Recommend a family car, truck, SUV or minivan

[kornphlake]

Mercedes/Freightliner/Dodge Sprinters get 30mpg with the right configuration, should be plenty big enough for 4 passengers and you can stand up inside without bumping your head.

I really doubt you need all the space available in a van though, a mid-size sedan or wagon should be big enough for a family of 4 unless you're hauling more than just your two children. I won't say a mini-van isn't nice (don't get a SUV, they're inferior to a van in every way except towing capacity) but it really doesn't sound like it fits the OP's lifestyle, or image, or whatever. The mid-size X-overs should be plenty large enough.

Seriously though, take a look at the sprinter vans, I was joking the first time I told my wife I wanted to buy one, but the idea has become less of a joke as gas has become more expensive.

 

[SparkyJJO]

(don't get a SUV, they're inferior to a van in every way except towing capacity)

Disagree! My 4x4 SUV can go places a minivan could never go

I know, most people won't be going off-road (and I don't that often either) but I just had to throw that out there

 

[TangoJuliet]

I was toying with the idea of leasing a minivan for 2-3 years and let the kids beat it up. After they get a little bigger and the lease expires we can trade it in and get something that fits our lifestyle then

 

[kornphlake]

Leasing a vehicle you expect the kids to destroy seems like a bad idea. You're the ideal customer for a used car.

 

[JulesMaximus]

So in January I am going to have to re-arrange the vehicles that my wife and I drive.

Currently I drive a 2009 Focus Coupe and she has a 2007 VW Jetta Wolfsburg

At the time I purchased my focus we didn't have any kids and I was commuting 140 miles a day. We now have 2 kids and moved a little closer 60 miles/day plus I carpool with a co-worker.

The Focus is a great car. I got around 72,000 miles on it and it really gave me a lot of bang for the buck. I believe after rebates, etc I paid $11,000 for it (SES model).

So my plan was to sell the focus, and take the Jetta from my wife. We would then look for something that would be good for the entire family.

My first though was now would be a pretty descent time to get a Hummer H2. High gas prices, etc and I could probably score one for dirt cheap. We only like 8 miles from her job and it would be great for driving in the winter. I decided against it because I was worried about service and parts since it is no longer being made.

I have been debating on going with a Ford Edge, Cadillac SRX, Honda Odyssey or a Toyota Venza. Like I said I won't really start officially looking until January but wanted to get some ideas on what to look at.

I'm pretty sure we are going to buy vs. lease. I don't mind buying used/CPO either.

Cliffs:
Need new car for family (2 kids: 2 yr old and newborn)
Start buying process in January
Good mpg not required
Thinking about: Edge, SRX, Odyssey or Venza
New or Used
Buy vs Lease

In all fairness, the H2 is just a gussied up Chevy Tahoe. I seriously doubt that you'd have trouble getting parts for it.

 

[JimKiler]

I was toying with the idea of leasing a minivan for 2-3 years and let the kids beat it up. After they get a little bigger and the lease expires we can trade it in and get something that fits our lifestyle then

What features are important to you? Maybe list them in order.

mileage
space
4WD or AWD
horsepower
interior features like bluetooth headset for your smartphone.
safety
etc.

 

[TangoJuliet]

What features are important to you? Maybe list them in order.

mileage
space
4WD or AWD
horsepower
interior features like bluetooth headset for your smartphone.
safety
etc.

Good idea. This is the order of preference

Safety
Cost - between $30-31,000 or least for less then $350/m
Interior space for storage such as car seats, strollers and groceries
AWD
Interior: leather, bluetooth, sync-like interface(s)
Durability/Resale (if we purchase)

We dont care about MPG or horsepower. My wife's commute to day care, work and babysitter are around 10 miles roundtrip.

 

[Zivic]

Good idea. This is the order of preference

Safety
Interior space for storage such as car seats, strollers and groceries
AWD
Interior: leather, bluetooth, sync-like interface(s)
Durability/Resale (if we purchase)

We dont care about MPG or horsepower. My wife's commute to day care, work and babysitter are around 10 miles roundtrip.

honestly I think most people over rate the importance of AWD. Hey i have an evo, so I know it can be fun, but unless you really are off-roading, FWD is basically as capable as AWD. Especially considering on vans and smaller SUVs they are actually FWD cars with RWD assist. Look into it a bit and you will find the term AWD is used pretty loosely.

 

[JimKiler]

honestly I think most people over rate the importance of AWD. Hey i have an evo, so I know it can be fun, but unless you really are off-roading, FWD is basically as capable as AWD. Especially considering on vans and smaller SUVs they are actually FWD cars with RWD assist. Look into it a bit and you will find the term AWD is used pretty loosely.

My wife's saturn vue was like that, labeled AWD but you could here it kick in when it snowed and it was noisy. But that car was horrible and I bet the engine did not make it to 100K miles. We traded it for a Mazda CX-7 which drives awesome but is too small for the OP.

OP I would recommend a CX-9 which is not the best mileage but has AWD, bluetooth syncing with your phone and i know Mazda has good resale value. I am not sure about safety but maybe that is a mute point, most car makers are similar in crash ratings. I think the CX-7 was solid with crash ratings.

 

[Zivic]

My wife's saturn vue was like that, labeled AWD but you could here it kick in when it snowed and it was noisy. But that car was horrible and I bet the engine did not make it to 100K miles. We traded it for a Mazda CX-7 which drives awesome but is too small for the OP.

OP I would recommend a CX-9 which is not the best mileage but has AWD, bluetooth syncing with your phone and i know Mazda has good resale value. I am not sure about safety but maybe that is a mute point, most car makers are similar in crash ratings. I think the CX-7 was solid with crash ratings.

I drove a CX-7 and didn't like it. It felt cheap to me. Mazdas always have a sporty feel to them and the '7 was no exception -> good suspension feel and the turbo motor had plenty of grunt, but the interior materials were hard and plasticy. and I usually will like a car based on how it will drive alone.

 

[Zargon]

My wife's saturn vue was like that, labeled AWD but you could here it kick in when it snowed and it was noisy. But that car was horrible and I bet the engine did not make it to 100K miles. We traded it for a Mazda CX-7 which drives awesome but is too small for the OP.

OP I would recommend a CX-9 which is not the best mileage but has AWD, bluetooth syncing with your phone and i know Mazda has good resale value. I am not sure about safety but maybe that is a mute point, most car makers are similar in crash ratings. I think the CX-7 was solid with crash ratings.

FWIW you are bashing one of the most revered small/mid seized SUV's


OP: I dont know how good the SRX was after year one, but its initial offering was plagued with all sorts of issues and got awful ownership reviews

also, I would keep the focus over the VW, mostly citing the general reliability and value of the newish focus over VW's awful recent( >2000) reliability record

If you get a van, its hard to beat a used 2008+ odyssey, when they got the ridgeline transmission(so it actually lasts)

If you wife is comfortable with full size trucks and you want some added utility I see glowing reviews of the Avalanche's all over the place(its higher on my list due to this). I know for a fact 3 larger male adults can sit in the back and not be very cramped, which means 2 kids is not a problem. toppers can be hard to find though, but bed covers are not and can provide securish storage out of the elements(except for Temp) for car seats, strollers, groceries.

I recently took a 3 hour trip with 7 other guys in a 08 I thnk honda pilot and it was VERY nice, roomy enough, and apparantly gets decent gas mileage

 

[JimKiler]

FWIW you are bashing one of the most revered small/mid seized SUV's

My wife's Vue had all the engine seals replaced before 50K miles and only because of the extended warranty. Then we saw more smoke in the exhaust when it hit 70K miles, so it needed seals replaced a second time. But the final straw was the Body Control Module, BCM, was broken before 80K miles and saturn was no longer around so we were told no parts were available for at 4.5 months at the earliest.

Maybe it was made on a Monday or Friday

 

[kornphlake]

Hmm, the Vue drivetrain was Honda built as far as I know, but I'm not really an expert on the Vue, it may be a rumor I read on some forum, probably ATGarage.

 

[TangoJuliet]

forgot to add one of the more important prefs - cost! (i edited the post above)

We are going to take a look at the CX-9, thanks.

 

[Zargon]

Hmm, the Vue drivetrain was Honda built as far as I know, but I'm not really an expert on the Vue, it may be a rumor I read on some forum, probably ATGarage.

just the V6 to my knowledge but I didnt look that far into it either

 

[Zargon]

forgot to add one of the more important prefs - cost! (i edited the post above)

We are going to take a look at the CX-9, thanks.

you can get into an escalade for less than that still has some warranty left. or Tahoes/Suburbans

parts are *very* plentiful and they are reliable



between 20 and 30k you get very nice deals on slightly used. and lets be honest, interest rates are pretty low, and you wont be doing much better new unless they throw 0 for 60 and some rebates at you

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

if you get a van, get a sienna. the odyssey is good as well, but the current gen is sooooo ugly.

I don't think something like the SRX or Venza is going to be big enough. with two kids, you need a 3rd row

ugg. Our Sienna (just sold it) was a POS. It had some pep, but merging could be scary. I can't imagine doing it in the new ones that have the same motor but are heavier.
Oh, and Sienna's are notorious for eating cats and o2 sensors.
Ours went through 1 cat, 4 o2 sensors, paint peeling off the roof, TPS seonsors failing 2x, power plug coming out of console, the seat belt hight adjuster got stuck, and the kicker, the driver side door panel fell off. I literally just opened the door and the whole panel fell off into the drive way, only being connected to th door by the electrical wires.

We got a killer deal on a Kia Sedona so we went with that. The Town and Country/Grand Caravan are OK as well.

 

[kornphlake]

ugg. Our Sienna (just sold it) was a POS.

The sienna I owned was a disappointment as well, pretty much all the same problems, except instead of the door panel falling off both the drivers and passengers side exterior door handles broke, one had a porous casting on the lever the connecting rod attaches to and broke off, the other had the plastic on the handle crack and break off, both broke within a couple days of each other, for a few days we had to open one of the sliding doors then have one of the kids crawl in and open the front doors. The driver's side power sliding door never closed right unless the driver's side door was open either. Overall it was a huge disappointment.

Edit: I forgot the hatch leaked too, I didn't notice it until the entire rear of the van had filled with water, the carpet was saturated and ended up getting mildew. Apparently I wasn't the only one to have the problem, Toyota's fix was to replace the gas struts, big surprise it didn't fix the leak.

My van was a 2001, I try and keep an open mind about the newest generation, it doesn't seem like much has changed though, it does take 4-5 years for problems to start showing up afterall. If you're only planning on keeping the vehicle for a few years a Sienna probably isn't a bad choice.

 

[GoatMonkey]

I was about to suggest a Passat wagon since she has a VW already, but from their website, it looks like they don't make it anymore. You see pretty interested in SUVs though, so how about the Touareg. It does have some things in common with a Porsche at least.

 

[SparkyJJO]

ugg. Our Sienna (just sold it) was a POS. It had some pep, but merging could be scary. I can't imagine doing it in the new ones that have the same motor but are heavier.
Oh, and Sienna's are notorious for eating cats and o2 sensors.
Ours went through 1 cat, 4 o2 sensors, paint peeling off the roof, TPS seonsors failing 2x, power plug coming out of console, the seat belt hight adjuster got stuck, and the kicker, the driver side door panel fell off. I literally just opened the door and the whole panel fell off into the drive way, only being connected to th door by the electrical wires.

We got a killer deal on a Kia Sedona so we went with that. The Town and Country/Grand Caravan are OK as well.

I hope for the sake of my brother that his 04 Sienna he just got doesn't fall apart on him.

He used to be a domestic guy (loved his 92 dakota even though it had a slew of problems, though you could never kill that V8 magnum no matter what you tried). Then he got a little toyota car that was good and reliable and all of a sudden domestics in his eyes were crap and imports were the holy grail of cars. Well, aside from his truck of course

Then he got a Nissan Altima that has been one of the crappiest cars he's ever had. He still has it, and traded in a Nissan Xterra (which had been pretty good aside from an early U joint failure, though it was fairly new with well under 100k miles) on the 04 sienna due to starting a family and it not being the easiest vehicle for his wife to get in nor easy to deal with car seats and kids.

 

[Zivic]

The sienna I owned was a disappointment as well, pretty much all the same problems, except instead of the door panel falling off both the drivers and passengers side exterior door handles broke, one had a porous casting on the lever the connecting rod attaches to and broke off, the other had the plastic on the handle crack and break off, both broke within a couple days of each other, for a few days we had to open one of the sliding doors then have one of the kids crawl in and open the front doors. The driver's side power sliding door never closed right unless the driver's side door was open either. Overall it was a huge disappointment.

Edit: I forgot the hatch leaked too, I didn't notice it until the entire rear of the van had filled with water, the carpet was saturated and ended up getting mildew. Apparently I wasn't the only one to have the problem, Toyota's fix was to replace the gas struts, big surprise it didn't fix the leak.

My van was a 2001, I try and keep an open mind about the newest generation, it doesn't seem like much has changed though, it does take 4-5 years for problems to start showing up afterall. If you're only planning on keeping the vehicle for a few years a Sienna probably isn't a bad choice.

the latest gen sienna is leaps and bounds better than the outgoing model.

To be fair to all, look up reliability on all makers of vans and you will find not one manufacturer stands above the others...

I shopped vans in 09, for a full year. Siennas were still so insanely outdated and overpriced, they didn't get a second trip to a dealership. Nissan didn't even have a quest within 150 miles of me to even test drive. Kia's well, they never made it on my radar. the players then were Chrysler, VW, and Honda. chrysler and VW are the same van so essentially there were two options for me. In the end, it came down to the fact that I couldn't get a chrysler optioned how I wanted for the price I wanted. The honda van had the options/price that I wanted and am happy because out of the vans I drove, felt the honda drove the best.

If I were in the market today, the sienna would be at the top of my list.... pending a test drive. I won't lie, I think the new nissan vans are very good looking, but question the utility I want in a van due to its smaller size. I felt my decision when shopping vans was made for me based on the numbers and availability. Now, I think there are more desirable options. I think I would have 'enjoyed' shopping for a van a bit more than I did a couple yrs ago -> if that is even possible.

 

[Rezist]

I'd suggest a used mini van or the hyundai santa fe.