Seeking opinions on 7-8 passenger cars

medola

Sun, Mar 08 2015, 8:10 pm

What car do you drive? dh and I are having a hard time deciding between a minivan or suv or suv crossover. I like the sportier look of a Kia Sorento, for example, but I worry about the lack of trunk space when all seats are up. I know the Honda Odyssey seems to be the safest and most popular, but it seems too boring for me to have the same car as everyone else... We also checked out the Nissan Rouge..
Also, if anyone has thoughts on whether it's better to lease a new car vs. finance a used car - I would appreciate any guidence I can get!

chatouli

Sun, Mar 08 2015, 8:25 pm

I had a Nissan rogue and hated it. It has no pickup, it feels like driving a toy, and the backseat was so cramped there was no way to fit a third passenger. Also the visibility was awful. The rear window is very small and awkwardly placed.

I'm driving an odyssey now and I love it. It's not so great in snow but it's comfy, spacious and handles really easily. Just don't get it in dark grey or you'll never find it in the parking lot Smile

ImaCohen4

Sun, Mar 08 2015, 9:07 pm

Love my town and country mini van. It has out lasted my Honda in mileage and has had fewer needs for car repairs. This is my second one and I'm still running great at 180,000 miles. Will be looking to replace it again within a year.

mominwb

Sun, Mar 08 2015, 9:09 pm

We couldn't decide over an oddessey vs. A nissan pathfinder, we have 2 kids and 3rd otw...we decided it's big enough for next 3 yrs. It's pretty comfy, 4 wheel drive.

tweety1

Mon, Mar 09 2015, 4:45 am

Regarding the snow issue sienna is much worse than the odyssey (we've had both) unless you get the awd version. We love love our odyssey. We're upto our 3rd re-leasing. In the interim we had a sienna for a few weeks in the heaviest snow season cuz our odyssey was in the body shop and was horrible. My hub couldn't wait to go back to the odyssey.

medola

Mon, Mar 09 2015, 5:29 am

Thanks for all your responses- keep em coming! I especially never heard such rave reviews on be town and country- definitely will keep that in mind. We live down south so snow is not a concern :-) .

Hashem_Yaazor

Mon, Mar 09 2015, 6:03 am

I had an 8 passenger SUV for a few weeks as a rental and I hated every single minute of it. It's just not family friendly. Hardly any storage space. Nearly impossible to get into the back row. Kids are liable to open the doors into other vehicles (not sliding doors). I am not one for being typical and having what everyone else has. I don't have the same strollers or the same sheitels. But I won't sacrifice what works for me the best when there are fewer options to choose from on the altar of 'being different'.

I love my 06 Sienna and though it is very tight with 6 kids in boosters and car seats it is doable in various configurations, and we switch them around as necessary. We are able to use every single seat in the vehicle and go on road trips fitting all our luggage, stroller, pac n play, whatever without needing an additional car top carrier.

medola

Mon, Mar 09 2015, 6:07 am

Does anyone have any insight on crossover suv-minivans? I am just a little partial to the look of them, but not sure if they're the most practical. All the minivans look too big and bulky to me (although in the end that's probably what I'll end up with).

saw50st8

Mon, Mar 09 2015, 6:14 am

medola wrote:

I fought my husband really hard on getting a minivan - he wanted one, I wanted an SUV. I made him sell me hard. SUVs tend to be pricier for the same (or less) features, have less space and doors that kids smash into cars parked on the sides.

We got the Honda Odyssey in 2011 and were one of the first ones to get that model. We bought it because it was designed for having 3 car seats across, which was key for us. It has a ton of space and we can fit everyone and everything. I love it, even though I didn't want one.

Maya

Mon, Mar 09 2015, 7:12 am

medola wrote:

How about an Infiniti JX, currently the QX60? We have the smaller SUV, and it's a great ride, but I don't know anything about the storage options on that model. I believe it's a 7 seater.

Hashem_Yaazor

Mon, Mar 09 2015, 8:32 am

It was a Chevy Tahoe.

BTW, it's almost always more financially reasonable to finance a used car than lease a new one, assuming the used car is in decent shape without needing a lot of repairs. At the end of the payment, you own a vehicle which you can either trade or sell for a newer one if you want...or keep it.

Miri7

Mon, Mar 09 2015, 9:23 am

We got the Honda Odyssey and we love it. I had the same feeling of not wanting the same car as everyone else, but there is a reason everyone drives it.

It drives really well, has a ton of trunk space, and it's easy to change the configuration of seats. We also find it to be very comfortable for long trips. We've had ours now for 6 years and I'm still loving it.

Mommy0302

Mon, Mar 09 2015, 9:28 am

Do NOT like the Rogue. No pickup, small, and overall don't like.
LOVE the odyssey ... especially the newer ones ... roomy, great for many car seats, comfy ...
HATE the T&C ... we rented one when we took a long trip last summer ... SUPER uncomfortable in the back seats (not an issue for children in car seats, but any adult sitting back there feels like they are sitting on a wooden straight backed bench) and impossible to connect carseats in the back row.

tweety1

Mon, Mar 09 2015, 10:08 am

Mommy0302 wrote:

I strongly disagree. We've had at one point for 3 yrs in a row a car seat and 2 booster seats in the back row of the odyssey. The initial stapping the cars seats was a little hard but definitely doable! We've car seats in front and in the back. We love every single aspect of the odyssey. Not only the newer models. The ones from 5 yrs ago too!

Mommy0302

Mon, Mar 09 2015, 11:02 am

tweety1 wrote:

Apparently you did not read what I wrote ... I wrote that I LOVE the Odyssey but dislike the T&C and one of the reasons why I dislike the T&C (not the Odyssey) is because of the carseat issue.

Hashem_Yaazor

Mon, Mar 09 2015, 11:04 am

You are not disagreeing; she loves the Odyssey too. Not the Town and Country!

(If I had to get a newer 8 passenger vehicle now, I would take the Odyssey over the Sienna in the current models they have. )