ok ladies, i have made the crossover into WANTING a minivan. no suv for me, we have a tahoe and i hate it for the kids...and the camry is breaking my back.


so, im now "on the hunt" for a used minvan (2-5 yrs old) any suggestions? what do you like/hate about your minivan? tips? i'm listening!

I never, ever wanted a van...but I LOVE my Honda Odyssey (2004). There is really nothing that I hate about it -- it fits the kids and all of our stuff -- is great for long road trips.

We made the switch from our Tahoe to a Chevy Venture almost 2 years ago. I love it! I wouldn't go back to an suv if you paid me!(I was a die hard SUV fan) I think ours is an 03. (before they changed to the current body style.) We drove the new one on vacation and didn't like it, it was like driving a truck.

Whatever you decide, I would recommend that the third row seat either folds down or stores (ie Chrysler). When we go to my Dads, we fold it down for cargo room and then fold it back up when we get there so that we can all ride in comfort! If you have to take the 3rd seat out for cargo, then you might as well not have a van!

If you want your kids to watch DVDs on long trips, then you might like the already installed DVD. I didn't care about it when we bought the van, but I like it now for long road trips.

Also go for the extended body if you want any storage with the 3rd row seat. I like the automatic sliding doors (I can open them with the key fob!) great when you have your arms full of kids!!!

I hope this helps!

Almost forgot, I don;t know where he goes to check this, but my DH checks the model we are considering for technical bulletins and then decides if we should buy the extended warranty (saved our butt when the transmission went out on the Tahoe!).

Don't buy a 98-02 Toyota Sienna. They have a design flaw in the engine which causes sludge if the oil is not changed religiously every 3,000 miles. Toyota will fix it for up to 8 years after it was first sold. But, depending on the Toyota dealer, it could be a hassle to get fixed. I know this from experience. The dealer fixed mine with no questions asked. If they want to be difficult, they can make you produce oil change records before they will fix it for free. I only owned mine a week when I discovered the engine needed rebuilt. It's fine now, but I wouldn't go through that again.

We have a used Dodge Caravan. We love it. It is a 2002 so they do not have the fold down seats but we don't need anymore room then with the seats in. I agree with the automatic doors. We only have them on one side but it is great.

I have a Toyota Sienna LE 2005 model and LOVE IT! I just wish I could have upgraded to get the power doors and trunk. I just have one power door. There is so much space inside, runs nice, quiet. has all you cna think of with traveling with kids.

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We buy things we dont need,
with money we dont have,
in order to impress people
we dont like?
(Ramsey, D)

i have the plymouth grandvoyager love my van it has been great we have the grand so it has more trunk space then just the regular voyagers/caravans it really helps with the two/or double strollers plus my 3rd seat folds down or you can fold it and slide it forward. i also like that is has rear heat and air great for really hot day and cold winter days when there are people in the way back. i would suggest trying out several brands and models of vans every one is different you will find ones you hate and ones you love thats what i did i tried nissan,chevy,dodge and ford before i decided. good luck i said i would never drive one but let me tell you they are handy when you have multiple kids or for vacationing.

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'The will of God will never take you where the
Grace of God will not protect you.'

We have a Pontiac Montana and we've had it for 3 years. Here's my list of 'gotta haves':

*Rear heat and air* Not all models do so be sure to check
*Both doors have automatic open* Ours only has it one side - wish I had it on both
*2nd Row seats are captains seats, not a bench seat*
*DVD player can help keep your sanity on long trips*

Have fun shopping!

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"It doesn't matter who you are, or where you come from. The ability to triumph begins with you. Always." ~Oprah~

I will just say Do Not Buy A Nissan Quest. Been there done that and will NEVER buy another Nissan product.

We have a 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan (given to us by my inlaws, so we couldn't beat the price!). It is okay, but when we get a new van it probably won't be a Caravan unless some things have changed. They are known for transmission problems, and I know my ILs had to take it in several times for this before giving it to us (hopefully they're all fixed now). It locks the doors automatically after driving a little -- I like that it does this, BUT it doesn't unlock them when you put it back into park. It is so ANNOYING to put my keys away & then have to get them back out to unlock the sliding doors to get the kids out. It doesn't have the automatic sliding doors, which I think would be really helpful with arms full of kids (but I have heard that they tend to break easily). This may just be for us, but the convertible car seat we have doesn't fit rear-facing in the middle seats, so now I have to climb into the back seat to get Ian into & out of his seat. We don't go very many places now because it's a big pain to do that. My parents have a Honda Odyssey, and they really like it. From what I've ridden in it, I like it too.

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Erin, aka Quentinsmommy, mom to Quentin (1/03) and Ian (1/06)