Cheesiest title ever.
We need your help! Our new baby is coming soon, God willing, and our Honda Civic has exactly zero room left for any breathing human being (don’t think about that too much!), so, loath though I am to spend any money on an expensive and immediately-depreciating vehicle, we have to buy one.
We are going to buy a used car to save money, and the three that we are considering are:
- Toyota Sienna
- Honda Pilot
- Honda Odyssey
The Pilot and the Sienna are the front-runners.
Do you own one of these vehicles? Do you know someone who does/did? What do you think about them? How well do they hold many car seats and small children? Can mommy (or occasionally daddy) maneuver inside to put child in and out of car seat?
Thanks for your help!
Having known people who have owned/now own #’s 1 and 3, and having checked both out myself, I vote for the Odyssey. If we were to buy a new vehicle right now, this would be our first choice. The optional 8th seat is VERY appealing!
hi guys. congrats on the boy. mom keeps me posted. my parents have a toyota sienna. i am not sure about all of the features but there is a lot of room compared to an suv. my parents also considered a pilot and ruled it out. in the sienna it has a lot of trunk storage in addition to the third row. they have bucket seats in the middle which helps make easy access to third row. the side door windows also roll down with rear air. jordan will never buy a minivan but compared to a standard suv they are much roomier. hope this helps. tammy
I loved the title
We have a 99 Odyssey we bought used about 4 yrs ago. It has served us well but is about ready to retire. We had to have the transmission rebuilt about 2 yrs ago and it has ongoing issues. Apparently 99 was the first year of that model; I’ve heard not to buy a car from a new-model year. I think we’ll try the Sienna next.
Have you test-driven? I think w/ 3 kids you’d be very happy w/ a minivan; the space and height are really nice. I’ve also heard that sometimes the carseats are hard to fit in the Pilot 3-across. You might look into that. Does the Sienna offer the 8th seat option? That could be deal-breaker for us…that extra seat would be really nice when we have family or friends over and want to carpool.
Happy car shopping!
We have an Odyssey and absolutely love it!! No probelms except for the CD player …. and that was our fault. 2yo stuck three cd’s in at once! LOL!! BUT .. warranty covered it and was replaced for free … TWICE!!!!
We’ve had no problems! Love how the seats fold down in the back, love the storage space in the back. Drives wonderfully and great customer service. We’ve had ours for over 6 years and no problems.
We did buy brand new so we are original owners. Bought ours in 2003 if that helps.
We’ve had an 2003 Odyssey for 4 years without any problems. We recently did have to replace the tires.
I always vote for Hondas they last forever and maintain their value better if you sell them. We use our odyssey as a pickup truck. I regularly haul a cubic yard of wood mulch in it with the seats out. It gets reasonable gas mileage and handles very well- it’s funner to drive than my civic anyway. It can be a tight fit for an adult getting into the back seat but you can reach car seats easily enough from the side doors.
I highly recommend leather seats they are so much easier to maintain with little kids. We also have the dvd player. We didn’t want one but all the used vehicles we looked at had them. It is a lifesaver on long car trips.
I can’t compare to your other options but if I had to buy a new one it would be an odyssey again.
Been there, done this. Few quick pointers:
Pilot – unless you plan on fitting 3 carseats across the middle row, be prepared for a physical workout getting a kid in/out of the 3rd row. Also, you’ll sacrifice trunk space with the third row up.
Sienna – we were looking used too and avoiding the first-year model like Blair said. The older Siennas in our range required the high-octane fuel so that ruled that one out for us (who wants to spend more money on gas?). I don’t think that’s the case with the newer models. Check it out.
Odyssey – what we ended up purchasing. We got an ’04 which was the last year of that model. Solid vehicle. Great reviews.
Certain years/make/models of minivans offer the optional 8th seat. You gain another seat with it, but you lose easy access to the third row, particularly if you have carseats strapped in the middle.
Oh yeah, like Lillian said – make sure the third row folds down into the cargo area. I think Sienna was late on this feature.
We bought a 2006 Sienna in May 2009. Best money we’ve ever spent. We have the 8 passenger; our fourth child is due in November. There is SO much space and leg room even in the back seats. We recently drove 18 hours in it with 4 adults and 3 children. Everyone was super comfy.
katie, i will come to your rescue. ive never owned any of those cars, or even been inside the pilot, but im with ya- id much prefer to drive that than a huge minivan! in the end, you’re the one driving it everyday so it needs to work best for your needs. go test drive all 3 and see how you feel. does the middle row in the pilot have an easy fold down seat? id assume itd have to so ppl can climb into the back? go try it out and see how easy you think it is and if the boys will be able to get in and out of it easily. and when you test drive it, put all 3 car seats into it and see how it works.
what abt a suburban? my sister loves hers and it’s always been great for them (and theirs seats 11!! beat that minivan)
I vote for more options. Since when is two minivans and one SUV a good choice? Personally, I would choose the Pilot. I’ve got a friend that has one (with a baby) and loves it. It’s smaller to drive around too- so less chances for dings, etc. As far as reaching for a kid, that’s not going to be a problem much longer. The twins are growing up fast and before long they’ll be able to buckle themselves in. Right now, there’s no need for that 8th seat. When do you ever need more an one or two extra seats anyhow? When your family expands, then you consider more options- but odds are this car won’t be around for a very long time no matter what you get- this isn’t a forever vehicle, it’s just a for now vehicle.
I’m sure the pilot would accommodate any space concerns- you all are doing things so simply anyway. And, finally, you’ve got to consider the ascetics of it all. If we based everything on functionality that would be one thing- but we don’t. If we did, we’d all have like three items of clothing and we’d eat beans and rice everyday. Ascetics matter- especially when they affect how we feel about our lives. And, I think everyone would agree that the Pilot is much more ascetically pleasing.
So, I hold my ground- I vote for more options, but if constrained to these few, then definitely the pilot… because it’s about more than a well-functioning vehicle… it’s about enjoying life too. The Pilot accomplishes both.
I’m very proud of this comment, by the way.
Dear roses, I come before you to offer the advice of a pilot owner. While minivans can have cool features and perhaps make car seat Installation easier, here are the reasons why I love my Pilot.
1. It is fuel efficient. Same in comparison to a minivan.
2. It is a Honda-has not had a major mechanical problem after five years and almost 200,000 miles.
3. While the third seat is smaller, there is plenty of roo
for kids.
4. The seats fold down and roll forward very easilly.
5. It is a very smooth ride but has 4 wheel drive and a much higher suspension which are essential for outdoors activities and bad weather.
6. Did I mention it was cool?
7. Many of my friends with minivans end up having major problems with the sliding doors. Not so with the Pilot.
8. While folding down the third row for groceries and such does take up sea t room, the seats are split so you cs fold down one, two or both of the seats still allowing people to sit in the third row. And the rear storage room is pretty comparable to a minivan.
8. While I am assuming u will b keeping your vehicle for a while, should the need to seek arise, they have excellent resale value.
I could wax poetic all day but will digress. I think it is wise to test drive all three,
But know in the end, the Pilot will steal your heart and make the most fiscal sense! Happy shopping!!!!!
One last note: I strongly second Nathan on the leather seats and Dvd player. I would never have added it myself but it is a lifesaver on long trips. And leather is so easy to clean. Usually the two features come together on the Pilot EX model.
Whatever you choose, get leather!! I miss leather seats. Now that I’ve “upgraded” to a 12 passenger *snort* I have fabric seats again …. and boy am I constantly upset at how quickly they get dirty!!!! Wish there was a 12 passenger w/ leather interior!! Leather is definitely the way to go!!!
And remote access doors is cool, too!! I used to love to be able to open the doors from afar so kids could get in.
Just my $.02.
Devin,
My Odyssey seats four car-seated children just fine, and Jessica and I maneuver in and out of the back without any trouble. It handles well, does well on gas, and at ~60k, we’ve had zero maintenance issues. It’s been across the country three times now (just arrived Saturday in Washington State). The first two times I towed my Saturn behind it on a rented tow dolly, thanks to a tow package I installed — plenty of power. You can buy (even later on) an eight seat in case the need should arise (since I want mine to last ten years, that has been on my mind, and I’m glad to have that option without needing to switch out already to the really big van market).
Check out the fitzmall website to see the lowest Toyota prices I’ve ever seen. I know you won’t be buying where they are, but it’ll give you leverage if you go in to talk to a dealer (they don’t have a Fitzmall Honda dealer I’m afraid). E-mail any time with questions!
Peace in Christ,
Tom
We have the Odyssey and we really like it. We can manuever in it without any trouble. The third seat is easy to fold down if we need it for storage room. We haven’t used the optional 8th seat yet, but I’m sure we will at some point. With the 8th seat stowed, we can actually move from the front seat all the way to the back if needed while in the car. It could easily fit 4 car seats comfortably. The integrated sun shades are my favorite part. The one thing I don’t like about our model (the 2007 exl) is that the hatchback is not automatic. We originally didn’t think that would be a problem, but it is rather difficult to lower it when holding a baby, especially on a hot day when the car is super hot. We bought it at Round Rock Honda. Our salesman was R.J. He was the most straight-forward used car salesman I’ve ever met. Enjoy your search!
Devin, my friend, you must listen to me: Friends don’t let friends drive minivans.
Check out a used Volvo XC90. Used models 2-3 years old, under 60K, fully loaded, for about $20K. Seats 8, safe, fun drive, and Swedish!
I’ll keep this short since you have a lot to digest in these comments! You can’t go wrong with any of the items on your short list, but I would recommend comparing the size of the cargo areas in the Pilot and the Odyssey before making you final decision. The Pilot is nice, but I don’t think it has nearly as much room behind the last seat as the Odyssey does.
In response to Jerod’s comment, you’re not going to win any coolness points with the minivan, but it’s like having a Swiss Army Knife for a vehicle! You will be amazed by the versatility.
We just made the decision for the Odyssey (we’re waiting placement of our 3rd child (2,1 and new) so we’ll have 3 carseats. The Odyssey EX has dual power sliding doors standard (harder to find in the Sienna) and separate temp controls for front driver and passenger (my husband and I never agree on temp for comfort) as well as rear section control. For daily use we will remove one of the 2nd row bucket seats to provide easier access to the 3rd row until the toddlers step up to boosters. When we need the 4th bucket seat we can easily access the 3rd row by not having the 8th seat in place.
My sister has a Sienna, they have 5 kids, 9 and under. It works really well for them. I love how the center seat moves….. I think it slides forward so that the parents can see the baby in the car seat.
Take your double stroller when checking out cars/vans/etc. If there’s room in the back fir both groceries and stroller, it’s the one!!
Don’t give in to peer pressure to get an SUV.
Minivans handle very well, they’re less expensive than SUVs, they get better gas mileage, more convenient with a family, and hold twice as much cargo.
I recently helped someone move and I could fit almost double the cargo in my odyssey as they could in their suburban- both with the seats out.
In my mind- the only reason to get an SUV is if you will actually be off-roading with it. Not likely.
We have an Odyssey (’05) and a Pilot (’07) and while we like them both, the Odyssey is better when the whole family is in the car. The air conditioner circulates better to the back seat since they have their own controls. The Pilot has back seat a/c that comes from the console in front of the middle row middle seat and the person sitting in that seat gets uncomfortably cold and there are no vents in the back row. In the Odyssey, two car seats fit well in either the middle row and/or back row seats, but in the Pilot, only one car seat can fit in the back, in the middle seat only. There’s more leg room all around in the Odyssey, too. The side automatic sliding doors are very helpful, especially if you’re carrying an infant seat to pop into the base that’s already in the van. We chose Odyssey over Sienna because the middle row seats move forward to get to the back and the Sienna middle seats collapsed over and I was afraid it might do that with a child in the seat.
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