In the Market for a Minivan and Need Your Help: Toyota or Honda?

I have an almost-ten year old Dodge Grand Caravan that I thought I'd never own. I wasn't a "minivan" person. But I am also 4'10", and far too short to drive the other mainstay to large families, the big-honking SUV. So when Little Man was a baby and we needed to upgrade from my Jeep Cherokee (which is remarkably small inside when you have two rear-facing car seats), we bought the van, and I came to love love love that van. We bought it used, with low mileage. I love that I can walk around inside it almost standing up straight (ahem), and I love that I sit up so high when I drive it. It has had some weird quirks; it has an electrical system that is possessed by the devil, and every once in a while it will lose all of my settings and I'll have to fix them, but otherwise it's been a good van. We've filled it with fun and love.

But it is now in its death-throes. The transmission is slipping, and while I have an appointment to put it in the shop in the morning, I have a feeling it is going to take a transmission rebuild. There are several reasons I think this, which I won't go in to here, because it's boring (yes, this post CAN get more boring), but I am reasonably sure this is it for the van. In the past year I've already put about $5K into it, and I just can't see doing that anymore, especially since I have to rent a van every single time I put it in the shop, which has been at least 5 times this year. That money is better put into a new van.

So! We checked out both the new Dodge van and the Chrysler Town and Country, and the '08s are UGLY! They have redesigned them so that they can accomodate a 4.0L engine, because we all need to consume MORE gas, and the front end is now boxy and looks like either a truck or an old Astro van from the 80s. That's not for us. We want a safe vehicle that's big enough to transport all of us and consumes the least amount of gas possible. Oh, yeah, and it has to accomodate short people easily, and I don't mean the kids.

We think we have decided on either the Toyota Sienna or the Honda Odyssey, but really, it's a wash. We can get the features we want on both and the prices are within $2K of each other, and really when you are talking the difference between $29K and $31K it isn't a difference at all, in my mind. Consumer Reports recommends them both, but the Sienna is rated just slightly higher than the Honda. CR does note that the Honda is more "agile" than the Toyota, but the Toyota has a slight edge on reliability.

If you have either of these minivans, what made you choose the one you have? Why do you like it? Is there anything you don't like? Give me the scoop.

Please help, this decision is too important to flip a coin on, and the kids, well, they're kids. All they care about is the DVD player we won't be getting.

Comments

[Agincourtdb]

Just don't get a used conversion van off ebay. Trust me on this.

[Redneck Mommy]

My friend has the Toyota and loves it.

Man, do I miss my minivan. We traded it in when the Bug was born because of all the traveling to and from the city (we couldn't keep us with the fuel costs) and bought a station wagon.

I'm still grieving. I mean, how can I EVER hope to look cool behind the wheel of a freaking shaggin' wagon?

[Laura]

I read but never comment -- just had to say, though, that we recently got a used Sienna after driving a Toyota Previa for 15 years and 260,000 miles. We've been very impressed with Toyota's reliability (had a Corolla wagon, too, which we passed on to a relative last year and is still going strong at 16 years old). My brother has an Odyssey and loves it, and I don't think there's that much difference between the two. In the end, we were able to get a better deal on the used Sienna, so we stuck with the brand that's served us well. We're happy with the Sienna so far. I'm on the shorter side -- but over 5 ft. -- and find the driver's seat pretty comfortable. The Previa seat would sometimes start to cut off my circulation on long drives. We've had the captain's chairs in the middle row in both vans -- better for maximum separation of siblings.

[Fish-flopper]

While you know I don't have a minivan, I am a big fan of Toyota. My '99 Camry is still going strong and my next car will likely be a Toyota...
PS Anyone describing any minivan as "agile" is smoking crack.

[Rose]

Ya know--I always said I would NEVER own a mini-van ... and then I got pregnant with our second child 11 months after our first child. Ever try to fit two Britax car seats in the back of a Honda Accord??? Eeks! They fit but you can't fit anything else back there. I am 30-and I own a mini-van-WOW I am still getting used to it.

We have a 2007 Odyssey LX in Cherry Pearl (read as Metallic Burgundy) and we are really happy with our purchase. Only thing besides wanting the entertainment system we could not afford-was having the center console in the second row that can double as a seat. We tried to add it while we were still at the dealership but we had already signed all the paperwork and it would have been over $300 to add it afterwards- just something to think about. Otherwise, having perused CR as well, my biggest concerns were safety, comfort, aesthetics and resale value-all in that order. We recently took a road trip with our 3 yo and 18 mo and it went great.

It is a really comfy ride--the gas is not horrible. The drivers seat has a couple of adjustment options, and it has a tilt/telescoping steering wheel to accommodate my 5'3" frame. I love that the rear seats fold down into the van floor and there are all sorts of storage spaces.

The only thing that bothers my husband--who does most of the driving on the weekends--is the electronic stability control--it kind of does a self-correct on sketchy road conditions. He said it does not feel like he is steering at times. I have never really noticed so maybe it is a guy thing. Sometimes the back doors are a little hard to open but nothing too annoying. I would definitely test drive them back to back unless you have done that already.

We have owned ours for over a year now and have no complaints. Good luck with your decision!

[carmen]

My dh drives an 08 town and country as part of his package at work. I LOVE it. Seriously - drive it and see how you like it - there are tons of amazing extras and I've been uber impressed.