Buying a Minivan

We have a Honda Odyssey that we really like but a friend of mine just bought a brand new Dodge Caravan because of the great deal they got (it's a 2007 with heated leather seats for $22,000...which I think is around $10,000 off sticker).

We have a Dodge Caravan and love it! However, our next van will be a Toyota Sienna because of the safety ratings and the fact that Toyota rates very high in not needing repair work. We always look at Consumer reports as they rate all the cars once a year. Good luck!!

It seems that the most popular minivans out there are either Dodge Grand/Caravan or the Chrysler. We have a Dodge Grand Caravan and so far, so good. Safety rating just came out with the top four minivans (Honda Odyssey, Kia Sedona, Toyota Sienna and Chrysler Town and Country). Interestingly enough I didn't see the Dodge Caravan. BUT, we love the one we have - can't do without the DVD! We've taken from MPLS to NY and VA and never had a problem. Also, we bought it "refurbished" from the dealer and I highly recommend looking into slightly used cars. For all the bells and whistle we have, it didn't cost much. Of course it's a 2003 model with 56,000 miles when we purchased it through my husband's credit union. But I think it is worth what we paid for it. The original owner maintained it very well. There were more recent models available (like a 2006 minivan with 15,000 miles) that were a little less but didn't have all the bells and whistles that ours has (like heated leather seats, DVD player, sunroof and all wheel drive!)...anyway, I recommend doing some research and be open to buying a slightly used minivan.

i own a 2002 dodge grand caravan..i have had it for 2 years.. i have had one problem with it but other than that i like it.. if u do get one try mot to get the one with automatic doors because if one of the motors goes out in the van door it will cost u a pretty penny like 1000 to 2000 a door motor.. hope this helps u out.. C. W.. westside, iowa

My only advice is to go to your library and look at the Consumer Reports. Find the most recent publishing of mini-vans that have been tested for safety and features and everything. I found that the Toyota Sienna and the Honda Odyssey ranked #1 and #2 (I can't remember which was one was #1 and #2). If you are big on safety and crash test ratings, Consumer Reports is the place to do your research! Good luck and happy hunting!!

we have had a dodge grand caravan for about three years now and love it!

We've ended up with a rental Caravan (or chrysler) a couple of times while traveling, and I've really liked it as far as minivans go (I'm a sedan kind of girl). We have a '98 Dodge Dakota and it has been amazingly reliable. My husband barely changes the oil every 3000 miles and all we've really done to it is tires, brakes, and the oil. This fall we had a few sensors fail, but the dang thing is 10 years old! We bought it at White Bear Dodge w/ Car Soup pricing and have taken it to Dodge of Blaine for some recall work. I was not impressed with the service center in Blaine. Both times we had it in something else mysteriously went wrong shortly after we got it home. Anyway, if you've done all your research and one of these is the car for you, I'd say Caravan all the way. (Have you looked at Toyota??) Happy shopping!

We just bought a minivan. We test drove just about every minivan out there... We really like the Toyota, but couldn't justify the cost.

We ended up buying a Chrysler Town and Country minivan Touring, which is the same as the Dodge Grand Caravan. We love it and the price was great!! We actually had a Chrysler a few years back and lovedit than too. I would highly recommend the automatic sliding doors, they are a life saver. We also have the automatic rear hatch which is great.

As far as the KIA goes, I never test drove it. We use to have a KIA Sorento, however it doesn't seem as though the KIA's hold any value. I personally wouldn't buy another KIA.

You can do alot of searching online, the prices can vary greatly depending on the dealership.

Good luck!!

My sister had a Kia and it felt small, there is no room in the trunk area and the front is not roomy. I have a Chevrolet Venture and love it, I think they call it a Highlander now.

Hi K.
I have Dodge Grand Caravan and LOVE IT. we have had it five years and not and to do much other than regular matinance. it has 180,000 miles on it and stills runs perfect.Good luck in your hunt. T.

Are you planning on more kids? We totaled our Venture recently and I miss that van! I could fit 3 car seats in the middle and 2 in the back with 3 adults in there also- seated 8. It felt larger than the Honda when we test drove them. We were seriously looking at getting 2 Kias before we had our hand forced with the accident. Our friend has a Kia and likes it because it is smaller, she feels she can maneuver easier in it, but it has nearly no storage space.
Now we are looking at the Chrysler once a teen or 2 moves out. We tried to rent one and went through 3 different brands attempting to get our car seats in them before going full size SUV for the car seats. (2 of our kids are smaller and will be in seats for several more years)

we have had our 2005 toyota sienna for 18 months now and love it. we've taken it on some major, long roadtrips with no problems at all. a year ago when i was looking at the consumer reports for vans, honda was ranked #1 and toyota a close #2. honda was out of our price range, and we found a slighlty used sienna at Toyota Performance here in Lincoln. I have 2 friends who have had numerous problems with their caravans, even brand new ones. the consumer reports helped me out, thinking about the safety of our family and the reliability of the brands. we love our sienna!

My sister likes her Kia Sedona but she seems to be in shop alot with little things like locks etc.
We own a Honda Odyessy and Love it. We leased it 94 new and bought out the lease 2 yrs. later. If my husband was to buy another one he said he would check out the Grand Carivan cause of all the bells and whistles but would probley just buy another Honda because of the reputation and safety rating. Do some homework on safety rating and make a list of what features are most impotant to you. That way you don't pay for the ones you won't use.
P.S The DVD player rocks if you don't have portable one...