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Posted: 2/16/2020 1:52:33 PM EDT
[#1]
I hated the idea of a minivan. Swore I’d never own one. Then we had a third kid and needed something with room for 3 car seats. I approached it objectively, trying to keep an open mind. Looked at a ton of SUV’s with 3rd row seating. WAY too expensive. The van was more affordable, as well appointed, and easier to live with. Ended up with a 2014 Town and Country with 18k on the odometer. This was early 2016 and I paid just over $20k for it out the door.
Fast forward to today. Have had no issues. Have driven it all up and down the east coast. It’s roomy, comfortable, easy on gas, and extremely versatile with the stow and go seats. In less than 5 minutes (including car seat removal) I can go from hauling 5 people to hauling full sheets of plywood and drywall in the back. Plenty of room inside for a 5 person family and their gear for multiple day road trips. Gets an average of 24mpg with an even mix of city and highway time. I’m a convert. Even though I have a pretty nice truck, and the missus has her car, and our oldest can ride up front now (time flies and they grow like weeds!) I don’t see myself getting rid of the van anytime soon. It’s been paid off for years, costs next to nothing to own and operate, is reliable, roomy, comfortable, and drives like a normal sedan with one notable exception... The stock factory brakes are not even close to being enough for a vehicle of this size and weight with 5 people and all their stuff inside. On our way to deep creek, MD right after I bought it, even using engine braking when I could I ended up burning the pads off, warping the rotors, and heating them up to the point that the anti-locks were firing under normal braking pressure on hills. Slotted rotors and good pads took care of that. Aside from that one little issue I’ve been supremely happy with the Town and Country. ETA: page 2 ownage |
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Posted: 2/16/2020 1:58:48 PM EDT
[#2]
This thread smells like old spilled milk and Cheez Its.
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Posted: 2/16/2020 2:02:29 PM EDT
[#3]
I've had 4---1986? Plymouth, 1989 Dodge (Turbo 4cyl), 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan, and a 1991 (used, from a friend) and used as a station car and for my teenage sons to use.
Perfect car for that. The headliner was falling down--fixed with a staple gun---and the paint was all peeling off the hood. . . We called it the "Chick-magnet". . . The 1st 3 were bought or leased new. Don't remember how many miles I put on the '86--it was a company lease. I put 123K on the '89, and then it was stolen--recovered but trashed. Put well over 100K on the 2002--can't remember but we had it 12 years. . . For a family with little kids they are, hands down, the most practical car you can own. Holds lots of people, stuff or a mixture. With a rack or cargo carrier you can pack 2 weeks of cargo and 4 people no problem. Low rocker panel height makes it easier to get people or stuff in/out. . . Front wheel drive so mine all worked well in snow. |
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Posted: 2/16/2020 2:03:20 PM EDT
[#4]
Our 2004 Odyssey is still going strong. Once the kids are at `i know how to open a car door without banging it into the car next to us' age we will be picking up a Pilot. The honda v6 is awesome.
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Posted: 2/16/2020 2:12:35 PM EDT
[#5]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Minivans are underrated. The average basic bitch suburban soccer mom drives a Yukon/Denali/Tahoe/Suburban these days. So the stereotype minivans once had is gone in my mind. You are correct, the yoga pants moms in the suburban hauling Kolton and Kadence around are the bigger stereotype. |
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Posted: 2/16/2020 2:14:48 PM EDT
[#6]
Thinking you are somehow a cooler dad than a minivan driver with your SUV is the vehicular equivalent of sporting a combover.
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Posted: 2/16/2020 2:16:11 PM EDT
[#7]
Minivans are insanely practical. I love ours.
My ego isn’t so fragile that it’s tied to the vehicle I drive. Somehow driving a pickup as a middle age balding pear shaped suburbanite makes you tuff, but driving a practical vehicle that will do 99% of everything you need it to do makes you a fag. I have yet to make a Menards run that left me saying: “gee I wish I had a tall car with an open 4ft trunk to haul all of this stuff in!” Around here tahoes and suburbans are the minivans... 2020 suburban cargo room: MAX CARGO 121.7 cu. ft. 2020 pacifica cargo room: 140.5 cu ft The general public and the vast majority of GD posters are literal retards, who cares what they think about what you’re driving? |
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Posted: 2/16/2020 2:17:42 PM EDT
[#8]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Thinking you are somehow a cooler dad than a minivan driver with your SUV is the vehicular equivalent of sporting a combover. |
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Posted: 2/16/2020 2:26:50 PM EDT
[#9]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
AWD Sienna Should be able to find a 2016-17 in that price range Actually they just put a transmission in it at 385k I believe. Figure that thing will see 400 easy. |
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Posted: 2/16/2020 2:52:33 PM EDT
[#10]
vote for Sienna, recently gave ours away to a friend - it was a 99 and had no major problems, still see it driving around town. Lots of room, had good power for the highway, reliable.
My only issue with it was the door handles - they broke a lot - finally ended up getting a metal one instead of plastic - seems to be a common problem so looks like someone made the metal one as a fix. |
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Posted: 2/16/2020 2:54:23 PM EDT
[#11]
/thread |
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Posted: 2/16/2020 3:12:41 PM EDT
[#12]
Had a top of the line sienna that my ex kept in the divorce that was nice. Lots of room, quick, leather, moon roof, and heated seats but the second time around getting a van I realized that the kids and significant other were going to trash it. So I bought the cheapest van I could find I got a new caravan for them to abuse with an extended warranty. The leather was nice but a pain in the ass during summer. Finding old fries, animal crackers and dried milk on the leather would piss me off. And the car seats and booster seats were leaving Mark's on the leather. Both of them were reliable with nothing but oil changes and tires.
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Posted: 2/16/2020 3:17:49 PM EDT
[#13]
There will be lots of posts from insecure people deriding the minivan. Don't listen. They are blind. They are vain. They have no soul.
The minivan is the most sublime of all automotive genres. It will out handle most SUV's, CUV's, Pickups, full sizes vans, and brodozers and it will do it with a better ride. It has decent power and decent gas mileage. It has more room, that is easier to get to, at an ideal height, with better ingress and egress than SUV's, CUV's and wagons. The outward vision is spectacular. A cinemagraphic windshield experience. It is the ultimate vacation vehicle. It is life. It is even the difference between life and death for one posters family. The joy of extracting every ounce of engine and handling performance in a heavily loaded minivan while on durable all-seasons. Dear God, bless Lee Iacoca. Bonus points to the man who teaches his family how to properly lean in unison to enhance vehicle stability whilst taking mountain road hairpins. The joys of passing the Audi family that lacks the side leaning skill and the will, guts and determination to win the race to the view overlook. The victory celebration when the double sliding doors open releasing the troops to shriek in victory and dash for the bathrooms while the SUV family remains helplessly caught in the no man's land between their own hinged doors. If the head of the Secret Service was too uncomfortable to tell her men to never try to skip the bill on a Columbian prostitute, the least she could have done as a woman, who shouldn't have been macho pressured, is properly fit the force with minivans. With open tailgate and open side doors, it's the Huey of the road. |
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Posted: 2/16/2020 3:20:56 PM EDT
[#14]
We had minivans when our kids were growing up. Best choice ever. Ours were Grand Caravans and a Town & Country. All were really comfortable and had no significant issues/repairs. Our neighbor bought a Pacifica 2 years ago and loves it.
Hondas and Toyotas will hold their values better. |
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Posted: 2/16/2020 3:23:39 PM EDT
[#15]
The last half of this thread has restored my faith in the practicality, sensibility and soul of Arfcom.
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Posted: 2/16/2020 3:25:29 PM EDT
[#16]
2017 chrysler pacifica has been great. With 2 kids, its fantastic.
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Posted: 2/16/2020 3:31:01 PM EDT
[#17]
Quote HistoryHilarious back in the 2000s on dragstrips destroying tuner Civics and Eclipses.
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Posted: 2/16/2020 3:40:23 PM EDT
[#18]
Wife put 13 years and 260k on a Sienna. replaced it a year ago and figured the kids were big enough [driving themselves], so we got a sedan. We have regretted it on several occasions when we needed the space.
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Posted: 2/16/2020 3:42:36 PM EDT
[#19]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
There will be lots of posts from insecure people deriding the minivan. Don't listen. They are blind. They are vain. They have no soul. The minivan is the most sublime of all automotive genres. It will out handle most SUV's, CUV's, Pickups, full sizes vans, and brodozers and it will do it with a better ride. It has decent power and decent gas mileage. It has more room, that is easier to get to, at an ideal height, with better ingress and egress than SUV's, CUV's and wagons. The outward vision is spectacular. A cinemagraphic windshield experience. It is the ultimate vacation vehicle. It is life. It is even the difference between life and death for one posters family. The joy of extracting every ounce of engine and handling performance in a heavily loaded minivan while on durable all-seasons. Dear God, bless Lee Iacoca. Bonus points to the man who teaches his family how to properly lean in unison to enhance vehicle stability whilst taking mountain road hairpins. The joys of passing the Audi family that lacks the side leaning skill and the will, guts and determination to win the race to the view overlook. The victory celebration when the double sliding doors open releasing the troops to shriek in victory and dash for the bathrooms while the SUV family remains helplessly caught in the no man's land between their own hinged doors. If the head of the Secret Service was too uncomfortable to tell her men to never try to skip the bill on a Columbian prostitute, the least she could have done as a woman, who shouldn't have been macho pressured, is properly fit the force with minivans. With open tailgate and open side doors, it's the Huey of the road. 
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Posted: 2/16/2020 4:46:58 PM EDT
[#20]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
..........................With open tailgate and open side doors, it's the Huey of the road. |
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Posted: 2/16/2020 4:53:24 PM EDT
[#21]
I was going to renovate a house. I purchased a Caravan instead of a truck, figured just as much space and nobody is stealing my stuff. Ended up driving it across country and back. It was awesome.
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Posted: 2/16/2020 5:06:38 PM EDT
[#22]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
We just retired our Honda Odyssey. AC and motor mount issues. Repetitively. Side door motor issues. If I needed one today I would get the Toyota. Honda, in my opinion, has had quality issues for a few years. I just posted this in the Honda v. Traverse I have or had 5 Dodge /Chrysler minivans 4th gen all have gone over 251K (one of the current) and some way more than that. Nothing more than oil, filters, tires one set of struts and I dont think they where needed on that one. One alternator on the 2011 fifth gen (90K). Seats hold up and interior has no cracks. I would not buy one without stow & go seats |
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Posted: 2/16/2020 5:10:40 PM EDT
[#23]
Quote HistoryIndeed. I know the guy driving that van, and it is nice. I have a turbo mini with the manual trans. 28mpg on the way home from CO when I picked it up. My wife actually likes it even though the paint is peeling off. It's the finest minivan ever made! |
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Posted: 2/16/2020 5:21:43 PM EDT
[#24]
I really like our 2019 Grand Caravan.
Excellent for long trips, camping, and so much cargo space since the seats fold flat into the floor. Plenty of power and all the amenities, it’s a joy to drive. |
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Posted: 2/16/2020 5:26:10 PM EDT
[#25]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
They are awesome! Would have one now but it was not in the used car cards when I was looking to replace the old one. I have a 13 and 16 year old, and would still be driving a mini van! They rock. Had an Odyssey (had 200K plaus on it when it died) - to me you either buy that or a Sienna as your only choices. |
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Posted: 2/16/2020 5:27:32 PM EDT
[#26]
Had good luck with used Dodge Caravans
Buy at about 60k mileage and run til they croak or hit a deer Kids are gone and each drove the old one at college Always room for their friends and no one messes with an old minivan The Chrysler vans with stow and go seating have the spare tire stored between The front seats and back just a bit UNDERNEATH THE VAN Good luck getting it out without two floor jacks or a tow truck when you have a flat FORD WINDSTARS, run Forrest run Grade A junk |
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Posted: 2/16/2020 5:40:46 PM EDT
[#27]
I never liked minivans, until my wife got one, a Mazda 5 from the last year they made them (2015.)
It was two years old when we got it, and its been a really great vehicle. The kids have more room in the back seat than they did in my wife's Explorer! And, the engine is pretty peppy for a 4 cylinder. We just took it on our second 1000+ mile road trip, and had no problems packing in four people and a bunch of stuff. I wish it had a little more leg room, but i'm 6'2", so most cars don't have enough room for me. |
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Posted: 2/16/2020 5:50:48 PM EDT
[#28]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Hilarious back in the 2000s on dragstrips destroying tuner Civics and Eclipses. Quote HistoryQuoted:
I knew a guy when I lived in Colorado and he'd take it to the drag strip all the time. He'd also grey the kids in theit stickered fart can muffler hondas to race him from light to light. Edit: fucking auto correct sucks. |
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Posted: 2/16/2020 5:55:54 PM EDT
[#29]
I don't personally like minivans. But my Dad (in his 70's) loves the easy access, low loading height, ease of pulling the seats out to make room for a ton of shit, etc. Basically, he's been driving mini vans for the last 25 years. He typically keeps them 7 or so years, then buys new again. Often, the used one winds up with my oldest sister, and she drives it until the wheels fall off. They've had good luck with Chryslers. Pops buys the loaded models, and the electronics have held up better than I would have thought, and you can often get a much steeper discount on the pricing with an American minivan.
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Posted: 2/16/2020 6:00:28 PM EDT
[#30]
18 Odyssey in the driveway now. Damn thing's dash is like a space shuttle/757. Still trying to figure out why the FUCK does a minivan need PADDLESHIFT option especially with a 9 spd trans. Don't like the lane deviation warning system shaking the steering wheel if you touch a fog line (turned off now since mom cant drive now). The auto braking is annoying. Only 8-10 presets for siriusxm and only fucking 3 for FM. Radio doesn't like usb sticks left in. Have to pull it out and reinsert it at times to get it to work. What really irks me is the fucking disclaimer that pops up on the radio EVERYTIME YOU FUCKING START THE DAMN THING.
I get whatever vehicle mom has when she passes. I tried to get her to trade it for a 3/4t crew cab 4x4 but she said no. The second this van is in my name, trading it in. Only has 15K miles on it. |
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Posted: 2/16/2020 6:10:59 PM EDT
[#31]
2013 T&C with 135k miles. Besides replacing the rear A/C condenser just basic maintenance so far. I was one of those "I'll never own one" but I love ours. Has all the bells and whistles to keep the kids quiet.
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Posted: 2/16/2020 6:18:50 PM EDT
[#32]
We owned two AWD Astro Vans over a 16 year period while my kids were growing up. Awesome vehicles for families with small kids.
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Posted: 2/16/2020 6:22:51 PM EDT
[#33]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Thinking you are somehow a cooler dad than a minivan driver with your SUV is the vehicular equivalent of sporting a combover. |
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Posted: 2/16/2020 6:50:26 PM EDT
[#34]
I tried for years to convince my wife to trade in her SUV for a minivan. One day she was helping her friend get her kids out of their van and she later told me she wanted to go take a look at a minivan. I narrowed it down between the Toyota and Honda based on reviews. We test drove both and she liked the Honda. I preferred the Toyota and the deciding factor was the better deal/service given to us by the Toyota dealer. She loves it and keeps telling me she wished she would have listened to me years ago, especially when the kids were little.
Her Sienna has the same seating capacity as her old SUV (Armada), more usable cargo space, and easily gets double the MPG. The ride is smoother in the Sienna and the kids can climb in and out so much easier/quicker. My 18 year old daughter even likes driving it compared to her own car (Sentra). |
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Posted: 2/16/2020 6:58:21 PM EDT
[#35]
I have found myself looking at the siennas lately. We only have one kid but damn my wife's 4runner is uncomfortable on long trips. I think it would also make an ultimate deer camp vehicle. I think the newer Siennas actually look pretty slick in all black.
When I was traveling a lot to LA, I had a older korean dude who was my driver. He usually drove his clients around in a Mercedes E-class. One time he picked me up in a loaded, blacked out Sienna. That thing was fucking baller. |
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Posted: 2/17/2020 9:17:56 PM EDT
[#36]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Who said a SUV is cooler than a minivan? The only difference is how the rear doors open. We only had 3 kids so we never bought a minivan. They are both family haulers. Just pick the right one for the size of your family. Since this is GD, get both. |
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Posted: 2/17/2020 9:21:38 PM EDT
[#37]
I really wish proper wagons would make a comeback.
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Posted: 2/17/2020 9:24:06 PM EDT
[#38]
FPNI.
I normally would take any Honda over its Toyota counterpart, but the AWD in the Sienna wins. |
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Posted: 2/17/2020 9:27:27 PM EDT
[#39]
We've got a 2009 Honda Odyssey we purchased new. It's got over 150,000 miles on
it now and still runs great. Even with the kids grown now my wife likes it as her daily driver. |
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Posted: 2/17/2020 9:41:19 PM EDT
[#40]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I really wish proper wagons would make a comeback. 
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Posted: 2/17/2020 9:44:08 PM EDT
[#41]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
They're called crossovers. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
I really wish proper wagons would make a comeback. 
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Posted: 2/17/2020 9:46:28 PM EDT
[#42]
Pacifica is the rolls Royce of minivans
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Posted: 2/17/2020 9:47:08 PM EDT
[#43]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I think you're gonna want to buy a Japanese one, that's all I can really offer. |
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Posted: 2/17/2020 9:48:32 PM EDT
[#44]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I really wish proper wagons would make a comeback. |
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Posted: 2/17/2020 9:49:13 PM EDT
[#45]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Our 2016 just blew a transmission at 125k. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
I would buy another Chrysler Minivan in a heartbeat. Can happen to any brand. |
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Posted: 2/17/2020 9:49:14 PM EDT
[#46]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I really wish proper wagons would make a comeback. When I was a kid my dad had a diesel station wagon. It was really heavy and kinda slow but we took it deer hunting and took it on vacation. I remember having enough room to stretch out and lay down in the back on the way to St. Louis one summer. When we woke up from a nap, mom and dad had switched seats (front bench) without stopping. |
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Posted: 2/17/2020 10:03:56 PM EDT
[#47]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
No. 
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Posted: 2/17/2020 10:10:16 PM EDT
[#48]
I would drive a AWD minivan. Lots of storage and AWD. But would I also prefer a 4WD Suburban or Expedition.
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Posted: 2/17/2020 10:10:36 PM EDT
[#49]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Pacifica is the rolls Royce of minivans  Attached File |
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Posted: 2/17/2020 10:21:59 PM EDT
[#50]
We have a ‘16 T&C we bought with 44K in 2017 from rental fleet for <$20K. Closing on 90K now with no issues. I bought a 2008 Grand Caravan after that as a daily driver... I can leave up one or two of the center seats to haul the kids to school, or fold them into the floor and haul 4x8 sheets of wood/drywall. That one has issues at around 190K, but mostly due to being totaled by the previous owner and thrown together enough to get on the road.
Lots of our friends/family have the Odyssey or Sienna (as seen in this thread, they seem to be more “popular,” for reasons I don’t understand... and we’re talking about minivans so none of them are “cool” when it comes down to it) but the resale value is too high for me as I’m buying used and driving until they are used up. And the lack of center row stow and go is a deal killer for me, so I haven’t seriously looked at them. I wrestled the seats out of a pre-“stow and go” van... once... never again. I don’t think there is a significant reliability advantage with any of them, 200K+ seems reasonable to expect with only minor issues from any of them (of course, there are exceptions). We’ve driven a couple of the older ones (2000-2005) into the 230K range. The newer (5th gen?) 2008+ Dodge/Chrysler model is significantly better than the previous generation when it comes to rust resistance. My 2008 shows no signs and it’s been an IN/OH vehicle. The previous generation models are all rust buckets. |
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