TA set-up than the GrCaravan and current gen Sienna).

 

[AmandaR]

We have a 2012 Odyssey (replaced our 2006 Odyssey) and LOVE it! We have four in car seats (3 Rfing and 1 FFing).

 

[Phineasmama]

I guess if you know you're going to sell it again after a few years the Grand Caravan wouldn't be that great of a choice.
We knew that we would be keeping it for a long time, we'll probably drive it till it dies or until our financial situation is much different after I graduate and get a job. My in laws have like a 10+ year old grand caravan and as far as I know they have only had to do minimal repairs

 

[VanIsleMommy]

It is poooooouring rain here and Ds is throwing a fit about his pants being wet. I have a small box of books and a stroller in the back and coats and blankets and diapers and there is zero room left. So ya. I just went back to pro-minivan LOL.... I think right now its a toss up between sienna and ody. I'm going to do a test drive and see if that cinches it. Thanks all!!

 

[daniele_ut]

I have a 2010 Grand Caravan. . .


ETA: We could have gotten an older 2007/2008 Ody but it was MORE expensive and way more miles than the nearly brand new Dodge we got. Our van had 15K miles on it and was in really good condition, we paid like $17K for it.

I guess if you know you're going to sell it again after a few years the Grand Caravan wouldn't be that great of a choice.
We knew that we would be keeping it for a long time, we'll probably drive it till it dies or until our financial situation is much different after I graduate and get a job. My in laws have like a 10+ year old grand caravan and as far as I know they have only had to do minimal repairs

We also drive a 2010 Caravan and bought it for similar reasons. Ours had 30K on it and we bought it for $15,000. Odys and Siennas of the same model year and mileage were selling for nearly twice that amount in our area. I didn't want anything older than the 2005 Malibu that I was replacing and we would have had to go older than that to fit our budget if we had bought an Ody.

We have a well rated 100,000 mile warranty but in the last 13 months we haven't had to make use of it at all. The only issue that annoys me a little is that it shudders in reverse when you are backing up an incline. Chrysler says it's normal :scratcheshead:

We love that all the seats can stow IN the van and that when they are not stowed we have extra storage space in the bins under the floor.

 

[Wy`sMom]

We just bought a 2012 Ody and it is best thing ever. I love my van. I only have two kids but can install ANY three seats I want across the middle row. I have had two true fits and a frontier in there. The third row is 60/40 split. I can install a seat on the 40 with seat belt or latch and have the 60 stored. Or I can install on the 60 and store the Valco stroller behind the seat and leave the 40 down to access from the hatch. Lots of trunk space and lots of seating space and leg room.
Initially I was going to buy used because I wanted leather. I sacrificed the leather and got one step up from the base model. It has everything I wanted, other than leather including heated seats and a back up camera. I love my van!

 

[luckyclov]

I may have missed this in my lazy reading, but do you still want a kid in the center of the 2nd row? Because if that's the case, if you're looking used, you'll need a 2005-2010 8-pass Sienna or a 2011+ 8-pass Ody -- those are the models/years with useable 8th seats.

I've had a 2011 Sienna for a year and a half (2 years in March). That's the longest I've kept a vehicle in 13 years, if that tells you anything. I spent several months doing the whole Ody v. Sienna debate. We've put A LOT of miles on it (oldest DS plays year-round travel soccer) and I've still yet to record a complaint (except that the antenna broke off in the carwash, but that's cuz I'm an idiot).

I say it all the time, it's totally a family-specific. I have 3 kids, but 2 are "older", I need all 3 rows up all time, and I haul a whole-lotta stuff on a daily basis, which changes my needs/preferences from many other families. You've really got to get your list of "needs" together and test-drive the candidates multiple times, in different conditions.

I don't pop in here much anymore, but if you have any questions about the Sienna (or, I've also had a 2009 Grand Caravan), feel free to shoot me a PM.

Good luck!

ETA: Meant to say center of the 2nd row not 3rd.

 

[VanIsleMommy]

sigh.... ya... I REALLY don't want a car payment right now. so I would have to sell my car and buy used.

I think we have gotten on top of the hitting in the car thing. I finally figured out what clicks with him. He doesn't understand that we don't hit because it hurts people, but he does understand that we don't hit because it's against the rules. He's all about the rules. That was my main issue. The risk of DD being hurt and the driver distraction was a big problem.

Still, there really is not enough cargo space and room for kids and I have to stand outside to buckle kids in, change diapers (which is cold for DD too). It's not really a need, but more of a "it really aggravates me on a daily basis" sort of thing lol...

excellent point about the middle seat in the back being useable. good to know!!! :thumbsup:

 

[canadiangie]

Do you mean you don't have enough cargo space in your current Equinox?

 

[YinzerMama]

I will echo new Ody or Old Sienna also having owned both.

(Had an '08 8 pass Sienna, have a '12 8 pass Ody. )

(I wish I could say one is better but I am so on the fence it is painful)

 

[jenfrogmom]

I vote Sienna! Got one two Weeks and I am in love!!!

 

[VanIsleMommy]

oh yes the current equinox. it has lots of room in the back, but not when you pile all the stuff we haul around everywhere.

 

[canadiangie]

You must haul a lot of stuff!

 

[tl01]

I've had a new ody (2 actually) and a new sienna right now. Quality wise they both are not great. I've had a lot of problems with all of them. I'll be heading out shortly to pick up my Sienna from being fixed again.

That said.... I would totally pick a minivan over an SUV once you have two kids. I've had three SUVs since my kids were born and there's no comparison. The sliding doors are awesome, the storage is great, and it is so much easier to reach the third row.

The sienna works better for us in that we have so much more front to back space in it than in the ody. The trunk of the sienna also hold more. We always kept our third row down in the ody til we needed it and the we'd have to reconfigure the van but with the sienna we can even take weekend or longer trips with the this row seats up and I love not having to take the carpool seats out of the 3rd row all the time. Ours has only 7 seats which is fine for us and the pass through to the third row works well. I prefer the drive of the ody and the dashboard of the ody but the conveniences of the sienna won out.

 

[oddduck]

We have a 2012 Dodge GC... huge upgrade over out 2001 Montana. It's so much more roomy... The centre seats are set pretty far apart, there's still space in the rear with the 3rd row up. I've actually got a hockey bag back there (just keep forgetting to take it out) + stroller + groceries, no issues.

My DH drives like 150km a day in it, avg 9.6L/100km.

We upgraded out warranty to 160,000km bumper to bumper for ~$3,000... our last van had the transmission fail at 140,000km (plus a few other things that went before and after) so I figured it was probably worth it.

 

[VanIsleMommy]

I've narrowed it down to a new dodge caravan or a used honda ody. Honestly if I'm going to do a minivan, I really dislike the look of a sienna.

Right now I'm torn between a dodge and a honda that are both equal in price and features, but the honda has 100,000 more km on it.

 

[tl01]

If those were my two options, if get the caravan. Even if the caravan isn't as reliable in the long run.... It is under warranty now and that is a huge asset. Odyssesies are great but even they will have problems. Some have lots of problems. If start fresh.... With a new caravan.

 

[winter]

we have an 05 Grand Caravan and while I HATE installing car seats in it because of the stiff buckle stalks and cinch plates, when attempting to install by seatbelt, I LOVE our stow and go seats. I'm not sure I'd be able to give up our stow and go.

With three kids, I have the passenger captain chair hidden, DD FF in the captain chair behind the driver, DS FF in the middle spot of the third row and our infant seat also in the third row. I love being able to get all the kids in through the passenger side sliding door, close the door behind us and then be able to turn on the van, remove winter jackets, get all the kids in their seats without having to be rained/snowed on and without having to worry about wind. It has also been great when my two year old, who almost always has to pee while we are out on a long drive, can do so in the potty we keep in there for such occasions, in the middle section, without us having to go outside. This is so nice with our Winnipeg winters.

I wanted to add that, knock on wood, we've so far been really lucky with the reliability of our Grand Caravan. We had a belt break on us a few years ago and our AC (or heat?) line to the back busted last year but both were really inexpensive fixes.

 

[canadiangie]

I've narrowed it down to a new dodge caravan or a used honda ody. Honestly if I'm going to do a minivan, I really dislike the look of a sienna.

Right now I'm torn between a dodge and a honda that are both equal in price and features, but the honda has 100,000 more km on it.

100k is quite a bit.

I really don't love much about the interior of the GC , but there is something to be said for a clean slate with full warranty.

Did you consider a Kia Sedona at all? Lovely tether anchors in places that make sense, nicer third row in terms of boosters, and Kia/Hyundai have come a long way, baby.