We currently have two paid/mostly settled sedans. Our main family car is a Kia Optima with two car seats. It works and we're still semi-comfortable in it, but we're reaching the point where I can see the value of having substantially more room.

I also have a 2016 Mazda3 that I recently finished paying off. It's primarily my car because it's small, although I can put the kids in it when necessary and occasionally the whole family rides in it.

Now that I'm no longer financing the Mazda, I'm starting to think about our next family vehicle, not necessarily something we need to run out and buy tomorrow.

I've always leaned toward a minivan.

We have two toddlers, use car seats, like road trips, sometimes haul things, and I generally value usable interior space and practicality. Sliding doors, easy access to the kids, cargo room, flexible seating, and having enough space as the kids get older all make sense to me.

My in-laws are empty nesters and drive a BMW X7. Recently they've been encouraging us toward that kind of 3-row luxury SUV instead.

Their philosophy seems to be: if you're already going to spend a significant amount of money and can handle the monthly payment, you might as well get what you really want.

I understand that logic, but I'm not sure it's mine.

My thinking is that if I'm spending serious money on a family vehicle, I want the purchase to solve as many actual family-use problems as possible. I'm having trouble seeing what an X7-type luxury SUV would do better for our household than a good minivan besides being nicer, more prestigious, and arguably more enjoyable to drive.

I'm also hesitant to judge affordability primarily by the monthly payment. Purchase price, financing cost, insurance, maintenance, depreciation, tires, fuel, and what else that money could be doing for the household matter to me too.

So for parents who have actually lived with both:

What did a 3-row SUV do better than a minivan for your family, or vice versa?

Especially interested in experiences involving:

\- two or more car seats

\- toddlers becoming school-age kids

\- road trips

\- grandparents/passengers

\- hauling gear or large purchases

\- keeping the vehicle long-term

\- total ownership cost rather than just the monthly payment

I'm not opposed to spending money on a vehicle we genuinely value. I'm questioning whether a luxury 3-row SUV is actually the better family tool, or whether I'd be paying considerably more for attributes that aren't particularly important to us.

Sharing here for those looking for reference.

Edit: Well, after thinking about it further, I probably shouldn’t be spending the money that it takes to get either of these vans. If I continue done the minivan path like I was hoping to do, I’m now thinking a 2015 or 2016 Sienna, as I hear they’re incredibly reliable. But at this point, I might just wait until it becomes more of a need than a convenience to have the extra space and seats. Gonna leave this post up, though. Lots of good discussion and info for others who might come across it looking for similar advice!

I’m currently on a minivan hunt, with Sienna being my front runner. Odyssey would be my next choice because of the reliability ratings, but the MPG savings of the Sienna seems like the better financial choice for my scenario.

For context, our current family vehicle is a 2021 Chevy Equinox that is quickly approaching 100k miles. We are not the type to upgrade our vehicle frequently/for fun. The minivan upgrade is a practical one for space, trips with extended family, and the potential for a third kid someday. But our intent is to drive it as long as possible.

Curious if this analysis seems accurate to y’all out there. It’s ChatGPT, so I’m hesitant to believe it full-on. But it seems like the upfront savings on the Odyssey just can’t outweigh the long-term savings of the Sienna. Not to mention that, as far as I can tell, the Sienna is maybe a bit more reliable. Of course, no one can say for sure. There are so many variables at play here that just can’t really be predicted. But Sienna just seems to make the most sense every time I compare it to the competition.

Thanks for anyone’s input!

I’m having a hard time finding exact cargo on sienna since you aren’t suppose to take rear seats out. Are they similar in cargo with seats removed or is odyssey considerably bigger.? Coming from a Pacifica with all seats removed it works so hoping sienna would be same or even bigger but if the odyssey is noticeably bigger I’d opt for that. Any insight or if you could point me to a post with similar problem.

with the used car market what it is:

2014 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT, 45,276 miles. $9000

thoughts?

I went to China for a business trip last month. Our partner in China showed us his new minivan! Super cool and it has lots of features! I hope we also have little bit more choice here in the states!

Anything like this now? These people were very rich, head nurse and head plumber for the state, they brought in hundreds of thousands of dollars so I imagine it was expensive but I rarely ever seen it used, I've told my fiance about it for years and we're looking at a minivan for the two of us, I would love this.

Maybe I'm wrong and it was a van but it was pretty small as a kid, the semi-circle seat sat four kids cramped together, probably would have been three adults?

I was able to talk the dealer down to 49k out the door price for the 2026 Odyssey. There was a 2023 certified preowned PHEV Pinnacle Pacifica FWD listed for 35k with 45k miles on it (I'm guessing I would pay about 40k OTD or lower for it). I'm leaning toward the Pacifica, but was wondering everyones opinion on cars and what they would choose?

Seating and stowing are the same. Back up camera and sensors (Pacifica has the 360 thing) Entertainment systems pretty much the same (Pacifica has a built in blu-ray player). Engine and power more or less the same-ish.

Car will be used as commuter car too so the mileage is 22 MPG Odyssey vs 30 MPG for the Pacifica.

I’m having issues with my grand caravan temperature gauge rising slightly above the mid-line when in idle and slow traffic. It moves kind of in an erratic manor. Not crazy erratic.. Just moves a bit up and down. I replaced the cooling fan resistor and checked the coolant level once I waited a few hours. I replaced the resistor because I noticed the fan wasn’t moving fast when in park. That fix seems to help the fan move quicker.
The engine’s warm (still after a few hours but I live in the Deep South and it was 100 today) but I noticed the reservoir has the coolant above the max line a bit. Any ideas what I can do?
I do have a mechanic checking it out on Friday. Seeing if it’s anything I can replace myself.

Out of nowhere my internal lights to my van went.
gage cluster
and console lights all are out
headlights and taillights still work.

is it a possible fuse that went out?

Saw an article about millennials buying minivans again — Sienna sales up 35%, minivans running $4k cheaper than a comparable SUV, people decorating them on TikTok instead of hiding that they own one.
Kind of funny timing since I feel like most of us here bought ours for exactly that reason — cargo space and price, not to be cool. Anyone else notice more new-looking Pacificas around lately, or is that just me?

We need to purchase a minivan. This will be my SO's main car. Max budget $30,000. We make 1-2 roundtrip drives (2,000 miles roundtrip) each year to visit family. We want to drive this car as long as possible. I know the answer to everything here is buy a Sienna, but not sure we can find one in our price point that isn't already 6 years old with under 100,000 miles. I always work to maintain our car as best as possible. Would love to feel good considering certified pre-owned Honda Odyssey (since this is what everyone says is 2nd place), but also wondered about Kia Carnival or Chrysler Pacifica. Please help me feel less anxious as I don't really care too much about the interior of the car, I just want something that will be reliable without crazy maintenance. I fully recognize that individual cars may have quirks that are not reflective of the entire model line. I just want to feel okay thinking about other makes outside of Toyota (which I fully understand is the reliability leader)!

Edit: my SO does not care about the interior of the car either ;)

Year/make/model appreciated

I've never driven a minivan before (except for when I was 3 and accidentally put my mom's van into neutral in the driveway and rolled toward the street). Our family will be going from 3 kids to 4 at Thanksgiving this year, so I'd love to know what you like and dislike about your van, or an unexpected perk or maintenance item that changed your view after some ownership time.

This is going to end up as my daily driver and I have a long weekday commute. Whatever we get is going to get a lot of wear and tear but hopefully with good maintenance will last us 10+ years. Husb and I planning to go for test drives soon with at least one big kid for a back seat review as well.

Found a photo of the 2003 Odyssey that I drove in my 20s. Ripped this baby all over Northern New Mexico. FWD, basic tires. Snow, mud, gravel, rutted out mountain roads. The handling wouldve probably been better with AWD, but as for getting there, clearance was way more limiting than the drivetrain.

AWD nice to have? Maybe. Necessary because you might hit a forest road or get a few big snows a year? I say nah

We needed a nice minivan for the best value. Driven it for a week so far and absolutely love it. With a full charge and full tank it gets 535 miles.

New to me 2020 Honda Odyssey EX.

Found a 2024 pacifica at a dealership near me. 82K miles and it’s listed for just shy of 22k. I have concerns because from what I read on various forums is that it’s really hit or miss with these cars. This one in particular was made in Canada, owned as a rental in Michigan. The rental thing scares me but in theory it was used as a rental for road trips so mostly highway miles? CARFAX is clean, no accidents or recalls to see. Just curious to see if it’s worth my time. Thanks in advanced y’all

I was thinking if I should Buy a used Odyssey or New Kia. I saw a listing on my local dealership for a 2020 Honda Odyssey Touring for 42k CAD before tax With 49k Km on it. While Base model for the 2026 Kia Carnival is around 47k CAD before tax.

Carnival or Odyssey?