Any of y'all thrown in the towel and gotten a minivan?

My wife refuses to cave but their practicality is irrefutable. I'm almost tempted to get one myself. However going from a F-150 to a dang minivan would be a major leap.

We have a 4 year old and a 3 month old. Both obviously in car seats. And we take lots of road trips. My inlaws live 7 hours away in Bandera and we drive to Santa Fe (12 hours) and Disney World (18 hours) yearly. I just think they make an awesome family vehicle.

Just curious if anybody has taken the plunge and what you're thoughts were.

My wife made the switch from a small SUV/crossover to an Odyssey a couple years ago. It's been great. The first time you load those car seats in a crowded parking lot with sliding doors, you'll know you made the right decision.

Also, sitting in back with a buddy streaming football on the screen and drinking beer on the way to gamble in Lake Charles while the wives were in the front was an added bonus.

Getting a mini van is akin to letting yourselves get fat. Don't throw in the towel and give up on life.

On 2nd Odyssey in 17 years. No obesity in my family.. with 2 kids, why wouldn't you get a minivan. .. and for those who think they're too cool for a minivan, no one is really impressed with what you drive. Be practical.

It takes a real man to proudly drive a minivan.

AggieDruggist89 said:

---

On 2nd Odyssey in 17 years. No obesity in my family.. with 2 kids, why wouldn't you get a minivan. .. and for those who think they're too cool for a minivan, no one is really impressed with what you drive. Be practical.

It takes a real man to proudly drive a minivan.

---

Don't you know that it is only manly to drive a jacked up diesel that blows a lot of smoke just like a big twuck?

We have had a Van Called Quest for 5 years now. 100% trouble free and a great family hauler. I would have preferred a Sienna or Oddy for better engineering of storage and cargo configs, but at half the price for used I can't complain.

My wife has the itch now to drive something a little more sophisticated since she spends so much time in the car, but with 3 kids (one over 6 ft tall) we are staring down the barrel of a suburban and I am doing everything I can to talk her out of it. I even offered a G Wagon but she is set on this piece of junk.

TLDR; get a minivan now with small kids. You're not impressing anyone with your inevitable dad bod and screaming offspring.

It is impossible to argue against the practicality of a minivan when you have multiple young (under 8) kids. From a space, efficiency, and ease of use standpoint it is unassailable. My wife also did not want to drive a "dust buster", but I eventually talked her into it after a couple years in an SUV with 2 young kids. Once she got it, and we had a third kid, she loved it. The reason it is great for young kids is the sliding doors and low entry. On a road trip it is amazing how much stuff we can fit in there behind the third row.

Having said that, with just two kids you really don't need the space IMO. The other benefits - sliding doors, low floors, efficiency, room for additional passengers like grandparents - may be worth it. I don't think the modern minivans, especially the Pacifica, look nearly as bad as the styles of 20 years ago.

Now I personally would never - NEVER - have one as my personal daily driver. It is for the wife and I am not that thrilled to drive it on the road trips, so I still have hang ups as far as me personally driving it. But invaluable in the family fleet. Now that our kids are 10,8, and 6 I know my wife's next car could be an SUV but I am sure we would miss the space of the minivan. I'm thinking Ford Explorer Sport since I think I would enjoy driving that 3.5L ecoboost.

As mentioned, with only two kids I'd look at the Ford Explorer and Flex. Both available with the 3.5l boost, plenty of space for two kids and luggage, and a lot more fun to drive.

aggieforester05 said:

---

As mentioned, with only two kids I'd look at the Ford Explorer and Flex. Both available with the 3.5l boost, plenty of space for two kids and luggage, and a lot more fun to drive.

---

You just recommended a station wagon.

Just traded in an explorer sport on a pacifica last week. Early reviews are in, and the Pacifica is awesome!

I obviously can't speak to reliability yet, but it is a very comfortable ride, and the amount of space and conveniences is ridiculous. We have one daughter (age 2) and a boy due in the next few weeks. We used the third row in the explorer fairly regularly hauling around grandparents, other family, etc. and haveing two car seats made the third row basically inaccessible. In the van, you can get to the back without removing the car seat.

Go check them out for yourself and see what you think, my guess is that you will be impressed. As for driving a minivan, it doesn't bother me in the least. Might not look like the coolest car on the road, but it is far from an eye sore, and it is good for my family. It is my wifes ride, by I would have zero issues driving it on a daily basis.

2 kids, got a Sienna. Can't beat getting a car seat out with the sliding doors vs. swing into the car next to you. Press a button and the older one gets herself in. Space with third row up or down, doesn't matter.

Only negative is it's a "mom car." Guess what, you're a mom! (my wife drives it) Getting an SUV somehow takes away from the fact that you're a mom? Own it.

Chose Sienna over Odyssey because of VCM problems and timing belt (Sienna has a chain). Probably would take a better look with the Sienna's new transmission in the 2017s. Good luck!

longeryak said:

---

aggieforester05 said:

---

As mentioned, with only two kids I'd look at the Ford Explorer and Flex. Both available with the 3.5l boost, plenty of space for two kids and luggage, and a lot more fun to drive.

---

You just recommended a station wagon.

---

Because wagons are fckin sweet and the BOOOOST Flex can haul ass with some simple stuff.

Eff minivans and eff crossovers

My wife fought me vehemently on not getting her a minivan. But as soon as she drove it she loved it. My older brother and I both have 3 small children, he has an expedition el and I have an odyssey and to load the kids up or unload them from the odyssey is soo much easier and faster than the Expedition.

The Odyssey is pretty nice ride we have a 2007 EX-L with the DVD system and it has been good so far.

Traded in my 97 Explorer and got a Pacifica. When I was cleaning out my FiL's house, his minivan was instrumental in taking things everywhere to donate and clean up. Plus, when the weather turned bad, it was awesome to open the doors, get in with the little one, strap them in and crawl to the front without getting snowed/rained on.

The Pacifica has been great so far. 5k miles so far and no issues.

~egon

I want one but the wife does not. They have everything you need to make life easier for both parents.

quigley transit or GTFO

Just get the mini van. I struggled with the thought during my wife's entire pregnancy of our third kid. One Saturday I took my very pregnant wife, and two roudy boys to a local dealer to figure it all out. I had the salesguy drag out any sort of suv I could think of and we went at it. I loaded car seats, put the kids in it ...... The whole nice yards. In sure the guy thought we were a circus. We did this for several vehicles.


We eventually pulled out a van and it all clicked for me. I test drove it and never looked black. I bought used so I spent an eternity trying to find a clean one but eventually did. I still have my f150 so I have no problem sporting the odysee on Saturdays to soccer practice and grocery store runs.

Lot of insecure people on auto board. A Minivan is the right tool for the job when dealing with 2+ kids with carseats and needing space for stuff.

Get a weekend car if you really feel the need to show off your non-Minivan sensibilities to total strangers.

We are about to pay off our 2013 Sienna this fall.

It's been a great car. Initially got it because we had two kids, two Great Danes, and a **** ton of stuff we'd haul while visiting the family 3 hours away.

Now that our dogs have passed away we really dont NEED and minivan anymore but due to practicality we're keeping it for many more years.

I'm a man. I'm 40. I'm secure. Anyone adult who trashes minivans are garbage. --Coach Mike Gundy

Second everything here. We're on our 2nd Odyssey with a Tahoe in between. The Odyssey is so much better than the Tahoe in ever facet, it's not even funny (unless you tow something).

The anti people need to get over themselves. They ain't nearly as cool as they think they are. And efficiency and practicality are actually really cool.

Mookie said:

---

My wife has the itch now to drive something a little more sophisticated since she spends so much time in the car, but with 3 kids (one over 6 ft tall) we are staring down the barrel of a suburban and I am doing everything I can to talk her out of it.

---

This is very wrong thinking by her.

I have a 6' daughter and a 6'4" son and they fit so much better in the Odyssey than they did the Tahoe. It is a complete falsehood that the Suburban has more room than a minivan. Just factually wrong.

Turbo v8 is cooler

I have an uncle who is 6'8"; I'm 6'6" and his son is 6'9" (his daughter is 6' and another son is 6'6").

The only place that we could fit is the driver or passenger seat. Everything else only works if you pull the front seats up. This was on a 2004 Suburban and a 201X (new-ish, but not brand new) models.


I can sit in my Pacifica 2nd row with the driver's seat all the way back and have more space than in my uncle's suburban. If you kid is more torso than legs, it might work. But I (and my cousins) are more legs. Suburbans don't have leg room.

~egon

longeryak said:

---

aggieforester05 said:

---

As mentioned, with only two kids I'd look at the Ford Explorer and Flex. Both available with the 3.5l boost, plenty of space for two kids and luggage, and a lot more fun to drive.

---

You just recommended a station wagon.

---

Yes, a big comfy station wagon with a twin turbo V6 and awd. Fun to drive is more important to me than looks. The Flex has plenty of space for two kids. The third row electronically folds flat to make a big cargo area. Overall I think it has more interior space than my brother's Tahoe.

Not as much as a minivan, but certainly not lacking. I'll take the reduced interior space for better handling and acceleration any day.

With 2 kids, I'm a much bigger fan of the midsize SUV with the 3rd row that can be flipped back to storage.

Have a 3-row SUV, regret not getting a minivan. Much more useful.

Bought a Sienna in November. I couldn't be happier with it. It is THE tool for the job. With 3 kids 5 and under, I don't think there is another vehicle that comes close.

Sounds like you should get the mini van. I get they are practical, but I wouldn't want to drive something I hated. We made it just fine with 2 kids and 2 dogs and lots of road trips in a Tahoe.

silverado_lover said:

---

Turbo v8 is cooler

---

FOH with that.

Macarthur said:

---

Mookie said:

---

My wife has the itch now to drive something a little more sophisticated since she spends so much time in the car, but with 3 kids (one over 6 ft tall) we are staring down the barrel of a suburban and I am doing everything I can to talk her out of it.

---

This is very wrong thinking by her.

I have a 6' daughter and a 6'4" son and they fit so much better in the Odyssey than they did the Tahoe. It is a complete falsehood that the Suburban has more room than a minivan. Just factually wrong.

---

One of my BILs got a Sequoia. He is 6'3", his wife is 6', and they took another BIL to the dealer with them who is 6'4". the Sequoia was the only SUV were they had enough leg room in all the separate rows. Their two boys are 10 and 8, but both are going to be over 6'

That being said my parents just got an Oddy because of car seat configuration was better than the Sienna. And my wife's parents roll in a specially equipped Oddy too (FIL is in a wheelchair).

BigPuma said:

---

Macarthur said:

---

Mookie said:

---

My wife has the itch now to drive something a little more sophisticated since she spends so much time in the car, but with 3 kids (one over 6 ft tall) we are staring down the barrel of a suburban and I am doing everything I can to talk her out of it.

---

This is very wrong thinking by her.

I have a 6' daughter and a 6'4" son and they fit so much better in the Odyssey than they did the Tahoe. It is a complete falsehood that the Suburban has more room than a minivan. Just factually wrong.

---

One of my BILs got a Sequoia. He is 6'3", his wife is 6', and they took another BIL to the dealer with them who is 6'4". the Sequoia was the only SUV were they had enough leg room in all the separate rows. Their two boys are 10 and 8, but both are going to be over 6'

That being said my parents just got an Oddy because of car seat configuration was better than the Sienna. And my wife's parents roll in a specially equipped Oddy too (FIL is in a wheelchair).

---

They must be all legs as i'm 6'3" and my head hits the headliner in the Sequoia.

Bought a used 2012 Ford Expedition (with a good number of bells and whistles) a couple years ago and we are done with it already.

Have been waiting for the redesign Odyssey for a few months now and it's almost here. Gas mileage, sliding doors, and most importantly price. A top of the line Odyssey cost the same as a base model Expedition...

I'm done with SUVs for a while. My F150 is awesome and will do all the heavy lifting... For everything else I'm looking forward to joining the minivan crowd.

For a 4 guy golf excursion, nothing beats a minivan.

We've done it in a Tahoe, Suburban, and an Excursion.

It don't matter those cart boys smirk at you when you pull up.. because we're gonna jump out of the minivan and kick everyone's ass on the course anyways....especially those hackers who pull up in their big ass SUVs.

4 sets of golf clubs, and 4 large luggage plus a cooler.. really, minivan is the way to go.

Oh...and while you're gone for a week in the minivan...and Mrs. has to haul kids around in your car.. she'll want the minivan back like yesterday.