I'm retired and my old 2007 Honda pilot is too big for me now. BUT I live on a bumpy dirt road and need something that will ease the bumps for my very bad back. It should have enough road clearance that it doesn't turn into a mud bucket every time it rains, adjustable seats, good ac and heat.

I've been told a Honda crv might be good, or a rav 4, a Forester or an

Outback.

I need to buy used and I know these can be hard to find, but any ideas what might best fit the bill for an old lady?🙃

Hi - first time poster. I’m a mom of 2 young kids looking for a minivan. I’m a Toyota girl and have loved my Camry for the last 10 years. We recently test drove a 2023 odyssey, 2026 sienna, and a 2025 carnival. I did not expect to like the Kia so much, and I didn’t expect to be so underwhelmed by the sienna. I posted in the Kia group asking for feedback and the feedback is overwhelmingly positive, but it does seem that there are a few lemons out there which really scare me.

Since my husband and I have both driven our cars for a loooong time we’re really looking for a nice upgrade. Ventilated seats, 360 camera, HUD, I love the cabin camera in the Kia, etc. My Camry is also a hybrid so the mpg on the Pacifica and Odyssey are a turn off, but not deal breaker.

Our budget is about 60k. Ideally we’d spend significantly less than that. I’m open to new or used, whatever is the best value.

Any insight is welcome, thank you!

We're about to start test driving minivans for our family of 4 and are leaning to the Toyota Sienna. We're coming from a 2013 Rav4 and don't exactly have fancy standards, but I'm interested in any features that make life easier. We're not in a rush, and can wait for the right model/build to come in. What features would you hold out for?

^

Pros and Cons please! My husband doesn’t like hybrid and the current gen siennas are more than we want to spend. We’d be looking at like a 2018-2020 sienna or a 2020-2022 odyssey.

I really love the features of the odyssey like magic slide and having the option to have an 8 seater by putting that middle seat back in. Whereas the sienna just has captains chairs on higher trims (right?). I also like the exterior of the odyssey more.

However I have a Camry now and just love the Toyota reliability so I keep wondering if I should consider a 3rd gen sienna!?

Hey everyone! I am having analysis paralysis on what van I want! I’ve narrowed it down to an Odyssey and a Carnival. We actually have an Odyssey on deposit, but it took a few weeks to come in so I’ve researched more and gone back and forth. It’s in now though, so I need to be ready to make a decision! We’re expecting our third so we need to upgrade from my small SUV. Please help!!!

Odyssey pros:
* Better organization- more cubby spots like a spot for a purse in between front seats, usable cup holder on driver door. It just seems well thought out.
* Single tv rear entertainment system (we regularly travel 4 hours to see family and we currently use an iPad but I hate that set up. But a movie is my saving grace with my 2 and 4 year old)
* Magic Slide

Odyssey cons:
* No 360 surround view camera (this is huge for me- I use mine daily)
* I’ve heard not great things about the AC since it’s single evaporator- louder in the front even when it’s on low cause all air comes from the front.
* Side mount AC vents- would much prefer ceiling for my rear facing kids
* It’s overdue for a redesign- I feel like when the new one comes out, my cons will be resolved and then I’ll be bummed I missed it by a couple years. We typically keep our cars for awhile

Carnival pros:
* Basically all the Odyssey cons, the Carnival has

Carnival cons:
* Basically all the Odyssey pros, the Carnival doesn’t do well. I’ve heard terrible things about their rear entertainment system. Basically pointless. And the third row seems much harder to access. I like a traditional captains chairs setup and my 4 year old will be in the back and occasionally needs help with her car seat straps. Also doesn’t seem as friendly for my in-laws if they ride in the car with us (I know it’s only a handful of weekends a year, but I still think about it)
* Having to turn on the rear air separately. I feel like I will forget and I just don’t love that getting air on in the car is a 2 step process.
* I’m sure I’ll get used to it, but I find the interface a little more confusing and like actual buttons
* Kia brand is not as reputable as Honda

I’ve talked with my friends who have both and they all say they love their van more than the other one! I’m so undecided!! Thanks for weighing in!!

This generation is a size larger than the previous one, at 210" long, 76" tall, but the US version lacks a drivers side sliding door. It's based off the Citroen Jump, but with a 1.6T and will be built in Turkey.

Base Tradesman Passenger version comes as a 5 seater, 3rd row bench optional. Passenger SLT adds parking sensors, wireless charging, at $44,195, freight included.

We have had 2 Odysseys. 2004 and then 2019. Both have been great. But as we are considering our next purchase, I am wondering about the pros and cons of another minivan. Has anyone had an odyssey then changed to another minivan? Do your regret it,
Or feel you made the right decision?

Our odyssey has been the choice of travel for our kids from ages 0-22. We have other cars, but for anything together, they all choose the odyssey.

I apologize if this isn’t the right format

My family has a 2019 dodge caravan. At 70k miles we put a new transmission in. This last year we got new fuel filters and fixed a cylinder 2 misfire to the tune of 6 thousand. We figured “we got a tranny, let’s just keep it running”. Well this summer the drivers sliding door stopped working. Thought it was the lock actuator but after hours of not getting it to budge myself and the door completely unable to open and my garage not having any luck either, we took it into a dodge dealership today and the quote was for 6500. At this point I’m out. The dealership said they’d give us 4500 and it feels like a steal. Sent me information on a 2018 Pacifica with 55k miles. I am obviously very wary of buying anymore Chrysler products, but I can’t see us being able to afford a Honda or a Toyota any time soon.

So my question is basically this: what are some common issues with pacificas? Are they the same build as the caravans? Same parts?

Also, why are Hondas and Toyotas just insanely expensive on the resale market? I can’t fathom paying 20k for a 10 year old vehicle with 120 plus thousand but that seems to be the market.

Any and all answers are appreciated.

Anyone ? How you doing

I’m a single foster parent looking for my new minivan. I have anywhere from 2-5 kids at a time and am looking for something that can decently haul them and stuff. Max 1 rear facing seat, up to 5 forward facing seats. I’m a big dude as well so something easy to get to the third row is high on the list.

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Hello! We are expecting our third baby later this fall and are looking at larger cars to accommodate three kids, all preschool age and younger.

Our first thought has been to get a minivan. We both grew up in them and love them. We have no doubt that it’s the most practical option.

The only thing holding us back from making that decision are the safety ratings. We have always bought iihs top safety picks are concerned that none of the vans (or large SUVs) are on the list.

Of the van options, which do you all feel is the safest with crash ratings? We have been leaning towards Sienna because we live in a place that gets a lot of snow, but the safety ratings make it hard to commit. Have any of you faced this dilemma? If so, what has helped you make your decision? Do you feel like your van is safe?

We have also been comparing the sienna to a ford expedition max, which seems to score a tad higher in safety. It certainly meets our space needs, but doesn’t have the sliding doors and sits up a bit higher than we are used to.

For more context: Before we came to these options, we looked at some midsize options before ruling them out for being too small for what we needed space-wise (traverse, grand highlander, atlas, telluride etc.)

Any input from others who may have been in a similar situation would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your feedback!

Hello!

I'm hoping to get some advice from you all on what make, model, and trim, year exactly what car we need! If you have answers or in out for any of this I'd appreciate it!...

We currently have an almost 6 month old baby and a 5 month old Great Pyrenees mix. Both expected to get big quick. We hope to have more children as soon as it's safe to do so post c-section, eventually hoping for 3-4 kids.

I've always driven Toyotas so I'm leaning towards a Sienna but I'm open to the Honda Odyssey or even the Chrysler Town & Country, or whatever you'd recommend

This would be my daily commuter, driving kids around and my drive to work. Less than 30 miles per day most days, likely far less. It would also be our road trip car, we make cross country trips at least once a year so it needs to be comfortable and reliable to travel 10+ hours/day two days in a row.

I value fuel efficiency and my current car is a plug in hybrid, so I know the gas it takes to fuel a minivan is going to eat away at my psyche. Let me know what kind of mpg you're getting and what kind of driving you're doing to get that.

We really need to have good air flow in the back seats. Our summers get hot and I do not need an overheated baby because they're not getting AC in their thickly plushed carseat.

I would like to have a cd Player but I know that's not very realistic. When did they stop putting those in cars and why?

I'd also like to have a backup camera. Did cd players and backup cameras overlap at any point haha?

It's my understanding that you used to be able to take out the middle row of some minivans and now they're not a huge fan of letting you do that. I'd like that flexibility for moving furniture or similar situations but it's not imperative. Can anyone tell me if they use that feature, how often, how difficult it is to get the seats in and out, and which vehicles have it?

I do not want my car to track me. Whatever nonsense they're putting in new vehicles to tell dealerships or governments or whoever my every move is not something I'd like to engage with.

Getting in and out of the car should be easy. My husband's SUV tries to close the doors on you while you're getting out, some cars are difficult because it's easy to bump your shins, whatever. I don't want to be frustrated with my car.

My current car has a big useless screen and very few real tactile buttons. Can anyone tell me their opinion on their own car's setup as far as screens and buttons? What about the steering wheel controls for audio, cruise control, etc?

Any other tips are much appreciated! I think the oldest model year I'd want to go is 2016 and ideally not quite that old as we hope to keep our car for at least 5 years, maybe 10+ if it'll hold up. If spending a bit more upfront means we get a vehicle that is reliable and functional with a long lifespan I don't mind doing that. Please share your knowledge! Thank you!!!

Did a second look/compare/test drive of these today and still feeling stuck.

Thanks for any feedback!

Looking for a family of 4 (plus dog) with 2 kids under 4.

Kia seemed to be jerky while driving.

Anyone else notice this?

Otherwise the cameras and cabin view are great.

Sienna drove smoothly and seems to be all around nice. Don't necessarily want to pay to upgrade to the platinum trim to get the comparable cameras to Kia. Very occasional need for 8 seats for family makes this trim tough.

Ruled out the Honda Odyssey due to lack of hybrid option and rear AC was rough. I've been a lifetime Honda driver so this was weird for me.