Car shopping for 3 kids...

I think some of you already know that I was in panic mode a few weeks back when I found out our 02 Caravan has Gen 3 seatbelts.
(You can do a search or just google "Gen 3" if ya need more info. )

Anyway... this (along with other things) prompted us to possibly replace this vehicle a little sooner than expected.

Can I just tell you... there are so many vehicles with 3rd row seating out there now with absolutely NO trunk space. I even looked at a Yukon... the trunk was a joke. The salesman pointed to a Yukon XL to get the trunk I'm looking for... gorgeous SUV, but too LOOOOOONG for my tastes. I don't like parking my minivan as it is... if I drove a Yukon, I'd be taking off fenders left and right.

And if I had only TWO kids and didn't need that 3rd row up all the time... then I would LOVE (insert drool here ) to have one of those Outlooks, Acadias or Enclaves... or maybe even a Hybrid Highlander. GORGEOUS machines... but just not in the cards for me. And with a 3rd row up, not much trunk space for a week long trip anywhere.

So I guess I'm back in minivan land.
Got my eye on an Ody... just can't beat the convenience, layout, trunk space, SAFETY, and better gas mileage.

If we needed something to tow our boat (which is at a marina now)... then I'd look closer at those Yukon XL's.

Just wish car manufacturers would make some of those cross overs with a REAL trunk behind the 3rd row. They're so darn gorgeous, they'd probably sell more if they did.

Anyway... thanks for letting me ramble!

I have a friend who drives a Yukon (or maybe it's a Tahoe, but same thing right?). She rides around with her stroller in the front passenger seat since it won't fit behind the 3rd row (which she has to use since #4 just arrived). I just can't imagine driving around that big truck and having to deal with that!

I laughed hysterically the first time I saw the "trunk" of the Mazda 5. They actually have a little ad on the Mazda website touting how much space there is, which I'd seen before we went. While I knew it couldn't possible be much, it's truly a joke. I can fit a small grocery trip in there, but anything more than that requires that I fold down a seat (if I don't have all the kids with me) or start stacking bags around them!

I have a Ford Freetyle (crossover, not the minivan) and of all the cars I looked at, it had the most room behind the 3rd row. We were able to pack up our family of four for a week long trip to the shore and I pack a lot! We had the normal stuff, plus the kids' fold up sofa, high chair (booster seat style), all of the beach stuff, linens and cookware for the week. Trust me, it was A LOT of stuff! We actually bought a soft rooftop cargo carrier thinking we would need more room, but we got in all in.

Right now, I have 2 strollers behind the 3rd row, a Volo and a MetroLite. The MetroLite is not small. And I can still go food shopping and fit a ton of groceries back there.

I only have 2 kids, but we use the 3rd row often. I've even sat in the 3rd row for a 2 hour trip to the shore and was comfortable. It's one of the few cars I've been in that actually has a useable, comfortable 3rd row for the average size adult.

Defrost said:

I laughed hysterically the first time I saw the "trunk" of the Mazda 5. They actually have a little ad on the Mazda website touting how much space there is, which I'd seen before we went. While I knew it couldn't possible be much, it's truly a joke. I can fit a small grocery trip in there, but anything more than that requires that I fold down a seat (if I don't have all the kids with me) or start stacking bags around them!

Click to expand...

Is it something like behind the seat of a standard cab 1/2 ton?

Yeah, I'm not over the moon about the cargo space in our Mazda5. Thats why I told the dealer we weren't buying it unless they installed a roof rack and threw in a cargo box.

When we were "real" minivan shopping (before the gas mileage on them made us ) I was most impressed with the Nissan Quest's trunk space. Because the back end comes down an such an outward angle, there really does seem to be some space there.

XmasEve said:

Yeah, I'm not over the moon about the cargo space in our Mazda5. Thats why I told the dealer we weren't buying it unless they installed a roof rack and threw in a cargo box.

Click to expand...

I should have thought of that! Ah well - it doesn't bother me that much. I rarely go grocery shopping with all four kids anyway, and we've still got our Astro Van for hauling really big stuff. Travelling by car with all four would probably be impossible, but again, that's not really what we got this vehicle for. I need it to get around town and commute to the city (45 miles one way) so gas mileage was immensely more important than storage space.

beeman said:

Is it something like behind the seat of a standard cab 1/2 ton?

Click to expand...

Hmm... slightly bigger than that: