should I get a ford explorer or minivan?

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lasagna

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okay...so my lease is almost up and it's time for a new car. I am torn between a ford explorer with a third row or a minivan. I would love to hear peoples opinions. fyi...I have 2 children under age of 3. thankyou
 
I too hate minivans, and said I would never own one. Now I'm a mother of two, and thinking of a third child. I currently drive a honda civic, ya that's right, its small but it works for us. However if we add a third child, there is no way a honda will hold 3 car seats! So I think I will eventually buy a minivan. It will be great for later on when the kids have friends etc... I think a ford explorer will be harder on gas than a minivan as well.
 
I actually traded my Explorer in for my Dodge Grand Caravan and I'm so glad I did. The van has so much more room and it comes in handy for road trips and even camping. We just put all the seats down and throw our couch cushions down and it's so much more comfortable than the tent!
 
Unless you really need the four wheel drive, go with the mini van. Our kids were about that old when we got our first one. Been driving them for lots years. Did us good all thru soccer, and scouts, and field trips and football etc etc etc.

Lots of room and much cheaper to insure too. A bit cheaper on gas as well Also, you can easily put a sheet of plywood in most mini vans. I don't think that is the case with the explorer, but maybe I am mistaken on that.
 
I personally love mini vans. they're very family friendly. We travel comfortably with 2 adults, 3 kids, and a dog on a 6 hour trip with a week's worth of stuff.

The seats can be taken out to make room for extra cargo. Also, vans usually have better gas mileage, but obviously less power. Go with the explorer if you plan on towing a heavy boat.

Finally, don't go with all of the useless extras that most vans have. I even suggest getting manual doors rather than power doors if that's even an option where you buy your car. So many new vans are over-engineered, and the result is that things break, and they're rarely cheap to fix.
 
I like minivans because you can climb inside and close the doors behind you while you buckle the kids. 3rd row seating usually just takes away from cargo room, whereas with a minivan you'd still have plenty of cargo room.

Back when I was a nanny the kids were sitting in the 3rd row and their father was driving. He had some scary road rage and was changing lanes quicker then expected. Luckily his wife reminded him the kids were in the back and he started to drive better. For me, those 3rd rows are just too close to the back of the car. Here in Illinois it seems like everyone gets rear ended... I'd like a couple feet of cargo room between the back of the car and my kids, at least in this state.
 
Minivan. I would never get an SUV after having a minivan. We have always had caravans and grand caravans. Same with my parents when we were young.

They handle better, theyre safer, they get better gas mileage, and theyre MUCH more convenient with more features (auto doors, stow away seats, swivel pilot chairs, easier access, a better height for carseats, etc) I would NEVER drive a land beast over a minivan. Beyond that, I have driven both and honestly the caravans do better in bad weather and snow.

Plus parts, tires, and things are much cheaper. And because there's so many minivans on the road the insurance is cheaper, and finding used tires and parts is cheaper and easier than for an explorer.

Also, cops dont pull over minivans as often.
 
I don't have either, but if I have one more kid, I'm minivan bound. My Mom had a Dodge Grand Caravan when I was 20 and I drove it a few times to do errands for her and I didn't like it. I felt like I was driving a tank. Later they got a Kia Sedona and my Mom let me drive it a few times. Whoa! What a difference! I didn't feel like I was driving a huge vehicle, it had a very peppy engine, and was overall a good van. They still have it and haven't had major problems with it. I've decided that when I have to get one, it's going to be either a Kia Sedona or a Honda Odyssey. I just love Hondas! Great cars!
 
I do not know why but I hate mini vans. I have never had one. I drive a four door Explorer with a third row. I love it. It is my second one. You can put seven people in it. The second and third rows also fold down if you need to haul something.
 
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