User Panel
Posted: 1/15/2024 10:23:11 AM EDT
Very excited that #5 is in the way.
We bought our Highlander for #3. It’s now extremely cramped with 4 kids. While technically feasible with 5, it would be very unpleasant. The rub is that my wife is absolutely opposed to a minivan. Silly, I know, but you gotta hold on to some of those promises you made yourself in youth. Seems a bit premature for the 15 passenger van. Wondering what else people with large families are driving? Preferably something that can be had for <$30k used. |
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Mini van dad here with 4 kids. I don't know of any option for you but a suburban.
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2001 Honda Odyssey. Bought is used in 2005 and drove it till 2021. I put over 200k miles on it. Great vehicle for hauling kids, junk, plywood, etc.
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Death before dishonor, Drugs before lunch - Aspen Gun and Drug club.
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Nissan NV 3500
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Only have 3, but transported 5 several times in our suburban. Friends have 5 and have a minivan and a Ford Expedition.
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We have 4 kids (3 older and one newborn) and my wife is anti mini van.
We are looking at highlanders and pilots at the moment. |
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We bought a GX460. We only have 3 kids but always are toting an extra or two
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Yukon XL. We swore long ago to never get a minivan but those AWD/4WD larger vans (Mercedes/Ford Transit etc) would likely be much easier the bigger the kids get. Need 4WD capability up here.
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Suburban is what we drove.
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4 kids here
Honda Odyssey and Yukon XL Denali |
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Surburban is what my mom drive four of around In.
She still drives one to this day even though we are all grown. |
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Grab it at the bottom!
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When i was a kid, f250, gran torino, full sized d150 van.
My 1st son was born, I had a f150 xlt, then k15, then multiple Lincoln town cars, mark 7s & caprices, multiple c20s, c25s, c30s, couple of frontiers, couple of broncos, multiple grand wagoneers & Cherokees, one each tacoma, matrix, mazda323 and montero. Have 5 kids, so I've always had a vehicle that would carry us, they're all grown now. always wanted a van like my pop's 83' d150 he customized into a sweet shaggin' ass party wagon, I borrowed it a lot in high school (my 1st son was born a month after i graduated hs). But I've never ran across one affordable enough to buy that i could customize like he did. |
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Armada
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Let us never forget, government has no resources of its own. Government can only give to us what it has previously taken from us.
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As a grandparent, whatever you do, have lots of doors so you can access every seat/car seat.
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17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
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We liked the Ford Expedition more than the Toyota Sequoia. The Toyota was more comfortable with more options, but the Ford had more cargo space behind the rear seats.
My wife also swore she would never drive a minivan. We kind of inherited a Toyota Sienna and now she loves having a minivan. We took several trips with both SUVs loaded with my 2 youngest and my brother's 4 (one in car seat). Both worked well and were comfy, but when you have that many kids you also have that many bags for clothes and toys, plus cooler(s) for food and snacks, plus cases of water bottles, and don't forget your roadside emergency kit with jumper cables, breaker bar with proper socket for your lugs, emergency blankets, etc, plus first aid kits. On our last big road trip with the minivan we took our 2 youngest and dog to visit our oldest boy. We removed 1 middle seat and 1 rear seat, and rented a small trailer to haul all the extra stuff (plus 1 of the seats we had removed). That system worked well. I wish they had a minivan or an SUV chassis with 4wd or AWD. We're currently looking at Expedition vs Suburban vs Sienna. Expeditions have had a ton of recalls. Suburbans are known to have major AC problem (a friend recently bought one new and went through that hassle). The Siennas are headed down the hybrid and electric path, which we don't want to mess with. Tough decisions on new/used vehicles now-a-days. |
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If she thinks she's too cool for a van, she's not.
Nothing cooler than 30mpg and kids not kicking the back of your seat. We're on our second. Toyota Sienna. |
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You’re into suburban or Sequoia territory. Maybe an Excursion if they’re still around.
Last gen sequoia with a bench seat can fit 8 adults. Rear fold up bench is legit good for adults and still has room for some cargo (paper grocery bags deep, better than most). Sequoias run forever. Can’t speak to suburbans but there are a lot of older ones on the road. Other option friends with 6 kids use is Mercedes Sprinter van. That’s fairly popular in this area. |
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If she's concerned with how a minivan looks, try the Kia Carnival. It looks less like a minivan but still has sliding doors.
I like my Odyssey. Otherwise Suburban or Ford Expedition Max. Don't get a Tahoe or regular expedition, because they are smaller. |
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I had a Suburban when my boys were young. The correct answer these days would be a Toyota Sienna. |
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Highlander 2 > Armada 3 > Expedition Max 4
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Why do you own a fire extinguisher when you have the fire department to protect you?
Politicians should wear uniforms like NASCAR drivers so we could see their corporate sponsors. |
4 wheel drive Yukon XL ( Suburban) with 3 inch lift and 33 x 12.50 mud grips. A family ride without the grandma look. I told the wife if Im driving this its going to look manly.
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[NO TEXT]
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Originally Posted By Milsurpninja: Very excited that #5 is in the way. We bought our Highlander for #3. It's now extremely cramped with 4 kids. While technically feasible with 5, it would be very unpleasant. The rub is that my wife is absolutely opposed to a minivan. Silly, I know, but you gotta hold on to some of those promises you made yourself in youth. Seems a bit premature for the 15 passenger van. Wondering what else people with large families are driving? Preferably something that can be had for <$30k used. View Quote |
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You must play the game. You can't win. You can't break even. You can't quit the game.
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Originally Posted By HBARLeatherneck: We started with regular cab pickup, Jeep Cherokee, Grand Caravan, Suburban, 15 passenger Econoline, and 4 years ago the Transit extended, high roof. Almost full, but so nice. 6'9" inside so almost anyone can stand up. Better than the econoline because it has side curtain airbags, every seat has shoulder belts and the seats can come out if we want them to. https://uniim1.shutterfly.com/render/00-S1C6u1JpJ8zTlcO2IVKtioQDNHNr8ExXqmWVtd53LO0Nx700639Ge3LtBLNvXrEMqCe7ffHDJpwno-pEcjtJnw?cn=THISLIFE&res=medium&ts=1598126654 View Quote I'm not going to lie... Your Yoder Toter is pretty awesome. Do you have the slider door on the other side? I love the fuck-you bar on the front. |
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Why do you own a fire extinguisher when you have the fire department to protect you?
Politicians should wear uniforms like NASCAR drivers so we could see their corporate sponsors. |
Burban. kids all grown, now a Yukon for the fur missiles
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I only have 3…but they’re LARGE. Oldest is now 6’8, middle is 6’4, 12 year old daughter is 5’8 and growing (I’m 6’5)
It was mostly suburbans for us…I got a Mercedes sprinter van conversion during Covid that was the favorite. That was when the oldest (and tallest) was in high school and it was by far the best family van we ever had. My wife’s best friend has 8 kids and they have a ford transit conversion that works great for them |
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6 kids, Honda Odyssey and Yukon XL.
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Originally Posted By 87GMC4X4: Mini van dad here with 4 kids. I don't know of any option for you but a suburban. View Quote We reluctantly accepted the minivan, but have fully embraced it now. It may not look good, but its a great family vehicle. That said, Suburbans, Sequoia, or some other full sized SUV may be an option |
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We upsized to a Chevy Express 12 passenger shortly after our 5th was born. The Express is a 2006, but was clean and only had 76,000 miles. For $11k it fits our needs without a car payment.
We still have a Toyota Sienna, but with 247,000 miles it rarely gets driven these days. It was also getting tight with all 5 kids. A van and a small trailer will haul about everything that I will ever need to haul. |
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I've got 6 kids, so family of 8
currently we drive a 2012 ford expedition, plenty of room room for passengers, but cargo is limited unless you go with the EL I've been looking at the new suburbans lately, they look roomy also |
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Chevy Suburban...
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Dont call it a comeback, Been here for years.
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I dont think this is a brains type of operation.
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7 kids aged 18-5 and 2 parents stuffed in a 2000 Ford Excursion.
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I have 7 kids, and we all (barely) fit in a 2000 Ford Excursion with a bench front seat... 3 in each row. I used to have an old squarebody Chevy Suburban with the 6.0 diesel, that got 30 mpg and still fit 8-9. Miss those rigs...
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Minivan. We only had 3 kids and that was the only answer that made sense. Unless you are towing or going off road then it's a minivan for a family that size
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There, I said it...Don't tell me you weren't thinking the same thing!
I just want to go to the backyard, get a stick, and clean this thread off the bottom of my shoe.... |
Ford Excursion with the V10 hauled my family around for over 10 years.
One of the best trucks I've ever owned. Roomy and reliable. |
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If money wasn't a factor I would buy a Denali Yukon Diesel. But since it is, I bought a Ford Expedition to haul all the grandkids in. We have 3 in big car seats, two in boosters and a moody teenager.
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Feeling depressed-send an email to [email protected]. If anyone wants to send me an email I would be happy to work on skills for raising your baseline and providing support. Your confidentiality is guaranteed.
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Chevy Express
Bullet proof. |
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Originally Posted By Daggertt: My parents hauled us 5 kids around in this daily driver. https://www.cars.com/i/large/in/v2/stock_photos/de8ae852-b1d1-4f16-a229-63def1ef566b/9482dcee-d1c8-4bdd-95ae-84a6ec8b0fe2.png After i started to drive, my mom couldn't wait to move into something more compact, and this became MY daily driver and she bought a minivan since now she was only hauling 4 kids normally and if we needed to take everyone, we still had the big van. Not very stylish, but lots of room for activities. View Quote That's what I'm talking about baby! V-8. 7mpg. You buy that when you have four kids and get to work filling it up lol. I drove one as a kid. Hated it to no end. I wish I had it back now though. Alas, OP, I only got 5 and the wife got fixed. So something like a traverse or explorer fits the bill for us. |
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Originally Posted By SuperStormBryan: That's what I'm talking about baby! V-8. 7mpg. You buy that when you have four kids and get to work filling it up lol. I drove one as a kid. Hated it to no end. I wish I had it back now though. Alas, OP, I only got 5 and the wife got fixed. So something like a traverse or explorer fits the bill for us. View Quote My wife almost died with each of our boys so we called it early unfortunately and we'll never need a big van. |
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Originally Posted By VoodooChile: Minivan. We only had 3 kids and that was the only answer that made sense. Unless you are towing or going off road then it's a minivan for a family that size View Quote I also have 3 little devils. My wife and I both have crew cab trucks. Waaaaay better than the Toyota Sienna she had. We find it easier to lift the kids up and in rather than having to stoop over moving around in the van, getting them buckled in and so on. |
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"What is socialism? The most difficult and tortuous way to progress from capitalism to capitalism." -Stated at an intel conference, East Berlin, Oct. 1988
"Every election is a sort of advance auction sale of stolen goods." -H.L. Mencken |
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