Just Curious: Minivan or SUV/CUV? Did You Buy One and Have Regrets?

We're a "no way on earth would we EVER buy a minivan" family. Then bought a Toyota Sienna, and will never go back until kids are much older. It's awesome. I can actually climb in and move around, unlike in an SUV. Sliding side doors, sliding rear seats with recline and footrests. Conveniences are priceless. So JFF, minivan all the way!

We had a town and country minivan that was great. Loved it while daughter was young and until she was 10 or so.

The company car at the time was a jeep Cherokee and loved it.

We've since moved on but I can say there are times when we miss the functionality of both when we have a big run to Home Depot or costco!!

I've had both. Minivan when they were tiny and SUV when they got past elementary. Loved them both. Minivan has more room for strollers and such and the SUV is "cooler" looking and good for taking friends around, the beach etc.

Automatic door. Let me say it again:AUTOMATIC door.

I tell the kids from our back door to go get in the car. I hit a button, doors open, they get in. This makes my life so much easier.

Minivan all the way. Only cool people drive minivans :-)

We've had a minivan (Dodge Caravan, Voyager, Town and Country) for probably 25 years, now? We bought our first one in '89, I think.... don't really remember.

I like the versatility of it.... lots of room!

Even though our kids are grown and mostly gone, I hope the next car is another one

I've had a minivan ever since our station wagon - remember station wagons? - retired itself. That's a long time. I guess it isn't fashionable, but what you can do with it makes you cool. My children are long grown and I have six grandchildren. In addition, we raise puppies for Canine Companions for Independence. When my husband starts talking about my downsizing to a smaller (read: cheaper to run) car, I tell him we need a car that can hold lots of grandchildren and lots of dogs at the same time! (I wish my minivan had an automatic door. I don't think automatic doors had been invented in, um, 1996.)

I currently drive an SUV, but sometime soon, I need to get a minivan. I had a minivan years ago, but thought it was big and way too much car for me, not to mention that it screamed, "soccer mom." Well, bite my tongue....I have two hockey players in my house, one being a goalie, so huge goalie equipment, and I pick up boys from school also. The boys are getting larger and the back seat is getting smaller and smaller in my SUV. So, I am looking at either a Dodge Caravan or Chrysler Town & Country.

We like our minivan. We use it a lot for trips and camping. Friends have a crosstour and it's not big enough for 2 car seats with anybody else in the back. I'm short and it's not roomy back there.

Honda CRV since car seats not an issue.

I had a Voyager for 13 years and now have a Town and Country.
I LOVE minivans!
It's always been very comfortable, warm in the winter, cold in the summer and had plenty of room no matter what I'm hauling - car seats, wagons, strollers, mulch, plants, furniture, moving boxes, etc and with the luggage rack on top we always bring the Christmas tree home securely tied to the roof.

for me, once you go minivan, you can't go back. I am ashamed to say it but I love my minivan!

Here's what I did, Diana. I bought a minivan when my boys were young because of the sliding door. My kids' heads were up in the clouds and it wasn't until they were older that I could get them to even THINK to be careful not to hit the car door of another car beside us.

I also learned THE HARD WAY when buying my second minivan, to get the automatic sliding door instead of the manual one. (I slammed my fingers TWICE in the manual slider.)

Once they were old enough to be responsible about the doors LOL!, I graduated from minivan to SUV. I drove one for 3 years, and then sold it because the gas mileage was awful. Loved that SUV, though! I drove like a barca lounger!!

I also bought my cars pre-owned with a warranty. New cars are just ridiculous expensive. Once you drive them off the lot, they lose thousands of dollars of value. Instead, you buy one that doesn't have too much mileage on it and it's a much better deal.

I never had a CUV. I should look into that the next time I'm in the market for a car!

Good luck with your decision!

Well, I guess I'm in the minority, but I'm a firm SUV fan! I don't know why, but I've always felt that minivans are just "un-cool" even though I was the stereotypical "soccer mom". I'd much rather be driving a truck or SUV, but there were a lot of reasons that made us buy our Suburban - my all-time favorite car that we've owned. First, I wanted something that could not only hold our family of four but also our friends, so that we could go out to dinner together and not have to take separate cars. I wanted to be able to hold the 4 of us and my in-laws AND tons of luggage so we could go on road trips together. All of the houses we have owned are either partially finished or fixer-uppers, so we also needed something that could do the work of a truck and haul sheetrock and building supplies easily, and we have always lived on a hill in a northern climate, so 4WD was a must. Finally, when we first bought the Suburban we owned a boat and used to borrow a friends camper so we needed something that could tow, as well. It sucked on gas, but it was the most versatile vehicle out there for us and I loved it. It also rode like a Cadillac - so smooth - and the visibility was great! It did everything we needed it to do, and was cool to boot!

We had two minivans and a couple of SUVs. I have an Acura RDX. LOVE it!!!!! Hubby has a Ford F-150 quad. I think he loves his truck more than me! =)

We loved our minivans. We called them our "lear jets". We couldn't afford to fly so drove everywhere in it. Very comfy, could fit EVERYTHING in, including the two kids! =) If I had kids, I would get a minivan again!

since having kids we have owned a compact SUV, a large SUV (ford expedition), and a minivan (toyota sienna).
Unless you travel on snowy roads from time to time there is no comparison for me: minivan for town and road trips. don't have time to tell you all the ways they are better in my opinion, I will hit the highlights: automatic sliding doors so kids can be safely let in while I fumble with baby or groceries (not to mention no door dings). Captains chairs in back for mom who rides back there most road trips anyways, right? And high riding with low windows, even rear facing baby can be entertained by seeing the sites go by!

I'm an SUV kinda girl. I am on my second Nissan Pathfinder and my husband has a Ford Escape and we have a Dodge Ram. We live in the PNW and get quite a bit of snow so we need the ground clearance of the SUV b/c a minivan would never make it up my 75 yard, uphill driveway anyway.

I owned two minivans when my kids were young. I loved, loved, loved them and if I had to do it all over again..I would buy another minivan. They are roomier and way easier to get kids in and out of when you have to buckle them in. Is still miss my minivan when we take a road trip.
After the minivan we bought a Honda Pilot...I hated it and Honda. The interior room was ok, but it made rattling noises that Honda couldn't fix (they suggested I turn up the radio!) and the road noise was awful! At times it was like sitting over the wing of an airplane! Hondas customer service, even up to the corporates level was the worst.
Now I own a Ford Explorer. We looked at all the mid-size suv's and this fit our needs the best. It's roomy, quiet and nice to drive.
We wanted something to hold 6-7 people because my kids often have friends in the car. My next car will most likely be a 5 passenger SUV.
One tip, since your in AZ...stay away from the Dodge Durango...the AC is terrible and cannot handle the desert heat.

We just bought a minivan in Novermber. Love it! I got a Honda Odyssey. I went for van over SUV because of the push button doors to open and close and the gas mileage. No regrets.

We used to have a Dodge Durango SUV and it was such a pain to get the kids in the 3rd row. It only seated 7, so when our daughter was born, we got a Ford E350 (12 seat van). Mostly due to our big family, but also because I did in home daycare and had to get our kids from school. Everyone loved the space. However, I hated it. It was big, hard to drive, ugly, and never cooled down in the summer. Last year we traded it in for a Honda Odyssey since I no longer did in home daycare. It seats 8 (we are a family of 8) and I couldn't be happier. I love how easy it is to access the 3rd row. I love that the door slides instead of opens so I no longer have to remind the kids to be careful when opening the door that they do not door ding someone. I can fit in tighter spots too since the door slides. I love the handling. I love everything about it. I still hear the kids and husband say they miss the beast (12 seat van) because of the space, but I tell them that I'm the one doing all the driving around day in and day out, I'm the one that decides what we drive. Until our kids are grown up, I will be a minivan mom.

I am NOT a mini-van mom. We went last February and the dealer tried to talk us into a Sienna, showed us t he sporty model and everything. My husband was sold, but no thanks! I drive a Toyota Highlander. I LOVE it. I only wish it had more room when we want to take a lot of stuff to the beach.

We have also had an Expedition, Yukon Denali XL, and Armada...I don't think we'll ever own a minivan. Ever.

Minivan, all the way, no regrets. Love, love, love my Honda Odyssey. My youngest is the last one in a booster seat - the kids are ages 8-16 and the van is so functional for my older kids. We can always bring a crowd to the beach, a concert or a game, we can pick up other players on the hockey team and have room for equipment, I can drop the seats and go to Ikea and pick up large items without needing to add the trailer, and yet I'm driving a relatively small and nimble vehicle that drives like a car instead of a truck.

ETA: my parents are 67 & 70 and we've obviously been grown for a long time. My mom drove a sedan for about 10 years (after 30 years of station wagons, a Suburban, and several minivans) and HATED it. They just replaced that car with a Sienna and she's just so happy with it. She loves being able to fit whatever she wants in it, to be able to pick up all of the grandkids and take them out somewhere, and when they recently drove to visit my sister in NY, they were able to take a couple of my sibling and my niece with them in one car and everyone had plenty of space and was comfortable. My mom will be a minivan mom for the rest of her life LOL.

I don't really get this love for an automatic door. My kids have been able to open doors and buckle themselves in since they were toddlers.

I'm not against minivans, but I prefer the versatility of a crew-cab truck. We had an SUV with 3rd row seating and really never used the 3rd row. So we traded it in for a preowned Ford F150 Platinum Supercrew. LOVE it.

Of course we only purchase preowned vehicles. It's just silly to waste money on new.

We love our Grand Caravan. There is room for each of our boys to bring a friend along on outings and carpooling. Plenty of room for groceries, the odd piece of furniture, camping equipment etc. The stow and go seating is awesome. Gas mileage is so much better than my old Ford Windstar. It handles great on ice and in snow. I haven't had any mechanical problems with it, yet anyway, and it is two years old.

Well, we just downsized to a SUV. We had a 15 passenger can, but you are right: they grow up. I was thinking minivan, but someone suggested the Volvo XC90, which is a 7 seater SUV. We found one used (we only pay cash for cars). I couldn't be happier. It is a dream car. Have fun in the searching, whatever you get. We found ours on Craigslist.