What's Your Favorite MiniVan?

I have an 8 year old astro - I have never regretted it. I don't know what I will replace it with when it finally dies, since Chevrolet doesn't make it.

I like the truck based mini - it seems like the engines are more set for many many miles.

S.

We have a 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan and we absolutely love it! It has been a great van, but the best thing about it is the way the seats fold down into the floor. It is sooo handy! When our twins were babies I folded down one of the middle seats, put them in the back and put our son in the other middle seat. At the time, our son wasn't able to buckle himself in so it made it a lot easier. It was also great because I had a huge area for changing diapers and it became a play area later on when I had to wait in the van for an extended period of time. I know someone else with 3 older kids and she does the same thing because it is easier for them to hop in and out.
I don't know if other vans do this but would highly recommend this feature, whichever one you choose.

Hey R., I just went through this myself. I never wanted a minivan but they have a lot of conveniences that make it worth getting one. I got rid of a Toyota Sequoia and got a Honda Odyssey. I test drove the Sienna, Quest, and Odyssey. I did not look at Caravan, Sedona, or Town and Country. I have heard good things about Town and Country but knew they were pricier for us. Truly the three we looked at all had good qualities but the Odyssey won out. It really comes down to personal preference and taste. I liked the Quest exterior but did not like it's leather interior option (dash lay out was ok and it has a great speaker and DVD system. I like the Sienna ok but did not like the dash layout or DVD player option (can only do after market on it). I liked the Honda's interior layout and materials, exterior appearance and the DVD system. I also liked the engine VSA (uses fewer cylinders to conserve gas when they are not needed). The Toyota and Honda are the two highest in resale value so that makes a difference. What I researched showed Honda vans being slighty higher, Toyota's trucks are highest for them. After haggling they were all very close in price so I went with finance options and taste as the deciding factors. So far we love it for the kids, etc. but my heart is waiting for my sporty 2 seater convertible in 20 years!!! Good luck and let me know if you have any questions.

By far the Honda is the best! We had owned a Dodge in the past and I like my Honda much better. Even though the Dodge may be cheaper to buy in the long run Honda's hold their value where most others do not. We did a lot of research on vans before we bought our Honda. One nice feature that our Honda had at the time that others did not is the ability to seat 8 rather than just 7. It came with a fold down seat that you can store in the floor board when not in use but when you need it you can pull it out and place it in the center of the middle seats and have an extra seat, we have used this feature so many times. I cannot say enough good things about the our Honda, if I had to do it all over again I would definitely choose the Honda again, plus they last forever and are by far more dependable!

We had a Nissan quest and loved it....got rid of it for a cash car, but miss it for sure.

I don't have a minivan, although I really want one, but my sister has the Toyota Sienna, and absolutely loves it. I love driving it too. She's had it for 2 years and hasn't had any problems with it. They only thing she wished she got that she doesn't have is the dual automatic open doors. She chose the Sienna because it was ultimately cheaper than the Honda and it had a better resale value than the Honda. We have taken that minivan on numerous road trips. At one time we had 6 adults in the minivan, seated comfortably and on the highway it felt like you were riding in a car. If I can ever convince my husband to get a minivan, I would go with the Toyota. For what its worth, her husband was anti-minivan, but now he loves it too. My other sister swears by the Dodge minivan. She has had 2 in the 21 years she's been married. The first one lasted almost 14 years and then the repairs got to costly, but before that, she didn't have to many problems with it. However, Dodges lose their value, so if something happens and you need to unload the minivan, you won't get as much for the Dodge as you would for the Toyota or Honda.

When we were looking into minivans after my 3rd baby arrived, we really wanted Honda Odyssey, but it was so expensive, and we couldn't afford it. Then my husband heard about Honda Entourage. We bought a brand new one 2007, and it has the best safety features for accidents - it has the air bags on the sides and front of the van. Since it was within our budget, we bought it. It comes with a 10 year guarantee warranty so anything that break down, it's replaced for free ! My friend who got her minivan at the same time we did, just had 3 parts replaced recently, and she didn't have to pay 1 cent! I don't know if Hyundai offers the warranty, but if you are in a restrict budget, might be worth looking into a Hyundai.

For what it's worth, here is my two cents.....

We have a 1997 Chrysler Town and Country LXI that we currently only use for transporting daughter with friends, home depot or costco runs. When I was using this van consistantly, I loved it. It has less than 70,000 miles on it. It is my 3rd Chrysler product and I loved it. We never had any issues with it at all and we are only holding onto it because we know it has much more value than what a dealer or selling it outright would do. I especially liked being able to walk through the front passenger area to the back area when daughter was little to tend to her, etc.

We have friends with the Honda and they swear by it as being the best.

I've moved on to a sporty luxury car that hubby gave me for my bday a couple years ago and rarely drive the van anymore. IF I were faced with having to purchase another minivan, I would more than likely buy the same van again.

Good luck!

I went through this too in 2007. Now, we have an 07 Oddy. We just love it. Leather, no other frills. It's perfect for our 2 kid + friends family

I looked at T&C, Sienna and Oddy

I LOVE my Honda Odyssey!!! I've had it for two years now and still tell my husband regularly how glad I am that we bought it. We did get the touring edition with all the bells and whistles. I love the naviation system and it's come in quite handy since I am very geographically challenged! LOL.

My two favorites are the Toyota Sienna and Honda Oddysey. My neighbor has a Kia Sedona, and has had mechanical trouble with it, but it's an older model, so the new ones are probably a lot better. In Oct. we rented a Dodge Caravan and didn't like it. The seats were very uncomfortable, and there wasn't much trunk space. I did like the stow'n'go seating (but other vans have it), and there's a little mirror by the rearview mirror that allows you to see the back of the van. That was pretty much it. Hope that helps!

Well, it looks like TF and I could ride together!! I loved my Chrystler Town and Country. It was older and there were repairs that werent worth doing on it, so we traded it in, and ended up with a Ford Freestar. I dont hate it..it was very inexpensive, easy to drive, and certainly gets the job done. But..if I could have afforded it, my choice would have been clear. Happy hunting! ~A.~

The 2009 Oddysey is AWSOME, has many things with mom's in mind. I love it.