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Dodge/Chrysler products are continuously at the bottom of the reliability reports. I have friends and family that have Honda Odysseys or Dodge Caravans. The dodges are regularly in the shop for repairs and I don't remember a single time one of the Hondas have had a mechanical issue. I do remember reading Honda had a transmission that had issues when it first came out but they resolved them and worked the bugs out along the way.
I personally always used full size SUV's with 3rd row seating and never had a problem. I had seating for up to 7 or 8 people depending on which seating arrangement I had, the rear seats came out for additional storage room when I needed it and for traveling I have both a roof luggage carrier and a rear box that attached in the trailer hitch. Never had a problem with room and both the Ford and Chevy full size SUV's were reliable beyond 300,000 miles.
Here's your winner for large family needs. Tahoe/Suburban or Ford Expedition/Expedition EL will make life easier when you load groceries from Costco with those three car seats and your neighbor who comes along to help you keep your sanity.
The first time you go visit Grandma and Grandpa with three car seats, two strollers, diaper bags, bouncey seats, bottles and formula and diapers for a week, and enough clothes to fill a Children's Place retail outlet you will realize the minivan wasn't big enough.
Location: Butler County Ohio and Winters in Florida
929 posts, read 2,724,186 times
Reputation: 635
I think all of your ideas are good. But you need to go drive one of each. How does it feel to you and your kids? How would your car seats work? Can the kids get in and out with the car seats in there?
Can you and your husband adjust the front seats where you want them with the car seats in ?
How do the seats fold ? Is that important?
How is the car dealership ? If new or under warranty you will be dealing with them. How is there service department ? Are they back logged ? Do they have a Quick Service for oil changes etc.?
Do they have loaner cars ? Does your car purchase include a free loaner or rental ?
If you have an private mechanic that you like and use, what does he/she say ? What do or will they work on ?
* I would look at dealership used certified pre owned first. They have better warranties and you can buy / upgrade to a comprehensive warranty to match your payment schedule so it is covered for as long as you are making payments.
I don't have any recent experience with minivans, but I drove a Dodge Caravan in the 90s when my kids were young, and it was great for a family. More room than a car. The sliding side doors are great for getting kids in and out. And it was front wheel drive and I never had any problem driving in snow with it. It also got good gas mileage.
Take your three car seats and strollers and diaper bag and umbrella, ect when you go test drive. Try getting everything in and out a few times in different locations. Looking at the van will not tell you anything.
Thanks everyone for your responses. I have read them all and digested everything. We have gone and looked at all of the SUVs that you all have suggested. Aside from maybe Tahoe or Suburban, which we didn't like, the SUVs are just very cramped. Once you get into a van, you feel like you can breathe. It has space and we don't have to worry about combination of car seats that will fit into the second row.
With that we are going to seriously consider a 2008-2010 Honda Odyssey. I have a question about miles. How many is too many? I'm looking for those under 100K. Is that a smart strategy?
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,724 posts, read 58,067,115 times
Reputation: 46190
stick with the minivan for efficiency, safety, economy, insurance, ease of use, service life, cost of repairs, ease of getting into and out of, versatility, dependability ....
Buy tires and brakes ONCE for the large SUV / Truck Chassis vehicle, and you will spend a wad.
While truck chassis cars (suburban / Expedition) appear stout and safe.... they transmit much energy to occupants and other vehicles / objects. Chiropractors and physical therapists LUV truck accidents, you and your kids have slightly smaller chance of surviving in a truck, but a MUCH higher risk of permanent injury. A minivan will crumple up and save your and occupants, but the car is a 'throw-away' (good thing to do with a crashed car). SUV's will slide / flip, where a minivan is unlikely to do that in a normal collision. I am amazed at the number of SUV rollovers / on their side in NORMAL urban slow speed crashes.
There will be lots of flamers / people who disagree, as they LOVE their trucks. I love my Kenworth too, but I don't use it (often) to take the kids to soccer and school. Will it get them there? probably, will it get them home? likely. Is it the best vehicle to do that? not necessarily (especially if I am paying the insurance / maint / fuel to do that task with my Kenworth. ) Safe? probably, but not always.... STUFF happens (hit a MACK or an Oshkosh Snow plow )
stick with the minivan for efficiency, safety, economy, insurance, ease of use, service life, cost of repairs, ease of getting into and out of, versatility, dependability ....
Buy tires and brakes ONCE for the large SUV / Truck Chassis vehicle, and you will spend a wad.
While truck chassis cars (suburban / Expedition) appear stout and safe.... they transmit much energy to occupants and other vehicles / objects. Chiropractors and physical therapists LUV truck accidents, you and your kids have slightly smaller chance of surviving in a truck, but a MUCH higher risk of permanent injury. A minivan will crumple up and save your and occupants, but the car is a 'throw-away' (good thing to do with a crashed car). SUV's will slide / flip, where a minivan is unlikely to do that in a normal collision. I am amazed at the number of SUV rollovers / on their side in NORMAL urban slow speed crashes.
There will be lots of flamers / people who disagree, as they LOVE their trucks. I love my Kenworth too, but I don't use it (often) to take the kids to soccer and school. Will it get them there? probably, will it get them home? likely. Is it the best vehicle to do that? not necessarily (especially if I am paying the insurance / maint / fuel to do that task with my Kenworth. ) Safe? probably, but not always.... STUFF happens (hit a MACK or an Oshkosh Snow plow )
As far as dependability goes, my tahoe has in excess of 200,000 miles and my silverado with the exact same drivetrain has over 430,000 and they are both completely reliable. Once in a blue moon when something does go out, the parts are cheap and easy to find and they are the easiest to work on I have ever had. A water pump swap takes less than an hour and an alternator 15 minutes.
I just got tires for my Z71 4WD tahoe and I got Nitto terra grapplers. Mounted and balanced they were a little under $750. You can get street tires in the $600 range installed. My 2WD silverado tires are around $550.
As for brakes, I use top of the line ceramics and get them for around $50. You can get the cheap pads for $25 if that is your cup of tea. It takes less than an hour to change a set whether it be front or rear (they are both disc brakes and set up the same).
On Safety, you see all the tests and data and SUV's are typically some of the safest vehicles but like you said, they don't wad up and absorb the energy like a unibody crumple zoned front wheel drive vehicle but on the flip side they are strong, built to last and you can tow boats, trailers etc. So it really boils down to what do you need the vehicle for and how will you potentially use it. Do you need a kid hauling grocery getter or do you need something that can also tow and haul for projects around the house.
As far as dependability goes, my tahoe has in excess of 200,000 miles and my silverado with the exact same drivetrain has over 430,000 and they are both completely reliable. Once in a blue moon when something does go out, the parts are cheap and easy to find and they are the easiest to work on I have ever had. A water pump swap takes less than an hour and an alternator 15 minutes.
I just got tires for my Z71 4WD tahoe and I got Nitto terra grapplers. Mounted and balanced they were a little under $750. You can get street tires in the $600 range installed. My 2WD silverado tires are around $550.
As for brakes, I use top of the line ceramics and get them for around $50. You can get the cheap pads for $25 if that is your cup of tea. It takes less than an hour to change a set whether it be front or rear (they are both disc brakes and set up the same).
On Safety, you see all the tests and data and SUV's are typically some of the safest vehicles but like you said, they don't wad up and absorb the energy like a unibody crumple zoned front wheel drive vehicle but on the flip side they are strong, built to last and you can tow boats, trailers etc. So it really boils down to what do you need the vehicle for and how will you potentially use it. Do you need a kid hauling grocery getter or do you need something that can also tow and haul for projects around the house.
I think you hit the nail on the head there. We need a kid hauling grocery getter for sure!!! No towing or anything like that. For projects around the house I rent the U-Haul truck at Home Depot!
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