Minivan or No Minivan

LOVELOVELOVE my Honda Odyssey!!! Even if I won the lottery, I'd still drive a minivan. Did I say I love my minivan?

Have you tried driving one??? Because I will tell you that they are about the easiest thing you could drive and I have had every size car from an Expedition to a coupe Its the viewpoint of sitting up a little higher that you get with driving a truck combined with the comfort of a car. And it never feels too big like most SUVs do. I suggest you go for a test drive!!

We hve the Sienna AWD and like Cindy said, the tires don't wear that well. They're "run flat" which means you typically can't patch them so tires can get expensive. Gas mileage is also pretty poor. We do love it and don't drive it very far so we're ok with the gas but it still bugs me. What we love is the ease with which more than 2 kids can get in and out and lots of storage. And it drives nicely but you're right it's a bit of a pain to park. Not like a Suburban but big enough. I think you get used to it though and the sliding doors mean kids get in and out easily even in a tight spot. I'd look at something like a Highlander hybrid SUV though. Or yes - another Outback if you like it. Also, the minivan's are AWD but the clearance is lower than an SUV so in heavy snow, not sure how good it'd be.

I love love love my minivan!!!

I had a 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan...loved EVERYTHING about it - but the maintenance costs...

I have a 2006 Honda Odyssey...liking it...love the reliability of it!!

You have kids under 3??? How nice would it be to have the door automatically open for you instead of having to juggle to get the door open?

how about when it's raining and your back is getting wet from the rain while you strap your kids in??? in a minivan? You can pop in and strap them in...

There are soo many advantages to a minivan...i could go on and on...

Drive one. My DH was convinced to get one before he even got married and had kids. My SIL's old conversion van was scary for me, but our Caravan? Didn't take long to get used to. I don't back it into parking spaces often, but I've driven it frequently and it feels much like a car. I've even driven it with a trailer on the back. Take a look at some of the newer vans. Friends have a Sienna that looks quite stylish in black. Another friend has a Sienna in red. However, I'm not sure of any van that is 4wd. Does Subaru make something that would be the right size?

ETA: Oh, heck yes, our van hauls gear. We just went camping with 2 adults, 1 kid and didn't even have to take out the second back row of seats. We've gone to the lake with our kids and a few extra friends. Need to go to a light show? One vehicle for 7 people and plenty of space for more than one car seat (vs our friend's Crosstour which is basically two adults, two car seats and a very small person in the middle). We've brought home furniture, plywood, camped IN the van, put a tow hitch on it for bigger adventures, etc. It's a 2000 and while it has needed some work here and there, it's more than 10 yrs old. Still very pleased with it overall. And come to think of it, it does alright in snow. Now, it's not MN snow, but DH takes it when the weather is bad instead of his Mustang.

The crossovers are so much better and nicer to look at and handle better in the bad weather. Chevy Traverse is nice,nthe Arcadia is too. The new Subaru outbacks are nice and roomey. Personally I despise minivans but the weather issue is the biggest. They just do not handle well.

Our mechanic advised us to get a used Caravan because the parts are cheaper. We found an immaculate 2000 Chrysler Voyager that had been totally babied by it's owner. The guy vacuums his driveway. We paid $3,000 and it will last us at least 5 years if we take care of it. They take a little to get used to but drive very similar to a car. With good snow tires it drives really well in the snow, and we get a lot of snow here. The newer ones have more options. I say look around for a FSBO car and take it to your mechanic to take a look at it.

I love my Honday Odyssey minivan, but it doesn't come with AWD or 4WD. I don't think it's big and clunky or hard to drive at all, but living in MN it would be nice to have AWD. Toyota Sienna makes one, but it's VERY expensive and I've heard the tires don't wear well. If you really want/need AWD that can be the deal breaker--tell your husband you need AWD and it's not easy to find in a minivan. I don't really know what else to suggest, maybe a small or mid-size SUV?

Minivans.... are GREAT!
It is not hard to drive.
It is not clunky.
Minivans are SO USEFUL!
Once you have one, you will love it and not want anything else.

I have a Pontiac Montana (minivan) and my husband has a Chevy Trailblazer with the 3rd row. I prefer my minivan and had to chuckle a bit when you said you thought a minivan would be big to drive and park. I have always found SUV's to be bigger and "clunkier."

The bells and whistles you talked about are easy to find in even used minivans - well mine has them and it's a 2006.

I'm not sure if there are any minivans with AWD or 4WD. I can tell you that the Chevy Trailblazer is very nice. It's a little smaller (skinnier) than many SUV's. The 3rd row is a little annoying if your kids are in carseats, as you have to fold down one if the middle row seats to get to it. But if you don't use it all the time, it's not so bad.

You might need to talk to someone at a dealership or do some more research. The part that is really puzzling me is whether or not there are minivan's with AWD or 4WD.

Good luck! I think you would like a minivan. Not really any bigger than an SUV and much better gas mileage.

I just traded in my 2000 Ford Windstar for a 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan today!!! I could not get by without a minivan. My kids can each bring a friend on outings. I have lots of room for groceries and camping equipment. When the kids were small we could bring a stroller or even a wagon with us on outings. I live in Winnipeg, and no where has snow and ice like Winnipeg, and the van handles fine. I don't even buy snow tires, just all season. I love being higher up in traffic because I can see everything going on up ahead. Handles about the same as a car. I would rather parallel park my minivan than my Caliber, because the minivan has back up sensors which make it so much easier!

Maybe you need a minivan, maybe you don't. Your kids are still pretty small. But in a few years you'll probably be driving yours plus a few of someone elses, so you'll need the room. I have 2 kids (ages 11 and almost 9). I actually just got rid of my minivan (had it since they were 2 and a baby) but I could not get rid of the 3rd row seat!! I constantly have 4 or more kids in the car. Just something to think about.

I just got a 2010 Honda Odyssey and I get why people like minivans so much. I didn't like the looks of them for a long time, but the functionality of them when you have small children is so great. I used to have a Tahoe which I loved too, but the main reason I wanted it was for the third row. Nobody told me how difficult it is to get to the third row, so we rarely used it. Now my kids can get in and out of the car easily (they are 3.5 and nearly 5).
The only thing that is going to be a downside is my gas expenses have gone up. I had the Tahoe hybrid and could fill up for eighty bucks, but one tank would last two weeks. Now I fill up once a week for sixty bucks, so I have seen an 80 dollar increase with my minivan.

Do it! I love my mini van. Check out the newer Toyota Sienna's. Its anything but clunky! And it handles great, its as easy to drive as a car. Go somewhere like Carmax where you can test drive a varitey of makes/models, and then start narrowing down from there. There have been some pretty good "should I get a mini van" type posts on here in the last few months too, so I suggest doing a search for those as I recall people went into detail about their likes/dislikes about mini vans.

My sister lives in Colorado and drives an Outback. She loves it. She has 2 teenagers and its just enough room for them and she says it drives EXCELLENT in the Colorado winters. The only problem I know of is that last summer, her car died right in the middle of the highway...I can't remember what the problem was, but insurance had it fixed and she hasn't had problems since. At that time maybe her Outback was 1-2 yrs old. (?)

Don't do it! I'm guessing you have to deal with a decent amount of snow in the winter if you are looking for AWD or 4WD. For a large vehicle, the ground clearance isn't great. My husband got our minivan stuck in a snow drift last winter and it wasn't that deep. Any time we got a few inches of snow, I'd be bottoming out in the ruts the pick ups left in my road.

Most crossovers have better ground clearance and are available in front or all wheel drive.