What car? (Family Hauler Edition-11ty.)

Mad_Ratel wrote: I found some sites stating that the fusion and up ford's can do it. (three straight across.) It's also why I'd like a paid off car instead of something that we need to pay on only to sell AGAIN in 2 years.

I rented a fusion for two weeks this summer. Yes, you can do three across in a fusion. My daughter, who is 6 and in a booster could not buckle herself due to the closeness of all the seats. The kids were jammed in so tight, with the booster on one side nearly touching the door and my older sons seat touching the passenger door. We had the baby bucket in the middle. It was a chore. Not gonna do it on a daily basis.

Fueled by Caffeine wrote: As long as my little dude is in a big car seat, and not a booster... I'm stuck on sliding doors. They make it so easy to get the little guy in and out.

Ah, the authoritative voice of experience. OP, take it from those who have gone before you. You are not the first to shun minivans, then find yourself with child(ren). Fight it if you must, but resistance is futile.

1988RedT2 wrote:

Fueled by Caffeine wrote: As long as my little dude is in a big car seat, and not a booster... I'm stuck on sliding doors. They make it so easy to get the little guy in and out.

Ah, the authoritative voice of experience. OP, take it from those who have gone before you. You are not the first to shun minivans, then find yourself with child(ren). Fight it if you must, but resistance is futile.

I originally said no to the van, but I'll be damned if it's not the right tool for the job. Practical side of me wins.

Mazda 5 ticks the fun to drive box. stick shift versions are out there.

What about a Ford Flex w/ecoboost? I've read they can run 12's with a tune. That Lincoln MKT thing looks pretty roomy too. What about a long wheel base Ford Transit Connect with the third row? Yeah I said it .

My sister had a 2013 Explorer. Love the looks, but the third row seating is basically a waste of time. 3 adults and 2 babies was the max of that vehicles capacity and the interior felt smaller than my wife's 2013 edge at the time... (edge was traded for my truck when she insisted that the mustang was "FINE" as a daily...)

failboat wrote: I am pretty sure with 3 kids in car seats the answer is minivan. It is what it is.

I'm telling you, the minivan is exactly the weapon for your mission profile. I personally don't understand the stigma - my first ever new car was a minivan, and I've never NOT owned one since Mrs. Duke's first pregnancy 23 years ago. Hell, the Dukids are both pretty much out of the house and we still bought one earlier this year. They are that massively useful.

I understand that plenty of people don't like the idea. But for your $10k budget, you can get a metric assload of utility, convenience, and comfort in a minivan. Your job is to gently show her how much better your lives will be with the right tool for the right job. That will mean some amount of grudging acceptance of your new status as parents first and cool people a distant second... but nobody, myself included, with more than zero children is likely to pull off "cool" anyway.

And minivans can look darn near all right with a small drop and some nice wheels, anyway.

You mentioned having your wife drive the old family minivan. Don't. No offense but even if it's in great condition, it's 20 years old. That won't help the cause. Go find a newer one, they've come a long way. I'll bet after a few months of minivan ownership the truck will start being left behind on long trips.

We're so sold on the minivan for our 3, we just bought our second one..

No question, stow and go is the way to go if it's the primary family transport vehicle (for you it's not such a big deal). I can fit 3 car seats in ours plus bikes and a stroller, or, in less than a minute be ready to put in a piece of 4x8 plywood or transport 770 sq/ft of tile like I did a few weeks ago. Then, next weekend, we can take the kids and two large dogs and luggage to PA to visit relatives 6 hours away. We're at about 19 mpg lifetime with the bigger 3.8l engine on our 2005.

We bought a Mazda 5 as our family run about, gets about 23 mph in mixed (very little highway) and is almost as fun to drive as the 3 it replaced. It's not really big enough to be our primary vehicle for family hauling though.

"I'll never drive a minivan" is said by a lot of people, but "I really regret buying that minivan" is said by no one, ever.

Klayfish wrote: You mentioned having your wife drive the old family minivan. Don't. No offense but even if it's in great condition, it's 20 years old. That won't help the cause. Go find a newer one, they've come a long way. I'll bet after a few months of minivan ownership the truck will start being left behind on long trips.

If that happens the truck will be gone for a corvette...

Just the other day, I saw a completely loaded Ford Trans-Connect in this medium brown which I thought was very attractive. What I find interesting is that the middle row is 3 across bench not separate captains chairs or two seat bench like all other minivans.
Does anyone know if this middle bench can hold 3 car seats?
Does this bench make access to the 3rd row really difficult?

Mad_Ratel wrote:

Klayfish wrote: You mentioned having your wife drive the old family minivan. Don't. No offense but even if it's in great condition, it's 20 years old. That won't help the cause. Go find a newer one, they've come a long way. I'll bet after a few months of minivan ownership the truck will start being left behind on long trips.

If that happens the truck will be gone for a corvette...

Well damn my friend, it seems like an obvious no brainer to convince the wife to get a minivan.

Klayfish wrote:

Mad_Ratel wrote:

Klayfish wrote: You mentioned having your wife drive the old family minivan. Don't. No offense but even if it's in great condition, it's 20 years old. That won't help the cause. Go find a newer one, they've come a long way. I'll bet after a few months of minivan ownership the truck will start being left behind on long trips.

If that happens the truck will be gone for a corvette...

Well damn my friend, it seems like an obvious no brainer to convince the wife to get a minivan.

first step really easy. second one? notsomuch...

I need to get a tool to drive a thousand nails. I want it to be easy and inexpensive, but can't stand the thought of buying a hammer. I have heard some people driving nails with a screwdriver, a crowbar, or even a rock. Hey, my great grandfather used a rock and it worked fine for him, right? What suggestions do you have for non-hammer implements that I can get to drive these nails?

I just can't stand the thought of being a hammer owner

tuna55 wrote: I need to get a tool to drive a thousand nails. I want it to be easy and inexpensive, but can't stand the thought of buying a hammer. I have heard some people driving nails with a screwdriver, a crowbar, or even a rock. Hey, my great grandfather used a rock and it worked fine for him, right? What suggestions do you have for non-hammer implements that I can get to drive these nails? I just can't stand the thought of being a hammer owner

Genius. Pure genius.

Really sums it up.

And probably why my next daily will be a modified caravan with stowngo. I can at least get a neat hammer.

What about the transit connect? Do those have a 3rd row? You might be able to tack on some Focus RS/ST front end to tart it up a bit. Does the Ford Performance suspension for the Focus bolt up to the Transit Connect too?

Hey GRM, make us some of these stickers please!

(Forgive the poor quality, I spent like 3 minutes in MS paint creating this)

2002maniac wrote: Hey GRM, make us some of these stickers please! (Forgive the poor quality, I spent like 3 minutes in MS paint creating this)

Look up the "Grocery Life" sticker a member did. :P. If we do minivan I'm totes getting one.

tuna55 wrote: I need to get a tool to drive a thousand nails. I want it to be easy and inexpensive, but can't stand the thought of buying a hammer. I have heard some people driving nails with a screwdriver, a crowbar, or even a rock. Hey, my great grandfather used a rock and it worked fine for him, right? What suggestions do you have for non-hammer implements that I can get to drive these nails? I just can't stand the thought of being a hammer owner

That's why you get a NAILGUN... :P

tuna55 wrote: I need to get a tool to drive a thousand nails. I want it to be easy and inexpensive, but can't stand the thought of buying a hammer. I have heard some people driving nails with a screwdriver, a crowbar, or even a rock. Hey, my great grandfather used a rock and it worked fine for him, right? What suggestions do you have for non-hammer implements that I can get to drive these nails? I just can't stand the thought of being a hammer owner

Love it! Hey dude, were you at the CMP LeMons race? I wonder if we crossed paths and didn't even know it...

Klayfish wrote:

tuna55 wrote: I need to get a tool to drive a thousand nails. I want it to be easy and inexpensive, but can't stand the thought of buying a hammer. I have heard some people driving nails with a screwdriver, a crowbar, or even a rock. Hey, my great grandfather used a rock and it worked fine for him, right? What suggestions do you have for non-hammer implements that I can get to drive these nails? I just can't stand the thought of being a hammer owner

Love it! Hey dude, were you at the CMP LeMons race? I wonder if we crossed paths and didn't even know it...

No, I missed driving because of $$$ and I missed visiting because homeschool field trip.

Maybe next time

RossD wrote: What about the transit connect? Do those have a 3rd row? You might be able to tack on some Focus RS/ST front end to tart it up a bit. Does the Ford Performance suspension for the Focus bolt up to the Transit Connect too?

We shopped Transit Connects this spring. They are very useful looking but also VERY utilitarian, inside and out. Even in higher trim they are a work vehicle in a clean shirt with buttons.

I bought an abso-freaking-lutely loaded top-trim T&C - 2012, with about 43k on the clock. I mean, seriously loaded - nav, wifi, mood lighting, separate in-flight movies for 2nd and 3rd row, all leather, POWER stow-n-go, sunroof, HID lights, keyless remote start, etc. etc. etc. It is pretty much flawless inside and out. I paid about $3k less than I would have if I bought a new base Transit Connect.

I fully realize this is just another retread of the "new vs. used" debate and I understand why my van was cheaper than a new one. But STILL. It's a seriously nice car that I wouldn't hesitate to drive coast-to-coast in generous comfort for 4 people and acceptable space for 6 with luggage.

Duke what was that price? New is 30-40k... acc to truecar.

ya'll got me shopping TC and Caravans. I just prefer the us made van from the originator of the idea... (esp since dad's has lasted forever.) I figure buy one, and use it until kids are done.

Another "I wish we could get these on the States"

While in Spain we rented a Seat Alhambra https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/SEAT_Alhambra brother to the VW Sharan and it was a midsize minivan bigger than a Mazda5 with actual 3 rows usable for adults.

We had our son in the middle of the second row in a rear facing seat, two elderly adults on each side and one more in the third row.

Everyone was comfortable, the turbo diesel pulled with gusto and we got over 1000 kms to the tank.

If only...

NoBrakesRacing wrote: Another "I wish we could get these on the States" While in Spain we rented a Seat Alhambra...

The ford rebadged version doesnt look too bad either.

In reply to Mad_Ratel:

I was at $23k all in, with fees, tags, etc. It's a 2012 lease return we bought from a dealer in March of 2015. It stickered at a little over $39k new.