Need a Good Family car...suggestions???

I also have a Dodge Grand Caravan and love it for all the reasons that Sherri G. gave. My daughter has borrowed it several times and loved it as well.

She and her husband recently bought a Kia something and love that. However, as a passenger in that van I find the back or third seat too cramped. The Grand Caravan has noticeably more room in the third row and that row can be put down and the cargo space is much larger than the cargo space when the third row seats are put down in the Kia.

We are planning to buy a Honda Odyssey by the end of the month. If you need to seat a lot of people, minivans are really the way to go. They are so convenient and easy.
We test drove a Sienna too, but we liked the Odyssey a lot more.

I love my mini-van! I just recently traded in my 2000 Ford Windstar for a 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan. I'm really enjoying the Caravan. It handles like a car, but I am nice and high and can see what is going on ahead of me in traffic. It seats seven very comfortably. (I already took five kids and one adult on a two hour road trip.) It is easy getting little kids in and out with car seats etc. I have the stow and go seats, and my 10 year old can operate them easily. When the seats aren't stowed I have all that storage space underneath, and we can stow all the seats and transport large furniture items. There are at least a dozen cup holders, a dvd player, a back-up monitor. It's a great family car.

Hi. I agree with the Dodge Grand Caravan. Ours is also a 2011. It handles incredibly well. It seats 3 in the rear, 2 in the middle and of course the driver and passenger. My husband ran an errand with our daughter last week and got into a collision with an F-150 truck. (talk about scary). Well, just the front right bumper got cracked but the truck's front axle was snapped and had to be towed away. Luckily, no one was injured! Our loaner car is a 2013 Chevy Equinox. It had less than 60 miles on it and though it has some cool bells and whistles, it has no where near the power of the van and not as good gas mileage!

So, anyway, you may want to re-think the mini-van. Even my husband misses the van! lol He says he actually verbally apologized to our van! haha too funny.

If you need to seat 6, then there are options. But you said at LEAST 6 so I'm going to suggest mini-van. They are really great and much improved over years ago. The kids in our family stay boostered until they fit the adult belt (around age 10 or 11) so we always appreciate extra room.

Maybe someone else knows more about vehicles other than vans, but I like vans myself. :)

We drive a 2004 Toyota Sienna Mini-van. We have the 8 seater. Just a couple months ago we filled all 8 of those seats with one 3 1/2 yr old in a car seat, one 8 year old in a high back booster, an 11 year old, their grandparents, my husband and myself. We drove to downtown LA from San Diego where we picked up my BIL to make a total of 8. We then went sight seeing all over LA/Hollywood area in the single car. We also had room in the trunk for the stroller (even though we ended up not using it), the diaper bag, jackets for everyone, a bag of snacks, a flat of water, and a number of other odds and ends. None of us felt crushed or crammed in any way. We could all see out the windows at the sights as we drove around. We could all visit with each other and listen to music as we wanted. It was absolutely fantastic!!
It gets really good gas mileage, along the lines of a lot of cars. It has a fantastic turn radius and drives like a car and not a truck.
When it is just the 5 of us we have been able to pack in an unimaginable about of gear in it while all still being comfortable when we go out for activities.
When we are forced to get a new car we will be getting another Toyota Sienna.

Sorry, ladies, but I did a happy dance when I traded in my minivan!

I have an Infiniti JX35 and LOVE it - had four adults and three kids in it (comfortably) a few weeks ago. However, we also liked the Buick Enclave - I imagine the Chevy version would be good, too. I also liked the Yukon when I test drove it but it drives like a truck, not a car or crossover. You could look at the Dodge Durango. The Journey would probably be okay if you infrequently have six in the car.

I loved my minivans when the kids were growing up. We traveled so much so it was nice to have everything in the car and didn't have to stop to get into the trunk. I love that it drove like a sedan instead of a truck - just my personal preference. Better gas mileage too. We also enjoyed the lower floor for older relatives to get in and out. Loved, loved, loved the automatic sliding doors and rear hatch when the kiddos were small. With all the cross-country traveling we did, the DVD system was invaluable. Since we always bought between Thanksgiving and Christmas when nobody was buying, we always got the DVD system thrown in. All 3 of our minivans lasted 6 - 8 years. They have so many great features now, but the most important for our tall family was leg room in the middle and back seats, plenty of storage in the rear, removable seats when you need to move large items, ease of getting into the rear seat, and a comfort for the driver. I also have no problem with people looking down their nose at me for driving a minivan. Hey, if I am happy, I couldn't care less what they thought of me. Our kids' friends never minded riding with us because we had the DVD system. **Just be sure to ride in all of the seats before buying, preferably with others seated next to you.**

I have a dodge Journey. They have one with 3 rows of seats or 2.

LOVE my Nissan Armada...it seats 8 too!

My husband loved his Yukon Denali XL...so did I, but I like the Armada better.

I never thought I'd love a minivan but our Honda Odyssey is great! Can't beat a minivan for having enough space with a family. My vote is a minivan -- the Odyssey or Toyota Sienna, since they consistently have the best reviews, reliability and resale values.

Chevy Suburban. Hands down THE best vehicle I have ever driven. Plenty of room for everyone and all their stuff! Take one for a test drive, its Luke driving a luxury sedan...seriously!

~I got the front row bench seat so mine seats 9...which means I have room for extra family and friends!

although i cannot suggest a great car. i can tell you we were greatly dissappointed in our purchase of a hundai. my mom and my grandmother also purchased the same brand after we did because it was suppose to be such a great car. it was suppose to get 30 miles to the gallon city miles. it gets 20. about a year ago we started the headache with the dealership and reporting the car. about a month ago we found out the makers are offering rebate gas cars after so many miles. its still not near the cost of the gas lost. i am totally dissapointed. my best car I ever had was a Honda. great car. I am sure they have bigger ones your needing.

I wasn't a min-van kind of mom either. We had to get a rental to go on vacation and our reservation got mixed-up and got substituted w a mini-van. Let me tell you it was a definite blessing. The kids marveled at how comfortable they were even after being on the road for 6 hours. They could get in and out easily and that's a big deal with 3 kids 6 and under. Also the driving didn't feel like I was driving a bus. I recommend renting something similar to what you want for the weekend to get a real life feel and then decide. I am a convert and LOVE my odyssey minivan with its auto doors and trunk, removable middle row seat, DVD player, reclining seats even in the 3rd row, and deep trunk space.

I've got a 2001 Honda Odyssee. Before that I drove a Dogde Caravan and a Chrysler Town and Country. I LOVE my Honda. It's the most dependable vehicle I have ever owned. I had the other 2 in the shop at least once a year for various stuff - the Honda - the only time it's in the shop is for oil changes, regular maintenance and tires. It's a dream!!!

I've hauled Lacrosse, field hockey and rugby teams all over Texas and it's got room for everyone AND all their equipment. I've got 2 kids (21 and 18 both at college now) and we've taken the van from Texas to Pennsylvania (with lots of detours) every summer since my youngest was 8 and have NEVER had a problem and have been so very comfortable. I wouldn't have driven the other 2 into another state they were so undependable.

Just bought a Honda Pilot. Seats 8. Has a middle seat with three latch systems for three seats. Also the middle seat slides forward so easy to get to third seat. Lots of storage and other perks. This is the bottom of the line of Pilots. Could not justify the cost for the more expensive models when this is so perfect. We also bought the warranty that covers anything and everything that can go wrong. Ten years or 120,000 miles. We keep our cars for 10 years. Nice never to have to worry about paying for repairs. Obviously regular maintenance is not included.

Another nice care is the Arcadia. Oh and the Chevy Traverse. I would not drive a mini van. I haul around my grandchildren. Minivan and YiaYia does not go together lol.

Good luck. I liked all three. Went with the Honda because their cars hold up well.