$16k budget cap.
First priority beyond the subject line parameters would be reliability, or me not having to think about it. Second would be fuel economy. Last is fun-to-drive, but it can't be so E36 M3 my wife will notice.
Thanks!
$16k budget cap.
First priority beyond the subject line parameters would be reliability, or me not having to think about it. Second would be fuel economy. Last is fun-to-drive, but it can't be so E36 M3 my wife will notice.
Thanks!
Used trailblazer ext 2wd with the 4.2. There's the durango, not much else unless you go expidition/Tahoe or larger except minivans
We're in similar boats with me it's 2 adults, 2 teens, a 10 yr old and a 4 yr old and those are the best working vehicles for that job
Caravan. Don't try to fight it.
How old is the oldest, and how tall are the two of you? The Mazda5 will do it, as long as you're not both six-footers, and the oldest can get into the third row on their own. It'll be the most fun-to-drive option, but as you can probably surmise from the questions is a bit space-compromised.
Pentastar 3.6 equipped Chrysler minivan is probably the best answer.
Avalon, will be tight, but doable. Or mercedes wagons with jump seat.
I feel for you.....
szeis4cookie wrote: How old is the oldest, and how tall are the two of you? The Mazda5 will do it, as long as you're not both six-footers, and the oldest can get into the third row on their own. It'll be the most fun-to-drive option, but as you can probably surmise from the questions is a bit space-compromised. Pentastar 3.6 equipped Chrysler minivan is probably the best answer.
We are a short people and the oldest is four. I initally was interested in the Mazda5, being a Mazda nerd, but I don't think it meets the groceries requirement. Whatever we choose has to fit the fam plus an overflowing cart-load of groceries.
This then.
nokincy wrote: Caravan. Don't try to fight it.
CRV my step mom drives an awd version and gets 35-37mpg
Odyssey add turbo goodness.
failboat wrote: This then.nokincy wrote: Caravan. Don't try to fight it.
I have an irrational hatred of modern Chrysler vehicles. In my brain, the stench of Sebrings clings to everything they make.
stan_d wrote: CRV my step mom drives an awd version and gets 35-37mpg Odyssey add turbo goodness.
My Dad has a 2nd gen CRV and there's no way three car seats would fit across the back seat. The newer ones would have to be MUCH bigger inside for that to work.
What you really need is an r63 amg. What might actually work for your budget is a dodge magnum.
Just about two weeks ago we got two adults (6'3" and 5'2") and three kids in boosters (5,6, & 7) in our Mazda 5 along with about $250 in groceries that included things like paper towels and three packages of toilet paper. That was a somewhat tight squeeze, but it was an abnormally large grocery trip for us.
I've tried putting all three boosters across the back seat of an 03 Outback and it really just doesn't work unless you want greatly expand the kids' vocabulary during installation and then instruct them on the finer points of the Three Stooges' best routines. So if you want to go that route, make sure whatever car you're looking at is wider than an Outback.
When we bought the 5, we looked at SUVs with a third-row and while I really liked the idea, none of the third row mechanisms were operable by people that were the right size to sit in those seats. Conversion vans work well (have one of those and it's great for road trips) but they're thirsty and hard to garage. Minivans aren't so bad -- I refuse to ever buy another Oddity after our transmission issues, but the Kia is basically a photocopy of the previous generation Ody and it's okay. The latest Grand Caravan is kind of meh and I really just don't trust Chrysler enough to actually buy one of their cars for real money. The Toyota van isn't bad, but I've only ridden in them so I don't know what they're like to live with. Honestly, the minivan and sport-ute selection really all just seem kind of bland and indistinguishable to me. The 5 got us a car that all five of us could fit in, was actually fun to carve corners with, could fit easily in the garage, got acceptable gas mileage, and had a third pedal. It would probably be a bit harder to live with, though, if we didn't also have the conversion van.
Did all the groceries fit behind the third row? Thanks for the feedback.
I would look at the Toyota minivan, a Mazda 6 manual, especially a manual wagon, and a Ford Fusion; both of the sedans with a 4-banger. If you go with a boring Camry or Accord, get either of them in a hybrid if they depreciated to that price point.
get a local teenager to babysit the kids while you and the wife go grocery shopping, and use whatever car you happen to have with a usable trunk/hatch area..
or better yet, stay home and hang out with the kids while the wife goes shopping..
GM B-body wagon.
Used Mazda cx-5/7 if you're a Mazda nerd. Might be able to get the turbo motor in that price if you get lucky.
JamesMcD wrote: Did all the groceries fit behind the third row? Thanks for the feedback.
No, for a mondo-huge trip like that we had to fold down half of the third row. On a more normal grocery trip for us, though, we can usually get everything to fit back there.
For reference, a normal trip for us would be a regular shopping cart full to the top but not really overflowing. Couple gallons of milk, a gallon of OJ, couple big bags of cereal, few pounds of frozen veggies, 10 pounds of potatoes, that kind of thing. Maybe a few 12-packs of Coke.
I'm not going to lie and tell you that there aren't any cargo-carrying concerns in the 5 -- it is a very small van/car/wagon/thing -- but it's pretty capable around-town.
The car seats themselves make a big difference. A narrow one like a Radian RXT will fit in more cars. You can put 3 of them across the back of a current Honda Civic, alternating directions fwd/back. Some car seats barely fit in an SUV.
Caravan exactly like mine. The pentastar rocks, although we have one more kid than you.
Kia Sedona. You can pick up one for a song. Unbreakable, and will carry everything you need. Plus they got outstanding results in crash tests. Our '06 has 102k of hard use and has been great.
Will be less than half the budget:
We're able to fit 3 across in the 2nd row of our '06 RAV4, which leaves a ton of space for groceries. We have two children in boosters, and one in a convertible car seat. We're using a Brittax Marathon for our youngest (possibly the widest car seat in existence), a Cosco Juvenile Top Side Booster on the narrow side (the center rear seat belt is offset towards the driver's side), and any booster will fit on the passenger side.
We also bought a Bubble Bum (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AQYZCXK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) that's extremely narrow and seems to work well for the older two.
Our V6 AWD RAV4 gets about 23 in mixed driving, and will get in the high 20s on an all-highway trip. We have the first year, which had some issues/recalls/TSBs (VVTI oil hose, intermediate steering shaft, water pump, COPs) that were resolved in the newer vehicles. It was also available with a third row, which I suspect is pretty tight. The second row is very roomy, and the seat has the ability to slide forwards and backwards based on your passenger needs.
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