Hopefully getting new van, ??S

mominabigtruck

New member
So I finally talked dh into getting a new car this summer so now I'm on the search for what I want. I know everyone here loves the odyssey but I don't think that's in the cards for us as we get supplier discounts for ford, gm and chrysler so we'll probably go that way. Since we do get the discount we will probably go with something new and right now what I'm looking at is the ford freestar and the freestyle. I'm just wanting to know if anyone has any experience or suggestions for these vehicles? I drive ALOT, so mileage is important and I definitely need storage space because I have the huge quattro tour taking up my entire trunk right now. There will be at least two britax seats installed in the vehicle at all times. I like the look of the freestyle but I'm worried that I'll get it and not be happy with it because its not big enough. And just the thought of driving a van makes me nauseus but I really need the room. Any thoughts?
 
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bensmom243

New member
I like the looks of the Freestyle, but have you taken a look at the new GMC Acadia or the Saturn Outlook? These look really nice, lots of space, even behind the 3rd row of seats, nice safety features and slightly better mileage than the larger SUVs. The Mazda CX-9 looks nice as well.
 
My MIL/FIL had a freestyle (until last night when they traded it in on a shelby mustange...must be rough :) )...anyways, It seemed to have as much cargo space in the rear as a minivan would...but that's not a technical assessment, just a visual one. Also, I don't think their freestyle had a rear bench...it only seated 6 people...it had 6 bucket seats, basically, I think...but maybe there was another seat in there that I didn't notice.
 

lovinwaves

New member
Well, if the thought of driving a minivan makes you sick then I wouldn't buy one. There are other vehicles on the market that should fit your needs especially with just two kids in carseats.

You may find this threads helpful:

http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=12651&highlight=freestar
http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=12571&highlight=freestar
http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=11213&highlight=freestar
http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=11811&highlight=freestar
http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=7009&highlight=freestar

And here is a picture of a Graco DuoGlider in the back of my Minivan with the third row up:

7334105_348.ts1167422524256.jpg
 
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LuvBug

New member
there are lots of crossovers now that might fit you. I wouldnt get a minivan if you dread the thought.
I really loved the looks of the new freestyle. I tested it out in december when my mom was looking for a new vehicle. It had lots of room, but of course it doesnt load the same as a minivan.
You can get a suburban with captains chairs now, so thats really cool.
 

mominabigtruck

New member
I had an older suburban, I think it was the vehicle I had before the taurus and loved it. The only problem with that being is that I have semis that get almost as good as mileage as I did in the suburban. I drive upwards of 800 miles a week and that is in my car, not the semi so I can't imagine how much it would cost me to put gas in a suburban at $3+ a gallon.
 

dvmvail

New member
I own a freestyle (have for about 20months) and really do love it. I have 40,000 miles on it. IMO, it has tons of room........maybe a bit less than a mini van......but not by much. I have been able to put just about anything in it. Even the front passenger seat will fold flat if you need to put something long in it. I also drive in a carpool and fit 4 kids in it.....all in boosters. You can get either 6 or 7 passenger seating. I have the 7 seater, three in a bench (second row) and third row has two seats. The third row is raised so you can see out the front when sitting back there. Definately test drive it. I know Amy919 also has a freestyle and I'm sure she'll chime in soon too!
 
Ooooh....the new (07) suburbans/tahoes have a cool fuel management system that allows the vehicle to run on less cylinders when cruising on the highway; effectively it runs on 4 instead of 8 until you need the 8 to kick in...a friend of ours got one and drove it to Wyoming or somewhere far from here (Oregon) and got excessively great mileage...near 30mph, I think. I want one!!!
 

sirrahn

Active member
We have really good friends who have a Freestyle. They helped us move last summer and he was bragging on how much stuff we'd be able to get in his car. Then DH took the seats out of the Sienna and loaded it up:D Then he said well, maybe it's not really that big;)

I think they're happy with it though, but it's no where near the cargo space of a van.

They have the 6 seater...2 captains seats and a 2 seat bench in back. It also comes with a 3 seat bench in the middle although I'm not sure how 3rd row access is with that set-up.
 

all together ooky

New member
I think the Freestyle has MORE room behind the third row than my minivan. Carseats go in nicely, well, my MA did RFing. But, if you're talking about taking out seats and such, then the minivan will win. I love having a minivan.

My neighbor just got a Chevy Uplander. I would NOT recommend a GM minivan. PITA to get carseats in the third row. The headrest are not removable or adjustable and they are angled forward. They do "fold up" when you fold the back of the seat down but will lock into place if you don't hold them when you put the back of the seat upright. Since the headrest is angled forward the carseat won't touch the back of the seat.
 

amy919

New member
I have a Freestyle, have had it for over a year and I really like it. I'm considering trading it for something with a lower car payment:crying:

I love the car/truck whatever you want to call it. I have more interior space than I did in my Explorer, it's super easy to put down the 3rd row and I have been able to load it up with tons of stuff. I have the 6 passenger version with the 2 captains chairs in the middle row. Both my mom and I have comfortably sat in the 3rd row for 2+ hour drives. All of the seats have adjustable head rests, which is a nice feature.

I highly recommend it. It drives great.
 

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