New Car Advice About This Page:

[SarahJ]

OK you guys, DH is seriously considering trading in my Buick for a minivan or SUV. If you haven't seem the thread about my morning, my Buick blew a head gasket today. So I need some opinions on models, etc.

What we're looking for is enough room for DD in her carseat and since we'd like to have another child, room for a second car seat is important. We need to be able to put the dog in the back in his crate along with a stroller and some luggage for road trips. All wheel drive or 4x4 would be really nice. If it has three rows of seats the third row must fold flat. And we'd like to stay under $30,000.

Some minivans we would consider are the Chevy Venture, Honda Odyssey and Dodge Caravan. SUV's we've thought about include Chevy Tahoe and Trailblazer, (And their GMC counterparts). We would consider new or used, I hear we could get a good deal on a 2003 model since they're trying to move them for the 2004's.

Any opinions?

[DisneyMomma]

Sorry the vehicle is giving you so much trouble. (I just took DH to pick up our Camry. It's 8 years old and still running strong - except for the motor mounts. Now we have new ones and $300 less in the checking account. [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img] )

We just bought a Honda CR-V EX and LOVE IT!!!!!!! I love all the room and the fact that it has little compartments for everything (like my sunglasses, the CDs, etc.) The back cargo area is very roomy too. It's easy to drive and will be great in the winter weather.

The end of the year *is* a great time to buy! You should be able to find some great deals.

Good luck. Let us know what you decide on!

[DVC_Don]

We are due for a new minvan next spring. Ford is coming out with a new "Freestar" to replace the Windstar in a few weeks. There may be some deals on the 2003 Windstars sitting around. Another we have been researching is the Pontiac Montana with all wheel drive. We also have looked at the new Toyota van and Honda van, but the dealers around jack up the prices over sticker and will not budge. If you can get one for sticker price that's a good deal? Not to me. Good luck van hunting.

[GoofyMom]

We have the Venture's sister van, the Montana. It's a 2003. I love it, except for one thing. It has kinda poor visibility in parking lots when you're backing up. But it has enough room for our 2 teens, 3 big suitcases, a small cooler, a couple golf bags, and Goliath (90 pound dog). I solve the backing up problem by parking a little farther away from the store and pulling through to the space in front. You also have to really double check your mirrors and shoulder check carefully when you change lanes.

The Honda Odyssey is supposed to be a terrific van, but even 4 or 5 year old used ones were more expensive than our brand new Montana.

[AKLRULZ]

Well, not on your list but we love our Ford Windstar SEL and the Eddie Bauer Ford Explorer. Both have 7 passenger seating but both are very different (my wife doesn't dig the SUV!). I'd give them thumbs up all around - we actually replaced our 95 Windstar with a 2001 model in Sept 2001 b/c we loved the old one so much.

Good luck!

[HiddenMickey]

I drive an Oldsmobile Silhouette and love it. Lots of room, comfy, rides well, has a flat folding rear seat. My sister just bought the Mazda MPV which has been nicely redesigned (she has a 3 yr old and a 4 month old and a dog). Her rear seat really folds in well. They got the really loaded version and I think it was close to $30,000. Has DVD overhead and a sunroof.

-HiddenMickey

[andreaseratti]

DS bought a Caravan and loves it. The best part is that the two seats in the middle row are one opposite sides, so there's a path down the middle. She has three carseats in her minivan!!!

[DebbieG]

We love our Odessey! Just got it in May (on my birthday - what a treat!) We have a 2 year old and a 5 year old, and it's been nice to have more room than our Accord (which I loved!) I find it really easy to drive - not much different from the Accord, although trickier to back up in. Love that the rear seats fold flat into the floor (now the Toytota Sienna does this too I believe), and when the back seat is not folded down, you have more space in the trunk area, since there is a spot where the seat folds down into. Love the remote doors, and the DVD player we had installed. We have always had Hondas, and really find that they require little more expense than routine maintenance, and really hold their value, if you want to sell, or heaven forbid your car is totalled. (This is how we found out first hand how well they hold their value - I was hit, and we were astounded at how much the insurance company paid us for my totalled Civic.) If you get the Odessey, I highly recommend getting the liner for the hole where the back seat folds down, and the plastic mat that covers up the back floor when you fold down the seat. They have helped us out already! Good luck with your decision making!

Debbie

[TiggerAlli]

Although I like the Caravans I have to warn you to be careful w/them. This is one of the Dodge products that is well known for transmission problems. We had an Intrepid & though we loved it we had to have the transmission replaced at 28K & 57K miles (thankfully we bought the extended coverage [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] ) and we finally got rid of it because it was going to have to be replaced AGAIN.

Now, if I had my choice in this type of vehicle it would be the VW Toureg [img]graemlins/love.gif[/img] ! We test drove one for fun the other day & it was AMAZING! Not to mention all the great safety features.

I have friends with the CRX & with the Toyota like that (yikes, WHAT is it called?--help me out here Elaine!) & they both love them!

[Colexis Mom]

Oh no Sarah [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] Blew a head gasket, never a good thing. Did that once myself, and I too got a new car!!

Well, I'm an advocate for the Honda Odyssey. We got one when they first came out in 1999 (well, redesigned anyway [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] ) and I can't say enough good things about it. Power doors (although everyone has caught up on that one), 3rd seat folds flat, and there is tons of room. We got the EX model because I wanted the remote doors and powered drivers' seat as I am petite and I wanted to sit up as far as I could [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] I don't think it is that much harder to back up than a car, just takes a little practice. We too replaced DH's old Accord with the Odyssey, and they do hold their value (which I'm sure you know if you've looked at used models - good news for us owners, not so good news if you want to buy).

Alas, the only downfall is you have to pay sticker, although friends of ours were just able to get one under sticker on a 2003 (which is unusual, but I guess depends on the market). I highly recommend the liner for the rear that the seat folds into. And the only thing we wish we had now is a DVD player, but we'll just have to buy a portable one as it wasn't an option when we bought ours.

We bought it right before DD was born (she is now 4) and we've added DS to the mix (19 months). Trust me, we've have packed this thing full tilt and with the back seat down, it can hold a lot of stuff (especially if you take care in packing it). I say go for the Odyssey [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/love.gif[/img]

[loridalel]

We just leased a brand new Chevy Trailblazer EXT.
It's a bit bigger than the Ford Explorer I was driving. Mostly because it's the extended version and has 3rd row seating.
I wanted a vehicle with more passenger space, because I'm anticipating carpooling next fall when my daughter goes to Kindergarten.

I really like this vehicle. And it came with one free year of OnStar service! Just my 2 cents.

[SarahJ]

Thanks for all your comments. DH and I talked some more and it looks like we might keep my car for awhile longer. [img]images/icons/frown.gif[/img] DH has the chance to buy his dad's old truck, a 2000 Ford F350 with crew cab and a diesel engine. We really need a new truck we can all fit in to haul our camper and tow our snowmobiles. Our current truck is a 1977 Ford and it doesn't fit all of us so we end up taking two vehicles when we go camping. So if he can get a decent interest rate for the loan we will buy that instead. If he can't get a good interest rate, we'll look at replacing my car instead.

[Bert & Sully]

We stick with Toyotas. They have great deals out there right now. I know because we just purchase a new one. [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

[Bert & Sully]

We stick with Toyotas. They have great deals out there right now. I know because we just purchase a new one. [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

[Bert & Sully]

Originally posted by TiggerAlli:
I have friends with the CRX & with the Toyota like that (yikes, WHAT is it called?--help me out here Elaine!) & they both love them!

<font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS, Arial">[img]graemlins/wavin.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/wavin.gif[/img] RAV4 or Highlander?