Recommend me a new minivan!

Jeffs FRC

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This should be a pretty hot topic on TCG, since all you guys drool over station wagons and vans. So.....wife is pregnant with #2, and we’ve been talking about a minivan for awhile now. We have it down to either an Oddesey or a Pacifica, but the new 2021 Sienna that isn't out yet looks promising too.

Pacifica: Easily the best looking minivan out right now, especially with the S package. The interior looks nice and is extremely versatile with the stow and go seats. Seems like you can take $10k off the sticker of these things before even walking on the showroom floor. Cons would be resale and Chrysler reliability. Is resale bad enough to offset the price difference between it and the Honda? Is reliability horrible on these things? I know a few people with them and none have had any issues.

Oddesey: Nice interior and exterior looks decent. Dead nuts reliable Honda drivetrain? Great resale, but will it offset the higher initial cost which seems to be around $5k on similar equipped models?

Sienna: Looks pretty cool in SE trim. Interior looks great. Hybrid only and its combined mpg looks to be12 mpg better than the Honda and Pacifica. Not sure when its hitting lots and I'm sure the price wont be negotiable when it first comes out either...

Feed me info please!
 

Bob Kazamakis

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Get a Pacifica and put it on bags

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Bru

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We’ve owned a Pacifica at work since 2017 and it has 50k miles on it. Transmission has been the biggest issue. 9-speed ZF, which the Odyssey used to have in some trims, but they ditched it for 2020 in favor of the Honda 10-speed. In our early production version, the Pacifica’s transmission lurches and bangs second gear. Even after reflashes with updates. Otherwise, it’s been fairly reliable car with no major issues. It’s more rattly than before, but we also don’t care about this car and people rarely avoid potholes (it’s mostly a city car). Our reviewers don’t drive it anymore, just the multimedia team, so the shifting issues were bad enough for non-car people to raise the flag.

But it really comes down to styling preference and the best deal because they all pretty much do the same thing. Resale value will be a factor of how long you plan to keep it. Only a few years to get through carpooling (if that’s ever a thing again), the the Odyssey. Long-term? Probably less important.
 

Ron Vogel

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Having owned 3 Chrysler minivans I’d argue to look elsewhere. Lots of lipstick on this pig. Everything is built cheap, and covered with shiny bits. The stow and go is the ONLY reason to buy it.

Brakes, suspension, transmission are designed to support a 3500# car, not a 5000# minivan.

my wife does lots of short trips, and puts little miles on it. Resale is shit, so we keep buying 70-90k examples that last us 4-5 years. They rust quickly if parked outside, always in same spots

they rust where the panels meet like shown, and look at those giant brakes

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Jeffs FRC

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You spelled Panamera wrong
Do the doors slide open on that? Does it have 3 rows? Can I fit a baby seat behind the passenger seat without having the passengers knees jammed into the fucking dash? Lol
Having owned 3 Chrysler minivans I’d argue to look elsewhere. Lots of lipstick on this pig. Everything is built cheap, and covered with shiny bits. The stow and go is the ONLY reason to buy it.

Brakes, suspension, transmission are designed to support a 3500# car, not a 5000# minivan.
You currently have or own a 17+ Pacifica, correct?
 

GTPpower

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We are in the same boat. 3 kids in the back of a Ford edge is tight. We like the Pacifica the best, but yeah I don't really trust Chrysler's reliability. Tons of locals have grand caravans and I guess I don't hear too much bad about them.

I really wish Ford had a minivan so I could get a 3.5 Ecoboost in one.
 

Ron Vogel

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Do the doors slide open on that? Does it have 3 rows? Can I fit a baby seat behind the passenger seat without having the passengers knees jammed into the fucking dash? Lol

You currently have or own a 17+ Pacifica, correct?
No, but having owned the last 3 gens I don’t see much difference. Restyled, slightly changed just enough to call it new. I’d buy another if I was looking for something cheap. If I was committing to paying new car pricing, it wouldn’t be a Chrysler product.

here’s a pic of the trans when I rebuilt it. It’s what was really the nail in the coffin on this thing. This trans is way to small for a 7 passenger van. It was like working on a toy. And yes, they shift like shit no matter what software it’s controlled with. The weak compounder section is what failed on us. The drum exploded, and took all the seals with it

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Jeffs FRC

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No, but having owned the last 3 gens I don’t see much difference. Restyled, slightly changed just enough to call it new. I’d buy another if I was looking for something cheap. If I was committing to paying new car pricing, it wouldn’t be a Chrysler product.

here’s a pic of the trans when I rebuilt it. It’s what was really the nail in the coffin on this thing. This trans is way to small for a 7 passenger van. It was like working on a toy. And yes, they shift like shit no matter what software it’s controlled with. The weak compounder section is what failed on us. The drum exploded, and took all the seals with it

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But you’ve owned a 17+ Pacifica, right?
 
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wombat

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I hated a caravan when I drove it a few years ago, completely turned me off of ever owning a minivan. And then I drove an odyssey. We've got a 2020 and I love it. The sliding magic seat thing is awesome, it doesn't drive like a minivan to me, and it's got some balls. Highly recommend.
 

Jeffs FRC

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Aug 10, 2006
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I hated a caravan when I drove it a few years ago, completely turned me off of ever owning a minivan. And then I drove an odyssey. We've got a 2020 and I love it. The sliding magic seat thing is awesome, it doesn't drive like a minivan to me, and it's got some balls. Highly recommend.
What trim did you end up with? And wtf is a magic seat?! lol
 

wombat

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What trim did you end up with? And wtf is a magic seat?! lol
Looked at a 19 elite, wound up with a 20 exl res+nav. Elite comes w/ 19s and rides really rough, especially for a family hauler.

The middle row seats can slide left/right if you remove the center so you can configure them in multiple configurations.
 
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CMNTMXR57

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Can't believe I missed this.

If you want functionality, Chrysler's Stow-N-Go owns all other minivans period, nada, end of argument. Hondas sliding magic seat (actually Toyota had something similar on their previous generation van), is a useless gizmo, unless you're tending to a newborn. Otherwise, older kids walking on their own, this is a completely useless feature. I'm sorry.

With kids, comes kids shit. And having seating/cargo flexibility is paramount and the Chrysler mousetrap owns this field.

If you're concerned about quality, stay away from the previous RT or RS generations (the Town and Country versions), although our 2015 (RT platform), has been infinity better, but still not perfect.

Yes they rust. I'm sitting in the garage now looking at my 2007, that is on a weight loss program as it rusts away.

So 8f you want features and slick tricks, get the other brands, but if you want functionality, Chrysler's are the king.

Again I have two Chrysler's and my MIL has had two sienna, when it comes to needing to do anything minivan'ish, she calls us because hers can't get the job done. But hey, she's got a magic seat.;)
 

CMNTMXR57

GM, Holden & Chrysler Mini-Van nut swinger
Sep 12, 2008
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If you want to see that functionality, search the web for "how fast is stow-n-go"

This was a dealership promoting it and had a contest with the salespeople going through the van and going from all seats up to all down and a flat cargo floor. The new Pacifica is even better with the one touch front seat forward and it's revised version called super stow-n-go. Instead of rotating the seat into the floor, it glides in eliminating one movement more or less.
 

Angus

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If you’re looking for something to fit the bill of a minivan and cheaper than the Odyssey’s or Siennas, I like our Sedona...

Has enough power, basic options, comfy, and 100k mile powertrain warranty. Rear seats are stow-n-go ish, but front captains only fold/push up. We tow a 3,300lb camper with ours now without issue. Got the trailer brake controller installed and everything too! Ha

Kids destroy cars, so we decided to not spend so much on the family hauler now, but will get something nicer in the future. Every time my kids hit their bikes or some other toy on the outside, or spill something/make a huge mess inside, I can sit back and relax knowing I only paid what I paid for it. ?
 
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