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I have 2 kids (baby and toddler) and I am considering a buying bigger family vehicle (7 or 8 seater).
For me cost, long life, convenience and less headache in maintenance is more important than style, image etc.,
I am leaning towards Minivan instead of SUV considering initial cost and operation cost (gas price etc.,)
I am thinking Toyota Sienna or Honda Odyssey...
Please suggest which is a smarter buy ?
Minivan or SUV or other category in family vehicle
If Minivan which one would be good Toyota Sienna or Honda Odyssey or any other specific vehicle in this category?
Both the Toyota and Honda are like driving easy chairs, very comfortable.
They are pretty evenly matched, both in safety and specs, and if you don't care about looks just go for the one you get the better deal on.
I felt like the Toyotas second row seats moved back farther, and chose it for that reason.
As far as getting an eight seater as soon as you get one kid goes, well for me it was to put my kid in as good of a bubble as I could.
It was a fight between frugality and function. The compact cars we had were better for the environment and our pockets, not that minivans are rolling coal or are all that expensive, but mine is 30% less fuel efficient and will run me an extra $2,000/yr in total ownership costs. A cost of having children. But I minimized my losses by going with the base model (about 2/3's the cost of a fully loaded option, with all the features I needed).
45,000 depericating 60% in 5 years is a use of $27,000
30,000 depericating 60% in 5 years is a use of $18,000
So I "saved" $9,000 by going with the base model.
Not that I really care, nothing else matters besides keeping my kids safe, so if the $45,000 model was the only one with the new frame and upgraded brakes, good handling, and acceleration I'd go that route (all those inputs are useful in accident avoidance).
It's a parent thing. And the car industry knows it's got us.
Both Honda and Toyota are very good choices for minivans, but if you need AWD for snow, then it's Toyota. One of my sisters-in-law had an Odyssey and moved into a Pilot because the Odyssey was a bit too large for her, though it was convenient with the sliding doors, especially for the dogs and children. Both are very comfortable, but the Honda has the edge in terms of road feel, whereas the Sienna is typical Toyota bland handling, which is something that seems to be part of their family sedan, minivan, and crossover lineup, not that it is bad, at all, just very boring to drive. I had a Toyota rental minivan a couple of weeks ago with over 35k on it and there were no squeaks or rattles present, pretty good in a rental car, as I have had Chrysler rentals that squeaked and rattled like there were bags of marbles everywhere with only 10-15k on them. I would cross-shop both and get what you like.
If you want a crossover, the Pilot and Highlander are also very good choices, and both have AWD systems for dealing with snow, if that's a consideration. If not, the FWD handle well and are more fuel efficient, with decent handling. The third row in both is a bit more cramped than in the van, with less ease of access, and cargo room can be a bit less as well, but they are smaller vehicles in length, though fuel economy can be similar to the vans.
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All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
You don't need either an SUV or a minivan at this stage. Your kids are small and they will be small for a long time.
Think about how long you keep your cars. If it's ten years, project ten years to when your kids are 13 and 10. Will they still fit in the back seat of a family sedan, such as an Accord, Camry, or Elantra? Unquestionably yes. Then you can reasonably be looking for another car, your kids are getting close to high school with sports, friends, teams, the prospect of driving them to college, and more and bigger stuff to haul. That's the time you get a minivan.
Oh yes, and minivan it is. They are without a doubt more practical than an SUV.
I could never understand why so many people buy 8 seater vehicles as soon as they have 1 child.
You have 2 children. what are the other 4 seats for?
I commend you for the realistic choice of minivan over SUV, but still think a sedan is more relevant.
I agree, your kids are too little to consider spending money on an expensive mini van. However, I loved having a mini van when my kids got older, extra room for friends and long drives to visit family much more pleasant.
At this point though I'd go with a Subaru or Volvo wagon, my favorite is a Subaru. Very versatile with the extra room in the back for strollers, groceries etc. Seats down you can even transport a sheet of plywood.
Used, of course!
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