It’s time to retire from driving a minivan after 23 years! I’m torn between the smooth ride and zippy handling of a midsized sedan (Camry) and a practical small SUV (Rav 4 or CR-V) for ease of hauling larger things when needed. Either purchase will be used, probably around 100k miles, and 2010-2013. I will primarily drive short distances around town but will drive this car for a few long road trips too.
What did you get after your minivan days- if you’ve arrived at that stage?
We have a Subaru Outback and a Volkswagen Passat. I love the outback to haul stuff in and I love the Passat for road trips. A sedan is so nice on long trips. But if I had to pick one, I guess I would go for the room to haul of the outback. It’s a hard choice though
We currently have one of each- a Rav4 and an elantra sedan. The sedan gets better mileage and is what we typically drive (esp. on vacation). We will use the Rav when we need to lug home something bigger or in snowy weather. The Rav does drive like a car, I am small and don’t feel overwhelmed by it. Maybe because we only have one child, we never owned a minivan. The Rav held tons more when moving my daughter in and out of various housing during her college days.
What about a more wagon-type of vehicle, like a Toyota Prius V or a Ford C-Max? Or even a smaller van, like a Mazda 5?
We haven’t had a sedan in decades - literally I think over 30 years ago - and I can’t imagine ever buying one again - neither of us like a “car”. I think the smaller SUV’s like you mention are a great compromise between “not a sedan” and “not a big vehicle/truck/van”. I drive a Forester.
We have a Prius V. The last model year was 2017, so only used models are available now. It is quite spacious in the interior, and has decent load capacity even without folding down the rear seats.
Happykid has a Toyota Matrix which is a small wagon-ish hatchback. The last model year was 2013, so again, only used models are available now. She can fit a surprising amount of stuff in it when she needs to haul her stage lighting gear around.
Got a Ford Edge after the minivan. It hauls a lot and I enjoy the ride but while I like driving a smaller car I still miss having the ability to haul just about anything. I have a 2016 and REALLY like having the extra safety equipment like the blind spot mirrors and back up cameras . I like to ride up higher than a sedan allows.
Wagons are the best of both worlds, IMO. Comfort of a sedan with the cargo capacity (or better) of a SUV.
I chose a RAV 4 hybrid and I’m very happy with it. When I test drove vehicles I was used to sitting high and the sedans felt so low to the ground. I drive it around town…mostly grocery shopping, going to the gym and out to eat. The only time I’m really conscious of a “less smooth” ride is on the very cold days.
We went from a minivan to a large SUV once the kids were out of car seats and could scramble up on their own. Then, we got tired of a large SUV and we purchased cars that had enough room to get the 3 kids in the back but did not have a third row, the Honda CRV being one. Our roads are so bad where we live, so passenger cars are not practical. For a used car of 100,000 miles or so, I think either the RAV 4 or the CRV are great choices. Just comes down to your preference.
We’re down to one car. We went with a small SUV. We need the storage room regularly.
Love my Subaru Crosstrek!
I have a 2012 CRV. Personally, I think it’s the best of both worlds. I don’t think I will ever buy either a sedan or a larger SUV again. It gets me to work, I can lug around a Home Depot-sized shopping trip, and it isn’t too bad on road trips. That being said, if I had to do it all over again, I would have invested a little bit more money and gone with the entry level Acura RDX (my CRV is the top-of-the-line version with leather and a sunroof but not the navigation). The RDX has a more powerful engine and a few more luxury items. Since you’re looking a new, I don’t think the price difference would be much between the Honda and Acura.
We replaced the minivan with a Subaru Outback. Ours is a 2011, at 99,700 miles. No major repairs yet, though I know there will be a 100k service appointment soon. We use it for hauling to the dump, DH drives it to the metro every day (I drive a Prius because I put on more mileage). We take it when all four of us are going some place, as it’s a bit more spacious than the Prius. We got a Thule roof rack and are able to fit two people, the dog with crate and all our camping gear (chairs, tent, canopy, cooking equipment, etc.). Just to be clear, the dog doesn’t ride on the roof. 
If the guys are in town and come with us, we bring the second car. I like that the Subaru sits higher than the Prius – I really, really miss the elevated height of the Odyssey; sight lines are my only complaint about the Prius.
I wish our local driving MPG was better; am going to address that with the 100k inspection.
We also had the old model Honda-CRV (2000) and kept it til about 130k, at which point, we gave it to one of my brothers. Said brother now has a newer CR-V, which he bought used. It’s bigger and nicer than our old one. He and his spouse love it.
My son bought a Rav 4 and we drove it together, across the US with it to move him into grad school. It has a bit less pick-up than I am used to, as its a 4 cylinder car but I do like it a lot. ( I drive an older small Highlander which is six cylinder) He was able to fit a “bed in a box” type mattress in the back of the Rav4, its convenient and almost as big as the old Highlanders, and also has some gas saving technology on the all gasoline models. I think some of the Rav 4 colors seem to be aimed at a younger crowd. Its a very reliable car, as are most Toyotas. Usually no repairs at all for ten years or more, with some luck and good oil changes.
After my car accident I got a Nissan Rogue. I didn’t think I’d like it but I Love It! I despise running errands in my Dh’s sedan now. I’m short & can only reach about half the depth of his trunk. If anything slides to the back, I have to go to the backseat, pull them down & climb thru to reach. Definitely not ideal. But b/c the trunk sits up higher on my Rogue, I can reach everything. His car does get better gas mileage though.
We are currently moving and I was able to fit: a navy seabag chock full, a 32 in flat screen tv still in the box, 1 over sized suitcase, one carry-on size suitcase, a large duffle, 3 bookbags, and 2 kids with only one of the seats folded down and nothing covering up any windows.
I never had a minivan. I drove my kids around in a Toyota Corolla. Now I drive a Subaru Outback because I haul my enormous sewing machine around and often have occasion to have multiple adults in my car.
I never had a minivan. I drove my kids around in a Toyota Corolla. Now I drive a Subaru Outback because I haul my enormous sewing machine around and often have occasion to have multiple adults in my car.
We have a Volvo S60, and a Subaru Outback wagon. And we also have a funny commuter car for DH…an old Golf.
When we stopped minivan buying, it was my turn to get a new car. I choose a Volvo sedan…and I love it (I’m on my second one…after the first hit 200,000 miles).
We added a Subaru Outback, but still have the Toyota Sienna. The kids drive the Sienna when they’re home and it’s nice to have an extra car. DH drives a very battered Silverado. We will probably get rid of the Sienna in the coming year and get DH a nicer truck.