A solid minivan that's enjoyable to own.

I have the 2001 Pontiac Montana with the short wheelbase and base package with few options. This is the fourth minivan I've owned after having previously a Chevy Lumina, Dodge Caravan, and For Windstar, so I know a little bit about American made minivans.

I have had my 2001 Montana since March of 2001 ans have already exceeded 50,000 miles. So far, the only mechanical problem I've had is with tire balancing and that has been a tire dealer problem. Other than the tires, the only problems I've had are: The back of the passenger seat cover comes untucked on occation and has to be snapped back into position and the driver side sliding door is dragging causing it to be more difficult to open and close than the other door.

This is a very comfortable minivan. The seats are comfortable on long trips. The passenger compartment is relatively quiet and free of wind noise. The standard stereo sounds very good. You can drive this van on long trips and not get the fatigue experienced with less comfortable minivans.

What I have really enjoyed about this minivan compared to the others I've owned is the good acceleration. There is more than enough power to pass and the engine never seems to strain. Even with the abundance of horsepower, I still maintain slightly better than 23 MPG combined city/highway.

Another good feature of the Pontiacs is the utility and ease of removing the individual rear seats. They can be taken out easily or folded up to allow more cargo room.

The one thing I can't stand on the Montana is the cruise control controls. GM is still using the same design theve used for 30 years - the multi function turn signal/ cruise control stalk. When will they start using the much better designs that place the buttons on the steering wheel?

For the money, I'd say the Montana is a "best buy". Sure, I think the Honda Odysee is the best minivan made, but with the deals GM offers on the Montana, it is hard to justify paying thousands more for the Honda.