7 Or 8 Seat Vehicle with Good Storage Room

I had a GMC Acadia for three years and Loved it!!! Had to trade it in when we moved to London and was so sad to see it go. Comfortable held 7 people with captain seats in center row. Only thing is that an infant seat will NOT fit in the third row.

We just ended up in that situation (#3 almost here!!) and bought a 2005 Nissan Quest. My husband did not want to end up with a minivan, but he test drove some of the larger SUVs and some of the 7-seat wagons and did not like them (he is tall, too), and he hated the Dodge Caravans and the Town and Country vans (he drives them for his job). I like the Honda but we couldn't afford one and the used van kind of landed in our laps, but he actually loves it (for a mini-van). Why:

It comfortably seats 7 (2 front seats, 2 middle bucket seats, and a 3-seater rear bench).
It came with a built-in DVD player (major perk since we travel to see family).
It is roomy enough that I can easily move from the front seat to the back without leaving the vehicle.
For a van, the gas mileage is decent.
It is a very smooth ride and easy and comfortable to drive. There is good visibility for the driver as well (again, for a van).
There is a lot of storage in the back/trunk/cargo area and the back seats fold down easily. My husband was able to move a huge sleeper sofa by just folding down the back seat.

What I don't like:

It is a van (I hate driving that much vehicle!).
The gadgets and shifter are in the middle of the dash area rather than in front of the driver.
The cup holder for the driver is attached to the seat, so if you shift the seat with a cup of coffee in the holder, you get a bit of a mess.
There is no "pocket" cup holder on the passenger side (I always have a water bottle with me) so I've got to set my water on the floor or between my knees if the two cup holders by the driver are full. That might be different with different years.

Overall though I really like it and am very happy with it. We expect to get a lot of years out of it. I would have been quite happy as well with an Odyssey, but they are so hard to find used and affordable. (Of course, I kept my Ford Focus and am very happy driving that back and forth to work!) Good luck!! :)

We bought a 3 year old certified 2007 toyota sienna limeted (has every option). The car had new tires and brakes...drives like new ! It was great to get a loaded certified used vehicle for the same cost as basic new one. We love it! The seats are comfy power doors with built in sun shades dvd player etc. Only draw back is less storage than our old gr caravan.

Minivan.
Tops.

We have a Toyota.
Very pleased.
Never any problems.

I have no 'cons' about it.

We have a toyota sequoia suv. Seats 8 with an amazing amount on room in the back when the 3rd row is up. Best decision we've ever made. Drives like a car, and not a truck. There is literally only 1 con- gas millage.

Love our TOyota Sienna minivan :) We bought it in 2007 -- it is great! It has split back row seats (2 and 1) so you can put down the extra seats and get even more cargo space since you only need to accomodate 3 kids :) Even with the seats up, the back has a lot of space because it isn't flat, it dips down about 10 inches or so (that is where the split seats are stored when collapsed). We got the dual auto-sliding doors but didn't get any other special options -- they have been a GREAT ASSET with 2 small kids and another on the way!

We have an '05 Chevy Suburban and LOVE it.

Ours seats 9 because we got the front row bench seat. It has TONS of storage in the back too!

~I think it is the perfect car, we have been incredibly pleased with it. It is big and a gas guzzler but we have 5 sometimes 7 kids and need the space and the 4x4 for the snow! It looks like a tank but drives like a luxury sedan! We love it!

We have a Durango and for the most part LOVE it. We have 3 children all in carseats and have no problem with room. It seats 7

Downfall - Gas Guzzler.

Congrats on baby

I love my '07 Toyota Sienna for my 3-year old and infant twins. Double stroller fits in back with plenty cargo room to spare.

I have had a Chrysler Town & Country minivan for almost three years now and I LOVE it! My SIL used to have a Honda minivan and I found I felt claustrophobic in it--well, that's an exaggeration but it was def. not as big. The only con is that sometimes the electrical stuff goes out but my husband has been able to fix those things himself. Good luck!

We love our Toyota Sienna minivan. We had a Durango and there was climbing around involved in getting all 3 kids in. Now, it's easy. And there is a DEEP area for cargo. The gas mileage is good and it's easy to drive. Really, just love it.

Had a Chrysler Town and Country. Never had a problem with it and it was so posh!

I love when this question is asked as we are looking for a newer minvan or suv in the next 2-6 months. I LOVE my Pontiac Montana and would get a new one IF they still made them. We are looking at a used Montana or Uplander which is basically the same thing. I am not a fan of Toyota or Honda (not actually sure why) but I also don't like the looks/shape of their vans so won't be purchasing one of those. We have looked at a Kia Sedona minivan, they have a 5 star crash safety rating, but we were told they are heavy and so will be harder on gas. I would love to get a GMC Acadia, they seat 8 which we sometimes need that extra space. If looking at a minivan, be sure to get the extended version and you will have storage space. I can carry a large stroller and a big bag of hockey equipment with room to spare behind the third row. I also find our Montana has lots of head and leg room, easy to fold seats, and the middle row of seats, each cab fold independant of the others.