Theoretical shopping, within the next year or so, for the wife's next DD/kid/family hauler.
I REFUSE to spend 60k for a stupid status symbol 4x4 Tahoe/Suburban/Expedition.
She wants something newer then the 04 Av she has, a "rear seat" DVD system you know for the kids, and no minivan. Plus I'm sure she won't do foreign.
Me, does it have wheels to roll on and get everyone where we need to go without having to spend Fort Knox worth of fuel?
Halp?
Chrysler Pacifica?
You want a minivan.
Ford Flex?
Pretend an Odyssey or Sienna is a crossover. /thread
Flex I guess. Why no "foreign"?
There are a fair amount of SUV/Crossovers that have 3rd row seating. BUT a minivan is seriously the best option when it comes to multiple kids. Ingress and egress are significantly better as is interior room. I know it's nearly impossible for some to get over the stigma though.
Because he hates things not made in the US.
Flex would be my suggestion.
Swank Force One wrote: Because he hates things not made in the US.
She has no idea what really is and isn't made in the US. I know I don't.
I know a lot of people who still hate on the "imports". It's carry over thing from WW II. But I got over it after a whole string of POS 'Murican cars, mostly (but not all) from the General.
spitfirebill wrote: She has no idea what really is and isn't made in the US.
Here is the NHTSA's AALA Reports which detail out the percentage of "domestic" content for every vehicle sold in the US since 2007.
Note: "domestic" provides no distinction between US and Canada
http://www.nhtsa.gov/Laws+&+Regulations/Part+583+American+Automobile+Labeling+Act+%28AALA%29+Reports
There are certainly some surprises. See Ford Fusion (compared to Mazda 6) and Chevy HHR.
Won't drive a minivan when that's the right tool for the job?
Does she hammer nails with a screwdriver?
I understand.....some folks just have an irrational minivan stigma. I'll never understand it, but it's very real.
Maybe a Chevy Traverse? They seat 7 IIRC, and get decent mileage. It's basically a minivan without sliding doors. (but don't tell her that! 
)
In reply to Joe Gearin:
Traverse has abysmal rear seats.
I should just do the mean trick of forcing her to drive one for a week by doing repairs on the Av....
My buddy just picked up a new explorer for kid hauling duties. His wife also hates minivans. They seem pretty happy so far.
old_ wrote: Why no "foreign"?
My wife is the same. Her dad bought a Datsun in the 80's and it was a piece of garbage. As far as she's concerned all foreign cars except German are junk.
EvanB wrote: Ford Flex?
Careful…we have a typical sized garage and the FLEX is so long that its rear hatch couldn’t be opened in it.
I’d give serious consideration to the Explorer…even the high trim level ones with third row seats and DVD entertainment systems go for pocket change. We’ve got a 2003, V6 4.0, 5 speed automatic with 170,000 miles on it and it has been super reliable. It has averaged 18+ mpg over the long haul with more city driving than usual and it takes cheap 87 octane.
Not glamorous or unique but capable, reliable, and runs on chump change.
Aztek...
I keep looking at Saturn Vue Red Line's for some reason. GM shell...Honda motor.
^^
...Honda automatic transmission which is finicky. Owners state they run best with trans fluid changes every 25k miles. If not, they develop a shudder at shift points.
Wait... Wait... I think I got this. I got this... Yup. Miata.
CRAP
OK, I vote Flex. It's not a minivan, it's cooler. Apparently they're gigantic though. Still cool.
Don't be so narrow minded, Mazda5 /endthread
Joe Gearin wrote: Won't drive a minivan when that's the right tool for the job? Does she hammer nails with a screwdriver? I understand.....some folks just have an irrational minivan stigma. I'll never understand it, but it's very real.
Exactly. My daughter who would not be caught driving a minivan, ended up with a Honda Odyssey. After dumbass husband traded it for a pickup without even talking to her, she now understands how good it really was.
Why would you need to spend $60k for an SUV newer than 2004? We got an 05 Sequoia for $14k including new tires. It was the compromise for us. Wife wanted a minivan/3 rows/DVD/functional 3rd row seat. I wanted something that could tow. We've both been happy with it. 18-19mpg on the highway isn't great, but for $14k you'd have a lot of gas money to spend vs. buying a $20k minivan even....they don't get THAT much better MPG...
Othewise: MDX (if you don't need an adult 3rd row)....it's surprisingly fun to drive, fast, and sporty handling. I REALLY liked it, but the 3rd row wouldn't fit our (apparently) gigantic booster seat for the 5-year-old. 2nd row seats are great though.
Odyssey. But don't pretend that new minivans aren't huge. The Odyssey is damn near the same size as the Sequoia. They are not a 1st gen Plymouth Voyager, that's for sure.
Flex seems to have a lot of plusses if you aren't against the odd styling (my wife was, so it was a no-go)
Odyssey or Sienna with some all-terrain tires on it. Tell her it's an SUV.
Also, I didn't see you actually say you need a 3rd row. Do you? If not, there are tons of good options out there (I would point back to the MDX, which you can get lightly-used with low miles for under $30k).
irish44j wrote: Odyssey. But don't pretend that new minivans aren't huge. The Odyssey is damn near the same size as the Sequoia. They are not a 1st gen Plymouth Voyager, that's for sure.
They drive a lot more like a car than a Sequoia does, and they're easier to load kids, car seats, strollers, etc into.
I agree with the screwdriver/hammer analogy. A minivan is the vehicle designed to do what you what you need to do, and trying to bash something else into it is like trying to use a Miata to bring home a pile of 2x4s from Home Depot.
IIRC both the Odyssey and Sienna are built in the US, Kentucky or Tennessee or somewhere like that.
In reply to irish44j:
The problem "we" have is one booster seat, one rear facing seat, and three adults plus the flea bag if we all go out of town. So, a third row is "needed".
Jesus. Just get a berkeleying minivan and shut the berkeley up. So berkeleying tired of this BS about wanting to haul kids and their E36 M3 and their friends and their E36 M3 with reasonable mileage and comfort, but I can't have a minivan because someone might think I'm a parent with half a brain or something.
Also, rear seat DVD? Buy a cheap portable DVD or maybe interact with your kids on the road and keep them off the boob tube and let them use their imaginations a bit to keep themselves occupied.
The other option is to get a jacked up station wagon aka SUV that you have climb into, has less usable room in it and will likely be just as bad in the snow and ice as a minivan with similar towing capacity and worse mileage thanks to poor aero and huge, heavy tires.
It's a tool. Get the best tool for the job. In this case, that is a minivan. Choose the one you like best and has the best reliability. Done.
In reply to turboswede:
I have. For the past 5 yrs. 
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