The Toyota and Honda are the only ones most people need to look at. Toyota offers 4WD models that double as a light-duty SUV. They also have some way-cool Limited luxury vans that could easily pass for a Lexus. Loaded with useful toys - power folding 3rd-row seats, rear-view camera, driver seat and mirror settings memory, remote power open-and-closing rear and side doors, navigation system, 12v and 120v outlets, HID/xenon headlamps, Bluetooth wireless phone connections with nav integration, roll-up sunshades for all the side windows, laser-guided cruise control, power fold-in mirrors with puddle, side marker, and backup lights, parking assist, loads more. The Honda Odyssey Touring has most of this except for the AWD availibility, and has a more powerful engine and some underfloor storage. The DaimlerChrysler vans (Dodge, Chrysler) have nifty 2nd-row seats that fold into recesses to fold flat into the floor; when the 2nd row seats are in place, a huge underfloor cargo hold is available. But the rest of the van is a generation behind the Toyota and Honda minivans, such as available safety equipment, ergonomics, and a missing gear in the transmission. General Motors are selling four nearly-identical minivans through different brands (Saturn Relay, Chevrolet Uplander, Pontiac Montana, Buick Terraza). The four put together are being outsold by the Toyota alone though. Not hard to see why; this is an old 1997 design updated last year with a longer hood and a revised dashboard. The behind the 3rd row cargo space is tiny in these, because it lacks the deep storage well all the other manufacturers use now. So they actually had to build the floor *up* so the 3rd-row seatback could fold forward (not tumble back) and line up with the rearmost floor section. The whole thing is nearly a foot above the floor in the front half of the van, where the 2nd row seats begin. Likewise, the Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey are revamps of the previous Ford Windstar, also at least Ford ponied up for a new floorpan with a proper fold-rearward-into-the-well 3rd-row seat. Price (after steep rebates and incentives) drive most sales of these. The Nissan Quest is worth a look for its stylish, comfortable interior, which offers some elegant color choices and a neat aircraft-style 5-skylight and overhead console package that looks like it was pulled from a Learjet. The dash is a bit funky for some tastes (glovebox where the speedometer usually is), the 3rd row must be raised or dropped in one piece, and its reliability has been iffy. The 2nd row seats fold almost flat into the floor Kia has a redesigned Sedona van that is low-priced, and unlike the previous one, is reasonably conpetitive with the Honda and Toyota. Rich people can now buy a Mercedes minivan, the R-Class which is the only one with an available V8 (6 cylinder is standard). AWD is optional, RWD standard. Rear side doors open like a sedan's rather than being sliders, but they are just as wide as sliding doors, making them more difficult to open in parking lots than SUV or wagon rear doors would be. Configured alot like 10 year old Mazda MPVs. Competes with the Odyssey Touring and Sienna Limited, as well as the Chrysler Pacifica. The Mazda MPV is a standout for being smaller and shorter than most other vans. An again design, it still manages good design, a hint of sportiness, and lots of interior space in a small package. As for buying "American brands", be careful concerning recent changes in the automotive market. Dodge and Chrysler are now German-owned (DaimlerChrysler AG), and their vans are built in Canada, with 75% North American parts. Toyota is a Japanese-headquartered company, but they designed the Sienna in California, and build it in two U.S. plants with 91% North American parts. So despite the more foreign-sounding name, the Toyota is more an "American" vehicle than the Dodge is.

I found this post by accident and couldn't stop laughing. What a relief to know that I am not the only member of the "wrong car club". I'm not even the only member of the "loading groceries in the wrong car" club, LOL. My husband is always pleading with me to please be more aware of my surroundings. My daughter and I loaded a weeks worth of groceries in someone else's car one time. I got into the drivers side and she got into the passenger seat and buckled up. We were both into our conversation so much we didn't notice someone elses fast food bags and jumper cables in "our" car. It hit us both at the same time ...mid sentence. We grabbed our groceries as quick as possible and ran.Unfortunately, in our hurry, we left our toilet paper in the back seat of the car. I've always wondered what the real owner of the car must have thought when he found an unopened package of toilet paper in his back seat.

Oh my, reading your experience brought back to mine. It was similar except that I came out in much better physical condition than you. The other driver claimed that he was looking down to reach something and didn't see my car parked on the side of the road with emergency lights flashing. Obviously, his story didn't add up somewhere. The road was in a residential area with 35 mph limit. This was a long stretch road. Even if one was speeding, he would have enough time to see far ahead. He was actually drunk. We could smell his alcohol breath even after smoking a few cigarettes while waiting for the police to arrive. When he hit my minivan, it jumped a 100 ft and landed on the grass area. My minivan was tolled. He hit so hard that the gas tank had a leaked. With him smoking, it was fortunate that my van didn't blow up. It was severe damaged and had broken windows from the back and all the way up to the back of the driver seat. Yes, it stopped right where I was sitting. I only had a tiny tiny scratch on my nose from a flying glass. I too was wearing a seat belt. I was hit so hard that my body was uncontrollably shaken for a good 2 weeks. It felt weird because emotionally, I wasn't shaken up about the accident. I never saw him coming. I truly believed someone was watching me. After seeing photos of the damaged van and the damaged wheelchair, my boss insisted on seeing me in person. He didn't believe that I came out alright. I did the same thing as you did Donna. I was told by the junk yard attendant that she has seen so many Chrysler minivans saving lives. So, I purchased another Chrysler minivan (2002). Hopefully, the newer one was built just as heavy duty as the old one (1996). By the way, congrats on your new car. It's beautiful. You have a wonderful attitude toward the whole accident.

I don't think my car is ugly... not really either. It'd be on the ugly side for most people. but I don't have much of a problem finding it in a parking lot (except when I do - and think someone stole it - lol!). I realize this past week that it is now 22 yrs old. I think I've had it 10 yrs. or so now. maybe more. My sister thinks it's ugly and refuses to ride in it. I always tell her that if I see her broken down along the road, I'll wave... It's a Buick wagon and was on a curve down the road when my boyfriend took me out to find a different car. He'd given me a Volvo and that was nice (heated seats - don't use often in AZ) but the key got stuck in the ignition and i couldn't go anywhere (except my sister's house) and not worry about it being stolen. He couldn't find the 2nd key to it. I didn't worry about the car being stolen really, but it was around Christmas and I couldn't even Christmas shop and be sure I'd get home with what I bought. Anyway, we stopped down the road and this car worked and was cheap so I said 'this one is fine'. Plenty of room to haul the dogs and stuff. I'm planning to replace it with a Honda CRV (used) soon. I've asked my mechanic to put the old Buick front end on a CRV for me. I'm sure he's working hard on plans for that! The way people drive out here, I'm just not gonna feel safe going back to a smaller car. I drove a Buick wagon from '78 to '88 and loved it. Then bought a Corolla and then a used Cressida (liked both of those cars) after a PU hit the front end of the Corolla.. I love that I don't worry about someone opening their car door into mine, or what the sun and desert dust storms do to it. or my dogs, or a plant toppling over in it, or pay high insurance or $s for the tags, or someone actually stealing it for the car. My mechanic told me years back that I only drive about 2,000 miles a year - and probably even less in the last 5yrs. It usually gets me where I want to go and home again. It's seldom that I drive more than about 13 miles from home. Sometimes it stretches to 20 mi (that'd be a doctor located out of my comfort zone). I really don't like the idea of a newer car either.