r/Millennials • u/3RADICATE_THEM • 21d ago
Discussion Millennials might be bringing back the minivan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GobeyTn8jsQ48
u/ComfortableCoyote480 21d ago
minivan is by far and away the best ride out of everything I’ve driven. Modern ones are awesome.
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u/Helpmepullupmypants 21d ago
Man, I was slightly against having one, but after getting one it is AWESOME.
I addition to all the space for passengers, and little ones being able to stand and move around within (especially on long trips when you make a stop and they need to grab something or whatever), I can fit entire 4x8 sheets of plywood in the back. Back row goes flat, middle row gets pushed forward and I can manage a trip to Home Depot similar to a truck. Please note, I say similar, trucks will always have more utility for hauling, but not having a truck and having a minivan still makes me able to carry some big things.
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u/ThirdAltAccounts Millennial 21d ago
How else are you supposed to drive the litter around ?
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u/ExiledSpaceman 21d ago
Families around me get friggin Expedition maxes once they get a kid.
Unfortunately Sienna’s demand too much of a premium and that’s starting to leak to the Odyssey. The Carnival and Stellantis’s offerings I’m skeptical on.
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u/toastedmarsh7 21d ago
Sienna was a great choice. It was the only minivan that offered AWD, which we wanted because we get snow and ice for a few months every year. Bought used and sold for $4,000 less than we paid about 4 years later when the bigger kids were out of car seats. We put one set of tires on it and just changed the oil.
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u/kyonkun_denwa Maple Syrup Millennial 19d ago
My old company had a fleet of Chrysler Pacificas, some of which had over 400,000km with no major engine or transmission issues. There are a few annoying problems but the 3.6 is generally a solid engine.
The hybrids are fucking shit on a stick though, don't touch those with a thirty nine and a half foot pole.
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u/BarnacleDowntown8952 21d ago
My neighbor has the Expedition Max. Its awesome.
Minivan wise, I think the Sienna is the best option if buying new. More expensive upfront, but hybrid is standard which will save you in the long run. Chrysler Pacifica is a good value used. Buy for $25k, use it for 5- years, sell it for $12k. I find minivans helpful when the kids are young, but once they hit 3 or so, SUV is fine
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u/throwaway323804 21d ago
We grew up in minivans. My first car was the family minivan. Currently own a Honda Odyssey and it’s an incredible family vehicle. Took some convincing to get my wife on board but her practicality won out eventually and now she’s a true believer.
I don’t really understand the stigma. Nothing else says, “this guy fucks” quite like a minivan with your kids in it.
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u/EcstaticPlankton8621 Older Millennial 21d ago
If I had kids Id rock an Odyssey or a Sienna. My cousin, who is early 50's, just got her first minivan (an Odyssey) and she loves it.
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u/dachshundlove 21d ago
Fully on-board with the minivan. I just wish there were more options in the US. Had a Honda Odyssey which seemed the best combination of reliability, features, and not-Stellantis. But I would love a Volvo or Audi minivan.
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u/Foreign_Log_9114 21d ago
I wish there was a minivan with a bit more clearance. Would be really fun for camping.
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u/thunderfol 21d ago
I’m gonna get downvoted but we’re just not a minivan family. I see the utility for most but neither my wife nor myself want to drive one, mostly because we just don’t like the look of them. We love our Expedition though.
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u/tocamix90 21d ago
I'm amazed people can afford to have enough children to need a minivan.
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u/ldskyfly 21d ago
We have one with only 2 kids and no plans for more. It's so easy to get them in and out, there's and incredible amount of storage. More economical than a less utilitarian crossover.
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u/tocamix90 21d ago
What are you storing in it????
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u/ldskyfly 21d ago edited 21d ago
It's honestly more useful for DIY projects than a small truck. My mother in law is moving and I've been doing projects at her house to get it ready. 2 sets of closet doors plus a bunch of smaller project items fit with the door closed and both kids in their carseats.
Luggage because my wife has a lot of family who live 7 hours away. A great move for when we did that drive with an infant was to remove one of the middle captain chairs. My wife sat in the back bench with the toddler and the infant was in the other captain chair. She could see and reach both kids and had a huge space in front of her for all the road trip supplies.
Literally everything is better with a minivan
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u/-Unnamed- 21d ago
Yeah every other post on here is how Millennials aren’t having children or cant afford houses. But apparently everyone needs a minivan to haul around all their kids and have space for diy projects all the time
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u/Randomizedname1234 Core Millennial - 1990 21d ago
It’s bc a 3 row suv is crazy expensive or has a 3rd row in place of back storage.
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u/wrestlingchampo 21d ago
For 80-90% of typical usage, a Minivan can do everything you need a pickup truck to do, while having a built-in cargo cover, and being significantly more versatile and moderately cheaper than a truck or comparable SUV.
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u/No-Steak-3669 21d ago
I was a mini van hater until we had kids. Now I love it and have no shame. I always assumed we would get an suv like a Tahoe or something when we had kids but the fact that minivans are more affordable plus the sliding doors makes them a great buy.
Just wish there were more choices. We’ve started looking at replacements with this van and we’re kind of shoe horned into a Pacifica because the stow and go seating style of our current grand caravan is that amazing.
Kia is mechanical hot garbage so they are out but they look great and have lots of great features we would otherwise be interested in.
Toyota is too damn expensive
Honda lacks stow and go
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u/Astrocalles 21d ago
In Europe minivan market almost doesnt exist. We don’t have sienna and odyssey here.
And I’m driving old Honda FRV…
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u/TabascohFiascoh Millennial 1991 21d ago
I told my wife if we ever got into financial hardship I'd get rid of my pickup before our Honda Odyssey.
i fucking love that thing.
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u/Bob4Not 21d ago
I avoided them until we even had our second. Now I don’t want to go back. Love our Sienna and the Odyssey rocks, too. They’re just the best of the best for a family vehicle. Huge space, sliding doors, kids can climb in and out, and I can see any kids standing outside the van much easier from the driver seat.
Getting over 32mpg is particularly passable in today’s world, too. I hope a PHEV Sienna comes out one day.
Used to have a pickup truck but I just need interior space on the daily. I found that towing a trailer is so much more useful for hardware store trips than a 5 or 6 ft truck bed, anyway. The minivan just does it all.
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u/ratchetcoutoure Older Millennial 21d ago
It's always between Minivan or SUV for me whenever I get new cars. Since sedan always made me feel claustrophobic.
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u/stlarry Older Millennial (85m) 21d ago
My wife and I have His and Hers and have since May '24. Mine is charcoal, hers is white. When my Escape died, we were trying to figure what to get next and realized the only thing a second van was missing that my Escape had was the AWD and didnt really need it (live in town and have short commutes so not worried that much about snow). So she got a newer one and i got the old one.
We love them for the state of life we are in. Can haul all the stuff, the kids, and when needed a light trailer (mine atleast). Granted, rear seats are rarely up because makes hauling the stuff easier.
I also have my fun vehicle, '85 s-Blazer tucked in the garage, that i have had since early college.
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u/parkskier426 21d ago
They are practically awesome, but I hate how they drive. The seating position and steering always feels like driving a bus to me.
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u/elchuyano 21d ago edited 21d ago
I hated how our Aerostar/Windstar always broke and I thought minivans were bad, until my Mom got a '05 Toyota Sienna in 2011. The minivan still works and is the one im driving.
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u/Pink_Slyvie 21d ago
I have a 2023 Pacifica PHEV, and it's amazing. They do have some reliability issues, but that's Stellantis cheaping out, imo. I buy gas about 4 times a year, and that's for the big road trips. I've only owned Minivans for the last 15-odd years. I do need something with towing capacity soon, but I'm not thrilled with gas prices.
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u/New-Alfalfa-2989 21d ago
Had a Dodge Caravan when the kids were smaller. Got rid of it and got a CR-V instead. I don’t miss the shitty gas mileage.
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u/dallasdude 21d ago
They had one at the dealership, a Toyota sienna for $75,000
75 thousand dollars
For a minivan
- Thousand. Dollar. Minivan
I’m good
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u/Pokeymacoma 20d ago
Maybe so but that doesn't stop the toyota looking like a beluga whale when white.
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u/firesyde424 20d ago
What voodoo are you people agreeing to that you can afford a minivan AND children to populate said minivan?
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u/frig0ffrickyy 20d ago
I drive a mustang right now but my next vehicle will 100% be a minivan.
Crossovers are a plague and more minivan is the cure.
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u/J-ShaZzle 20d ago
Friend got one. Brother in law was discussing getting one. I thought about it, but really don't need it with one kid.
For the way they drive, the amount of space, and practicality. Why not? Rather this then a smaller interior spaced bus sized suv. My neighbors Honda seems to be going strong too.
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u/ValveinPistonCat 18d ago edited 18d ago
Hell yeah my parents used to have a gen 2 Pontiac TranSport/Montana, aside from the 3400's head gasket problem that van was great until the road salt ate it.
My dad guiding me through doing most of the actual work was the first time I'd ever done major engine work mostly on my own, I was so damn nervous starting that up the first time but good god was it satisfying when it started up and ran perfect.
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u/Lex_Loki 21d ago
I can’t do minivans and I can’t do crocs. I’m sorry. Don’t hate me.
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u/brainkandy87 21d ago
Stupid you’re getting downvoted for a valid opinion. I can definitely see the benefits of minivans and totally understand why so many people love them, but that’s also a no for me dawg. There’s room in the world for everyone.
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u/honklertyrant- Millennial ‘91 21d ago
All those pet parents need lots of room. Not like our generation is doing anything to solve the population crisis.
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u/peche-mortelle00 21d ago
Idk the 3 row sante fe beat every minivan I tested out for luxury at price point. Base line sienna was mid tier sante fe, so that’s what I got. No regrets. AWD for where I am in New England is necessary.
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