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SUV's that will fit 3 car seats?

G

gittyup

Diamond Member
We have a 3rd little one on the way and realize that our Isuzu Rodeo will not fit 3 car seats in the back seat. It's just not wide enough. So, we need to start looking at different options that have a 3rd row seat. We are not looking to buy a brand new vehicle either. Maybe 2001 or 2002 model with low miles. So far, I found the following SUV's that have the 3rd row seat. Any import SUV's that have the 3rd row seat?

Dodge Durango
Ford Explorer
Ford Expedition (too big)
Lincoln Navigator (too big)
Chevy Tahoe (too expensive)
GMC Yukon (too expensive
 
Get the Explorer. An 02' if you can find one reasonably cheap used. I have one, it's been great. 120,000 miles and only done the regular maintnance. I've had NO problems with it.

EDIT: Bought it used with 400 miles on it.
 
Originally posted by: fermium
Get the Explorer. An 02' if you can find one reasonably cheap used. I have one, it's been great. 120,000 miles and only done the regular maintnance. I've had NO problems with it.

EDIT: Bought it used with 400 miles on it.
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What year was it and how much did you pay? Private owner?

 
Wow. I can empathize. My wife gave birth to our second and third children last October. We ended up buying a minivan.

In a way, buying a minivan was harder to handle than turning 30 last year.
 
Originally posted by: js1973
Wow. I can empathize. My wife gave birth to our second and third children last October. We ended up buying a minivan.

In a way, buying a minivan was harder to handle than turning 30 last year.
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I bet. I am so trying to not go the mini van route. I figured if I do, I might as well cut off my balls at the same time. Not only that, mini vans are not cheap either.

 
Originally posted by: js1973
Wow. I can empathize. My wife gave birth to our second and third children last October. We ended up buying a minivan.

In a way, buying a minivan was harder to handle than turning 30 last year.
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I agree with js1973...

I know minivans weren't on your list, but they're very popular for just the reason you've mentioned, plus with the side sliding doors, it's a lot easier to get children/seats in & out, also easier to tend to the children once they're strapped in if you have front buckets to slip through into the back if you're stopped @ a light, parking lot etc.

 
i have had two Dodge Caravans.... for lots of kids....they are the way to go.
I have 3 boys..and our 4th is due in May 🙂
 
you have 3 children and you STILL can't admit you are over the hill??

how pathetic. buying a minivan was the best decision we ever made, btw, i have 3 kids also.

as to your question regarding suv, EVEN if you can get one large enough to accomodate 3 car seats, consider the mechanics of putting your children in THOSE seats. it's hard enough in a minivan, it would be practically impossible in the suv's. for eg. if you get an expedition you have to put a car seat in the middle, it is really difficult getting the child in that middle seat and then putting the seatbelt on.

i would seriously recommend you go into a dealership and try these things out before making a decision.

with a minivan, you can take out one of the middle row seats (if you get cabin seating in the middle) and that gives you easy access to the 2 car seats in the back and the one in the middle.

 
I'll be honest, I dont think the "small" SUV's will fit 3 across very well. I have an Expedition 3 kids, 2 in car seats. Its just enough room for all 3 in the middle seat. But, I cant say for sure on the smaller ones. I do know that my 99 Expedition has had no problems and runs great, handles VERY well for its size too. Solid comfortable ride, decent turning. Parking it kinda sucks though sometimes. Handles very well in ice and snow. Really my only "complaint" is the gas milage. If you baby it around it doesnt do to bad, but you even think of gettin on it and you can almost watch the gas gauge drop. But, no big suprises there so.

Explorers do NOT impress me in ANY way shape or form. My friend has one (03 I believe) and my grandfather. BOTH have started having the same problem. The back end just.....sways..... Its not solid and the rear doesnt track true after time. I dont know why, but when I drive them I just dont feel comfrtable as the back end doesnt feel solid enough. It wanders and walks. But, there alot easier on milage then the big boys, and do get around well. It may very well be that they just need to be in the shop for a good alignment. My grandfather doesnt really notice (he drives it like 5 times a year) and my friend doesnt seem to mind.

Durango's I really like. In fact I looked at a RT-10 before getting the Expedition. Fell in love with it. Snappy, good pickup, fairly roomy, good turning radius. All around enjoyable. But, the fully loaded RT-10 was as much as the full sized SUV's so I chose to not go that route. But, a very good contender in my book.

Tahoe's I like. Alot. More then an Expedition in fact. The basics are about the same as far as HP, get up and go, roominess, towing and overall performance. But, I love the style. They look very sharp, gimme a forest green with dark tint... ooohhh... Mufasa.....

In my case if I'm going used I go Ford. If new I go Chevy. Reason is, Ford's depreciate MUCH quicker then Chevy. So, you can grab a few year old Ford at a pretty good price whereas Chevy's are still pretty pricy. Now buying new thats good, but used I want it at "a steal". In your case I'd probably look at an Explorer (I cant imagine the ass walk is a defect but rather needing an alignment) or Durango.

And thats my short summary.....Or something.....
 
Seriously, minivans are awesome and I don't see how they're more expensive than a comparably-sized SUV. You can get them with AWD even. My parents have a Chrysler Town & Country and it's been pretty good, Honda Odyssey's have the third row that folds flat into the floor though.
 
Originally posted by: RaymondY
I have a 2000 Ford Explorer XLS with 3 car seats in the back.
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Well, see in my case its kidna skewed. One of ours is a toddler type deal that kinda looks like a roller coaster seat where the bar folds to the side, which becomes cramped when the back seat is full. I'm not suprised 3 flip up style car seats would fit, but wasnt positive.

As for minivans.... No fvcking way. I'll never, repeat, NEVER own one. Too suburban yuppie for me. Its great to have a vehicle thats as roomy as a mini van, works as well as a pickup in the inclement weather, can go off road to go hunting, fishing, camping and to the lake and has the ability to tow whatever you need (Boat, jet ski, flat bed, ATV, U-Haul trailer)
But, IN MY CASE, I actually use the other functions so its important to me to have a vehicle that can do this. I can see the benefit of one if you arent an outdorrsy kinda person. But for me? Gotta handle mud n sand.

 
Originally posted by: PlatinumGold
you have 3 children and you STILL can't admit you are over the hill??

how pathetic. buying a minivan was the best decision we ever made, btw, i have 3 kids also.

as to your question regarding suv, EVEN if you can get one large enough to accomodate 3 car seats, consider the mechanics of putting your children in THOSE seats. it's hard enough in a minivan, it would be practically impossible in the suv's. for eg. if you get an expedition you have to put a car seat in the middle, it is really difficult getting the child in that middle seat and then putting the seatbelt on.

i would seriously recommend you go into a dealership and try these things out before making a decision.

with a minivan, you can take out one of the middle row seats (if you get cabin seating in the middle) and that gives you easy access to the 2 car seats in the back and the one in the middle.
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Over the hill at 31 years old?
😕
 
Toyota Sienna minivan or Honda Odyssey minivan.

Once your kids get a few more years on them you'll have their friends tagging along, too. Plus, there's just so much more room inside in a minivan compared to a small SUV.

Honestly, I don't see why people even buy the smaller SUVs. They handle poorly and don't really have much more storage than a good-sized sedan (the trunk in my Mazda 6 is cavernous) and they get poorer gas mileage. At least a minivan would make sense in your situation.
 
Originally posted by: gittyup
Originally posted by: PlatinumGold
you have 3 children and you STILL can't admit you are over the hill??

how pathetic. buying a minivan was the best decision we ever made, btw, i have 3 kids also.

as to your question regarding suv, EVEN if you can get one large enough to accomodate 3 car seats, consider the mechanics of putting your children in THOSE seats. it's hard enough in a minivan, it would be practically impossible in the suv's. for eg. if you get an expedition you have to put a car seat in the middle, it is really difficult getting the child in that middle seat and then putting the seatbelt on.

i would seriously recommend you go into a dealership and try these things out before making a decision.

with a minivan, you can take out one of the middle row seats (if you get cabin seating in the middle) and that gives you easy access to the 2 car seats in the back and the one in the middle.
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Over the hill at 31 years old?
😕
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not because of your age but because of your situation, 3 small kids.

 
Originally posted by: conjur
Toyota Sienna minivan or Honda Odyssey minivan.

Once your kids get a few more years on them you'll have their friends tagging along, too. Plus, there's just so much more room inside in a minivan compared to a small SUV.

Honestly, I don't see why people even buy the smaller SUVs. They handle poorly and don't really have much more storage than a good-sized sedan (the trunk in my Mazda 6 is cavernous) and they get poorer gas mileage. At least a minivan would make sense in your situation.
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THANK YOU.

i agree, the small suv's are a joke, unless of course you really do go off roading and such.

but if you are buying the smaller suv's because you need more room, pulease, that's just stupid, small suv's don't have much more room than a large sedan.
 
Originally posted by: PlatinumGold
Originally posted by: conjur
Toyota Sienna minivan or Honda Odyssey minivan.

Once your kids get a few more years on them you'll have their friends tagging along, too. Plus, there's just so much more room inside in a minivan compared to a small SUV.

Honestly, I don't see why people even buy the smaller SUVs. They handle poorly and don't really have much more storage than a good-sized sedan (the trunk in my Mazda 6 is cavernous) and they get poorer gas mileage. At least a minivan would make sense in your situation.
Click to expand...

THANK YOU.

i agree, the small suv's are a joke, unless of course you really do go off roading and such.

but if you are buying the smaller suv's because you need more room, pulease, that's just stupid, small suv's don't have much more room than a large sedan.
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I would also agree completely. If your not pullin or off roadin go minivan or large sedan.
You may want to check prices on a good used Expedition though. You might be pleasantly suprised, and you can always negotiate lower as well. Hell, I had found a Escalade that I believe was 3 years off current year with around 40k or so that was going for under 30,000. I woulda been all over that like flies on shyte if I was in the market for a SUV.
 
Well, you can get a hell of a deal on a used Durango. I got mine - a 5.9 liter 2001 with 5 months left on the warranty, only 25k miles - for $15,200 a couple months ago. Original sticker would have been about $33,000.

Of course, important to remember that it's a dodge, but then again everything else on your list is american too. So far I have no big complaints about it - but I bought it because of the big dumb engine more than anything else. The 4.7 liter is the more common engine configuration, and that is a much more advanced (read: expensive to repair) design, but admittedly a better engine in general and more efficent. Gas milage is abysmal - I am averaging 14.5 overall and about 17 on the highway. The 4.7 would probably do 1-2 mpg better than that. In general it's a nice ride, does great on the interstate, reasonably quiet, quick for its size, tows well, etc. A big plus is that it really is a truck - it is a Dodge Dakota with a SUV body stuck on top. And all the components from the underside look very "Truck sized" and durable.

If you look at Durangos, go for an 01 or newer, they did some minor redesigns between 00 and 01.

 
If I had 3 kids I'd think about just giving up, tucking my tail between my legs and/or castrating myself, and just buying the minivan. They really are metter bang for buck than SUVs. They're cheaper, better on gas, roomier (obviously a huge SUV will be pretty roomy, but also pricey). It's sad buying a minivan, since it's admitting to the general public that you no longer enjoy life, but I gues you gotta do what you gotta do 😀

😉 :evil:
 
Originally posted by: Skoorb
If I had 3 kids I'd think about just giving up, tucking my tail between my legs and/or castrating myself, and just buying the minivan. They really are metter bang for buck than SUVs. They're cheaper, better on gas, roomier (obviously a huge SUV will be pretty roomy, but also pricey). It's sad buying a minivan, since it's admitting to the general public that you no longer enjoy life, but I gues you gotta do what you gotta do 😀

😉 :evil:
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Hey, you gotta make sacrifices if you want 3 kids.
 
I'm faced with this same situation - 3 boys under 4years of age.

I started looking into mid-sized SUV's, but saw that there really isn't enough interior room. Large SUV's are out of the question ($$$).

Mininvans started looking good from a practical standpoint, but I too like to venture to roads less traveled.

Then I disovered the full sized Chevrolet Express passenger van. Truck functionality, minivan access and low cost compared to the large SUV's. They don't look great, but I think they are the best comprimise in my position.

We recently rented a 15 passenge extended version and it was actually nice. Not too bad on gas either. Just throughing another option your way.
 
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