Need new car for family of 5-opinions needed

100k on a toyota? It's just getting broken in my friend! My truck has 150k and works as new! (touch wood) so i wouldn't worry too much about that. It all depends on what type of driving experience you want. We like a higher driving position so sacrifice MPG for size and height as well as the 4wd system. I find crossover SUV's that even have a 3rd row are just too small (Q7's, ML's) etc... so its all just a matter of what your priorities are. Minivans offer the best all around scenario, but often lack road manners and curb appeal, SUV's and trucks can get you that but you often get single digit MPG's!!!

We love our unapologetically American Suburban and 3rd row with 4wd! Couldn't get by without it... I was just saying the other day to my wife when picking up a desk from a store, i just don't know how anyone gets by with a large family and not having a truck! lol
 
100k on a toyota? It's just getting broken in my friend!
Had to comment on this lol: 235K on my '01 4Runner. Transmission went out last summer so new remanufactured one put in at dealer, new radiator last week, and all the usual 200k maintenance in past year (belts, pumps etc). Has new tires good for snow/rain. Should last me another 100k I think...No rust on body, and I've kept the interior clean as well...
 
We live in NJ. We do need 2 cars as my husband is not home more than he is home during the week (and works on the weekend as well). I need to be able to get the kids places. The Siena we are getting rid of is in pretty poor shape. Both power doors and the power lift gate have stopped working and, more importantly, it has had an acceleration issue for a while that no mechanic has been able to figure out.
 
I drove minivans (2) for 29 years .... and have now downsized to an Equinox. I miss the space of my minivan but I realize with my kids grown (well DS1 is disabled and lives with us) I didn't need it .. except when I buy something big.

We have found that the 5 of us can't go but a couple miles together. So if we all are heading to same place multiple cars must be taken.

You have a few years to go, kids age wise, so I would get either a minivan or large SUV with three rows of seats.

Where do yo live? Does your family need 2 vehicles? We have been getting by with 1 car for 3 drivers for the past 5 years.

YIKES! We have/had 4 drivers = 4 cars (and an extra in the garage) and there is no way we could go with less. All four of us go/work/school in different directions so sharing is not an option. I can't imagine unless retired or living in an urban area how to begin to make one car work.
 


YIKES! We have/had 4 drivers = 4 cars (and an extra in the garage) and there is no way we could go with less. All four of us go/work/school in different directions so sharing is not an option. I can't imagine unless retired or living in an urban area how to begin to make one car work.

Walk, bike, bus, subway, bike share, car share, uber, lyft, etc... There are many other ways to get around that are much cheaper than owning a car. I couldn't afford multiple Disney trips and cruises every year if I had to shell out for a car.
 
100k on a toyota? It's just getting broken in my friend! My truck has 150k and works as new! (touch wood) so i wouldn't worry too much about that. It all depends on what type of driving experience you want. We like a higher driving position so sacrifice MPG for size and height as well as the 4wd system. I find crossover SUV's that even have a 3rd row are just too small (Q7's, ML's) etc... so its all just a matter of what your priorities are. Minivans offer the best all around scenario, but often lack road manners and curb appeal, SUV's and trucks can get you that but you often get single digit MPG's!!!

We love our unapologetically American Suburban and 3rd row with 4wd! Couldn't get by without it... I was just saying the other day to my wife when picking up a desk from a store, i just don't know how anyone gets by with a large family and not having a truck! lol

Funny, the salesman said the exact same thing when we were there Friday! He said that 97% of the vehicles that come in for work are just looking for routine maintenance. Even given the "salesman fudge factor", that's impressive.

DH has a Chevy Equinox--even he admitted that he wished he'd gone a little bigger, but he has a fairly long commute. His car has AWD, so it's what we take to the beach (we have a permit to park on the sand). It gets pretty crowded with a 5 of us, plus our small dog, plus our stuff.

Only one car would never work in our house--DH works long hours at times, and has been known to work nights, weekends, etc. When he retires, I think we could easily do 1 car plus a golf cart (or tiny, cheap car). Of course, before then, we have to launch a few kids! Our oldest lives in Boston, and although she's getting her hand-me-down car next month, she managed to survive a carless year of work, using many of the transportation options MillauFr mentioned.
 


A car is a must in my area, too. 5 of us at home 5 drivers. No public transport. My work is 5 miles away-heat index is 110-no walking/biking- roads not safe for biking. Dh works 45 min away. Dd's high school is 5 miles in another direction. 2 college kids live 8 miles off campus in their college town
 
I'm curious--why don't you want another minivan?

Generally speaking people have an image issue with minivans. I don't know at all that this is the case for OP, so that's not what I'm implying at all. But that's the same reason station wagons disappeared years ago. Though it's funny that many "SUVs" or "crossovers" on the market now are really just station wagons with plastic body cladding on them. Fashion is a very powerful thing, it's the driving factor behind the SUV craze.
 
Walk, bike, bus, subway, bike share, car share, uber, lyft, etc... There are many other ways to get around that are much cheaper than owning a car. I couldn't afford multiple Disney trips and cruises every year if I had to shell out for a car.

Doesn’t work in suburban areas where everyone has long commutes and public transportation does not exist. I get it works in more urban or walkable community but not possible in many. None of us could get to our daily destinations without a car. At one point we outside NYC and two of us got by with one car but it could be a challenge.
 
We are a minimum of a 3 car family, we will probably get a 4th soon. Relying upon public transport and other remedies just doesn't work for our family. Just goes to show that 'One size doesn't fit all'....
This is true, and in some areas it isn't very practical. My mom never had a drivers license so we sometimes rode the bus but we had to get a ride to the bus line. We lived in an area that was a little too rural. It's more suburb now but still not easy to do without a car. We have 3 for 3 drivers.
 
If you can get by with the other Sienna for the family, why not consider a more fuel efficient car for your husband since it sounds like he drives a lot. Then get a new Sienna or similar when the other one goes.
 
We went from a Nissan Pathfinder to a Buick Enclave and have been happy with it. It has a good size third row.

The Chevy Traverse and GMC Acadia arethe same platform.
 
Drive a Ford Flex. You will be amazed. Seating for 7, HUGE HUGE middle seat.
We traded our Suburban in on a Flex 2 weeks ago.
 
Generally speaking people have an image issue with minivans. I don't know at all that this is the case for OP, so that's not what I'm implying at all. But that's the same reason station wagons disappeared years ago. Though it's funny that many "SUVs" or "crossovers" on the market now are really just station wagons with plastic body cladding on them. Fashion is a very powerful thing, it's the driving factor behind the SUV craze.

This describes my DH to a "T"! He went for the mid-size SUV to save a little on gas, but he can't haul much in it. Not that he has to haul a ton, but he's had to take my minivan to pick up furniture or if he's getting plywood or whatever. I've married for far too long to offer any type of criticism--I know better--but he was very wistful when we left the Toyota dealership the other day. He really liked the Sienna XLE, too! Plus, he's been scoping minivans at Scout meetings--just to help me out, you understand--and he's heard good things about the Sienna from some of the other Scout dads. So, I may yet convert him, looks be darned. But one thing I've learned in 31 years of marriage is when to keep my mouth shut and let him come to the obvious conclusion himself. 4 years back, I let him talk himself into a puppy for our younger DD--my kids still laugh about how I managed THAT one--he doesn't even like dogs!
 
Drive a Ford Flex. You will be amazed. Seating for 7, HUGE HUGE middle seat.
We traded our Suburban in on a Flex 2 weeks ago.

Yes, the Flex is one of those "I'm really a station wagon, but everyone hates that term so we'll call it a crossover" vehicles. And that's not a knock, I love, love, love the Flex. I have daydreams of buying an Ecoboost Flex, putting a racing tune on the engine and having a 400+hp daily driver wagon. Oooooohhhh, how I'd love that. If I could have afforded one, I'd have done it for my most recent car, and still may for my next car. However, the Flex still doesn't have quite the room a minivan does.
 
Family of 7, kids are 15, 15, 17, 19, 21, I drive a Honda Odyssey, DH drives a Honda Odyssey, ds19 drives a Honda Odyssey, dd21 drove a Honda Odyssey until she totalled it. I’m guessing my next vehicle will be a Honda Odyssey. It’s comfortable, roomy, and fits a lot of stuff.
 
If you can get by with the other Sienna for the family, why not consider a more fuel efficient car for your husband since it sounds like he drives a lot. Then get a new Sienna or similar when the other one goes.

That's what I was thinking. I have a minivan and definitely wouldn't want two. It's great for a family of 5 and serves us well for long drives to Florida. We have 2 drivers and 3 cars. :D because when DH got his Venza 3 or 4 years ago, I decided to keep the paid off Honda Accord that wasn't worth much. I love it because I don't really like driving a minivan, too big for me. I call it a school bus. I drive the Accord most of the year, 180,000 miles and many more to go. Take the van when we go anywhere as a family, but most often i'm chauffeuring one or two kids somewhere. I also take the Sienna in the winter, as it's heavy and AWD, it's a much better winter car than the sedan. DH thinks bigger is better and would love a Suburban. My life goal is to go smaller and get a smart car. 8-)

ETA: While 3 cars is definitely not necessary for 2 drivers, we would never get away with one. No public transportation here. I didn't own a car when I lived in Boston but in the burbs of NH, it's a good drive to get anywhere...
 
I am trying to decide what to buy next too. Currently in a 9 1/2 yr old Odyssey. It is our second one, so have been driving one for 18 years. It is terrible in the snow where we live. Even with snow tires, I have gotten stuck on more than one occasion. Snowy hills are not your friend in this van. So every winter I say I hate it and need something new. Kids are 20, 17 and 16, only 1 will be home in the fall. Every time I think I am ready for something smaller I think about how nice it is to have so much room when we travel. Have filled it up for moving into the dorms and use it when buying big purchases. I wouldn't mind just renting for travel, but living in a smaller town, I have found that renting a minivan not always that easy or cheap.
 

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