Family Car Pros and Cons: SUV or Minivan

Are you on the market for a new family car? Read below for our comparison of what to look for when deciding between a SUV or Minivan for your family!

Here we are again. My husband’s car is officially on its last breath and we are back in the throes of car buying research. She hung on for a couple more years, but this winter we’ll have to retire her for good. These little stinkers are feeling the pain, haha!

Last year, when we were searching for my new mom-mobile, my husband did most of the research manually by calling local car dealerships. Being freshly postpartum and just not a “car” person in general, it was easier for me to take a back seat (no pun intended LOL) and let him get the job done.

This time around, I’m making full use of my ease of internet access and going into the car buying process with confidence. With the convenience of th, I know that we have all of the right information to make the right decision.

Right now, he’s interested in an Escalade. My husband has always been on Team SUV, so it will probably be a hard sell for him to buy a van. It’s an even harder ask this time around because we bought my mom a van last year, so we have access to one whenever we need it.

I found this listing on Autotrader that seems to hit all of the needs and wants that D is looking for in his next vehicle. I feel even better about considering it a top contender because of the Kelley Blue Book Price Advisor price range that came up in my search.

I’m still not sure where we’ll end up in our next family purchase, but here’s a list of Family Car Pros and Cons: SUV or Minivan:

Family Car Pros and Cons: SUV or Minivan

TEAM SUV

Pros:

• Aesthetic: SUVs aesthetically look nicer to us. Also, we get to firmly stay on Team SUV. LOL.
• Height: We’re both tall people and our kids will likely be tall as well. So this is a plus for our family.
• Trailer Hitch/Weight: This is down the line, but if we ever get a boat, the towing capacity is key.
• Four Wheel Drive/Performance in Inclement Weather: We live in Michigan where it can easily snow six months out of the year.
• Performance: Overall power, operation, etc.

Cons:

• Less trunk space: Cargo space is limited, we have pulled off grocery hauls. But, more trunk space would be nice.
• Height: is a con while the kids are still young, since they have to climb in and out.
• Sliding Doors: (lack thereof) makes the hands full thing, literally harder in a SUV.
• Price: Fully loaded SUVs tend to cost more than their counterpart.

TEAM VAN

Pros:

• Trunk space: I love how much space there is in the trunk, between seats, etc.
• Sliding doors: I love the convenience of this especially while the kids are young and I usually have my arms full.
• Price: Much cheaper than SUVs with same features

Cons:

• Aesthetic: Minivans just aren’t as sleek to us.
• Performance/Lack of 4WD: Performance on unpaved roads and during inclement weather is unfortunately a huge con for us Michiganders.
• Limited towing capacity: while we don’t have a boat yet, we will have this car for the longer term, so this is something for us to consider.

Are you Team SUV or Team Minivan? Tell me in the comments below!

Family Car Pros and Cons: SUV or Minivan