Who has downsized from a minivan and still has kids?

[Disneyfan754321]

With hauling friends and gear (for band or sports), I would hold off on getting rid of the Odyssey. Nothing else has the same room for passengers and "stuff" as a van. Since that's what you're used to, you will likely regret anything else you get at this time.

We are a similar situation, oldest has moved out, other two kids are 15 and 13. However, they do not play any sports or carry any large gear and usually it's only maybe one extra kid that I'm driving around. I drive a tiny Corolla, so all of our daily driving is done in that. For four passengers and a few backpacks, any regular/small car is fine.



We also went with a Flex as a replacement for our Odyssey. It seems to have more room than any other 7 passenger SUV and it's lower profile makes it easier to get in and out of (especially with an older very large dog to hop in/out)

My husband absolutely loves it. It's the model with all the upgrades so it's very nice on the inside (leather seats, color changing lights, etc), but he can also use it like a truck and tow a trailer or whatever. And, let's be honest, it's just "cooler" than driving a minivan. (Somehow the van wound up being his main vehicle and I use the small car)

That said, its not a van. It's convenient if the kids have friends and we need to drive 7 people, but it would not be functional if you regularly had more than 4/5. And when you do have to use the third row there is less storage space than a van. We did do a 12 hour trip using three rows (oldest came to Disney with us over spring break), but it was definitely a much tighter squeeze than travelling in the van and it was annoying having to flip the center seats to let someone out to use the bathroom especially when others were sleeping. Not a big deal because it's rare for us to have that many people and that much luggage, but if we were going to travel frequently with 5+ we would probably want to go back to a van.

Its funny you said your DH loves the flex so does mine, I have the little car and he has the flex . its not all together bad I drive a lot more and the kia gets a lot better gas mileage.
We rented a Toyota Sienna a few weeks ago , we forgot how much we missed the van now we are thinking of getting one. but I think it would be my Kia that would go.

 

[bethbuchall]

I also have a 2007 Honda Odyssey. My youngest is 20, and the other two are out of the house. I can't see getting rid of the minivan until college is done for the youngest. That's two years away, though I've said that I want at least 4 years on the minivan if I can do it. Then I don't know what I'll do. There are so many benefits to the minivan, but it already seems ridiculous that I'm driving it alone so much of the time. I'm hoping to travel more as we get older, and the minivan is so comfortable and convenient for traveling, though if it's just the two of us, maybe we can do something smaller.

 

[lovin'fl]

I am you...well I was in 2012. We had a 2004 minivan that we thought was nearing it's end (my brother happens to still be driving it today though). In 2012 we had twin DDs-13 and DS-15. DDs were doing competitive travel ball (with all that gear). And we often had tag-alongs. But I thought we aged out of the mini van thing so we got a Subaru Outback. I will say it was FABULOUS for all the softball gear and our luggage (for both travel ball trips and Disney trips). It fit 4 big people (not little kids) comfortably and a 5th could squeeze in (3 teens would not like it, being so close, but they fit). However, many times we had 6 or more passengers and just couldn't do it. And we have, many times, had to move big items like furniture, TV, college stuff....and it doesn't quite haul big things.

I regretted not getting another minivan. In fact, 1.5 years ago we gave the Subaru to our DDs to use at college (and they love it...nice and safe and reliable for youngins...we had one spell when it was stalling for no reason and turned out to need a new gasket). When we gave them the Subaru we actually considered another minivan as replacement. Was very close to buying one...even though we're empty nest. Because we are always hauling something and always have extra people and travel a lot with lots of luggage (and not to mention moving college kids from here to there). But we went with a Nissan Rogue. Had it 18 months and gave it to our DDs so they'd each have their own car (they live off campus now and one is student teaching all over the county and other is doing EMT/Fire training all over the county). So last month we bought another car. Again, I considered a minivan. But we went with a Ford Explorer that seats 7. We can flip down that back row too and have tons of hauling/luggage space. Since owning we have had it full of people and luggage and moving DDs crap for 3 trips....in one month (Oh, and hauled a TV to DS).

So, OP, with your kids being even younger than mine were back in 2012 I'd say maybe consider sticking with a minivan. Or something like a Ford Explorer. Though a minivan will get better gas mileage. That Explorer is a guzzler. My personal fave to drive was the Nissan Rogue. I liked it so much I looked for a Nissan Pathfinder but it was hard to find a decent used one (we wanted a 2017 or 2018). DH liked the Subaru best. That was great too except the gasket issue...oh, and they recalled the passenger seat airbag and we have been waiting 2 months to get a call to set up an appointment to replace it (they will call when part comes in...meantime my DD is using car but can't let anyone sit in front passenger seat). Nissan had weird locking nuts on the tires that caused an issue when DS-s Versa got a flat (and he keeps getting flats on same tire...two). And my Rogue had weird electronic issues every now and again (took it in to get some sensor fixed).

 

[DisneyHardin]

We have a 2008 Odyssey that we are planning to get rid of in a year or so. I LOVE my van and really want to just get another one, but DH is over the van (We don't have kids, but do drive my parents and other family members places a lot). I think we are going to stick with the size of the van, but go with a Pilot since it still has the 3rd row seating if we need it.

 

[QueenIsabella]

We bought a new Sienna last year, and the salesman told us that he sells a lot of them to grandparents. They start out thinking that they want to downsize, but then they want room to tote the grandkids and their stuff around.

Personally, I'll be in a minivan for the foreseeable future. I really don't like SUVs, even mid-sized ones. I like the versatility of the minivan--you can haul stuff (4'x8' sheets of plywood lie flat with the seats out of the way), or you can haul people. Or both, even.

 

[tvguy]

LOL, we never downsized TO a mini-van. We had Suburbans from a year before our oldest was born, until a year ago when the kids were 27 and 31. Last year, in preparation for retirement, we did downsize from a Suburban to a Ford Flex. It is nice to get 26 mpg on the freeway now instead of 9 mpg.
We did inherit a Plymouth Grand Voyager when my MIL passed away when our son was 12. We had to decide whether to keep it, or our Suburban. The Suburban won. The mini-van lost out due to a lack of leg room in the second and third row, and little luggage space. My son was playing Little League and my daughter soccer at the time, and the Suburban just couldn't be beat for carrying people and equipment.

 

[MumziMom]

We downsized from an Odyssey to a Subaru Outback. The Outback fit a lot - not as much as the Odyssey - however it handled MUCH, MUCH better than the Odyssey. Super comfortable as well. We've since downsized further, and now have two Prius' - since downsizing we have rented a minivan twice, both times related to college moves (we had to move two kids' stuff). I wouldn't go back. While it is easier to have the room when needed, we feel that in a pinch, we could always rent for a day or two. We do miss the Subaru Outback on long drives (very comfortable ride - we bought an Advanced in pristine shape used and had that car for 5 years - we only traded it in, looking super, because that particular year Outback's had some transmission issues - ours had high miles, needed new tires/a new exhaust and a few other expensive fixes, so we decided on a great deal on a Prius Prime instead - nice car as well, just not as comfy as the Outback.)

 

[shoney]

Downsized to from a minivan to a pathfinder when kids were about 15 and 17. Love it!!!!

Dh has had a RAV4 and a rogue and neither were big enough for the 4 of us to be in. Good for commuting. He recently went to a Pruis for the gas mileage and ability to ride the HOV lane

 

[kdonnel]

We ditched the minivan when the kids were 10 and 8. It was replaced by a smaller mid-size 3rd row SUV. There were times where we wished we had the van back because we wanted to carry 8 instead of 7 or we wanted to carry 7 with stuff which is impossible with the 3rd row up.

But those times were not enough to make us regret replacing the van with a slightly smaller vehicle.

 

[HeatherC]

I still can’t understand why people hate minivans so much. I am one of the posters who still drives one even now that my kids are adults. My sister also has three kids and drives a Highlander. They are always short on space and have even opted to fly places instead of driving because of it. Even though they prefer driving.

She tells me my minivan just isn’t “cool”. ( Kia Sedona). I tell her that I’m 53 years old and the last thing I care about is whether people think I’m cool.. To me that is a totally ridiculous reason. Then she says she likes how it is higher up than a car. So is my minivan with about four times the space and uses less gas.

And..tell me how it’s “cool” when every other car on the road is an SUV and they all look the same. It’s almost like when kids try to fit in during school and wear the same clothes, etc..

Makes no sense to me. Now if someone really does use back roads or lives in the mountains of Colorado and needs an SUV for that, ok. But to drive back and forth to Trader Joe’s to look cool..crazy.

 

[pxidst119]

When my DD and 6 of her friends wanted a ride to a friend’s beach house, guess what was cool? Our minivan that comfortably fit them all! All joking aside tho, this thread was very timely for us because we wanted to replace our high mileage minivan and were debating the same thing. With 3 kids in high school and some driving on their own, we were wondering if it was worth it to get another minivan. Ultimately decided to get another one. I think it will fit our needs better for moving back and forth to college and a few more family road trips and driving friends and grandparents. The comfort of the third row seat was the final deciding factor for us. I felt a little claustrophobic in the third row of the Pilot.

 

[mom2rtk]

I still can’t understand why people hate minivans so much. I am one of the posters who still drives one even now that my kids are adults. My sister also has three kids and drives a Highlander. They are always short on space and have even opted to fly places instead of driving because of it. Even though they prefer driving.

She tells me my minivan just isn’t “cool”. ( Kia Sedona). I tell her that I’m 53 years old and the last thing I care about is whether people think I’m cool.. To me that is a totally ridiculous reason. Then she says she likes how it is higher up than a car. So is my minivan with about four times the space and uses less gas.

And..tell me how it’s “cool” when every other car on the road is an SUV and they all look the same. It’s almost like when kids try to fit in during school and wear the same clothes, etc..

Makes no sense to me. Now if someone really does use back roads or lives in the mountains of Colorado and needs an SUV for that, ok. But to drive back and forth to Trader Joe’s to look cool..crazy.

My friend with mostly grown kids recently switched from a minivan to an SUV and regrets it. She says in spite of being similar in size, there's just so much less space and flexibility with how you can configure that space. Our kids are mostly grown and we just got another minivan as well. We also just drove it to FL and back from Missouri. Oh so comfortable on long drives.

 

[Chaoster]

Went from a Sienna to a CRV last July. Crv is a great car, but I miss the room the minvan had. My kids are 14 and 16. I figured I would not need all the extra room, wrong. There are times I wish I had a minivan. A minivan is more versatile. You can load up the kids and their band,sports gear and go. I have been in a Pathfinder, MDX, Highlander and Pilot and find in my opinion the third row seat only good for children. They don'y fit adults comfortably. And with the seats up you lose cargo room. Although my kids are 14 and 16 they don't fit comfortably in the mentioned SUV third row. Also why would some SUV's have captain's chairs in the middle row? I have fit many items in my minivan large flat screen TV's, dish washer, thread mill, 125 gallon fish tank to name a few.

 

[tcufrog]

I still can’t understand why people hate minivans so much. I am one of the posters who still drives one even now that my kids are adults. My sister also has three kids and drives a Highlander. They are always short on space and have even opted to fly places instead of driving because of it. Even though they prefer driving.

She tells me my minivan just isn’t “cool”. ( Kia Sedona). I tell her that I’m 53 years old and the last thing I care about is whether people think I’m cool.. To me that is a totally ridiculous reason. Then she says she likes how it is higher up than a car. So is my minivan with about four times the space and uses less gas.

And..tell me how it’s “cool” when every other car on the road is an SUV and they all look the same. It’s almost like when kids try to fit in during school and wear the same clothes, etc..

Makes no sense to me. Now if someone really does use back roads or lives in the mountains of Colorado and needs an SUV for that, ok. But to drive back and forth to Trader Joe’s to look cool..crazy.

For me, owning an SUV instead of a minivan isn't about being cool; it's about safety. Even when I had brand brake pads and brand new tires my minivan didn't handle well in bad weather. In fact, I got into a rather scary accident that wasn't my fault because of that. Even though my SUV isn't any smaller and is heavier, it has 4WD and handles much better in bad weather than my minivan ever did. My SUV has a much tighter turning radius so it's easier to park as well. I avoided driving certain places because it was so stressful to park the minivan there. Also, even though the back is smaller, the SUV is actually more flexible for hauling because, unlike my minivan, the second row folds flat. If I want to use whole back for hauling I had to physically remove the seats from the SUV. Doing so without help was doable but difficult and cumbersome. Putting them back was the same.

 

[mom2rtk]

Also, even though the back is smaller, the SUV is actually more flexible for hauling because, unlike my minivan, the second row folds flat. If I want to use whole back for hauling I had to physically remove the seats from the SUV. Doing so without help was doable but difficult and cumbersome. Putting them back was the same.

That's going to vary a lot by minivan. Ours folds second and third row completely flat with very little effort.

 

[DietCoke18]

Hi- my beloved 2007 Honda Odyssey has some life left in it, but I am hoping to hear from others who have downsized from a minivan.

My two "full time kids" are 15 and 12- the older one is in high school marching band and he and his friends occasionally have a LARGE piece of marching equipment to bring home (recently it's been a baritone sax and a set of quad/tenor marching drums). The 12yo may or may not also be doing marching band in a couple more years. I also have a 14 yo step son who rarely rides with all of us.

Does anyone who has downsized their minivan with kids still at home have any feedback? How much smaller did you go and do you regret it?

Thanks!

We just did. Went from a town and country to a crv. Best decision ever

 

[wgeo]

We downsized to a Toyota Rav4. Love the Rav4 its easy to drive, gets better gas mileage and does fairly well with hauling things, obviously not as good as the old minivan but pretty decent.

What I miss is the extra seats. We only have 2 kids - but to only have 5 seater cars really puts a crimp in car pooling or even just if each of them wants to bring a friend somewhere and both of us want to go to. Or when my parents come to visit, the 6 of us can't fit in one car - I often find myself wanting to size up just for the extra seats.

 

[Immadismom]

We downsized to a Toyota Rav4. Love the Rav4 its easy to drive, gets better gas mileage and does fairly well with hauling things, obviously not as good as the old minivan but pretty decent.

What I miss is the extra seats. We only have 2 kids - but to only have 5 seater cars really puts a crimp in car pooling or even just if each of them wants to bring a friend somewhere and both of us want to go to. Or when my parents come to visit, the 6 of us can't fit in one car - I often find myself wanting to size up just for the extra seats.

This will be me. I have a 2007 Odyssey that I’m hoping to keep for 2 more years. Then I want a ‘19 or newer Rav 4. I love the new body style! However, our kids are currently 18, 16 & 15. Two of them are driving, and have their own cars. However, I will seriously miss the extra seats. We’re contemplating keeping the Odyssey to use just for those times we all need to travel together.

 

[MumziMom]

I also have a 2007 Honda Odyssey. My youngest is 20, and the other two are out of the house. I can't see getting rid of the minivan until college is done for the youngest. That's two years away, though I've said that I want at least 4 years on the minivan if I can do it. Then I don't know what I'll do. There are so many benefits to the minivan, but it already seems ridiculous that I'm driving it alone so much of the time. I'm hoping to travel more as we get older, and the minivan is so comfortable and convenient for traveling, though if it's just the two of us, maybe we can do something smaller.

If you are traveling and want to be able to camp with the van, I'd suggest keeping it. Otherwise, I truly loved driving our Subaru Outback. We would have held onto it longer, but there were just too many fixes it needed (high miles for the year, needed tires/exhaust/a couple of other fixes, along with concerns over issues some had with that year's transmission), while there was a "too good to pass up" deal on the 2017 Toyota Prius Prime's. Overall we are very glad we made this trade. We both work close to home, and our costs are way down compared to when we drove a minivan (Odyssey). The one time we did need a minivan we rented one for a few days.

 

[Suprize2017]

I probably shouldn't be responding because I'm really not answering your question, just adding my own two cents! My three kids are still at home, so we won't be getting rid of our mini-van (Sienna AWD) any time soon. I know my parents had a mini-van when I was a teenager, and it was a huge help when I moved back and forth to college. Then, when my brother and I had our kids (five kids in two years!), my parents were the ones that took care of them when all of us had to work (because of schedules, it was only 1-2 times a week, and maybe once a week with all five kiddos) and the mini-van was perfect for those times they had to haul five babies from place to place. I share all that just to say, I don't imagine we will get rid of our mini-van any time soon. At least not until all three are through with college. I have spent too much time to mention looking at different vehicles, and can't find one that offers the cargo space and the passenger capacity without getting into the large SUV's, which I have no desire to drive, mostly because of fuel costs.