Question Buying a new family vehicle

armywife12 · Jul 14, 2012

I'm feeling overwhelmed and need some guidance. We currently have an 08 Mazda CX-7 and an 03 Mercury Mountaineer. We won't be getting this vehicle until my husband comes home from deployment so about 10 mo from now. My DS will be 5yrs 9 mo and my DD will have just turned 2 when the time comes. We will be replacing the Mountaineer and getting something newer (2010+) and our budget will hopefully be about $24k and under.

My Dilemma is figuring out if I want to go smaller with better fuel economy or stick with the bigger SUV to better fit a growing family (baby #3 might be in the works in the next 1-2 yrs).

Vehicles being considered are Honda Pilot, Ford Flex, GMC Terrain, Chevy Traverse, Prius V (if it'll be in our price range), and Toyota Venza.

I'm not against vans but leaning away from them. Feel free to suggest any other vehicles you think would work (including vans if you'd like). If it's going to be a 3 row, I want it to have cargo space bigger than our current Mountaineer. DS will most likely be full time boostered at that point and DD will definitely still be RF (in either a Roundabout 50, Size4Me, or Foonf)

jjordan · Jul 14, 2012

Maybe it would help if you explained why you are leaning away from vans? Have you taken any vans on test drives? You will generally get more car for your money, and better gas mileage for the amount of space.

armywife12 · Jul 14, 2012

No particular reason. I just like the look of suvs better. We used to have a grand caravan and really liked it. It was too big for us at the time though. I just found a 2011 odyssey in our budget so that might be put on the list. I'm hoping by next year more of them will be in our price range

Melanie · Jul 15, 2012

I really like my Flex. I was coming from a minivan and needed a people hauler. I think it does well at having the minivan conveniences without being a van. Minus the sliding doors, but I honestly don't miss them. It's low to the ground so kids can easily climb in and out.

I have the bench 2nd row, so I can put all three of my kids in the 2nd row and fold the third row for a lot of cargo space. The gas mileage is good for a vehicle this size. I get 19+ around town and 24/25 on the highway going over a big mountain. We just did a 6 hour trip FULLY loaded. Went camping for 9 days with 5 people, so every nook and cranny was packed + had a bike rack on the back. We still got 23mpg.

It drives fantastic. It drives like a really long car with a big hood. The basic model has a lot of niceties that are options on similar vehicles.

The Pilot was a very close contender. It drove a little more truck-like (but not bad) and the basic model felt basic and cheap. New they were about the same price new, but the Pilot has much higher resale value. I'd bet you'll get newer and less miles in a Flex over a Pilot.

Something to watch for is shoulder belts and headrests. I was surprised that some vehicles don't have headrests in all spots. It was a peeve in my prior vehicle, so I was adamant that this vehicle had them in all seating spots.

NVMBR02 · Jul 15, 2012

Our Pilot is still new, only about 3 months old but I love it! I didn't think I would, I have always preferred smaller cars but so far the pilot suits our needs perfectly. I have been happy with the fuel economy. It isn't the greatest, but we knew that when we bought it. I average 19 miles to the gallon, mostly in town driving. We did a small road trip a few weeks ago and averaged 25 then.

All three kids fit nicely in the second row, but usually DS rides in the 3rd row. He is able to slide the seat easily to get in and out by himself. This was a deal breaker for us, we had a few vehicles we really liked but he had a tough time tumbling the seat to access the 3rd row.

Ours is the ex-l if that matters at all.

armywife12 · Jul 15, 2012

Melanie said:
I really like my Flex. I was coming from a minivan and needed a people hauler. I think it does well at having the minivan conveniences without being a van. Minus the sliding doors, but I honestly don't miss them. It's low to the ground so kids can easily climb in and out.

I have the bench 2nd row, so I can put all three of my kids in the 2nd row and fold the third row for a lot of cargo space. The gas mileage is good for a vehicle this size. I get 19+ around town and 24/25 on the highway going over a big mountain. We just did a 6 hour trip FULLY loaded. Went camping for 9 days with 5 people, so every nook and cranny was packed + had a bike rack on the back. We still got 23mpg.

It drives fantastic. It drives like a really long car with a big hood. The basic model has a lot of niceties that are options on similar vehicles.

The Pilot was a very close contender. It drove a little more truck-like (but not bad) and the basic model felt basic and cheap. New they were about the same price new, but the Pilot has much higher resale value. I'd bet you'll get newer and less miles in a Flex over a Pilot.

Something to watch for is shoulder belts and headrests. I was surprised that some vehicles don't have headrests in all spots. It was a peeve in my prior vehicle, so I was adamant that this vehicle had them in all seating spots.

I HATE that not all vehicles have headrests in all positions. My CX-7 doesn't have a center one and the Terrain doesn't have them either. I even have my husband starting to notice whenever we are out looking at vehicles lol. Thanks for the input

armywife12 · Jul 16, 2012

Any other thoughts or suggestions?

armywife12 · Jul 18, 2012

Bump?

Shancouchon · Jul 19, 2012

We just leased a 2012 oddy. Same though as the 2011. I LOVE IT!!
we have 4 kids and my husband didnt want a van at first. I took home lots of SUV's with a third row and when it was up there was no space for my stroller. Or if I wanted to get paper towels at Costco. For us- it just didnt work.

To sway you to a van... your kids are going to get bigger, their stuff bigger, and they get friends. For us a van was the best option for less headaches.

And the oddy has latch EVERYWHERE and head rests.. My husband said "this is a pretty sweet ride" Love it!

good luck in your search - this is just our experience with 4 kids and a daycare

An Aurora · Jul 19, 2012

The "stuff" issue is a big reason why we are only considering SUV's. I haven't seen a minivan yet that has enough room. But with only 2 kids, you would have tons of cargo room in anything.

mommydev · Jul 24, 2012

I also have a Ford Flex and love it. I really have no complaints. I do think I would like sliding doors, but I really only wish for them in tight parking spaces. We have a 4.5 year old and a 1 year old. The baby is rear facing behind the driver's seat and the 4 year old is FF in the middle of the second row. For now they love sitting next to each other and I love that I can still fold that other seat if necessary. There is plenty of space for my son to crawl under the RF seat to get to his if he doesn't want to get in on the other side. My sisters-in-law (who all have mini vans) are constantly amazed at the amount of stuff I can get in it.

Good luck!

luckyclov · Jul 24, 2012

An Aurora said:
The "stuff" issue is a big reason why we are only considering SUV's. I haven't seen a minivan yet that has enough room. But with only 2 kids, you would have tons of cargo room in anything.

And the stuff issue for us is why I only considered minivans. We didn't meet an suv that was even close to being able to meet our cargo needs. But we weren't looking at suburbans, either. Pilot, Sequoia, Explorer, Flex, and Acadia is as far as we got. I liked all of them fairly well, minus the lack of sliding doors and cargo space.

With 2 kids, any of of those, and many others, would be plenty space enough for you, I would think.

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SafeDad · Jul 31, 2012

armywife12 said:
I'm feeling overwhelmed and need some guidance. We currently have an 08 Mazda CX-7 and an 03 Mercury Mountaineer. We won't be getting this vehicle until my husband comes home from deployment so about 10 mo from now. My DS will be 5yrs 9 mo and my DD will have just turned 2 when the time comes. We will be replacing the Mountaineer and getting something newer (2010+) and our budget will hopefully be about $24k and under.

My Dilemma is figuring out if I want to go smaller with better fuel economy or stick with the bigger SUV to better fit a growing family (baby #3 might be in the works in the next 1-2 yrs).

Vehicles being considered are Honda Pilot, Ford Flex, GMC Terrain, Chevy Traverse, Prius V (if it'll be in our price range), and Toyota Venza.

If you don't need a third row, the Prius V is a great choice vs. most compact SUVs unless you need a V6 or AWD.

I'm not against vans but leaning away from them. Feel free to suggest any other vehicles you think would work (including vans if you'd like). If it's going to be a 3 row, I want it to have cargo space bigger than our current Mountaineer. DS will most likely be full time boostered at that point and DD will definitely still be RF (in either a Roundabout 50, Size4Me, or Foonf)

If you do need a third row, minivans have the cargo capability of the largest full-size SUVs while getting better fuel economy than most midsize SUVs. They are tough to beat in that regard. I'm currently on the first extended road trip with our midsize SUV after downsizing from a minivan and there is simply no comparison in terms of cargo space and passenger flexibility.

http://carseatblog.com/17588/minivan-or-suv/

At your budget, if you are looking new, perhaps a Kia Sorento 4-cyl, 2WD would be a reasonable compromise? A 2010 Traverse (we reviewed the similar Enclave at CarseatBlog) is a very good choice and very safe as well, but the fuel economy and cargo space will be a bit lacking compared to a less expensive minivan.

Guest · Aug 2, 2012

Do you tow? But you aren't really listing SUVs meant for towing. Need AWD maybe?

Cuz the Pilot and Traverse (and possibly the Flex) are about the same size as that old Caravan of yours. Except there's FAR less interior room and trunk space. For roughly the same money. The Pilot, Ridgeline, and Odyssey all are built off the same basic platform (which originally came from the Accord).

An Aurora · Aug 2, 2012

Which minivans have the same amount of room as a Suburban?

luckyclov · Aug 2, 2012

An Aurora said:
Which minivans have the same amount of room as a Suburban?

I guess it depends on how you look at it - maximum cargo space or cargo space with all seats in place. I, personally, go by cargo space with all seats in place because I always need all my seats in place.

The current generation of Suburban's have maximum cargo capacity of 137.4 cubic square feet; 45.8 cubic square feet with all seats in place.

The current generation of Sienna, which has the largest amount of cargo space of minivans, has a maximum cargo capacity of 150 cubic square feet; 39.1 cubic square feet with all seats in place.

An Aurora · Aug 2, 2012

Right. The Suburban has way more.

TXDani · Aug 2, 2012

luckyclov said:
I guess it depends on how you look at it - maximum cargo space or cargo space with all seats in place. I, personally, go by cargo space with all seats in place because I always need all my seats in place.

The current generation of Suburban's have maximum cargo capacity of 137.4 cubic square feet; 45.8 cubic square feet with all seats in place.

The current generation of Sienna, which has the largest amount of cargo space of minivans, has a maximum cargo capacity of 150 cubic square feet; 39.1 cubic square feet with all seats in place.

I don't think it would change no matter how you look at it..,
I have had both....no way, no how could the Sienna come close to fitting half of what I can fit in the back of my Yukon XL with the third row up.

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luckyclov · Aug 2, 2012

Re-read what I wrote, D.

With all seats up (which is all *I* care about), absolutely the Suburban has more cargo space over the Sienna (45.8 csf vs. 39.1 csf). However, when you flip to maximum cargo capacity, the Sienna is larger (150 csf vs. 137.4 csf).

So, when Darren said a minivan had all the cargo of the largest SUV...I guess it would depend on how you look at it.

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An Aurora · Aug 2, 2012

Eta; NM, you werent talking to me

Question Buying a new family vehicle

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