Family Truckster Recommendations

Apparently surprise number three is on the way and my family is growing out of the double cab Tacoma which has served us well. My budget is $10,000 as I am not interested in taking on debt. Existing kids are 3.5 and 2, when number three is here they will both still be in car seats. My first thoughts were Mazda 5 or a Chrysler minivan. The wife and I don't particularly want a large SUV. It seems like 3 row mid-size SUV's aren't the most common thing. Will a three wide car seat set up work in a full size car (Taurus, Volvo S80, etc.)? Help!

Embrace the minivan. It's the right tool for the job.

I have one kid and a Mazda5. A Mazda5 and three kids under 5 yrs old will be too small.

I highly recommend a something with power slide side doors.

If minivan isn't the answer, Flex is. Bucket seats in the middle row give easy rug rat access to the third row. They are harder to find in that configuration, but work great for hauling the whole litter.

I like Chrysler minivans well enough but i'd consider a used Kia Sedona as well.

I have 3 kids (with a 4th on the way) and DD a Mazda5. If you need to put any significant amount of stuff in there with the wife and all 3 kids it will be tight, but we do use it for road trips whenever possible because it does so much better on gas than the Wife's Honda Pilot. A 5 will be much more enjoyable to drive than other 3 row minivans or SUVs (especially in manual form). That being said, my Wife's Pilot will be replaced by a full size minivan in the near future... The amount of space and utility is hard to match.

Minivan is the correct answer for the next 10+ years. Pick your poison. We had a Venture that was outstanding. We had a Dodge that was decent. My son has a Quest that sucks.

Either the Chrysler minivan or (if you want powar) an ecoboost Flex.

I'd rather drive the Flex but I like big cars. The Suburban is perfectly fine in my book. Remember, when you have 3 there are going to be times where you pick up a few more. And luggage. Space is nice to have.

Thanks for the input all and the flex recommendation. Now to find an all wheel drive ecoboost model in budget.

The odyssey drives like an accord. That's a compliment. But they're pricey. Worth it IMO.

I haven't driven a late model Chrysler minivan but they're evidently quite good too.

bigbrainonbrad wrote: Thanks for the input all and the flex recommendation. Now to find an all wheel drive ecoboost model in budget.

Normally I chime in to recommend the Flex, but mine has had a few annoying issues pop up, that seem to be typical (based on volume of others with the same problem on the Flex forums)

We have a '13 non turbo SEL with 52k. We bought this to be SWMBO's car so she had something reliable to tote the kids around

-power fold center seats only fold down, not forward. Common problem with no easy fix short of ripping seats apart to replace the cable

-fuel evap canister failed at 45k. Was in a pinch and ate the $400 dealer bill

-rear passenger door hinge switch failing, so it intermittently thinks that door is open leaving the interior lights on and bypassing the auto door lock. It's $170 in parts

Think about the kids and raise them right. Volvo 240 wagon with a +turbo. Make sure you get the period correct Thule roof rack and the 3rd seat in case you add more. Use the extra 5g to start their college fund. You'll be the coolest Dad in pick up line.

What about a really nice Lincoln Town Car?

Plenty of rear seat width, and does great peels.

Vigo wrote: I like Chrysler minivans well enough but i'd consider a used Kia Sedona as well.

70k on our 2010 Sedona with oil changes, brakes (pads, rotors, and fluid flush) and filters.

It is getting a wheel bearing replaced under warranty as soon as I make an appointment to drop it off. The only non warranty repair has been the Evap canister.

We've made several trips from Mass to the Carolinas, frequent trips to NY, and annual trips to Maine. It's comfortable and the kids have plenty of room.

It tows the snowmobile trailer well, and can fit a 4x8 sheet of plywood if I leave the family and second row seats at home.

The power sliding doors are nice, and no worries about kids banging them into other cars.

Another minivan benefit is being able to being able to climb in and get out of the rain while buckling kids in. Third rows in minivans are easier to access than the majority of SUVs as well.

I have a 4yo and a 1yo and a Mazda5 and it's great. We often grab their friends (4yo and 2yo) for play dates. 2 forward-facing seats in the 3rd row and 2 rear-facing in the second work great (but then there's no room for luggage!). It's way more fun to drive and gets better mileage than anything else that can pull that trick off.

Post-trans-issue Odysseys are very nice, but they are fat, get bad mileage, and have some engine issues. BIL just bought a spanking new 16 and it's impressive. Sedona is a great van and a better price. Chrysler twins have amazing Stow-and-Go, but only the Pentastar V6 ones (3.6L DOHC) are worth getting, and they still have some issues, mostly body/sensor type stuff. The Sienna is a great van but duller than the English sky. The GM ones are all garbage.

Not much else fits 3 car seats without a third row, unless it's 2 forward-facing ones. Dodge Magnum was the widest car I could find to have 3 LATCH anchors.

I personally think Mazda5 is too small for 3 kids for anything further than say Daycare, and that might be pushing it. There's room for the kids but not much else. Also, I never got much better than 25 mpg in my manual Mazda5, which is about par for a full size minivan these days.

Honestly you can probably for 3 car seats across a back bench seat in most sedans and wagons. You certainly can in my Volvo 740, and then you still have a ton of cargo space behind the rear seat.

I wonder if a Prius V would work. Those are surprisingly huge inside.

If you care about gas mileage or not driving a minivan, the 5 works. I like the flex, they are big are not great on gas. Three across does not work with kids unless you like constant bickering. My full size GMC van with four captains and a bench keeps the kids out of arms reach of each other, beautiful. I leave one seat out so when you open the door they just run to a seat with nothing in the way. The Ford 3.5 has an internal water pump when they go bad it's a real problem, look it up.

I've got 3 kids also, and I can tell you the Mazda 5 will be too small for year round use. It'd be fine for a quick run to school, but not for vacations, etc...

You won't find a Flex in your price range, and it may be too small also. My wife really wanted one and we looked at them last year, but they just weren't big enough for all of our needs.

Full size minivan is the only real no compromise answer. Like others have said, pick your poison. We've had Kia Sedonas since 2007 and they've been flawless. But others will get the job done too. You'll have to decide if you care about Stow-N-Go or power sliding side doors, etc... We don't have any of that stuff and haven't really missed it.

My ex had a flex and I loved that thing but not sure I'd love reaching in and out of the third row with a child. I have a 5 now and I can see it working with two kids but three would be a pain. I think like others here do that minivan is the answer.

Cooper_Tired wrote:

bigbrainonbrad wrote: Thanks for the input all and the flex recommendation. Now to find an all wheel drive ecoboost model in budget.

Normally I chime in to recommend the Flex, but mine has had a few annoying issues pop up, that seem to be typical (based on volume of others with the same problem on the Flex forums)

We haven't experienced those issues with ours, a 2009 Limited fwd, but the rear wheel bearings seems to be fragile. The rear brakes are a known issue, the calipers stick. One of our stuck on a road trip, by the end of the trip, the wheel bearing was cooked.

Other than that, it has been trouble free to 90k. It is spectacularly slow, but I don't think an Ecoboost fits your budget, unless you go very high mileage.

There is quite a bit more room than a Tahoe behind the third row. It's HUGE inside.

We did everything we could to avoid a minivan. Suburbans, Volvos, Mazda5. We finally caved and bought an MPV. Our only regret is that we didn't do it sooner and wasted so much time driving other things that didn't really fit our lifestyle.

Kids + minivan = happiness. Embrace the dark side.

Sell me your Tacoma post VW buy back ;)

we just picked up at 2010 Town and Country after fighting the minivan bug for a few years. It is easily 10x more useful then our old Envoy in every way. Better MPG, more luggage room, more leg room in every row, dont have to fold down seats to get in the back row. Plus automatic sliding doors and hatch, 2 dvd players, and automatic start. its hard to beat.

My first choice would be a 3rd-gen Odyssey. You know why everybody drives them? Because they're that good.

Second choice would be a 2nd-gen Odyssey. It'll be so cheap to purchase that you can afford to have a transmission put in it and still be under your budget.

Third choice would be an '06-'07 Buick Rendezvous because its second row is wide enough that I believe it would accommodate three child seats. Look for a CX or CXL with the 3500. Avoid the Ultra with the 3.6 (timing chain issues) and '05 and older ones with the 3400 (underpowered + intake manifold gasket issues).

In reply to Storz:

Sorry the Taco hangs around for trucky stuff.