We're a family of 8. In our opinion, a 2005+ Honda Odyssey is the only way to go. Toyota Siennas are also great, although I have a number of complaints about them,
especially the 2022+ hybrid ones. Those are outside your price range, though, so I won't go into my rant about them here :) We have now owned a 2001 Honda Odyssey and two 2006 Odysseys. Our older '06 Odyssey, purchased nine years ago with 90k miles when we were expecting child #6, now has 225k miles, and has been quite reliable. Later generations are fine, too, but start straying into "gilding the lily" territory.
Here's why the Odyssey (especially the 2005-2010 generation) is
the right choice:
--Simply put, they are really well thought-out. The ergonomics and practical design is just *chef's kiss*, without going overboard on the bells and whistles. Lots of compartments for storing things, plenty of cup holders, etc.
--It's way better than an SUV in
almost every way. There are only two ways in which an SUV is better: towing capacity and ground clearance. Here are some ways it's better than an 8-passenger SUV:
----It can haul more cargo. You'll be absolutely
floored with how much stuff you can pack into the back of a minivan.
----Sliding doors. Until you've tried to maneuver baby carriers and kids and car seats, you won't appreciate how amazing they are. And your kids won't smash the doors into neighboring cars in parking lots.
----Better gas mileage
----Cheaper, because lots of people foolishly think that minivans aren't cool, and are willing to spend lots of extra money to soothe their egos.
--Odysseys have been the best selling van, so parts support is great and if you're a DIYer, there are lots of them in salvage yards
--The 1999-2004 generation had issues with transmission reliability, so go 2005+. Zero transmission issues so far.
--Yes, you can fit a 4x8 sheet of plywood in it. And yes, I've used that capability a lot. We once fit an entire
bunk (that's over 300) of 2x4's in the back of our minivan,
with the back door closed. I've hauled mulch, decking materials, lumber, drywall, tile, etc in that van.
--The seats in the Odyssey are very comfortable, including all the back seats, even if the plus-one (eighth) seat looks a bit out of place. Our 10-year-old doesn't seem to mind it, even on long (16+ hour) road trips. The Sienna's seats are similarly comfortable...sorta. The Sienna's rear bench seat has its front corners cut off, and the floor pan is different between the 7- and 8-passenger versions. The Odyssey can switch between 7- and 8-passenger layouts in all models of that generation. The Pacifica's rear seats, by comparison, are far less comfortable. Stow 'n' go is slicker than manhandling the seats of the Odyssey, yes, but we sit in the seats far more often than we install or remove them, so I'm ok with that tradeoff.
--It doesn't have all the fancy new tech that doesn't add much value and is expensive to replace. It still uses normal $18 headlight bulbs. The HVAC controls are electronic, but still have all the tactile controls. There's no instantly-obsolete entertainment system or touchscreen (unless you have a higher trim with a rear entertainment system). It's new enough to remind you what type of service you need to perform and when. It doesn't have bluetooth, but that's easy to fix with a $20 bluetooth radio transmitter.
I'll leave you with two last thoughts:
1)
Just buy the darn minivan2)
The five stages of buying a minivan