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family cars

M

Matilda

Senior member
curious as to what everyone's thoughts were to about the best family-oriented cars on the market right now.

i grew up with a dodge caravan, was driving around a toyota matrix for a while, and my parents just picked up a lexus RX300. so if you were looking for the best car for a family - would you go sedan, station wagon, SUV, or minivan (routan? town & country? odyssey?)
 
It depends on the size of the family and ages of the children.

We have 2 young boys and a large slobbery lab so we have a mid-size sedan for basic trips but also a large SUV when we take the dog and kid 'gear'.
 
You really can't beat a minivan for all around function. Sliding doors are perfect for getting in and out of parking spots without dinging doors. Plus you have distance between brothers and sisters eliminating some fighting over seat space.

You've got a useable third row for when Grandparents/friends tag along.

Take out all the seats and it's one step short of a cargo van.

A roof rack for extra storage space or throwing on a bike.

Typically 3000 or so pounds of towing which allows you tow a small boat or a utility trailer if you need to get oversized loads from Home Depot.

And they typically have pretty tame road manners, excellent safety ratings, and fuel economy that bests all but the smallest SUV's.

Here's the vi family truckster: http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/viedit/5four.JPG
 
minivans certainly aren't "cool" but they are easily the most practical of all family vehicles. lots of cargo space, people space, and decent gas mileage relative to SUVs.
 
How many people? My wife and I have two cars, a Nissan Maxima and a Lexus IS250.

We usually take the Maxima when we travel (just 3 of us, my wife, our 6 year old son and me).
 
Ford Flex for a car unless I still had the boat in which case I would do a Lincoln MKX. Both for their comfortable ride, use of AWD, and nice mixture of price, utilization of interior room, and safety.
 
all i know is that my old ford taurus mid sized car had a much larger amount of passenger room than all the 'midsize' SUVs/stationwagonsdressedlikeSUVs that i've been in.

minivans are by far the most rational vehicle for larger families/families with large dogs/roadtripping with luggage/carrying various stuff ever devised.
 
From what is stated here, I'd think that the Flex would be the most practical and most useful vehicle. If you are looking for a sedan, you really can't beat a Grand Marquis. It may not be the most stylish vehicle out there, but it is extremely durable, reliable, and has plenty of space (and towing to boot). Can't beat the price either...
 
Originally posted by: MovingTarget
From what is stated here, I'd think that the Flex would be the most practical and most useful vehicle. If you are looking for a sedan, you really can't beat a Grand Marquis. It may not be the most stylish vehicle out there, but it is extremely durable, reliable, and has plenty of space (and towing to boot). Can't beat the price either...
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edit: I forgot about the Impala. As far as style/performance, it would make an excellent family vehicle. However, it isn't as easy to work on as the Marquis due to its FF layout.
 
It depends on how many kids you have, how much you take, and what your budget is. I grew up with a '95 Civic 4dr. It was 5 of us so it was like a sardine can.
 
Originally posted by: Colt45
A8, S Class, 7er.
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while those cars can certainly fit a family, i suspect that any repairs could be devastating to a family budget (used 2004-2005 A8's go for $30k - not bad)

i love the A8 to death, but i hate the fact that everything is linked to MMI. stupid crap happens thanks to electronics.
 
Originally posted by: Fenixgoon
Originally posted by: Colt45
A8, S Class, 7er.
Click to expand...

while those cars can certainly fit a family, i suspect that any repairs could be devastating to a family budget (used 2004-2005 A8's go for $30k - not bad)
Click to expand...

Depends what kind of family you are talking about.
 
I'm not thrilled with the gas mileage of our Audi S4 Avant, but I like the thought of my kindergartener and preschooler being picked up in a car that can kick the a$$ of any minivan. Or of most other cars for that matter 🙂 And I like the thought of my wife driving it.

But more seriously, space is a bit tight for the four of us, but now that we are out of the "bring everything including the kitchen sink" toddler phase - we have enough space most of the time. And when going on vacation, we mount a roof container. Can't bring along extra classmates/friends/family of course. But when we had a Ford Freestyle (same size as the Ford Flex) we only used the third row a handful of times.

I vote for: right size for what you need 97% of the time, and when you occassionally need more space, add stuff on the roof, tow a light cargo trailer, or rent a minivan.
 
Probably the Mazda5 or Legacy wagon if you need less space, or the Honda Odyssey if you need more. If you need more space and AWD, it's the Toyota Sienna.
 
Right now its just the two of us and we more or less stumbled into a minivan (bought it for a move for next to nothing and just held onto it) and you'd be surprised how useful the thing is. With the seats out you can get most stuff in the back that you would put into a truck. Rather than calling up a friend or renting a truck we were able to drag home furniture when we need it. We can throw our bikes in the back, take it camping and sleep in the van, etc. We haven't had all the seats in the van for about 6 months now.

The thing is much more useful than I would have thought.
 
minivan but if you care about driving in the least, SUV w/ a 3rd row (a must). Minivans are fricken boats on wheels... I have to drive my dad's once in a while (because I chose not to go 3rd row in my X) and it fuggin sucks. But that's only when extended family have to come outside of our family of 4.

And sure a passenger car can do 4 or 5 people but don't forget it is not the most practical when you add gear, or groceries, or... home depot. Why get the absolute minimum? You plan for the future when buying a car.
 
Originally posted by: rh71
minivan but if you care about driving in the least, SUV w/ a 3rd row (a must). Minivans are fricken boats on wheels... I have to drive my dad's once in a while (because I chose not to go 3rd row in my X) and it fuggin sucks. But that's only when extended family have to come outside of our family of 4.

And sure a passenger car can do 4 or 5 people but don't forget it is not the most practical when you add gear, or groceries, or... home depot. Why get the absolute minimum? You plan for the future when buying a car.
Click to expand...

I'll put my Mazda5 up against just about any SUV short of a specialized model (SS/SRT) or a luxo-sport (like BMW) for driving fun.

You can fling this thing around town/curves/exit ramps and still pull almost 30MPG while doing it.

And even still, an Oddessey is likely a better driver than most SUV's when it comes to driving dynamics. The Mazda 7/9 models might offer a little sportier ride but outside of those and the afore mentioned ones, you won't find a better vehicle for hauling a family of 4+ and their gear around on the weekends.
 
we have two minivans... i am trying to get rid of one. but it is simple...if you have 3 or more kids...there really is no better choice...period...check out a 2006 or higher kia sedona or hyundai entourage...great deals on them with lots of creature comforts and they are the safest of the bunch... we have two of the KIAs ....EX models....mine has the power package...my wifes is decked out. nice vehicles with no problems...lots of power.

jC
 
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