So here’s the real truth. I never pictured myself driving a minivan. I didn’t necessarily have anything against them, I just liked the vibe, if you will, of a Suburban or Yukon XL a little lot more.
But I also didn’t see us having three kids in less than three years and a fourth that will be due before the marked date on the calendar that reads “let’s have a conversation about if/when to have baby number 4.” (Yes, this exists. And yes we mapped out 3 years of our lives on the back of an envelope and God said I have something WAY cooler and crazier in store for you.)
A few other potentially TMI things to know about us to preface this post:
** We have owned 10 cars between the two of us since we started dating (7 of these were totaled or died), and 8 of these have been purchased during our marriage. **
** This van that I drive now is the first new car that either one of us have ever owned. **
** We spend a LOT of time researching a car before we purchase it. And because we pay cash for cars, we spend a lot of time saving. Research and save, research and save. We don’t tread lightly when it comes to car decisions.
** Toyota, Lexus and Honda are our go-to cars. We’ve had the best long-term experience with them (and by long-term I mean 200,000 miles+)
So when we realized that three carseats across were not going to work in my 2005 Lexus GX, and lifting a two-year-old Ryan over to the back to buckle himself was also not an option, I started researching cars that would seat us all comfortably AND allow trunk space for a double stroller plus groceries. This quickly landed me between the extended cab SUVs and the minivan. So in my mind, this landed us between two extended cab SUVs 😉 – the Yukon XL and the Suburban.
Well first off, holy cow, those things run a good 30k higher (USED!) than a brand new minivan. But I was currently driving a car that was 12 years old, so I was totally willing to keep dropping in years to avoid driving a minivan.
Matt and I are both pretty good negotiators and had plenty of experience buying cars (remember, 8 car purchases in our marriage), so I was not worried about waiting for the right one to come along and then getting it for a good price.
So we asked our sweet neighbors if we could check out their Suburban, and they were so nice to let us test drive it and even park it in our garage to make sure it fit well. And I loved it. And Matt loved it. And we felt cool. Three kids under three were not slowing us down. No, siree.
So it was pretty much decided after that. We would search for the right Suburban and ride into family-of-five life in style.
So one afternoon, Matt’s parents watched Natalie and Ryan for us so that we could go check out the Suburban options at the dealership, and on the way, I felt like we should just swing into the Honda dealership to “check minivan off the list.” I just felt like everyone who owned own loved it, and I wanted to prove that we were capable of exploring the option and deciding it was not right for us.
So we looked at a few older models (because remember, we had never owned a new car), and I was feeling great about heading to the Chevy dealership. Check. Done. Thank you.
And then the guy showed us the 2018. And then he said, “Let me show you the magic seats.” And he proceeded to show us how the middle row can very easily remove the center seat and allow the remaining captain’s chairs to slide side-to-side and forward-and-back, making loading kids and passing pacis, toys, bottles, and books a total breeze. And as Matt and I watched this demonstration, we literally said, “Oh shoot.”
It’s like I could envision the future simplicity of my life in that car. And then I drove it and I felt like I was in Back to the Future (remember, I was currently driving a 2005, so bluetooth was cool to me).
So we left the Honda dealership and went on to the Chevy dealership, and suddenly, paying way more money for an older car that was going to guzzle gas and make me uneasy about parking in the parking garage at our pediatrician’s office (sliding doors are ev.er.y.thing when you’re loading multiple kids plus an infant carrier in tight parking spaces) had totally lost it’s appeal.
So I did what any normal person would do. While Matt was working that week, I waddled my 39-week self plus our 2 and 1 year-old to a different Honda dealership that had the exact make/model/year and color I wanted, and told the sales person there that their dealership plus one other one in the state of Georgia had the exact car I was looking for and that I’d like to buy it from whoever gave me the best price in the next week before our baby arrived.
And then I went back and forth between the two of them through text and phone conversation until we landed on a deal that couldn’t be beat. They took a whole bunch off the price, included the 3 accessories we wanted, and delivered the car for free the day before Emily was born. The first time we drove it was to the hospital the next morning to meet our sweet girl.
SO, there you have the long-winded back story. Now I’ll answer some questions!
What year/make/model do you own?
We have a 2018, Honda Odyssey, EX-L with rear entertainment, chrome roof rack and cross bars, all-weather floor mats and a cargo tray. The color is black (exterior) with mocha (interior). The mocha really shows like a lighter black, not brown.
How did you choose between captain’s chairs and a bench?
The model we have comes with a middle seat that is super easy to remove so we have the option of a bench or captain’s chairs, and drive it both ways, depending on if we need the extra seat for an extra passenger. But if I was choosing, I would choose captain’s chairs for the walking space/openness.
What are magic seats?
They are life-changing geniusness is what they are. When the middle seat is removed, the remaining captain’s chairs can slide side-to-side and forward-and-back. For example, when Emily was a baby, there were times when I would feed her a bottle in her carrier while driving (not recommended, but desperate times call for desperate measures) because the middle seat could scoot up so close to the driver’s seat. And passing her a paci when she dropped one was so easy! We use the magic seats still every single time we load the kids in the car. Now that Ryan and Natalie are in the back, I buckle Emily in her seat and then slide her to the middle so that Ryan and Natalie and get back to their seats easily, and I can help buckle Natalie easily. And then I slide Emily back to the end so that I can see everyone from the rear view mirror while I’m driving.
What were the biggest selling points of a minivan over a Suburban?
Size, space, price, gas, sliding doors, ease of getting in for our kids (the minivan sits lower to the ground), our past positive experience driving a Honda, overall functionality with the push-button everything and large screen with back-up camera.
This is going to sound crazy, but Matt sat in the very back of both the Suburban and the Odyssey because we knew that we would ride that way at times on long road trips, and he had more leg room and head room in the Odyssey than he did in the Suburban.
I also reached my hand back to the middle row of the Suburban from the driver’s seat and knew I would not be able to hand anything to our kids riding rear-facing in their car seats. This was huge for the stage of life we were (are) in.
What are your favorite features?
- There are 6 cupholders in the front alone, and more for each seat in the back.
- The automatic sliding doors that operate from they key fob make hoisting infant carriers into the car SO much easier, and they also make getting older kids in the car much more efficient.
- The trunk space is HUGE! We can fit our double stroller and groceries in without a problem.
- There’s an additional rearview mirror that lets you see the kids in the back row and holds your sunglasses.
- It’s literally a vehicle built for moms.
Do you every wish you drove something different?
I think Matt’s boss’s wife (I could just say my friend, Carrie), said it best when I was talking to her about this decision before we pulled the trigger. She said that when their boys were young, she was IN LOVE with her minivan. She wouldn’t trade it for anything. And then one day, when her kids were older and more independent, she fell out of love and got a Suburban and now she loves her Suburban and would never go back.
For the stage of life we are in, I honestly would not trade the way this vehicle simplifies my life for anything.
I absolutely love it.
My name is Heather Nelsen, I am 34 years old, I am a mom of almost 4 kids under 5, and I am in love with my minivan.
There, I said it.
If you live in Georgia and are looking for a reputable dealership and sales person who can assist you with your purchase, I highly recommend Andrew Haggland at Phil Hughes Honda in Athens, GA. He got us exactly what we wanted for a great price and was so helpful even after the sale at coordinating the installation of our accessories and arranging free delivery of a rental vehicle while they did the worked needed on our existing car. Tell him the crazy lady who had her car delivered the day before her third baby was born recommended him. 😉
