Who has a mini van?

[KubotainNH]

If I was looking for a min-van I would consider the Flex. They don't seem to be extremely popular so resale may be low but we keep our vehicles a long time. They look extremely 'practical'.


TBS

Honda Pilot! Now there is a vehicle! We have a 2010 that will be seven years old in January, and the optional warranty that we purchased will run out at that time. Hardly used the warranty at all, but we can get another warranty extension if we want in January. So, we probably will, and maybe even drive it into the ground! Note, however, the huge change to the body style for the 2016 model year. They turned it from a lovely, roomy, square-shouldered critter into just another jellybean. Don't like the new body style at all.

But can you fit a 4x8 sheet of plywood in it and have decent headroom? Eddie is looking to fit large dog crates in the back without removing any seats. Very specific needs that pretty much only the T&C accommodates.

 

[Garandman]

That's the dilemma: have seats in name only in the middle row, or have to manually remove them.

 

[ultrarunner]

We tend to have a lot of minivans visitors rent for their USA vacations.

My cousin put 2500 miles on a new Town and Country as really liked it... like liked the room and flat cargo area...

Sister in law just gave up on her 2006 Honda Odyssey Touring... she did not consider another Honda as hers with 130k miles was not problem free... there was a transmission issue and now she was looking at a huge bill to get the A/C working.

It wasn't that she didn't like the car it was she had owned Honda before and never had these issues come up...

 

[k0ua]

Guys I have rode in a lot worse seats than the second row seats in my Chrysler Town and Country. Are they as cushy as some of the other vans mentioned? I doubt it, but they are good enough. And they stow in the floor as flat as a pancake. Everything in life is a trade off.

 

[MossRoad]

One thing about stow and go seating.... after a couple years of owning it, you'll find another name for it:

I forgot I filled the stow and go hole with kid's stuff, blankets, grocery bags, oh, there's that bag of kitty litter, bowling ball from last season, etc....

 

[k0ua]

One thing about stow and go seating.... after a couple years of owning it, you'll find another name for it:

I forgot I filled the stow and go hole with kid's stuff, blankets, grocery bags, oh, there's that bag of kitty litter, bowling ball from last season, etc....

The second row of ours if filled with about 80 pounds of insurance forms. Good place to keep them. Clean, dry, and out of the way. The seat is in the 3rd row hole.

 

[MESSMAKER]

I am in the Sienna camp. The ride, comfort and power is amazing. We took it on vacation this year. We drove 4280 miles. I have zero complaints.The best vehicle we have ever owned. You really need to drive one before you decide.The LE model is the best buy. I have a hard time believing that you will find the Mopar vans as reliable. The Honda is solid, but has less power and seemed to cost more when we last shopped.

 

[EddieWalker]

I'm not 100% sold on the Chrysler, but since we do not have kids, seating comfort isn't much of a concern for us. Having the ability to have the second row seating there for short trips to the restaurant with fiends is the only time they will be used. We are more torn between buying brand new, and a new model year that just came out, the Pacifica, or going with the previous model, the Town and Country. The transmissions for the Pacifica is a 9 speed, and for the Town and Country, it's a 6 speed. There are some other cosmetic changes, and a lot of new technology on the Pacifica, but overall, I'm not seeing much of a difference between them. From everything I've always heard, you should never buy the first model year of any vehicle. That is also causing me to think of either a new 2016 Town and Country, or one with a few miles on it.

 

[ultrarunner]

Will you still be able to stay in your budget?

Are you adding to the fleet or will the new vehicle replace existing?

We have had the best luck with Toyota overall...

One thing about having a minivan is you will be taking friends and family more often since everyone can fit...

Also elderly seem to like the seating of a minivan and this has come in handy when I help out taking family/neighbors to their Doctor Appointments.

Never been a big fan of first year and many of my arbitration cases involved first year model launches.

A small van is very handy... the Odyssey has even brought home hay bails in a pinch... with an old tarp spread out first.

 

[HHR]

I'm not 100% sold on the Chrysler, but since we do not have kids, seating comfort isn't much of a concern for us. Having the ability to have the second row seating there for short trips to the restaurant with fiends is the only time they will be used. We are more torn between buying brand new, and a new model year that just came out, the Pacifica, or going with the previous model, the Town and Country. The transmissions for the Pacifica is a 9 speed, and for the Town and Country, it's a 6 speed. There are some other cosmetic changes, and a lot of new technology on the Pacifica, but overall, I'm not seeing much of a difference between them. From everything I've always heard, you should never buy the first model year of any vehicle. That is also causing me to think of either a new 2016 Town and Country, or one with a few miles on it.

If you end up buying a Pacifica, make sure it was built on September 1st or later. The 40,000 they built before that date had an issue with the door coming off in a small offset crash test.

217 Chrysler Pacifica IIHS Top Safety Pick+ Rating - Consumer Reports