Hell has frozen over

My lease on my MDX is up in a few months. I am nearing the limit of my mileage. I am in the market for a new car. One big enough, of course, for the 5 of us. Also I would love captains chairs in the middle.

DH wants a Yukon or Suburban. I drive his big truck around (crew cab, long bed, dually) and I have issues parking it in a spot with other cars around or in a space that is not meant for an 18 wheeler. My other issue is the one I want would be $47,000+++. I started kicking around the idea of a minivan. I looked at a fully loaded (with DVD and Navi systems) Honda or Toyota and they are both right around $40,000 which is much closer to my monthly payment now. Budgeting in an extra $20 a month is easier than an extra $300.

I am a major anti mini van person but I guess with 3 kids and not millions in the bank you have to bite the bullet sometime right? (I am going to go back to school and become a teacher so in 5 years I will get my non minivan ness back - yay!! dual incomes!)

Message edited 10/11/2007 9:28:53 AM.

Re: Hell has frozen over

Noooo Karen! Don't do it I'm major anti-minivan. No offense to anyone, I just can't see myself driving one. I had a Yukon the other day and it really wasn't as big as I thought it was. I was able to park fine. I have an Envoy now, but will go into an Acadia next time.

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I'm not a mini-van fan either, but they are super convenient. I have the Honda Pilot and it works really well for us without being too big. Have you looked into something like that? I actually saw a commercial last night for the new ones and they're really nice.

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We're getting a minivan later this year, probably the Sienna. They really don't look much different than the crossovers anymore. My friend has a Pilot with a 3rd row and one of the mom's in Sarah's class has an Acadia and they both told me that it's a PITA to get at the carseat in the 3rd row. But they both have young kids who need help in and out of the seats, so maybe since you have an older one it wouldn't be so bad.

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I was very anti-minivan, but we really researched and found we got sooo much more for our $ if we went with a minivan than a smaller-SUV that we were originally considering. We got a Chrystler Town & Country...seating for 7, Stow & Go seats (fantastic feature, we've stowed the seats sooo many times when we weren't planning on it, we didn't have to take them out, etc...), decent gas mileage, soo much room to transport car seats, stroller, bouncy seat, groceries, everything together!!! And we only have 1 child!!

We love it, we really do. I was able to walk from the front seat to the back row to get something when we were parked and it was raining.

Oh, plus..one of th best features...keyless opening and closing of the trunk and the sliding side doors...I can be carrying the infant seat, diaper bag, purse, and groceries, and NOT have to put stuff down to open the door.

ETA: Plus, I wanted every safety feature known to man. It has side-curtain airbags and was top-rated for side impact crashes even w/o the airbags. That really sealed the deal! And right after we bought it, our neighbors who have the same car were in a very serious accident in their van and it rolled, and they all walked away unscathed (obviously every situation is different, etc...but it was nice to hear!)

Message edited 10/11/2007 10:39:02 AM.

Re: Hell has frozen over

Posted by chmlengr

Noooo Karen! Don't do it I'm major anti-minivan. No offense to anyone, I just can't see myself driving one. I had a Yukon the other day and it really wasn't as big as I thought it was. I was able to park fine. I have an Envoy now, but will go into an Acadia next time.

Re: Hell has frozen over

Don't do it!!!!

I am soooo anti mini-van. How about a cross over, like the Ford Edge, or one of those type cars. I know, they are essentially the same thing, but at least it's not a mini-van per se

Whatever you choose, good luck. I'm sure it will be nice either way

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Posted by pmpkn087

Don't do it!!!!

I am soooo anti mini-van. How about a cross over, like the Ford Edge, or one of those type cars. I know, they are essentially the same thing, but at least it's not a mini-van per se

Whatever you choose, good luck. I'm sure it will be nice either way

Re: Hell has frozen over

Posted by KPtoys

Posted by pmpkn087

Don't do it!!!!

I am soooo anti mini-van. How about a cross over, like the Ford Edge, or one of those type cars. I know, they are essentially the same thing, but at least it's not a mini-van per se

Whatever you choose, good luck. I'm sure it will be nice either way

We need a lot of storage space we go upstate to the inlaws 8-10x a year and spend July upstate

Re: Hell has frozen over

kids when they are bad

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I am going throught the same situation. I have a Land Rover, DH has a Dodge 1500 but I feel the my truck will be to small for when we have more kids. It is perfect now, and I dont even have to fold up my stroller, I just put it right in the back.

We were just at the Yukon dealer 2 weeks ago and even though it is bigger I left liking my truck better, I thought I have more trunk space because the 3rd row takes up so much room and do not fold down completely. We too go upstat to visit my parents and I NEED ROOM. Fully equipped the truck was around $50,000 (navigation, DVD, 3rd row). I believe they had a special of $3000 off the price, but I am sure there is something new now that it is Oct.

Have you looked at the Explorer or the Envoy? I think I am going hold off a while - a mini-van is def out of the question for me.

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I can't wait to get a minivan! I was preggo with my one and tried to convince Leo and he would not budge. now he sees the error in his ways

We rented one for the week this summer while on vacation, it was great. So roomy. Good on gas. Storage under seats...I am sold.

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DW and I are anti-minivan, but we rented one on our trip to Oregon, so we could carry other people around, plus the two of us, and two DC in car seats. Man, it's hard to ignore how convenient they are! They are designed for parents of several kids, so there are a lot of handy features. When we get another vehicle, we're going to be looking at minivans, as well as SUVs....

Re: Hell has frozen over

I can't wait for a mini van. A new car for me just isn't in the budget right now. I have a Trailblazer EXT so that serves us fine for now.
I think the new minivans are super nice!

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While personally I'm not ready to drive a mini-van, I can logically see why it would make sense to get one from an economic standpoint. We have a CR-V and I cringe when I have to put $45 to fill up the tank. I couldn't imagine paying $90 for a gas guzzler

Re: Hell has frozen over

I don't have a mini-van but you can fit stuff & 3+ kids in it. Can you even fit 3 kids into an SUV?

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I have a Suburban, my last 3 trucks have been Suburbans.I love it. Actually it isn't hard to park or drive. It took me about 2 days to totally feel comfortable. What I don't like about a minivan is there isn't alot of trunk space and if you get rearended and someone is sitting in the back seat they can be hurt. The Suburban has a full trunk. I also feel very secure in it, The only down fall is it takes $80 to fill and eats gas.

stephanie

BTW: I have 3 kids and I can always fit all their friends.

Re: Hell has frozen over

Just wondering what was wrong with minivans? Do they carry that bad of a stigma?

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I'm antiminivan and drive a Toyota Sienna! Function over form in this case for us.

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i am anti mini van and was going to get one. but i went to check out the gmc arcadia and fell in love with it. has 3rows and the second row moves like the seats in a minivan. its very roomy and the seats are much more comfortable that your typical 3rd row suv. im getting mine in feb when my lease is up. good luck to you with whatever you choose.

Re: Hell has frozen over

Posted by nbc188

I was very anti-minivan, but we really researched and found we got sooo much more for our $ if we went with a minivan than a smaller-SUV that we were originally considering. We got a Chrystler Town & Country...seating for 7, Stow & Go seats (fantastic feature, we've stowed the seats sooo many times when we weren't planning on it, we didn't have to take them out, etc...), decent gas mileage, soo much room to transport car seats, stroller, bouncy seat, groceries, everything together!!! And we only have 1 child!!

We love it, we really do. I was able to walk from the front seat to the back row to get something when we were parked and it was raining.

Oh, plus..one of th best features...keyless opening and closing of the trunk and the sliding side doors...I can be carrying the infant seat, diaper bag, purse, and groceries, and NOT have to put stuff down to open the door.

ETA: Plus, I wanted every safety feature known to man. It has side-curtain airbags and was top-rated for side impact crashes even w/o the airbags. That really sealed the deal! And right after we bought it, our neighbors who have the same car were in a very serious accident in their van and it rolled, and they all walked away unscathed (obviously every situation is different, etc...but it was nice to hear!)

Re: Hell has frozen over

You know, I have always been a majpr anti-minivan person. I love love love my SUV. But I have been kicking the idea around about getting one, just because they are so much easier to get the kids in and out of, especially since we are planning on having another. I say if it would be more convenient for you then go for it.