Back in 2008 my husband and I ended up buying a used car. At the time we had our first son (who was about 9months old) and we were driving an average of 25 miles a day, so we decided that a Dodge Neon was a good match for us. MAN WERE WE WRONG! Within the first year, we had to rebuild the motor out of pocket and we've had various problems ever since. Not to mention the horrible gas milage we recieved (probably due to the problems we are having).
Now we have two kids ages 4 and 1 and I'm about to start babysitting my cousin's newborn. We still have our car and I'm about to go crazy! There is absolutely no room anywhere to put things, especially with the two car seats. Our double stroller barely fits in the trunk, and then I always seem to go grocery shopping on the days I have it in there. That's always fun! I fill up an entire cart of groceries, pay, get out to the car, and it hits me - WHERE am I going to put this?!?. So, although I've never been fond of vans- there was a time when I despised them so much that I said I would NEVER have one- I'm now looking for one. In fact I WANT one!
However, I am REALLY nervious to buy one due to the bad luck I've had with my last auto. I've been researching like crazy about all the problems each of them have and now I'm just more confused - in addition to saftey and storage. Right now I'm leaning toward the Honda Odessey, Toyota Sienna, and Chrysler Town and Country (probably somewhere in the range of 2003 to 2008). But I'm so lost on which would be best. If anyone has any input I'd love to hear it. Or any advice on any other vans.
I would not get a Chrysler only because they are basically the same as a Dodge. I made the mistake of getting a Dodge Neon once and I will never buy anything Dodge or Chrysler again!! I love the Toyota Sienna, and actually have been looking into getting one myself. Toyota and Honda made cars last forever!
Oh yes, come to the dark side! I used to hate mini vans too. But now I think Mini vans RULE :0)
Just got my Toyota Sienna in April after our truck was totaled. We had a town and coutry for our rental and i just loved the convience of the mini van, so we started looking around and decided on the Sienna. We found a 2011 model that had been a loaner for a year so it had about 22k miles on it. I love love love my Toyota Sienna. My ONLY gripe with it is that I can not control the DVD player from the front passenger seat. My SIL has an Odessey and she can control the DVD from the vans radio controls up front.
Here is another similar post that might help:
http://www.mamapedia.com/questions/11331333329627840513
I have owned a Dodge Grand Caravan - LOVED it (with the exception of the maintenance!!! It was 2001 - now my aunt has a 2011 and LOVES it and hasn't had ANY problems with hers).
I loved all the options I had with my Grand Caravan - seating and storage!!!
I now own a Honda Odyssey Touring. Love the seating. Storage kinda sucks. I have a "lazy susan" in the floor board in front of the middle row seats - but I have SIXTEEN (yes 16) cup holders in my van that seats 7. In my Grand Caravan - I had a movable storage unit between the two front seats - it held my cell phone as well as maps, etc. and locked.
I am driving a Toyota Sienna while my van that someone side-swiped after only owning it for 3 weeks is in the shop. Gas mileage sucks. but it has storage out the wazoo!!! I love the center console storage!! I don't like that it's not as comfortable as my Odyssey.
What I would suggest? Take your stroller with you as well as car seats when shopping for a new car. DO NOT take the kids with you until you are narrowed down to two (that's MY opinion) and see how everything FITS.
Go to Consumerreports.org and check out the vans you are interested in.
I personally don't like T&C's they remind me of "granny vans" - sorry. The Grand Caravan HAD a really sporty looking front end compared to the T&C. The reason we didn't buy the Honda in 2001 - there was a 6 month wait and I didn't want to wait!!! LOL!!
When I read the subject line my first thought was Van shoes! lol anyway...
Ok so definitely not a Dodge Caravan...lol...jk. Dodge and Chrysler are basically the same thing so I would steer clear of the Chrysler too. They aren't made to last and you will be dumping money into them especially given the age range you are looking at.
Your best bet would be the Honda or the Toyota. They both last a long time and are very reliable. I don't have one but when we were considering a mini van, the only one I would consider is the Honda, it like the shaping best out of all of them.
One other thing to consider is if you are getting financing. I don't know if you belong to a credit union or if you will be using dealer financing. If you are a member of a credit union you should check with them on the rates for different ages of vehicles. Some charge more for 6 or 10 year old vehicles and if you know that up front you can search within the range that will get you the lowest rate. Good luck.
We've owned all three versions of the Plymouth vans.... Plymouth Voyager, Dodge Caravan, and Chrysler Town and Country... I've loved all of them... we've been driving them since 1989, basically. Our first one was bought new, and we've had 2 used ones since....
We tend to buy very used cars... 120,000 miles plus, so our experiences with maintenance tend to show that things do go wrong at that point... we've had two transmissions rebuilt at about 165,000 miles.... but they've lasted several years after that. (But.... the used ones cost us around $3000, so we expect to need to do some repairs....)
Again.. I really like the feel of those mini-vans... and... I'm a grandma, and my kids are basically grown... yet I STILL like my mini-van!
You can't go wrong with the 3 you listed. However, if you are buying used, it really depends on how WELL the prior owners took care of it. I just went thru this. I bought a used Dodge Grand Caravan Sport and it has been nothing but problems. Next time I will buy from the person who says "all paperwork for maintenance/repairs available". That way, at least there is a *chance* it was kept up. Also, I'm an insurance agent, check with your agent to see the difference in premium and that may help you decide. All you need is the VIN to get an accurate quote. Oh, and I never thought I would drive a van, I have had FOUR! (the WORST was a KIA). And my kids are older, 16, 12 and 9, so the extra space is great when they get bigger and gas mileage is better than SUVs. Good luck!
Do not get a used Town and Country. It's a good car, but it's not made to last. Once it starts to hit the higher milage (85,000+) things start breaking and you need to start investing $$.
We have friends who purchased a used Honda Oddessy a few years ago. It's now appproaching 200K miles and is going strong. They've had very few repairs.
Love our sienna. Compare the third row in the sienna and odyssey. When i bought ours, the sienna had so much more space and an extra latch system back there.
I don't think you really can go wrong there. It will be a long long time before I give up my minivan ( especially with 4 kids).
Vans are great!
My Husband now says that he'd never get anything else.
It fits everything and 7 people in ours.
It is so convenient.
LOVE our van.
Toyota Sienna.
If you go used, it has to be a "certified" used car, from the dealer.
I have friends who have the Honda vans. And they love it. Too.
I have a 2006 Toyota Sienna and my neighbors with kids have Honda Odysseys. We all love our minivans. My Sienna has so much trunk space. It is roomy for the kids. It drives really well. We haven't had to do any major repairs on it, just tire replacement and maintenance stuff. We drive it around the city and have taken it on long road trips. It has served our needs well in both cases. We have 5 kids. It's a little snug when we go on a two week driving vacation with all the stuff we will need in the van, but it fits everything. I can go on a big Costco trip and still have room for Fred Meyer stuff too. I would recommend a Sienna to anyone.
My friend got rid of her Town and Country about a year ago. It needed too many repairs once it hit 50,000 miles. She bought a Honda !
I bought a used SUV a few yrs ago, I asked if I could bring the SUV to my mechanic. I did. He checked it over completely ! It was so worth it.
You can always go to your local library and see if they have past Consumer Report Magazines.
Check the carfax, too !
Love our 2010 Odyssey!!!
My husband and I purchased a 2011 Toyota Sienna last year...we love it! We got the "Swagger Wagon" van (youtube the video, pretty cute!). We are on the go with 3 kids ranging from 8-13 and 2 large dogs and we always seem to have room for everything. My husband also had a 07 Sienna from work for 3 years without any problems and drove over 100,000 miles on it. I had a 2001 Ford Windstar a few years ago and loved it as well, until the engine started acting up in '08. It seems like Toyota's run forever...
I've heard Toyotas and Hondas are awesome...they were a bit out of our price range when we went van-shopping. We ended up getting a used Mazda MPV with a 5 year/100,000 mile warranty. We have been extremely pleased with it. My thoughts on vehicles in general...you never know what's going to happen. Yes, Toyotas and Hondas are great/reliable/etc....but there is still the chance something major could go wrong. My parents had Dodge Caravans for a long time while I was growing up...a 1985, 1993, and 2003. They bought them all 2-4 years old...all of them lasted close to 200,000 miles without any major repairs (ie. transmission, engine, etc.). Then they either sold them or traded them in and got something else. I told my husband I would rather get something a little older...and get a warranty. According to consumer reports, Toyota Siennas are by far the best. Our Mazda MPV is a 2004, it has stow and go seats in the very back...the middle seats slide so that it can either be a bench seat or two captain seats (or whatever those are called...you know what I mean...). It has a DVD player and some other neat features. We've been really loving it...and It fit perfectly in our price range. We have friends that owe way more on their Honda Odyssey than it's worth now :/.
(Also...I REALLY don't like Dodge Neons...I would consider a Dodge Caravan...but never a Neon.)
I have a 2008 town and country. Love it!
