I was looking at getting a minivan in the near future. I've heard that there are really only two options - the Honda or the Toyota. I know there are others out there, but are those really the only two options that are worth considering? Thanks guys!

New Pacifica looks nice but no long term reliability or quality data yet.

I guess I get the jokes, but is there anything that can compete with the practicality of a minivan as a people mover?

Is the Pacifica all new? I thought it was a crossover type vehicle. Is it just a re-badged Caravan?

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Just like cargo shorts

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Just like cargo shorts

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bro, you cant defend minivan ownership then turn around and have righteous indignation about cargo shorts.

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you bet your ass i can

Your merkin?

Not sure how they hold up long term, but a guy at the office test drove the Kia mini van and that thing was tricked out. Center row reclining seats with foot rests, multi angle parking cameras etc. I was rather impressed, and I only sat in it in the parking lot of the office.

He was ready to pull the trigger and decided life with no payment is better than life with a payment.

I really like the Kia Sorento for a minivan.....

also obligatory FZJ80 suggestion.

Kia is okay, but it is still a distant third to Honda & Toyota.

I've owned two Odyssey's and they are just great vehicles. The newest generation has imporved fuel economy and has significantly improved the road noise issues.

When I have it loaded with people and stuff, it will cruise very nicely at 75 and get around 25 MPG.

http://www.motortrend.com/cars/chrysler/town-&-country/2015/the-big-test-2014-2015-minivans/

I posted a thread a couple of months ago about this. Looking at a Pacifica and/or Toyota. Odyssey is out.


Good review - Owner of current Honda. I test drove and came away with the same impression.


Pacifica - allpar.com. Homer site, but decent review of the vehicle. Matched my thoughts on a test drive.


The Sienna is the only thing I could see that matched the Pacifica technology-wise. Their 8th seat honestly looks like a airline stewardess seat at the front. The Pac actually looks and sits like a seat.

The bigger issue right now is the pain of removing the seats vs. folding down inside. How often are you going to do that? And does having a full size spare matter to you?

The Odyssey drove fine, but the technology in it (2016) all seemed like "oh s***, we need to put something in. Uhh...how about this?" And a few of their 'safety features' were way more distracting that helpful (as noted in the review above).

~egon

Have a 2013 Sienna. 40k miles on it. No complaints other than it could be a bit quieter. With the kids being little and lugging all their crap everywhere, its been awesome. Plan on keeping it until the wheels fall off.

family friend just got an odyssey instead of a kia, surprisingly because the honda was cheaper.

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The bigger issue right now is the pain of removing the seats vs. folding down inside. How often are you going to do that? And does having a full size spare matter to you?

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We've taken ours out once. It wasn't hard but the second row slides up so far, removing them rarely becomes a need.

If you're in Houston give Buck at Tegeler Toyota a call, I'm sure he can help you out. I picked up my Tundra from him and couldn't have had an easier experience.

Three families that I know of have left Honda when they upgraded. One needed to be "cool" and got a Tahoe and the other two went with the Toyota van.

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My wife wants a Yukon XL really bad but no payments vs. a $65k kid hauler is just insane.

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I currently drive an old explorer and don't mind getting another one. But the starting gate is $10k more than a minivan; why would I pay that?

~egon

I think that review of the above Odyssey is garbage. That dude seems like someone I would want to punch in the face.

I decided to get a Sienna and not an Odyssey because of VCM, Honda's 20 year track record of bad transmissions, and not having to deal with a timing belt.

Thanks for all the replies, serious or not. Seems like there are a few more decent options. I like the look and the features on the Pacifica, but I'm pretty gun shy when it comes to Chrysler/Dodge products. For no other reason than what I've heard on the internet. Has Dodge gotten better in the last few years?

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Thanks for all the replies, serious or not. Seems like there are a few more decent options. I like the look and the features on the Pacifica, but I'm pretty gun shy when it comes to Chrysler/Dodge products. For no other reason than what I've heard on the internet. Has Dodge gotten better in the last few years?

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There'll be no love for Dodges here. My experience: I sold an '01 Caravan about a year and a half ago with 350,000 miles. Nothing but typical maintenance stuff. I still see it around town.

I replaced it with an '09 Caravan with 100K miles. It now has 153,000 miles. I've replaced 1 wheel bearing and a heater hose on the '09.

I recall someone posting up a decent used van for sale....
Needed a little work?
May be worth considering?....

http://texags.com/forums/46/topics/2762905/replies/46668953

You can get one of these into the 12s if you up the boost. Also available with a manual.