Question Vehicle for family of 6

mamabearof3

New member
We currently have a 03 Odyssey that we are considering replacing this coming year. We have a 9yo & 7yo in Britax HBBs. We have a 5yo harnessed in a Frontier, but will probably be moved to booster mode this fall. We also have a bonus baby coming this summer, who will be our last. Older 2 are currently in 3rd row. Youngest is driver side 2nd row.

We plan to look at gently used vehicles. Budget is flexible for now. We are looking for safety, comfort and reliability. Would love the best gas mileage. Extra seats would be nice. 4WD would be nice, but not a must.

What should we look at other than Odysseys? What should we look for in an Odyssey?

We are open to non minivans. I am thinking older 2 would stay 3rd row and younger 2 would be 2nd row. 5yo will love helping entertain newby and I can't imagine the squabbles from a 3 across. :)

Thoughts,
Mama bear of 3, soon to be 4
 
ADS

Peony

Member
Bonus baby is the exact term I use for my fourth child as well. ;) Obviously also a family of 6 here. I drive a Ford Expedition EL, the EL is the Extended Length version so it is the exact same size as a Suburban. I have a love/hate relationship with it. I had a Sienna previously and DH previously had a Suburban (now he has a 6 seater Ford truck) so I feel like we've tried several things! And there are always going to be issues, it's just picking out which ones you can live with. We also live in the mountains so AWD or 4x4 is a must to make it home.

I purposely bought the EL so that I can easily fit 8 in my car and gear. I very frequently end up with extra kids, we are heavily into sports, and I have a very full car all the time. I need cargo space AND people room which was my big problem with a minivan, I had a serious lack of cargo space. Other families don't seem to carry as much as I need to on a daily basis and they have more then enough room. :confused:

The Suburban's third row is very narrow and while three across is possible with certain combinations, there is a lot more room in the EL. The EL also has more leg room in the third row for the older kids then the Burb does, but you lose some cargo room to make up for that.

My complaints are poor gas mileage, trying to tumble the seat for access to the third row every single time we get in and out (all the time), that could be a problem with anything that doesn't have captain's chairs in the second row. And any SUV that big is going to have massive doors to open, dinging other doors or even trying to get into parking spaces and have enough room to open the doors wide enough to load kids, is a daily headache for me. I loved the sliding doors in my Sienna for that reason.
 

MommyShannon

New member
We are 6 too. We have an '06 Ody touring. I'd just avoid the PAX run flat tires that came on the higher models around that year. They are a pain. Search for "dePax my Ody" on google. We dePaxed and love it now. '06 and newer have more top tethers so you have more options on where seats go.
 

mamabearof3

New member
Thanks ladies. The Expedition EL is too big of a vehicle for me to try to park in the city on a daily basis.

The only thing my 03 Odyssey doesn't have that I want is 4WD and a bigger 3rd row. It looks like we'll be able to cram the fam in the F150 when needed, so I can give up the 4WD. And the 2011s Odysseys and newer are supposed to have dreamy comfortable 3rd rows right?

My husband isn't worried about milage despite the fact we are tree huggers. School is 3 blocks away. Preschool is a mile. Work is 10 miles.

Is there anything we should consider in addition to the 2011 and newer Odysseys???

Thanks,
Mamabear of 3...plus
 

luckyclov

New member
If you look into the 2011+ Odys, your 7 and 9 year old may have to go backless in boosters, depending on their heights/builds. The new Odys aren't especially "tall". Just an FYI. My short 54" 10 year old's Britax ParkwaySG will not fit in any of the 3 seating positions in the 3rd row (with the back on) of our new '12 Ody. It's wide, though, so there's that "bonus" going on back there. He rides in a backless outboard now.

With older kids in the mix, I'd give a look to the new VW Routans and Chryslers. They made some kid-friendly changes, I think, after 2010-ish and you may be able to grab a fairly new one for less than a used Ody.
 

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