Getting a new/newer minivan

[mom2rtk]

We love the stow in go in the Dodge minivans. All seating folds in the floor so you can transform the entire thing easily into somewhat of a cargo van if needed. We don't own another large vehicle and don't have easy access to a truck. So if we need to move something or pick up some plywood, this is it.

In the last few months we sold our 05 Grand Caravan with 180K miles and bought a 2015 Grand Caravan. Our main consideration in going 15 instead of 16 was the power train warranty. The 15 came with a 100K transferable warranty. It dropped to 60K on the 16 models.

 

[jrmasm]

If this is a deal breaker, you have to get the Pacifica or T&C.

There's no way these babies (in Siennas) Stow-n-Go:

That is sweet!!

 

[WVMomof3]

We have a 2009 Odyssey with 170,000 miles, which I am afraid is going to die every time I drive it somewhere. Does anyone else's Odyssey make a terrible sound when turning? My friend has a 2015 Odyssey that makes the same sound. She was told she needed to replace CV joints, so she did for over $1000 and the noise stopped for maybe a month and now makes the same sound again. We rented a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica last year for 2 weeks on vacation and loved it. Not sure if what was just because it was new and we are used to driving our old loud Odyssey, but we thought it was great.

We take out our 2nd row easily anytime we need to haul bigger stuff. I guess that wouldn't work as easily if you were already somewhere, but if you plan ahead and take out the middle seats, it is the same as the stow and go. One thing with the stow and go, the seats are not suitable for anyone over the age of 10 I feel. They are tiny and not comfortable. I have ridden in the back of my sister's Caravan many times and the seats are terrible because of the stow and go capability. Though, I don't remember having that issue with the Pacifica, I didn't even realize they were stow seats. We do have a small well in our Odyssey between the middle and front seats where we can store stuff, not sure if they still have that feature.

 

[firefly_ris]

I appreciate everyone's insights. One of the reasons that stow-and-go is important to us is, DH has a mid-sized SUV that seats 5. When we have to haul stuff, the minivan is used--most recently to pick up a large desk, but DH also likes to have room for a 4' x 8' sheet of plywood. That won't fit in his SUV. I agree that we don't use this feature a lot, but I would say, a handful of times a year. The storage area also comes in handy when traveling--we're a family of 6, although our oldest has moved out. We tend to bring a lot of stuff when we travel.

Yes that's one thing I'll miss when this van is gone is the Stow 'n' Go. I have 3 kids who are small, one of which still needs help buckling her seat. I keep my backseat configuration with the 3rd row up (2 kids sit there), one of the 2nd row seats up (3rd one sits there), and the other one is always stowed into the floor. This makes a lot of space for me to get in and help buckle (especially when it's pouring buckets), put large items when the cargo area is full, etc. And then the seat is already there if I happen to need it -- we went to Cleveland recently with my DH's family for NCAA and I drove a group of us to the science center -- I flipped the seat back up to accommodate, not something I could have done if that seat was sitting at home in my garage. We also travel frequently to Baltimore and once a year to OBX, when the seats are both up I do make a lot of use of the stow area for packing. Plus we do a lot of DIY home improvement and it makes it easy to re-configure to get 2x4s, drywall, rolls of insulation etc in there.

But, I'm the kind of person who detests car payments, typically won't buy something unless I can pay in cash or pay it off in less than 3 months, and want something long-term reliable that I can drive into the ground. I don't like sinking money into a depreciating asset and I'm not enamored with shiny new things every couple of years (and I'm definitely not in love with the excessive amount of electronics in vehicles now). I'd much rather take more vacations with that money or put it into money market accounts. If I were making a 6 figure income I might feel differently but YMMV.... I want the next thing to run and run for a long time, and to get that, it looks like I'll have to give up the Stow 'n' Go. But if I give that up and the van lasts me 12-15 years then that was the right choice. But I realize everyone feels differently.

 

[Klayfish]

I appreciate everyone's insights. One of the reasons that stow-and-go is important to us is, DH has a mid-sized SUV that seats 5. When we have to haul stuff, the minivan is used--most recently to pick up a large desk, but DH also likes to have room for a 4' x 8' sheet of plywood. That won't fit in his SUV. I agree that we don't use this feature a lot, but I would say, a handful of times a year. The storage area also comes in handy when traveling--we're a family of 6, although our oldest has moved out. We tend to bring a lot of stuff when we travel.

If you're constantly using the van as a cargo hauler, then I can see where Stow N Go can be handy. However, it comes with the negatives of having a Dodge/Chrysler. If you remove the center seats from any minivan...Sedona, Odyssey, Sienna, etc...you'd get a very large load floor too. We've done it several times with our Sedona, but don't find it THAT big of a pain to remove the center seats.

You're completely right about mid-sized SUVs. That's why I don't understand the love for them. They can't carry people better than a minivan, have less cargo room, don't drive particularly well, etc... Unless you tow all the time, in which case you're better off with a truck or large SUV anyway, they really don't do anything that well. But they are all the fashion rage, so I totally get why everyone makes them.

 

[GrnMtnMan]

P.S. avoid VW Routans. I had one, but they were discontinued a few years ago. I loved everything about them, but they had a fatal design flaw.

VW had Chrysler (the actual manufacturer of the Routan) put in an upgraded suspension system. The system is too heavy for the brakes (which were thate standard brakes for Chryslers' minvans). In 4 years of owning it, we needed the brake rotors replaced three times. And we didn't put that many miles on it. It was just that the weight of the vehicle was too high for the rotors, and they would warp (so you'd get a significant shimmy in the steering wheel when braking). We traded it in and got an AWD Sienna and have been pleased.

 

[mom2rtk]

I appreciate everyone's insights. One of the reasons that stow-and-go is important to us is, DH has a mid-sized SUV that seats 5. When we have to haul stuff, the minivan is used--most recently to pick up a large desk, but DH also likes to have room for a 4' x 8' sheet of plywood. That won't fit in his SUV. I agree that we don't use this feature a lot, but I would say, a handful of times a year. The storage area also comes in handy when traveling--we're a family of 6, although our oldest has moved out. We tend to bring a lot of stuff when we travel.

It's funny a PP mentioned the automatic lift-gate. My current van has power doors, so you just push a button--nice to have, but IMHO, not required. But DS21 (still lives at home) said the only feature he wanted was the automatic lift-gate--he's the one who's always bringing in groceries! My youngest child is 12, so no issues with getting kids in and out (although I'm sympathetic). I'm most likely to be hauling costumes and cellos.

We took a bunch of cross country trips as a family of 5 in our last Caravan. That middle stow and go was where I kept all the dirty clothes!

Our old van had power doors, but they hadn't worked right in quite a while. The single greatest life improvement when we got the newer van was having those working again.

 

[RangerPooh]

We have a 2014 Chrysler T&C and love it! The stow and go is amazing for travel, and we have had no issues with our van. We actually got weepy when it was announced that it was being discontinued in favor of the Pacifica. The Pacifica is fine, and we had actually looked at one years prior (~2005 and again ion 2008). Prior to our 2014 T&C we had a 2010 T&C (base model), and enjoyed that too. It was a big upgrade from the 2002 Dodge grand caravan that we had had previously.

 

[MonorailNate]

Loved my Toyota Sienna. Was the most comfortable vehicle we have ever owned. Kids are older so we don’t really need a minivan anymore so switched to Highlander and Rav 4. They don’t compare in comfort.

 

[belleatdisney]

You all are right , for stow and go I was referring to the second row. The Honda Oddessey (some trims?) has the split seats for the second row that slide outbound and you can take the center (mini) seat out to make it captains chairs. I liked that feature, but I sounds like OP really needs all seat stow and go. I thought the Kia had it but I could be wrong. If the Odessey or Sienna had stow and go I would buy one in a second.

 

[Bren's Mom]

Just wondering, op, if you have kids in car seats or boosters in your minivan? If so, you'll want to also take into consideration the top tether anchor locations, and how the seat belts are in the third row also. Some vans are actually pretty crummy for car seats/boosters!

 

[Southernmiss]

I appreciate everyone's insights. One of the reasons that stow-and-go is important to us is, DH has a mid-sized SUV that seats 5. When we have to haul stuff, the minivan is used--most recently to pick up a large desk, but DH also likes to have room for a 4' x 8' sheet of plywood. That won't fit in his SUV. I agree that we don't use this feature a lot, but I would say, a handful of times a year. The storage area also comes in handy when traveling--we're a family of 6, although our oldest has moved out. We tend to bring a lot of stuff when we travel.

It's funny a PP mentioned the automatic lift-gate. My current van has power doors, so you just push a button--nice to have, but IMHO, not required. But DS21 (still lives at home) said the only feature he wanted was the automatic lift-gate--he's the one who's always bringing in groceries! My youngest child is 12, so no issues with getting kids in and out (although I'm sympathetic). I'm most likely to be hauling costumes and cellos.

Also a family of 6. Now ages 16 to 23. The Sienna's 2nd row of seats also fold flat on top of themselves, in addition to being able to completely remove them. This is handy when you stow the third row you then can fold the seats down on themselves to put a sheet of plywood, etc in. We have hauled stuff like this often. If I knew how to upload pictures, I would send you pictures of the van packed to the roof with a double mattress and items that we took to move DS to college five hours away. The Sienna has met all of our hauling needs through the years. The Sienna has accomodated a lot of luggage when we travel

We even hauled a bed full of landscaping bricks home from Home Depot.

 

[QueenIsabella]

If this is a deal breaker, you have to get the Pacifica or T&C.

There's no way these babies (in Siennas) Stow-n-Go:

Ooh, that looks NICE!

If you're constantly using the van as a cargo hauler, then I can see where Stow N Go can be handy. However, it comes with the negatives of having a Dodge/Chrysler. If you remove the center seats from any minivan...Sedona, Odyssey, Sienna, etc...you'd get a very large load floor too. We've done it several times with our Sedona, but don't find it THAT big of a pain to remove the center seats.

You're completely right about mid-sized SUVs. That's why I don't understand the love for them. They can't carry people better than a minivan, have less cargo room, don't drive particularly well, etc... Unless you tow all the time, in which case you're better off with a truck or large SUV anyway, they really don't do anything that well. But they are all the fashion rage, so I totally get why everyone makes them.

I'm with you 100% on mid-sized SUVs. DH can drive what he wants--it's healthier for our marriage for me to shut up about his vehicle. He does have AWD, which is handy because (a) he has to get to work, no matter the weather, and (b) we have a pass to drive on our local beach, and you need AWD to do this.

Just wondering, op, if you have kids in car seats or boosters in your minivan? If so, you'll want to also take into consideration the top tether anchor locations, and how the seat belts are in the third row also. Some vans are actually pretty crummy for car seats/boosters!

My youngest is 12, and he's officially taller than I am! I think if I had those killer bucket seats above, I'd probably never get him out of the car! I've done my time with boosters, etc., though--it's stunning to me that they wouldn't be a higher priority for minivan manufacturers. Aren't families with children your target demographic?

 

[Jaime4004]

We're on our 4th minivan. Started with Dodge Caravan (loved the stow and go, but that was the only good thing). Moved on to a Honda Odyssey, then a toyota Sienna. Last year we got another Toyota Sienna, just because I was done with NE winters and wanted an AWD car. None of them had any major problems, although maybe we don't keep them long enough to find out. They all took 24 hr car rides to FL a couple times/year. The Sienna we have now has the seats with foot rests, the pic that was posted above, so that is my kids' favorite minivan so far. We have hauled a lot of building materials from home depot without a problem. As others said, the 3rd row folds flat and in the middle row, the back folds onto the seat.

 

[Wendy31]

I'm looking for input from people who have purchased a new or newer minivan in the past year or two. What do you like and dislike about yours? I currently have a 2009 Dodge Caravan that's going in for transmission work today--the issues I've had through the years make me gun-shy about getting another Dodge. I've heard good things about the new Chrysler Pacifica, but this is only the second year it's out, so long-term problems may not have surfaced.

This is a huge purchase, so I want to get it right. 2-3yo Toyotas don't have much cost savings over new, but are worth considering. Really, the only feature I'm looking for are stow-and-go seating.

So, hit me with the good, the bad, and the ugly! Thanks.

We had a 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan that we traded last May for a 2017 Toyota Sienna.

I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED my Stow-and-Go middle-row seats in the Dodge, &, like another poster, my usual configuration was to have one of the middle row seats stowed into the floor, so our older 2 children could get easily in & out of the 3rd row. On vacations, we used the Stow-and-Go space to store cases of bottled water & our beach chairs. The Stow-and-Go seats were also nice because, in order to cart something like a piece of furniture, we didn't first have to go home & take seats out, we could just stow the seats away.

Beyond normal maintenance, we also never had any major troubles w/ our Dodge. We traded it because we had a lot of miles on it, & we were going to need some work on the transmission & engine.

Anyway, we looked at the Chrysler Pacifia - well, *I* looked at it, & DH humored me. I was interested in the Pacifica since it was an all new redesign which was getting lots of attention & high marks from all the car review sites & because it has my beloved Stow-and-Go seats.

We test drove one, & it was fine.

DH's 2 primary concerns w/ the Pacifica were (1) it hasn't been around long enough to rate the longevity & reliability as compared to the Odyssey & the Sienna - it's a new design, & it just hasn't been on the road long enough to see how it compares to the Toyota & Honda when it comes to longevity & reliability- and (2) the door frame on the driver's side was right at his head level, & he had to duck to get in & out - I know anyone has to duck somewhat to get in & out of a vehicle, but the framing of the door was just in a weird place compared to other vehicles, if that makes sense.

I am petite, & the inside of the Pacifica, from the driver's seat, felt too "big" for me. If I remembering correctly, the chassis of the Pacifica is slightly larger than the Honda & the Toyota (& the Dodge), & the front end is wider as well. As much I wanted to like it, I didn't feel as secure in the driver's seat of the Pacifica as I did in the driver's seat of the Odyssey & the Sienna (& the Caravan). Also, I didn't like how the Pacifica has an "on/off" knob on the console which turns the van's engine on & off. I'm sure I would have gotten used to it, but it felt weird to me as it was positioned near the volume knob for the stereo.

Ultimately, though, what made my decision (DH's decision was already made) was that, while the baseline model of the Pacifica was less money than the baseline model of the Odyssey & the Sienna, once I added the feature I really wanted (sun roof), that model Pacifica was more money than the equivalent model Sienna or Odyssey. For whatever reason, you can only get the sun roof on the top line model Pacifica.

I'm not a fan of the Odyssey models prior to the newest 2018 model because the outside has the visible door track which I don't like at all. Additionally, I think the interiors of the Odyssey look "plastic-y" & don't look as nice to me as the interiors of the Sienna & the Quest.

My sister has an Odyssey, & the leather is cheaply made & hasn't held up well at all - the arms of the passenger & driver seats are cracked & peeling away, & it looks awful. In contrast, we have the XLE Sienna, &, if I'm remembering correctly, the leather on our seats is the same leather that is in the Lexus - at least on our driver & passenger seats. (She has also had all kinds of maintenance issues w/ her Odyssey.)

I think there is also more storage room in the back of the Sienna than there is in the back of the Odyssey.

The new 2018 Odyssey has a lot of bells & whistles for younger families - the middle seats slide back & forth & side-to-side, & there is a new entertainment system. However, our kids our older & are past the car seat stage, & they pretty much have their own entertainment devices.

We have the XLE Sienna model which doesn't have the entertainment package that the highest model does, but our XLE did come w/ the "Driver Easy Speak" feature & the Navigation suite had been added as well.

Additionally, at least around here, the customer service at the Toyota dealerships is SO MUCH better than the customer service at the Honda dealerships. I think, even if I HAD liked the Odyssey as well as I liked the Sienna, I would have ended up w/ the Sienna due to the poor level of customer service at our local Honda.

We rented a Quest for vacation, & we liked it as well. However, the interior is smaller (less storage), & the Sienna has higher rated safety & longevity standards.

Aaannnddd back to the Stow-and-Go seats... I do miss them, but not as much as I thought I would. I traded my Stow-and-Go seats for other features which I appreciate more than the Stow-and-Go seats.

So, ultimately we went w/ the Sienna for the following reasons:

* Longevity/Reliability
* Safety features
* Styling - inside & outside
* Sun Roof
* Color - for my whole life, I've had to "settle" when it came to the color of my vehicle, & I got to choose the my Sienna in the prettiest blue!

I LOVE my Sienna, &, just about a year later, we're still very pleased w/ our purchase. I named her Anastasia Blue, & she makes me smile! LOL!

 

[QueenIsabella]

We had a 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan that we traded last May for a 2017 Toyota Sienna.

I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED my Stow-and-Go middle-row seats in the Dodge, &, like another poster, my usual configuration was to have one of the middle row seats stowed into the floor, so our older 2 children could get easily in & out of the 3rd row. On vacations, we used the Stow-and-Go space to store cases of bottled water & our beach chairs. The Stow-and-Go seats were also nice because, in order to cart something like a piece of furniture, we didn't first have to go home & take seats out, we could just stow the seats away.

Beyond normal maintenance, we also never had any major troubles w/ our Dodge. We traded it because we had a lot of miles on it, & we were going to need some work on the transmission & engine.

Anyway, we looked at the Chrysler Pacifia - well, *I* looked at it, & DH humored me. I was interested in the Pacifica since it was an all new redesign which was getting lots of attention & high marks from all the car review sites & because it has my beloved Stow-and-Go seats.

We test drove one, & it was fine.

DH's 2 primary concerns w/ the Pacifica were (1) it hasn't been around long enough to rate the longevity & reliability as compared to the Odyssey & the Sienna - it's a new design, & it just hasn't been on the road long enough to see how it compares to the Toyota & Honda when it comes to longevity & reliability- and (2) the door frame on the driver's side was right at his head level, & he had to duck to get in & out - I know anyone has to duck somewhat to get in & out of a vehicle, but the framing of the door was just in a weird place compared to other vehicles, if that makes sense.

I am petite, & the inside of the Pacifica, from the driver's seat, felt too "big" for me. If I remembering correctly, the chassis of the Pacifica is slightly larger than the Honda & the Toyota (& the Dodge), & the front end is wider as well. As much I wanted to like it, I didn't feel as secure in the driver's seat of the Pacifica as I did in the driver's seat of the Odyssey & the Sienna (& the Caravan). Also, I didn't like how the Pacifica has an "on/off" knob on the console which turns the van's engine on & off. I'm sure I would have gotten used to it, but it felt weird to me as it was positioned near the volume knob for the stereo.

Ultimately, though, what made my decision (DH's decision was already made) was that, while the baseline model of the Pacifica was less money than the baseline model of the Odyssey & the Sienna, once I added the feature I really wanted (sun roof), that model Pacifica was more money than the equivalent model Sienna or Odyssey. For whatever reason, you can only get the sun roof on the top line model Pacifica.

I'm not a fan of the Odyssey models prior to the newest 2018 model because the outside has the visible door track which I don't like at all. Additionally, I think the interiors of the Odyssey look "plastic-y" & don't look as nice to me as the interiors of the Sienna & the Quest.

My sister has an Odyssey, & the leather is cheaply made & hasn't held up well at all - the arms of the passenger & driver seats are cracked & peeling away, & it looks awful. In contrast, we have the XLE Sienna, &, if I'm remembering correctly, the leather on our seats is the same leather that is in the Lexus - at least on our driver & passenger seats. (She has also had all kinds of maintenance issues w/ her Odyssey.)

I think there is also more storage room in the back of the Sienna than there is in the back of the Odyssey.

The new 2018 Odyssey has a lot of bells & whistles for younger families - the middle seats slide back & forth & side-to-side, & there is a new entertainment system. However, our kids our older & are past the car seat stage, & they pretty much have their own entertainment devices.

We have the XLE Sienna model which doesn't have the entertainment package that the highest model does, but our XLE did come w/ the "Driver Easy Speak" feature & the Navigation suite had been added as well.

Additionally, at least around here, the customer service at the Toyota dealerships is SO MUCH better than the customer service at the Honda dealerships. I think, even if I HAD liked the Odyssey as well as I liked the Sienna, I would have ended up w/ the Sienna due to the poor level of customer service at our local Honda.

We rented a Quest for vacation, & we liked it as well. However, the interior is smaller (less storage), & the Sienna has higher rated safety & longevity standards.

Aaannnddd back to the Stow-and-Go seats... I do miss them, but not as much as I thought I would. I traded my Stow-and-Go seats for other features which I appreciate more than the Stow-and-Go seats.

So, ultimately we went w/ the Sienna for the following reasons:

* Longevity/Reliability
* Safety features
* Styling - inside & outside
* Sun Roof
* Color - for my whole life, I've had to "settle" when it came to the color of my vehicle, & I got to choose the my Sienna in the prettiest blue!

I LOVE my Sienna, &, just about a year later, we're still very pleased w/ our purchase. I named her Anastasia Blue, & she makes me smile! LOL!

Thank you so much! Especially the information about the sunroof. DH's vehicle has a sunroof, my kids love it, and they'd love one on the minivan. Of course, the overall prices are still giving me angina, but I think that's just my cheap-o heart!

As an update, the auto shop called, and I need a new tran$mi$$ion. To the tune of $2600. Dh is willing to pull the trigger on a new vehicle today. I'm having heart palpitations! My biggest issue in the immediate term is, if we were to pick one out today, we're stuck with what's on the lot. I'm leaning towards the Sienna (oh, those seats!!!). I think I'm going to make a list of the pros/cons with buying a new van now, today (or next week), versus fixing my current one and waiting a few months. I do appreciate all the good information everyone's been providing.

 

[HeatherC]

OP...I’m the one who posted about the Sedona. While it doesn’t have stow and go, the third row Folds flat into the floor in the front row seats fold up if that makes sense against the back of the drivers and passenger seats. That way you can fit a piece of plywood in. Just letting you know in case you wanted to check out the Sedona’s as well.

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

Just traded my 15 Sienna for an 18 Pacifica. The Pacifica has more pep, and handles like a dream.

 

[MamaBelle4]

We have a 2014 Chrysler T&C and love it! The stow and go is amazing for travel, and we have had no issues with our van. We actually got weepy when it was announced that it was being discontinued in favor of the Pacifica. The Pacifica is fine, and we had actually looked at one years prior (~2005 and again ion 2008). Prior to our 2014 T&C we had a 2010 T&C (base model), and enjoyed that too. It was a big upgrade from the 2002 Dodge grand caravan that we had had previously.

We had a 2006 T&C that we upgraded to a low mileage 2014 in October. I love it.

But I'm a "if it gets me from A to B and safely back again, I'm happy," kind of gal.

 

[Klayfish]

Thank you so much! Especially the information about the sunroof. DH's vehicle has a sunroof, my kids love it, and they'd love one on the minivan. Of course, the overall prices are still giving me angina, but I think that's just my cheap-o heart!

As an update, the auto shop called, and I need a new tran$mi$$ion. To the tune of $2600. Dh is willing to pull the trigger on a new vehicle today. I'm having heart palpitations! My biggest issue in the immediate term is, if we were to pick one out today, we're stuck with what's on the lot. I'm leaning towards the Sienna (oh, those seats!!!). I think I'm going to make a list of the pros/cons with buying a new van now, today (or next week), versus fixing my current one and waiting a few months. I do appreciate all the good information everyone's been providing.

Sorry to hear about the transmission, that stinks. Don't rush into something today. Rent a car, even if it's for a week, you're better off. It'll give you a bit more time to think about it, digest it, test drive, negotiate, etc... If you fix the existing van, I'd keep it for a while, not just a few months.