JandG

The 4x4 aspect is an interesting point actually and I would welcome advice (if anyone is able) - my work is sales/design and business development for custom electronics (integrated whole-house control of security, lighting, entertainment, HVAC, etc). My work will therefore involve a fair bit of travel to visit various building projects, many of which may well be off the beaten track...are there many places in NS (predominantly the HRM) that might require a 4x4 vehicle to access year-round, or is that just my machismo getting the better of me?

Secondly, are the electric sliding doors on the minivans reliable, or is it just something else to go wrong (I have no issue manually opening a door on a vehicle, sliding or otherwise)?

big ron

My son bought a kia sedona new they are above you budget.they come with a 7 yr full warranty so maybe an older model would come within you budget.Top notch safety record that is another reason he bought it.2child seats and still room for 5 passengers. Goes like thunder faster than the Mazda 6 he parted with. Loads of load space with the seats down.Hope this helps.

Oakvillian

I can't help with the first part of your post - I imagine you may have a good case for 4x4 if that's the way you want to go anyway

For the sliding door question - I have an Odyssey, bought new in 2006. The electric doors have never been a problem, nor am I aware of any issues generally. While I know that opening a door manually is not exactly challenging most of the time, it can make a surprising difference when laden with a couple of bags of shopping, a baby in a car seat, and winter coats all round. It's a small thing, maybe, but don't underestimate the inconvenience of dealing with small children in a Canadian winter!!

JandG

I will certainly bear this point in mind...most people thought mobile phones were madness when they first came out, so I can imagine once you have electric sliding doors, you wonder how you ever did without them!

JandG

Its interesting to see how many people are recommending Dodge Caravans/Grand Caravans and yet the consumer reviews on Edmunds are TERRIBLE!! In fact, the reviews for many of the minivans are somewhat less than encouraging...how long have those of you that own these vehicles had them and how reliable/troublesome have they been for you?

lgspoke

Well of course the evidence given by posters on this forum is purely anecdotal, I can't afford to buy 20 different types of minivans and give a balanced overall view. BUT! I can tell you my experience of our own Dodge minivan, it's been nothing but good news and no problems. It got the whole family back to Ottawa from Montreal in a horrible overnight snow storm 2 years ago all safe and sound. It was when we got home I believe I said to my husband "sell this van and I'll sell you". :-)

I do prefer the Honda Odyssey though. (Don't tell our Dodge I said that).

oops, when I said the Dodge got us home safe and sound, it was my husband who was doing the driving. So the Dodge didn't ACTUALLY get us home unaided.

Canuck2b

I agree 100% with this!!!! (BTW its an older Honda Odyssey we have with all the bits mentioned and has way more room than the newer versions) Our neighbour has an older Toyota too and they agree its a good one too!

lgspoke

Oh, if you go for a minivan, get one where the seats stow away under the floor. When they're up in position it adds loads of storage space underneath.

Also minivans, good for picking up your friends/family from the airport when the come over from blighty. Looks cool to them too, particularly if you got a video/game system in the back.

Well I think it looks cool.

Oakvillian

The Caravan (also badged as the Chrysler Town & Country) had a major redesign a couple of years ago. Friends and neighbours who have them (it's the bestselling minivan in Canada, not that that's necessarily a recommendation!) say the interior space is excellent. I hope they updated the rather agricultural underpinnings in the update - I test drove one in 2006 and it was horrible to drive.

The Sienna is good, I see more and more of them on the road. General consensus is that it's a better drive than the Dodge, but you part with a bit more cash for the privilege. I can't comment from personal experience, however.

Mine's an Odyssey, bought new in late summer '06. It's absolutely bombproof, and really quite car-like to drive (proper independent suspension, for a start - the previous-generation Caravan had a cart-sprung beam axle at the back). I can get an 8x4 sheet of plywood or drywall flat in the back (in 2-seater configuration), a stack of 10' 2x10s will go in with the tailgate closed, and it will seat 8 in sufficient comfort for a 3-hour journey (four of them in child seats). The only servicing costs to date have been oil and filter changes. The major attraction for me over the equivalent Toyota was the engine management system: Honda had just introduced their "i-VTEC" to a couple of models (now across the whole range, I think), which shuts off one bank of the V6 under no-load conditions, effectively turning it into a 1.7 litre 3-cylinder for a surprising amount of time, even around town. Does wonders for the fuel economy, especially on long highway journeys.

Nikki Ian

We have just changed to a new dodge caravan from a 4wd suv, dodge is great with kids in winter. very easy to climb through from the front to the kids in the back. with 2 car seats we can lift the pram (complete with baby) straight into the back without needing to fold it down, then move baby to car seat, very handy in a snow storm or at -30

With good winter tires we have not had a issue getting around, 4wd is good for getting traction and getting you moving, but it is good tires that you need to stop.

JandG

I'm certainly starting to think that a minivan is going to be the way to go...it's interesting to note that there are hundreds of Dodge Caravans/Grand Caravans on Kijiji...but only about a dozen Honda Odyssey's...and I couldn't find a Toyota Sienna newer than 2002!

Popularity is surely a factor in these numbers, but it also seems to suggest that once people have a Honda/Toyota, they don't let it go!

I am familiar with the Grand Caravan experience - we rented one last time we were in NS - 5 adults and luggage was no problem at all and my father-in-law seemed quite content sleeping in the back when his batteries ran out mid-afternoon!