Mini Vans / Suv's

Please tell me what you have, and what you like, dislike about it.

Preferably those with 3+ kids.

There is no denying if things go as planned, We cannot fit three car seats and a triple ( or maybe double ) stroller in either of our Cars.

TIA!

Re: Mini Vans / Suv's

We have a Kia Sedona EX, fully loaded and I love everything about it. It has a 5 year bumper to bumper warranty and we extended it to 10 year.
The power doors are awesome. My 3 year old can climb in her seat herself, all I have to do is buckle. It has 60/40 seats in the back row if you need extra cargo room.
Gas mileage so far has been 18mpg and that's pretty much around town driving, almost no hwy.
Best thing....it's affordable with all the options. Leather, power, DVD, heated seats, etc. The only thing it didn't have was integrated GPS but we just bought our own GPS and I'm glad we did since now we can use it in either car.
We have a Hyundai and haven't had any problems which is why I had no issues buying a KIA. Hyundai is the father's company, KIA is the son's.
To get what we wanted in a Honda or Toyota would have been a good 12K more and no warranty past 3 years. We keep cars a while so we want a good warranty.

Re: Mini Vans / Suv's

what is It has 60/40 seats in the back row ? ( Im car dumb)

Can I fit 3 car seats and a large stroller?

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I have the toyota sienna and I used to be anti-momobile, but I absolutely love it !! And it slightly larger than other minivans ,so it feels roomier

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Yes you can I would think. I fit my double. It folds down as separate seats if that makes sense so you can have a car seat back there but still have a seat folded down if you need more room for bags, stroller, whatever.
Hope that makes sense.

The KIA is also a few inches wider than the Oddysey according to the specs I had looked up so I liked that little bit of extra room.

Message edited 4/8/2009 5:15:00 PM.

Re: Mini Vans / Suv's

I drive a Jeep GC, my husband has a mini van now. The van is so much easier with the baby because of the height. I would say go for the mini van.

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We bought a used (2004) Nissan Quest last year.

I love it. I am very comfortable driving it.
I would recommend the Quest or Oddessy. We chose uest b/c it was just as good as the Odessey just less money.Oddessy's are over priced.

We could never afford something new so we bought used.

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Odyssey. Priced right with features and one of the safest ones/highest rated ones out there.

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I'm not a minivan person, so I looked into getting a crossover vehicle that had a fully functional 3rd row.

Have you considered anything like the GMC Acadia, Buick Enclave, Saturn Outlook, Chevy Traverse, etc. Their basically all the same, very versatile and fit 7 or 8 passengers, depending on the seating configuration.

I have a Buick Enclave right now and LOVE it.

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Honda Pilot. 3rd row optional and the car is very spacious. 3 car seats would be no prob with plenty of room left for gear. Plus it is very safe and does fairly well on gas. I have 2 kids in mine now and we have more than enough room for everything we need.

I've also had 4 kids total with my niece and nephew. Obviously we needed the 3rd row for it but we fit everything with no problem and the kids were very comfortable.

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If $$ is an issue the Toyotta or Honda minivan will be

If we have a #2 we will be looking into the Kia Sportage. I am not sure if it has the 3rd row seat.

We originally thought about the Honda Pilot but it's pretty pricey now.

The main issue with an SUV is that the 3rd row seat (unless you get a big SUV!!) will take most of the trunk space and that will be an issue with the big stroller.

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I have a Dodge Grand Caravan and you could definitely fit 3 car seats with a large stroller with plenty of room.

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We just bought a 2009 chrystler town and country in Jan and love it. I have 2 car seats in there now and another will be there in a few months. The automatic doors and trunk are the best feature along with the tvs. I have fit my double stroller in the back with more room for stuff to be piled on. There is also room under the seats called "stow and go" that you can store stuff in. We went to all the dealerships and tried out all the cars and compared prices. You can also go to the websites and see all the features since different models have different things. Good luck

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My dad gave me his Ford Aviator. I was able to fit 3 car seats in there and my 2 friends when we went somewhere together. The only thing is you lose trunk space that way because you put the back seat down to make a 3rd row, but it was great!

I happen to really love this car!!!

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One thing to look at if you decide to go the truck route with the 3rd row is that you need to have easy acess to the that row because Noah will be back there. A lot of them you need to fold the second row seats which is a problem.
The Saturn Outlook & GMC Acadia I know have options where the middle console can be left out and you climb in the back. I am sure their are other but not sure which one. The Yukon you can fit 3 carseats across because a mom from DS's class had twins when her first was just shy of 3 and still in a carseat. She said the oldes is in the middle and then the twins on either side. She doesn't have a triple stroller only a double sit-n-stand but only brings the babys to the Dr.s since they were born at 33 weeks and are still so tiny. This may be a good option for you and you can probably get a great price on a used one.

We looked at minivans before we traded our truck in and I was sticker shocked how much they actually were. I like the Toyota Sienna better than the Odyssey because I felt that if I was buying a model that had more options it showed in the Toyota. In the Honda each model looked exactly the same regardless of price. I also liked how easy it was to re-arrange the seats on the Toyota. Also, the Honda is available in all wheel drive a all. That made me nervous with the snow.

Message edited 4/20/2009 8:22:31 AM.

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We have the Tahoe and there is plenty of room in the second row for 3 car seats, plus there is also a third row that you can either fold down or pull out. There is plenty of storage in the trunk as well!!

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just got the toyota highlander. love the car- love the extra room, the ease of folding seats and the safety, reliability and look of the car.


dislikes-- if the 3rd seat is up there is virtually no trunk. it ended up being a little more than we wanted to spend on a car. I had this thought that b.c the dealerships were doing poorly there would be insane deals and im not sure that was really the case. that is it. otherwise its wonderful! GL

Message edited 4/9/2009 8:14:15 AM.

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We have a Cadillac Escalade the huge one...lol.. We have lots of room which I love plus in the back we have 4 strollers, double, 2 single, snap N go. You can fit 5 kids in the back of the truck. if you put down the 3 row you have way too much room. Even if its up you have lots of room which we love.

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We just bought a Chevy Traverse.. its sort of like the new crossover for Chevy. Has 3 rows.. if you want Ill show you later

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Posted by HillW9608

We just bought a Chevy Traverse.. its sort of like the new crossover for Chevy. Has 3 rows.. if you want Ill show you later

Re: Mini Vans / Suv's

Minivans are really the tried and true family car. There really is no discussion in terms of fitting 3 or more seats. One main advantage of the minivan is the ability to get to the third row. Also depending on your choice of vehicle, the configuration of seats can me manipulated so that you can have easy access to any child.

If you like the SUV as a choice, and you have more than one carseat, try to get one that has access to the 3rd row without having to fold down a seat. Not all SUV's can have 3 seats across. Some if you have 2 seats do not give entry to the rear.

Also, consider this, if you were to be in a crash, how does the person in the third row get out quickly with a seat in front. If you choose to get an SUV, buy one with the center missing in the 2nd row. This gives easy access to the third row and easier escape in an emergency.

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I don't like driving a minivan because I feel like I'm moving in a house of glass but my DH loves his! We have a Chevy Venture which fits my 3 stepkids [2 booster seats] and a Britax Marathon for my DD. I would defintiely recommend it to someone who needs to get a minivan! GL!

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We have 2007 Sienna. Love it!! Roomy, comfortable, drives nice. We have Thomas plus my two step-sons a lot of the time. On weekends, we drive all around with me, DH, Thomas, two-step sons and my mother and father.

HTH