I think we're getting there: the age of the Minivan. We have three kids that all sit strapped in the back seat of our Toyota Camry. I'm resisting the move to the Minivan. Do any of you have any good suggestions of family-friendly cars/SUVs/minivans/whatever? I'd love to hear a first-hand report from people who have any thoughts.
you know, those minivans have some COOL features and look very convinient. We're talking about getting one in a year or two, so I'd be very interested to hear what others have to say. Right now we have a Saturn VUE (their car-based SUV). it's nice, didn't cost to much and my wife loves it. I'm indifferent. I mean, it's a good car but it's nothing to get too excited about. I would imagine the advantage off the minivan is that it's easier to get kids in and out (you don't have to lift them up into the car) and now most of those minivans have doors that open automatically, which would be worth the cost alone in my opinion. I mean, armful of kids, toys and bags ... an automatic door would be a godsend at times.
I'm still sticking with my Honda Element - lots of headroom because I'm tall, moonmat flooring for spills, good gas mileage. Only drawback is that it won't work with more than 2 kids - only 4 seats
after months of badgering by wife, i finally resigned myself to the fact that i am middle-aged and we bought a honda odyssey. it's actually really nice. they pack a lot of features into it. i don't feel very tough driving it around, but it works for our family.
My wife and I are starting to look for a minivan -- my Saab convertible is super inconvenient for the child. I pick him up from day care at the end of the day, and have to put the top down to get the child into the car seat. It hasn't started raining yet but when it does, we're going to have to come up with something else. I wanted to wait for a hybrid minivan to come out, but it looks like that won't be until next year -- the Toyota Sienna minivan is expected to have a hybrid option for the 2008 model year. I don't think we can wait that long. We may end up with an Escape hybrid SUV, although I'm not super fond of that model -- but we really want to go hybrid.
We bought a Toyota Highlander before the birth of our daughter. It's been a dependable vehicle with a higher "cool factor" than a minivan. It would be worth considering if you have no more than 2 children. It is more than adequate for carting our 1 child, her assorted paraphernalia, and our dog. My parents have a Honda Odyssey that works well for bussing their 3 grandchildren. Also, I've heard good things about the Toyota Sienna.
that's probably a good idea because on the way to drop Zack off at daycare this week I had to foil a kidnapping. In my Saturn I just never have my grenade launcher handy when I need it.
Maybe I should get one of these: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3225099782534022273&pr=goog-sl
don't forget the bumper sticker: 'If this van's a-rockin', don't come a-knockin' ... becuase it means I'm trying to change the diaper of a squirmy two-year-old and frankly nobody wants to see that' it's kinda small print though.
You don't already have one? Sheessssh Sachin! it's right there in the handbook. Diapers, Crib, Auhtentic A-Team Replica Van, Car Seat. Man I may have to report you to Social Servcies.
well, after my little guy wins the world cup and the champions league a few times I figure he can pay his own way through Harvard and finally get to curing cancer. just call it a hunch, but I see that in his future.
Just saw this thread Jules. We have 2 kids and we upgraded from a Toyota Corolla to a Ford Windstar last year. Its great and I love all the extra room. Road trips are infinitely more fun. We bought a 2 year old used one for under $12k, so it wasn't too bad on our budget either. Hope that helps.
Our Kia Sedona is really nice. Handles really well, interior is very comfortable, good acceleration and braking. Only downside is not a lot of "trunk" space behind the rear row seats. But there's plenty of room everywhere else for our three kids, a couple friends, and all their junk.
The minivan was a lifesaver for us. With four kids, there really aren't many other options, except taking two cars everywhere you go.
I like the idea of minivans and it is an extension of the historical Conestoga wagon that brought westward expansion throughout this nation. The mini-van is the ultimate purpose vehicle...like the Conestoga wagon, the mini-van is a heavy, broad-wheeled covered freight carrier used extensively! I personally believe the mini-van is a distinctly American creation due to our emphasis on the family! Those that criticize the mini-van end up accessoring their cars and turning them into de facto mini-vans anyway... Variations on the mini-van are sport-utility vehicles (SUVs) that are simply mini-vans with 4WD... I would like to see the mini-van as a concept renamed the AMERICAN van and some patriotism ascribed to it...Ford, GM, and Chevy should get right to work on something like that... It is our country and our mini-vans... The Chevy Astro and the Ford Aerostar mini-vans were discontinued due to cheap foreign mini-vans taking their place but the need for a distinctly American mini-van is clear: there should be a something of a low-cost mini-van available with the attraction of a Chevy Surburban or a Ford Expedition, yet smaller and appealing to the energy conscious... something larger than a Chevy Cobalt or a Ford Escape in the mini-van style... a true mini-van for the ages... Matter of fact... the MLS should sponsor and embrace the mini-van on behalf of all the American soccer moms... imagine a DC UNITED mini-van or a CREW mini-van? Detroit should catch on to something like that...
Do you have to take everything there? Really. Who exactly is "our"? White middle-class, christian suburbia?
Perhaps I should have stated when I started this thread: It would take a lot to get us into the seat of an American-made car again... They just aren't as reliable. We drive a Saturn coupe (shudder...) and a Toyota Camry right now. The difference between how each car felt when it hit 100K miles was amazing. So realistically, we'll probably buy a Honda "non-patriotic" Odyssey or a Toyota "made by a non-USA company" Sienna. But we're still open to some miracle of some sort happening to change our mind.
Well Fords and Chevys seem a lot cheaper. I wanted a used Odyssey or a Sienna too, but when we looked, the cheapest ones were in the 18-20k range. Thats about 6-9k more than I paid for a same age, low mileage Ford. I am sure at 150,000 miles I will be sad that I didn't have a Toyota or Honda but it will take me years to get to 150,000 and by then, the mini-van will be gone, replaced by a sporty red 2 seater.