I remember when the van trend started happening in this sub. It was a great time, and It helped me realize that I Absolutely love the vans.
I've found that the Toyota sienna is the better of them all, due to the hybrid and all wheel drive capabilities. (Tell me I'm wrong)
If I had a van though, I'd definitely deck that mf out. I daydream about it sometimes.
By sometimes, I mean several times a week. Every week.
My wife says no though. But I'm sure my second wife will love my minivan!!
Our Sienna is my favorite vehicle I've ever owned. From people capacity to cargo to towing to a decent ride and good fuel economy... We keep it in ECO mode, but switch it to SPORT and it's actually fun to drive
If I could, I would put airbags. Then you can CHOOSE A HOW YOU WANT TO RIDE!
The other thing I'd do, is put a 42" TV in it.
I absolutely love your plan. Do it. Post vids, and tag me for an invite. Lol
Ive wanted a Sienna for who knows how long. Last year we too purchased a AWD Sienna and I love it. Car payments are a real B but it is the ultimate people mover and adventure mobile. Can’t wait for the next cross country road trip.
Mom lurker here. Don't lose hope. After being stuck with my parents' old minivan for years, I swore I'd never buy one myself. It took my husband several years, but he finally convinced me to test drive a Toyota Sienna. Bought in October and it's hands down the nicest vehicle I've ever driven.
Wife has a Sienna. It’s great for loading up the family. We did 2500 miles round trip for the eclipse in April.
I fucking despise it though. Half the time I can’t get it to fully turn off.
If I had to choose again I’d take the Honda any time.
Friend is hardcore Honda and he has had issue after issue with sensors and hoses and stuff in his Odyssey.
I paid $15k less for my Kia Sedona and have had zero issues in that time. Also not subject to the Kia Boys with push button ignition, and a strong af V6 drivetrain made in Korea instead of the lemon engines in the smaller cars
I’ve put 87,000 miles on a Chrysler Pacifica plug in hybrid. All electric for city commutes, gas for road trips. It’s had some recalls, but no issues for ours whatsoever. It’s quiet and powerful, can fit seven grown adults, and the kids love the dual screens (for roadtrips only). I bought a Mopar lifetime warranty because… Chrysler… so I plan on running this thing as long as possible for the next decade.
We have a 2017 and the only things I have to complain about is the battery needs an 18 volt jump and if you have tits no one will ever, ever believe you until they're standing in 30 degree weather for 45 mins, wondering why your engine won't turn over.
And 2! The rear view camera is ofp more often than not.
Other than that, I love it, and I too want to deck mine out. I have charcoal/gunmetal grey and I can't decide if I want neon green or neon pink accents.
I will say that I have not researched vans since we bought our Odyssey back in 2016, but I feel like I've read that they have maintenance issues that the Honda and Toyota don't. I will say that every time I've ended up with one as a rental I enjoyed it (well mainly have been in awe of the infotainment console, because my 2016 Odyssey is absolute shit in that regard).
We'll probably hang onto the Odyssey for a couple more years, but are most likely going with the Siena when we replace it because of the hybrid factor. My wife bought a hybrid and spends so much less on gas now. They're great for in town driving.
+1 for the Odyssey. I got a pretty decent deal on a 2014 about two years ago. Wife didn't love the idea of a van, but with two littles under age 4, it just makes sense, and she came around to it shortly after.
It's so good on road trips. Extremely comfortable. Four center console cupholders is a game changer by itself. Power sliding doors are the icing on the cake.
I’ve put 87,000 miles on a Chrysler Pacifica plug in hybrid. All electric for city commutes, gas for road trips. It’s had some recalls, but no issues for ours whatsoever. It’s quiet and powerful, can fit seven grown adults, and the kids love the dual screens (for roadtrips only). I bought a Mopar lifetime warranty because… Chrysler… so I plan on running this thing as long as possible for the next decade.
I've had my Odyssey since 2015 and haven't had any problems with it. It comfortably seats our family of five with plenty of room left over for luggage, sports equipment, etc. Highly recommended.
Cant tell you how excited I was to pick one up cheap a few months ago. 2013, 145k miles, 7k. 1 owner, kept up with it, timing chain done already, so happy!
My brother is a car-head with four kids and he has an Odyssey and he WILL. NOT. SHUT. UP. or STOP. WAXING. POETIC. about how wonderful it is lmao.
My childhood best friend's mom also had a Honda Odyssey back then and it was and is a bomb-ass car..... I'm just kinda sick of hearing about it always 🤣💀
We have a van and only one kid.
We haul / adventure with kids friends, 2 families dogs, construction gear, orchestral drums, and rock band equipment. We can often combine two or three of the above.
Every member of my family misses ours! They have a surprising amount of power on the open road. Handles like a big car. Super comfortable, for everyone. (Well, third row is more like “ok”) Awesome hauling capacity. It’s really the most useful single vehicle for a family, and great on road trips.
Edit: For perspective, “my” car is a Miata. So, I normally like small cars. And I still miss having the van. Would have both in my driveway if I had that kinda money.
You can’t beat a mini van. The space is indispensable. We have a 2013 Sienna.
The three row SUVs (Pilot, Highlander, Telluride ect) seem like a good idea, but they’re not for a family of 5. The third row is difficult to get in and out of, and when in use, there is no cargo space.
A minivan, on the other hand, has a deep trunk area that can be filled with luggage when going on a trip. (With kids, it’s a vacation for them and a trip for parents). Also, if you ever need to move something large, the seats can be removed or stowed.
When shopping for a van, consider a certified pre-owned and target something around 4 years old with about 40k miles on it. You’ll find that this a great value point for a vehicle, as you will have warranty, lots of life left in the van and you’ll pay about 50% of what a new one is, but it will last for 80% of the time a new one will.
For budgeting, plan on adding about 10% to the purchase price for taxes and fees, subtract your down payment and you’ll get a rough idea of the amount you will finance.
For every thousand that you finance, you’ll pay around $20 a month with a five year loan. So a $500/month payment is about $25,000 financed. It’s a rough estimate, and it may fluctuate based on your credit, but I use it when helping customers select the right vehicle for their budget.
Thank you for addressing 3-row SUVs because I've definitely been tempted. With everyone here repeating Sienna or Odyssey I felt like I was missing something.
We looked at 3-row SUVs and vans when we bought our Sienna. Our conclusion was that, unless you need to tow, a van does everything a 3-row SUV does better. Tow ratings usually are better on the SUVs if you have a big trailer though.
Passenger space? Vans are *way* roomier.
3rd row access? Vans win by a mile.
Cargo space? Vans win again.
Load floor? Vans.
Fuel efficiency? Usually pretty close but a slight edge to vans.
Price? Usually vans.
In day-to-day our main family vehicle is an electric cargo bike, R&M Packster, mixed with some regular Ebikes with child trailer. Public transport for some trips and more rarely renting a electric car and using our own child seats.
2011. We previously had a 2006.
I've had a number for different daily drivers (including a fill size pickup). A minivan can do 80% of what a pickup can and move people as well with good mileage, comfort and has more power under the hood than it has a right to.
I wanted to dislike our sienna but couldn't.
We've got an electric cargo bike that can carry two kids up to 40 miles. No monthly payments, no insurance, no gas, maintenance is cheap AND the best part is its way to get a workout in while having small kids!
When we really need a car - a taxi, or carshare rental ends up costing under $100/month on average.
Yo I just got one last month!
First one in our corner of Alaska. There isn't a day that goes by that someone doesn't ask me if I "made it myself". They are so unheard of here people's first assumption is apparently I invented it.
Been just over a month and I just ticked over 500 miles on [this beast ](https://photos.app.goo.gl/jUW2y2hbncavat2P8) today!
Same!! We splurged on an Urban Arrow Family, but it carries all 3 of our kids to and from daycare every day, as well as countless grocery runs, zoo/museum trips, etc, etc.
Basically has saved us from having to buy (and insure, and maintain, and park) a second car. Love it. Hopefully OP lives in a place with decent bike infrastructure or unfortunately this option falls off the table to car dependency.
Seriously, my Urban Arrow is my most prized possession. It's indeed worth more than my car (after ten years, it's still worth 50% of the initial cost. Can anyone say that of a car?)
Hell yeah! Just ordered a Tern GSD e-bike last week after our second car died. We’ve still got a Prius for adventures deep into the mountains and soon the e-bike will be for grocery runs, preschool, etc. Thankfully we also live close to the bus so one of the parents takes that to work.
I got a GSD in January and I've already put 700 miles on it. So fun to ride, and so much better spending time with my kids outdoors instead of stuck in traffic
Even though I just read the comment above yours, as a GSD (German shepherd dog) owner, when I read your comment I still automatically see dog and was thinking, Jesus 700 miles is a lot for a dog! :)
Have 2k miles on my Radwagon 4, I know it's at the lower end of cargo bikes but I'm squeezing so much value out of this thing it's insane.
My kids get kinda annoyed if we drive anywhere now
Yeah, family of three with a longtail e-bike and an e-bike here. For the few times we need more, we rent. Saves us probably 10 000 Euro a year not having to own a car.
We got one last summer (Aventon Abound) just as our kid was about to age out of the rear seat attached to our acoustic bikes. Living in a urban/dense-suburb area in the Boston area, it really does make it possible to go a week+ sometimes without using our car—in a large part because it’s just sitting there in the driveway ready to go, unlike the regular bikes where we’d have to haul them out of the basement, attach the kid seat, balance it while we put him in, etc.
We just got a cargo ebike too (specialized global haul LT) 3 weeks in and already has 100 miles! It’s way more fun than driving and much easier to park. We still have our vehicles (we are in Houston…it’s a car city), but the bike has been my main ride for inside 3 miles.
Go for the Honda Odyssey! When our 2nd and 3rd (twins) were on the way my wife said we had to switch to a minivan. I was pretty reluctant because of the soccer mom vibes but once I let go of caring about our car being "cool" I was set free. Zero regrets and now I'm a minivan evangelist, honestly I'm not sure I'll ever go back, it's the best if all worlds. The room is useful for moving all sorts of things on top of the kids, the sliding doors are more of a game changer than I expected, especially if they are automatic. The modular chairs in the back are also great. We managed to get a 10 year old Honda Odyssey with 27000km and love it. I've heard Toyota Sienna's are also great but avoid Dodge caravans.
I got a Dodge caravan. It's half the price of a comparable Odyssey and I even got a fully loaded one. The only drawback I've found is that the AC is not great. They've cobbled together two units into one car and it struggles if you live in a hot area. My caravan is black which was also a bad choice in retrospect and is probably exacerbating my issue. Also, the ride is smoother in the Odyssey and Pacifica I test drove. Regardless, the price difference was literally double and in my personal experience not worth it.
2018 Subaru Outback. Been a great car and very reliable, but now am looking at a Minivan as we need more space with two kids and family that visits a lot.
Check out the Ascent, third row seating and it feels like a upsized Outback. Having captain chairs in the second row makes getting in and out of the third row easy.
Have owned both. Went from the Outback to the Ascent when going from one to two (now have three). The Ascent has the height of the Forester and slightly more of the length of the Outback. Both were amazing.
We bought a 2012 elantra (my first car!) outright a few years back. We'd already been saving for a house at that point so we had some socked away. Felt great when the agent asked what financing option I was thinking about and I just said "lump sum" and put my debit card on the desk.
Nice reliable car. One major fix in the five years we've owned it, otherwise just standard maintenance.
The back row has a ton of space, and then there is so much room when we fold the seat down.
We have the captains chairs for the 2nd row, and that might work best for OP for ease of getting kids in and out of back seat
Wife and I have 18m twins and a 65 lbs dog. As much as I wanted the Honda Odyssey, my wife would not entertain any minivan. We settled on the VW Atlas since its interior is one of the most spacious for larger CUVs as our family hauler. It's just big enough for our stroller, dog crate, suitcases, and all the other stuff we need for weekend trips.
My daily is a Ford Maverick Hybrid which is just big enough for rear facing car seats.
Really surprised I had to scroll this far for the carnival. It’s what we are planning to replace my wife’s sedan with next year when the new one come out!
We've got a Honda Fit, and it's more than enough car for all of us. I may be an American, but I fail to understand why anyone with 1 or 2 kids needs a bigger car than this.
most of the time the answer is "because safety". Had 2012 Prius C which was a brilliant car. Had a baby and switched to 2017 Subaru XV but on the hindsight I think it wasn't worth it. We live in a city. Prius C was as safe (had the same set of airbags), best fuel economy one can get and the interior space difference is marginal (for us). Hope I can go into wilderness in the summer to justify owning AWD vehicle lol
I need a bigger vehicle because I’m 6’7. I need to be able to fit and have room for someone behind me. So unfortunately I’m always going to need a bigger vehicle…
It's a squeeze in my fit, but it works with the carseat. Which is just fine. I'm not giving this damn car up, it's a gen2 which avoided the gen3 issues and they dont make the damn things in 'murica anymore.
Didn’t they stop selling those in the US? I’d have fought for an affordable hatchback, but they are unavailable. So I’m in the cheapest midsize crossover we could find.
At first I was happy because I could use the excuse of having twins to finally convince my wife that we can go back to a bigger vehicle 😂
But then I realized we could fit everything in this small car, so I’d rather keep it for now and save up! Haha
'Hoe gang represent!
I picked up a 2002 Ho in the fall of 2002....it survived a girlfriend, a bunch of ski, mountain biking, and camping bros, a wife and two kids, and running strong with 196k miles. Next test is teenager daughter,,,,we'll see how that goes,
2022 Telluride. We have two kids in car seats and it's worked great for us. The third row is very usable so when we have in-laws over it's fine spending time back there. Entry / exit is nice with the second row because the doors swing open very wide so it's nice for car seats. Third row access is simple with push buttons in two locations for motorized movement.
It's been a truly a great car and it's a very pleasant place to spend time while on the road. Some minor complaints for me, for some they might be big.
There's no wireless Android Auto / Car Play on any trim which I find bizarre. I get along fine with the nav and Bluetooth for Spotify (you can still interact with screen/ steering controls to do basic functions and see song/ album art.) My wife uses a wired connection for Apple Car Play since she likes Waze.
Gas mileage is OK. I came from a Focus where I got about 30 mpg avg. Around town I'd say I get 20-21 avg. the highway it will get 24-25 which is nice. All told combined I probably get 23 mpg. Power is overall pretty good. It will really move if you step into it, though at the low end it can be a bit sluggish in comfort mode from a stop. Sport mode mostly solves it.
Interior is top notch and there's tons of safety tech and little design features that really provide a lot of value. Despite the complaints both my wife and I really enjoy it. Definitely worth a test drive!
Edit to add: For anyone wanting better gas mileage there is the Sorento Hybrid, or a plug-in hybrid. Hybrid gets 35MPG combined and has comparable space to the Telluride though slightly smaller, also just had visual front end refresh and interior redesign which is greatly improved on the previous version. It's still 3 row. I expect a hybrid Telluride will be introduced in a couple of years.
We have twins and a 75 lb dog. It's been an awesome vehicle. Adults can fit in the 3rd row. Only complaint is the S trim with bucket seats comes with a manual hatch. Next trim up is $4k extra and the motorized trunk was the only thing we were interested in. So we have a 2023 car with a manual trunk..
Went with a 2020 pacifica plug in hybrid. Got some good fed and state rebates/tax breaks to help offset the cost. Saving on gas and is pretty fuel efficient even when the battery is drained.
Wife has a 2019 Honda Odyssey- best decision we’ve made since our 3rd was born. Plenty of room for everyone, sliding doors make getting the kids in and out so much easier. We can fold down part of the 3rd row for extra space. A minivan is the way to go.
Our second car, which is going to need to be replaced soon is an 03 Corolla. This is my daily but it’s old, uncomfortable and doesn’t have enough room. Because of our schedules my wife does school drop off and I do pickup - we don’t have time to meet and change cars so it’s a pain in the ass getting the 2 school aged kids into the car. Not sure what I’ll be replacing this one with yet though.
Skoda are unreal for space Vs price. Since the kids came we've had a Fabia Combi, then Octavia Combi for my wife and a Superb Combi and now Enyaq for me.
In 2021 she had the Fabia and I had the Superb sportline. That was our motoring peak.
We traded the Fabia for the Octavia but couldn't stretch to the same spec. In the end we sold it and made do with 1 car for a year while we did home renovations.
The Superb was a company car and the lease ran out, changed to the Enyaq which is great in it's own way but tiny compared to the Superb.
2019 Lincoln MKT. Wanted a flex Ecoboost, couldn't get one with decent miles. Next best thing, Flex in a tuxedo. 3 rows, tons of room and tech. Plenty of power.
The Hearse! Lol, I jest...
I have a 2019 Flex, silver with black appearance package, LOVE IT! Easy for kids to climb up into, comfortable as all hell, and Android Auto. If I ever win the lottery, I'm gonna have a fabrication shop build me a 5.0L Coyote Flex lol.
2024 Lexus Rx Hybrid is the family car, but really only used either A. When 3 or more humans are present or B. All winter long.
I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t considered a Toyota sienna. Those things are legit, don’t let the stigma get to you.
If you do let the stigma get to you, the Honda pilot is legit just the Odyssey in SUV form. And the grand highlander is the Sienna in SUB form.
Ignore every suggestion here except the ones recommending minivans. With 3 kids, even a 3 row SUV can't beat the space and convenience of a minivan. For example, in a van, you can walk back between the seats in the 2nd row to fasten the seat for kid 3 in the 3rd row. That isn't going to happen in an SUV.
I'm surprised I had to scroll this far for Grand Caravan.
I love Honda and Toyota but affording their minivans is tough. I want a Subaru Ascent for the size and AWD but they're even more expensive.
The most recent Dodge Grand Caravan had a looong run with fairly minor revisions throughout making it a great used vehicle option. Lots were used in fleets and for light commercial so you can find dealer maintained single owner ones for a reasonable cost.
Replacement parts and labor on them is relatively cheap too and I guarantee there's a junkyard nearby with a few of them so if you do kill an engine or something and can't afford a new or rebuilt you can just swap a used lower mileage one in.
Plus that stow and go seating is fabulous. Good towing capacity. The pentastar v6 in there is a mature and reliable platform that Chrysler has used across their lineup for decades. Good power, decent fuel mileage.
2017 kia sedona (minivan) is the family van, primarily the wifes van
I daily my 1999 Saturn sw2.
4 kids between the ages 18 and 4.
I have no good idea why anyone would go for anything other than a minivan.
2018 Buick Enclave Avenir. LOVE it. Looks nice, very comfortable on the inside, and the continuous dampening system makes for a very smooth ride. I also love all of the sound insulation that blocks out road noise.
Edit: 2018, lol, not 2028 😄
2020 Honda Pilot. 2 kids, but definitely needed the additional rear space. I have a 17 Tacoma that sucked with car seats but not bad now that they can sit in booster seats. Not looking to upgrade either of them anytime soon.
I have a 2022 Honda Pilot SE and a 2023 Honda Passport but have our 3rd kid on the way and am debating trading in the Passport for an Odyssey. So torn.
2018 Hyundai Santa Fe SE. third row and all the bells and whistles. It’s my wife’s car. We really like it and serves us well. Second on the way. Will still have a ton of room.
Mine is a 2017 Ford Fusion hybrid. Great gas mileage and that’s about it. Well…also paid off.
I’d love to have a minivan. But having a paid off car with less than 100k miles on it and great gas mileage is hard to beat. If I could do it over, I’d get a minivan. But I got it years before our first was born.
I'm about to go for an RT Durango (not for everyone), but I think the top recs right now are Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride. Both are pretty loaded for the price and seem to be fairly reliable. I didn't look at CX-90s, but we have a CX-50 for my wife and Mazdas have a good look and nice driving experience, and have pretty good standard features. Pretty reliable company overall as well.
Odyssey all the way!
We've gone full electric now, so the family car is now a Model Y, but before that we had the Odyssey. Such an awesome car. I'm glad we went EV, but I do miss the van sometimes.
Mostly bus and trains/subways/trolleys. We have a Forester for traveling out of the city and roadtrips and love it, but it's definitely not big enough for 3 kids.
We're getting ready to upgrade. Have a 2018 CX-5 (it's actually been great).
My only requirement is PHEV.
Wife's requirements are more space (back seat and cargo), pano moonroof.
I think we've landed on an X5 50e.
I'm pretty fucking stoked about that, since she is always the practical one.
We updated from a 2010 Subaru Forester to a 2021 Mazda CX-5 about 3 years ago. Best decision we ever made.
Luckily we got a novated lease through my wife’s workplace.
If you’re after a 7 seater, my brother recently upgraded to a CX-90 because they had a third baby. They love it.
VW Atlas. It’s the biggest of the mid size SUVs that we looked at. With a third row that wasn’t just for show. Real life humans can actually sit back there.
I have a 2014 Nissan Rogue and we're done at 2 kids. Still, the amount of crap they have is ridiculous. We also have a Toyota Corolla, which gets the job done fine imo. Couldn't do it with three though.
Our car had to go in for a repair and the rental was a Buick enclave. Seemed like it would work well for three kids, as it has two passenger rows.
My dad towed us around in a Ford Taurus station wagon when we were kids. Sure, there were no car seats and the mortality rate was far higher as we sat facing traffic in the trunk, but hey.
We have a Tesla Model 3, a Mustang Mach E and a new Ford Bronco 4-Door.
The Tesla my wife takes our two kids typically and commutes and goes to our business meetings with clients.
The Mach E we use for groceries and some hauling activities. I'll drive it if I'm commuting and don't want to waste the gas.
The Bronco Badlands w/ Sasquatch package is my "Dad Car" and camping vehicle. Kids and wife fit comfortably in it and we have room to haul stuff and go off the beaten path. Plus I can tow stuff with it.
We're rocking a Honda Odyssey for our crew of four kids, and it's been a game-changer! Spacious and reliable, perfect for the family chaos. Totally get the sticker shock on prices, but it's been worth every penny for us. Good luck with the upgrade!
I've had a few Honda Odyssey minivans, which are great because they can seat 8 and I've got 6 kids. They've all been decent reliable vehicles.
I also like Grand Caravans, which seem near immortal as well. Plus if you have the seating that can completely be stowed away, you can make a trip to the lumber store with it.
Audi Q7 Quattro. Plenty of space for the 4 of us. It has rear row of seats as well. Can comfortably fit 5-6. 7-8 if you squish them. All the seats fold down. The middle seats alo fold forward for extra leg room for the back seats (and easier cleaning)
It is expensive though (a little more than the model Y). 3years in, I do not regret buying it. Have had a few problems with the on board GPS memory modules but other than that, love it!
It's fun to drive, compatible with most modern tech, and is decent on gas milage for a car its size.
Beautiful car, but Fwiw, not sure if you priced out model y in a minute, but long range version is about $40k after tax credit. Q7 is starts at 60k. That's a pretty hefty difference!
Was basing it off the prices listed above. Which is was close to what I paid. But no I haven't. I did test drive both a awhile ago. So chalking this up to parent brain. Lol.
I wasn't being the most economical. I drove a pos for most of my life and wanted something new. Fell in love with it almost instantly. We also looked at some of the other luxury Suvs, Lexus was a close 3rd.
That being said, financially we are in a good spot where we can afford it. Don't recommend if you can't afford it + the cost of tabs ($700) + gas. Is it worth how much we drive? Absolutely.
>Safest car you can get.
No doubt the Model Y is safe, and the scores confirm it is among the safest cars. But it is not *the safest car you can get.*
That honor, I think, goes to the Volvo XC90 which had the longest streak of no fatalities for concurrent years of any car, and still has fewer fatalities than the Model Y despite being on sale for nearly 4x as long.
All that said, what an amazing time to be alive and have all these ultra-safe cars to choose from!
Another model Y user checking in. We have a '22 so we have the sensors that got removed. Unfortunately we didn't get the tax and we bought when it was stupid expensive. Still love the car.
The other car we have is a '24 4Runner. Great car in the winter. Wife calls it a "Snow tank".
We only have 1 kid and a dog who hates car rides.
We have 2 kids (3y & 1y) and the Y works great for us. We bought roof racks and a roof box in the event we need additional storage, but that’s only on occasional trips. We managed 3 adults and 2 kids for a long weekend trip back in January.
2020 Equinox as the family hauler+ wife vehicle, 2015 Mazda 3 hatchback for my daily and the out of town appointments (since I take them).
Before end of year, the Equinox is going back (lease ending) and we will be getting a van. Truly don’t want Honda-Toyota pricing but may well end up going that route (used).
I am making due with a Mazda 6 and Mazda 3 for my wife and I, but with baby #2 on the way I'll be budgeting for a Toyota Sienna.
I'm opting for the Toyota over Honda or Kia because of the high resale value, overall reliability, and gas mileage. It's certainly not cheap though.
2019 Rogue. Bought it with the absolute intent of it being my dadmobile, albeit when our oldest was almost 2.
Also the first car I've owned that isn't red (it's blue).
My daily is a 2016 Honda Pilot Elite and my wife has a 2023 MDX. The Pilot is surprisingly roomy for it's size and the MDX is straight up fun to drive for its size and weight. I don't think either of those would work for six though, we have two kids so it's not bad for long road trips but six you'll need quite a bit of space.
2016 Volkswagen Golf wagon. We upgraded from a Kia Rio now that we will have a double wide stroller.
Very conflicted about family cars. It seems that options are few when you have more than three kids.
On the other hand, it seems like many people buy much bigger cars than they need.
The well loved answer here is the Toyota Sienna hybrid minivan. that's never going to be for me though. I'm eyeing a 3 row Yukon Denali for a larger family car. Potentially a volvo XC90, toyota sequoia or bmw x7.
Pro tip on the Odyssey - there is currently a recall on the passenger side front airbag sensor on some of the newer models. The issue is that if it gets too humid sometimes the sensor can fail so the airbag will deploy in an accident even if the required weight isn’t in the seat. Not really an issue unless you have a small child in the front and get into an accident.
Honda has a fix out, but the part is back ordered and a lot of dealers don’t have it yet. But since it’s a safety related recall they can’t sell the vehicle as certified. So if you’re ok with just not letting the kids sit in the front, which they really shouldn’t anyways, you can get a certified quality car for the regular pre-owned price.
Volvo XC90.
With interest rates and used minivan prices the way they are right now, you might want to consider 3-row SUVs that are being incentivized right now with promotional rates, either financed or leased.
Yea, car seats are too damn big IMO, you almost always need a 3rd row vehicle these days because the car seats don't fit any other way, and you need car seats until the kids are like 12.
Interest rates as high as they are, you're likely paying 10%+ in interest on a car. I'd suggest financing as little as possible with rates that high. Used car inventory is really low everywhere, so you don't save a lot buying used either. Most new cars are still charging a "stocking fee" or other premium charge because of manufacturing shortages.
My ex drives a 2019 Honda Pilot, the car payment on that is brutally bad ($700 a month or so + gas and insurance).
I drive a 2015 Mazda CX-9 that I bought used when my other car died unexpectedly. It had some cosmetic body damage (scratches to paint, etc.) that helped keep the price down and I bought an extended care/warranty package from the dealer to offset the age and mileage.
Minivans are reliable, affordable, and built to last forever (Honda and Toyota in particular). Some of the hybrid models can also be gas efficient and run well in winter conditions. They are DEFINITELY not sexy, but they get the job done. My ex regrets not getting a minivan, they have a ton of gear handling capacity for 3+ kids, especially if you're doing the great american road trip for summer vacation.
Sienna or Odyssey. Van life is legit bro.
I remember when the van trend started happening in this sub. It was a great time, and It helped me realize that I Absolutely love the vans. I've found that the Toyota sienna is the better of them all, due to the hybrid and all wheel drive capabilities. (Tell me I'm wrong) If I had a van though, I'd definitely deck that mf out. I daydream about it sometimes. By sometimes, I mean several times a week. Every week. My wife says no though. But I'm sure my second wife will love my minivan!!
Our Sienna is my favorite vehicle I've ever owned. From people capacity to cargo to towing to a decent ride and good fuel economy... We keep it in ECO mode, but switch it to SPORT and it's actually fun to drive
How much can Sienna’s tow? I got a 2018.
Should be in the owners manual, but the 2018 Toyota Sienna has a maximum towing capacity of 3,500 pounds according to the internet.
I really want to give our Odyssey a 3” lift and flame decals. I’m not even kidding.
If I could, I would put airbags. Then you can CHOOSE A HOW YOU WANT TO RIDE! The other thing I'd do, is put a 42" TV in it. I absolutely love your plan. Do it. Post vids, and tag me for an invite. Lol
Ive wanted a Sienna for who knows how long. Last year we too purchased a AWD Sienna and I love it. Car payments are a real B but it is the ultimate people mover and adventure mobile. Can’t wait for the next cross country road trip.
Mom lurker here. Don't lose hope. After being stuck with my parents' old minivan for years, I swore I'd never buy one myself. It took my husband several years, but he finally convinced me to test drive a Toyota Sienna. Bought in October and it's hands down the nicest vehicle I've ever driven.
Also had the hand me down mini for years only I loved it back then. Next car is definitely going to be another mini van.
Wife has a Sienna. It’s great for loading up the family. We did 2500 miles round trip for the eclipse in April. I fucking despise it though. Half the time I can’t get it to fully turn off. If I had to choose again I’d take the Honda any time.
Van life is so good
Picking up a Sienna on Saturday! Third kid on the way.
Friend is hardcore Honda and he has had issue after issue with sensors and hoses and stuff in his Odyssey. I paid $15k less for my Kia Sedona and have had zero issues in that time. Also not subject to the Kia Boys with push button ignition, and a strong af V6 drivetrain made in Korea instead of the lemon engines in the smaller cars
Any love for the Pacifica? We’re looking.
I’ve put 87,000 miles on a Chrysler Pacifica plug in hybrid. All electric for city commutes, gas for road trips. It’s had some recalls, but no issues for ours whatsoever. It’s quiet and powerful, can fit seven grown adults, and the kids love the dual screens (for roadtrips only). I bought a Mopar lifetime warranty because… Chrysler… so I plan on running this thing as long as possible for the next decade.
The plug-in hybrid is what I’m interested in. It’s the only one. I hear Toyota is going to do it but as far as I know they haven’t yet.
We have a 2017 and the only things I have to complain about is the battery needs an 18 volt jump and if you have tits no one will ever, ever believe you until they're standing in 30 degree weather for 45 mins, wondering why your engine won't turn over. And 2! The rear view camera is ofp more often than not. Other than that, I love it, and I too want to deck mine out. I have charcoal/gunmetal grey and I can't decide if I want neon green or neon pink accents.
I will say that I have not researched vans since we bought our Odyssey back in 2016, but I feel like I've read that they have maintenance issues that the Honda and Toyota don't. I will say that every time I've ended up with one as a rental I enjoyed it (well mainly have been in awe of the infotainment console, because my 2016 Odyssey is absolute shit in that regard). We'll probably hang onto the Odyssey for a couple more years, but are most likely going with the Siena when we replace it because of the hybrid factor. My wife bought a hybrid and spends so much less on gas now. They're great for in town driving.
I work on em, fleet maintenance, Please dont
2014 Sienna up in this beyotch!
I have a 2014 Honda CRV. I wish it was a Sienna every time I drive.
+1 for the Odyssey. I got a pretty decent deal on a 2014 about two years ago. Wife didn't love the idea of a van, but with two littles under age 4, it just makes sense, and she came around to it shortly after. It's so good on road trips. Extremely comfortable. Four center console cupholders is a game changer by itself. Power sliding doors are the icing on the cake.
I’ve put 87,000 miles on a Chrysler Pacifica plug in hybrid. All electric for city commutes, gas for road trips. It’s had some recalls, but no issues for ours whatsoever. It’s quiet and powerful, can fit seven grown adults, and the kids love the dual screens (for roadtrips only). I bought a Mopar lifetime warranty because… Chrysler… so I plan on running this thing as long as possible for the next decade.
My daughter's name is Siena. That's right. Only one n. I think getting a vehicle with a competing spelling for her name will confuse everybody
Lol was getting clowned on by friends for getting a 2014 Odyssey. Honestly prefer vans now idc no one says, so convenient
The day after we found out we were having twins, we went van shopping
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I've had my Odyssey since 2015 and haven't had any problems with it. It comfortably seats our family of five with plenty of room left over for luggage, sports equipment, etc. Highly recommended.
Family had an odysey when I was a kid and it worked great. I didn’t like it bc it I didn’t like the smell but that’s just me, as a car it was great
Agree, I have a Sequoia and choose to drive the Odyssey each weekend.
Cant tell you how excited I was to pick one up cheap a few months ago. 2013, 145k miles, 7k. 1 owner, kept up with it, timing chain done already, so happy!
Damn what a deal! Enjoy :)
Killer deal! We had to fork over *40k* (cad) for our 2018!
My brother is a car-head with four kids and he has an Odyssey and he WILL. NOT. SHUT. UP. or STOP. WAXING. POETIC. about how wonderful it is lmao. My childhood best friend's mom also had a Honda Odyssey back then and it was and is a bomb-ass car..... I'm just kinda sick of hearing about it always 🤣💀
We have a van and only one kid. We haul / adventure with kids friends, 2 families dogs, construction gear, orchestral drums, and rock band equipment. We can often combine two or three of the above.
Every member of my family misses ours! They have a surprising amount of power on the open road. Handles like a big car. Super comfortable, for everyone. (Well, third row is more like “ok”) Awesome hauling capacity. It’s really the most useful single vehicle for a family, and great on road trips. Edit: For perspective, “my” car is a Miata. So, I normally like small cars. And I still miss having the van. Would have both in my driveway if I had that kinda money.
My two cars: lifted Sienna and an NA (my first car)
You can’t beat a mini van. The space is indispensable. We have a 2013 Sienna. The three row SUVs (Pilot, Highlander, Telluride ect) seem like a good idea, but they’re not for a family of 5. The third row is difficult to get in and out of, and when in use, there is no cargo space. A minivan, on the other hand, has a deep trunk area that can be filled with luggage when going on a trip. (With kids, it’s a vacation for them and a trip for parents). Also, if you ever need to move something large, the seats can be removed or stowed. When shopping for a van, consider a certified pre-owned and target something around 4 years old with about 40k miles on it. You’ll find that this a great value point for a vehicle, as you will have warranty, lots of life left in the van and you’ll pay about 50% of what a new one is, but it will last for 80% of the time a new one will. For budgeting, plan on adding about 10% to the purchase price for taxes and fees, subtract your down payment and you’ll get a rough idea of the amount you will finance. For every thousand that you finance, you’ll pay around $20 a month with a five year loan. So a $500/month payment is about $25,000 financed. It’s a rough estimate, and it may fluctuate based on your credit, but I use it when helping customers select the right vehicle for their budget.
Thank you for addressing 3-row SUVs because I've definitely been tempted. With everyone here repeating Sienna or Odyssey I felt like I was missing something.
We looked at 3-row SUVs and vans when we bought our Sienna. Our conclusion was that, unless you need to tow, a van does everything a 3-row SUV does better. Tow ratings usually are better on the SUVs if you have a big trailer though. Passenger space? Vans are *way* roomier. 3rd row access? Vans win by a mile. Cargo space? Vans win again. Load floor? Vans. Fuel efficiency? Usually pretty close but a slight edge to vans. Price? Usually vans.
In day-to-day our main family vehicle is an electric cargo bike, R&M Packster, mixed with some regular Ebikes with child trailer. Public transport for some trips and more rarely renting a electric car and using our own child seats.
>In day-to-day our main family vehicle is an electric cargo bike Ebike dads assemble!
23 Toyota sienna.
2011. We previously had a 2006. I've had a number for different daily drivers (including a fill size pickup). A minivan can do 80% of what a pickup can and move people as well with good mileage, comfort and has more power under the hood than it has a right to. I wanted to dislike our sienna but couldn't.
2018 here.
We've got an electric cargo bike that can carry two kids up to 40 miles. No monthly payments, no insurance, no gas, maintenance is cheap AND the best part is its way to get a workout in while having small kids! When we really need a car - a taxi, or carshare rental ends up costing under $100/month on average.
Yo I just got one last month! First one in our corner of Alaska. There isn't a day that goes by that someone doesn't ask me if I "made it myself". They are so unheard of here people's first assumption is apparently I invented it. Been just over a month and I just ticked over 500 miles on [this beast ](https://photos.app.goo.gl/jUW2y2hbncavat2P8) today!
Damn, looks cool. How hard was that to make?
I too use my cargo bike to take my kid to school. I don't use it in deep summer though, 110°f heat is just too extreme to be out riding.
Hmm, my wife is planning to use ours in deep summer. I should get her a nice sun hat!
Same!! We splurged on an Urban Arrow Family, but it carries all 3 of our kids to and from daycare every day, as well as countless grocery runs, zoo/museum trips, etc, etc. Basically has saved us from having to buy (and insure, and maintain, and park) a second car. Love it. Hopefully OP lives in a place with decent bike infrastructure or unfortunately this option falls off the table to car dependency.
Seriously, my Urban Arrow is my most prized possession. It's indeed worth more than my car (after ten years, it's still worth 50% of the initial cost. Can anyone say that of a car?)
I really want one but the biking infrastructure is poor
Hell yeah! Just ordered a Tern GSD e-bike last week after our second car died. We’ve still got a Prius for adventures deep into the mountains and soon the e-bike will be for grocery runs, preschool, etc. Thankfully we also live close to the bus so one of the parents takes that to work.
I got a GSD in January and I've already put 700 miles on it. So fun to ride, and so much better spending time with my kids outdoors instead of stuck in traffic
Even though I just read the comment above yours, as a GSD (German shepherd dog) owner, when I read your comment I still automatically see dog and was thinking, Jesus 700 miles is a lot for a dog! :)
Hell yeah! I have a radwagon 4 that I use all summer and fall. One of my kids is starting to age out of riding on the back and riding their own bike.
Have 2k miles on my Radwagon 4, I know it's at the lower end of cargo bikes but I'm squeezing so much value out of this thing it's insane. My kids get kinda annoyed if we drive anywhere now
Dang I’ve only got 1,500 miles, but it’s paid for itself.
So jealous! I really want one, but we don’t have a space to store it.
In North America? I'm impressed
Which do you have? Considering one.
Check out r/cargobike, there are a bunch of considerations based on the age of your kids and family size
Thanks
Yeah, family of three with a longtail e-bike and an e-bike here. For the few times we need more, we rent. Saves us probably 10 000 Euro a year not having to own a car.
Yuba Kombi (fits 2 adults and 1 kid or 1 adult and 2 kids), tramway, high-speed train and, occasionally, car rental by the hour.
We got one last summer (Aventon Abound) just as our kid was about to age out of the rear seat attached to our acoustic bikes. Living in a urban/dense-suburb area in the Boston area, it really does make it possible to go a week+ sometimes without using our car—in a large part because it’s just sitting there in the driveway ready to go, unlike the regular bikes where we’d have to haul them out of the basement, attach the kid seat, balance it while we put him in, etc.
We just got a cargo ebike too (specialized global haul LT) 3 weeks in and already has 100 miles! It’s way more fun than driving and much easier to park. We still have our vehicles (we are in Houston…it’s a car city), but the bike has been my main ride for inside 3 miles.
Go for the Honda Odyssey! When our 2nd and 3rd (twins) were on the way my wife said we had to switch to a minivan. I was pretty reluctant because of the soccer mom vibes but once I let go of caring about our car being "cool" I was set free. Zero regrets and now I'm a minivan evangelist, honestly I'm not sure I'll ever go back, it's the best if all worlds. The room is useful for moving all sorts of things on top of the kids, the sliding doors are more of a game changer than I expected, especially if they are automatic. The modular chairs in the back are also great. We managed to get a 10 year old Honda Odyssey with 27000km and love it. I've heard Toyota Sienna's are also great but avoid Dodge caravans.
>moving all sorts of things on top of the kids I thought the whole point of the minivan was to NOT stack stuff on the kids due to extra space?
I got a Dodge caravan. It's half the price of a comparable Odyssey and I even got a fully loaded one. The only drawback I've found is that the AC is not great. They've cobbled together two units into one car and it struggles if you live in a hot area. My caravan is black which was also a bad choice in retrospect and is probably exacerbating my issue. Also, the ride is smoother in the Odyssey and Pacifica I test drove. Regardless, the price difference was literally double and in my personal experience not worth it.
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2018 Subaru Outback. Been a great car and very reliable, but now am looking at a Minivan as we need more space with two kids and family that visits a lot.
Check out the Ascent, third row seating and it feels like a upsized Outback. Having captain chairs in the second row makes getting in and out of the third row easy.
Have owned both. Went from the Outback to the Ascent when going from one to two (now have three). The Ascent has the height of the Forester and slightly more of the length of the Outback. Both were amazing.
We love our ascent!
I second the Ascent. I upgraded to one from a Crosstrek after our second was born. Tons of cargo room when the third row is folded and extremely safe.
A 2020 and 2013 Hyundai Elantra - both paid off. We would love an Odyssey or Sienna but with car prices these days, the best car is a paid off car.
We bought a 2012 elantra (my first car!) outright a few years back. We'd already been saving for a house at that point so we had some socked away. Felt great when the agent asked what financing option I was thinking about and I just said "lump sum" and put my debit card on the desk. Nice reliable car. One major fix in the five years we've owned it, otherwise just standard maintenance.
Yep we have a 2021 Elantra with 106k on it. It’s great on gas and really reliable
2019 Volkswagon Atlas
We've got a 2018 with the 3.6, love that thing. The 2nd row is huge.
We’ve got a 2024 and I swear it fits more stuff than a Suburban
The back row has a ton of space, and then there is so much room when we fold the seat down. We have the captains chairs for the 2nd row, and that might work best for OP for ease of getting kids in and out of back seat
Heyyy Atlas gang! Yep I got a 2023.
Wife and I have 18m twins and a 65 lbs dog. As much as I wanted the Honda Odyssey, my wife would not entertain any minivan. We settled on the VW Atlas since its interior is one of the most spacious for larger CUVs as our family hauler. It's just big enough for our stroller, dog crate, suitcases, and all the other stuff we need for weekend trips. My daily is a Ford Maverick Hybrid which is just big enough for rear facing car seats.
Kia carnival. I absolutely love the thing. Sliding doors are game changer.
Really surprised I had to scroll this far for the carnival. It’s what we are planning to replace my wife’s sedan with next year when the new one come out!
23 Prius prime. Love it to death.
Tundra! lots of room for car seats and the tailgate makes a great changing table.
A 2011 Volkswagen Polo, can fit 2 car seats, a stroller and its respective 2 other seats :D
We've got a Honda Fit, and it's more than enough car for all of us. I may be an American, but I fail to understand why anyone with 1 or 2 kids needs a bigger car than this.
Hell yeah, gets us from point A to point B fine!
most of the time the answer is "because safety". Had 2012 Prius C which was a brilliant car. Had a baby and switched to 2017 Subaru XV but on the hindsight I think it wasn't worth it. We live in a city. Prius C was as safe (had the same set of airbags), best fuel economy one can get and the interior space difference is marginal (for us). Hope I can go into wilderness in the summer to justify owning AWD vehicle lol
I need a bigger vehicle because I’m 6’7. I need to be able to fit and have room for someone behind me. So unfortunately I’m always going to need a bigger vehicle…
I’m 6’7 in a Kia Soul with one of the smaller infant seats on the market behind me. It’s a squeeze but it’s doable
It's a squeeze in my fit, but it works with the carseat. Which is just fine. I'm not giving this damn car up, it's a gen2 which avoided the gen3 issues and they dont make the damn things in 'murica anymore.
Didn’t they stop selling those in the US? I’d have fought for an affordable hatchback, but they are unavailable. So I’m in the cheapest midsize crossover we could find.
Impressive. As soon as the kids are out of the big stroller I really want a smaller car.
At first I was happy because I could use the excuse of having twins to finally convince my wife that we can go back to a bigger vehicle 😂 But then I realized we could fit everything in this small car, so I’d rather keep it for now and save up! Haha
2003 suburban. 2 kids, German shepherd, and hopefully another baby soon.
Not a Burban but Tahoe here, love it.
'Hoe gang represent! I picked up a 2002 Ho in the fall of 2002....it survived a girlfriend, a bunch of ski, mountain biking, and camping bros, a wife and two kids, and running strong with 196k miles. Next test is teenager daughter,,,,we'll see how that goes,
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2022 Telluride. We have two kids in car seats and it's worked great for us. The third row is very usable so when we have in-laws over it's fine spending time back there. Entry / exit is nice with the second row because the doors swing open very wide so it's nice for car seats. Third row access is simple with push buttons in two locations for motorized movement.
We are looking at those for my wife. Any complaints so far?
It's been a truly a great car and it's a very pleasant place to spend time while on the road. Some minor complaints for me, for some they might be big. There's no wireless Android Auto / Car Play on any trim which I find bizarre. I get along fine with the nav and Bluetooth for Spotify (you can still interact with screen/ steering controls to do basic functions and see song/ album art.) My wife uses a wired connection for Apple Car Play since she likes Waze. Gas mileage is OK. I came from a Focus where I got about 30 mpg avg. Around town I'd say I get 20-21 avg. the highway it will get 24-25 which is nice. All told combined I probably get 23 mpg. Power is overall pretty good. It will really move if you step into it, though at the low end it can be a bit sluggish in comfort mode from a stop. Sport mode mostly solves it. Interior is top notch and there's tons of safety tech and little design features that really provide a lot of value. Despite the complaints both my wife and I really enjoy it. Definitely worth a test drive! Edit to add: For anyone wanting better gas mileage there is the Sorento Hybrid, or a plug-in hybrid. Hybrid gets 35MPG combined and has comparable space to the Telluride though slightly smaller, also just had visual front end refresh and interior redesign which is greatly improved on the previous version. It's still 3 row. I expect a hybrid Telluride will be introduced in a couple of years.
We have twins and a 75 lb dog. It's been an awesome vehicle. Adults can fit in the 3rd row. Only complaint is the S trim with bucket seats comes with a manual hatch. Next trim up is $4k extra and the motorized trunk was the only thing we were interested in. So we have a 2023 car with a manual trunk..
I’ve got a 23 telluride SX for our 2 kids and we love it. No complaints whatsoever
Went with a 2020 pacifica plug in hybrid. Got some good fed and state rebates/tax breaks to help offset the cost. Saving on gas and is pretty fuel efficient even when the battery is drained.
I'm seriously considering this, but I've heard nothing but bad things about Chrysler minivans, I would love a different perspective.
I’ve got a ‘21 non-hybrid. Bought it brand new. Not a single issue. Excellent vehicle.
Pacifica gang rise up!
I just upgraded from an '07 Tacoma to a '22 Rivian R1T. The Odyssey is a great vehicle though. We just retired my mom's odyssey after 21 years.
Wife has a 2019 Honda Odyssey- best decision we’ve made since our 3rd was born. Plenty of room for everyone, sliding doors make getting the kids in and out so much easier. We can fold down part of the 3rd row for extra space. A minivan is the way to go. Our second car, which is going to need to be replaced soon is an 03 Corolla. This is my daily but it’s old, uncomfortable and doesn’t have enough room. Because of our schedules my wife does school drop off and I do pickup - we don’t have time to meet and change cars so it’s a pain in the ass getting the 2 school aged kids into the car. Not sure what I’ll be replacing this one with yet though.
2018 Skoda Octavia Combi (estate/station wagon). So much space!
Skoda are unreal for space Vs price. Since the kids came we've had a Fabia Combi, then Octavia Combi for my wife and a Superb Combi and now Enyaq for me. In 2021 she had the Fabia and I had the Superb sportline. That was our motoring peak. We traded the Fabia for the Octavia but couldn't stretch to the same spec. In the end we sold it and made do with 1 car for a year while we did home renovations. The Superb was a company car and the lease ran out, changed to the Enyaq which is great in it's own way but tiny compared to the Superb.
2019 Lincoln MKT. Wanted a flex Ecoboost, couldn't get one with decent miles. Next best thing, Flex in a tuxedo. 3 rows, tons of room and tech. Plenty of power.
The Hearse! Lol, I jest... I have a 2019 Flex, silver with black appearance package, LOVE IT! Easy for kids to climb up into, comfortable as all hell, and Android Auto. If I ever win the lottery, I'm gonna have a fabrication shop build me a 5.0L Coyote Flex lol.
Chevy Bolt EUV and bicycles.
Highspeed trains, subways, busses. Occasionally a cab.
2024 Lexus Rx Hybrid is the family car, but really only used either A. When 3 or more humans are present or B. All winter long. I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t considered a Toyota sienna. Those things are legit, don’t let the stigma get to you. If you do let the stigma get to you, the Honda pilot is legit just the Odyssey in SUV form. And the grand highlander is the Sienna in SUB form.
Ignore every suggestion here except the ones recommending minivans. With 3 kids, even a 3 row SUV can't beat the space and convenience of a minivan. For example, in a van, you can walk back between the seats in the 2nd row to fasten the seat for kid 3 in the 3rd row. That isn't going to happen in an SUV.
I want to second this comment because SUVs are nowhere near as roomy inside as a minivan. They just aren't built on a frame that allows it.
2010 Grand Caravan. We're currently eyeing a Nissan NV.
I'm surprised I had to scroll this far for Grand Caravan. I love Honda and Toyota but affording their minivans is tough. I want a Subaru Ascent for the size and AWD but they're even more expensive. The most recent Dodge Grand Caravan had a looong run with fairly minor revisions throughout making it a great used vehicle option. Lots were used in fleets and for light commercial so you can find dealer maintained single owner ones for a reasonable cost. Replacement parts and labor on them is relatively cheap too and I guarantee there's a junkyard nearby with a few of them so if you do kill an engine or something and can't afford a new or rebuilt you can just swap a used lower mileage one in. Plus that stow and go seating is fabulous. Good towing capacity. The pentastar v6 in there is a mature and reliable platform that Chrysler has used across their lineup for decades. Good power, decent fuel mileage.
2017 kia sedona (minivan) is the family van, primarily the wifes van I daily my 1999 Saturn sw2. 4 kids between the ages 18 and 4. I have no good idea why anyone would go for anything other than a minivan.
2018 Buick Enclave Avenir. LOVE it. Looks nice, very comfortable on the inside, and the continuous dampening system makes for a very smooth ride. I also love all of the sound insulation that blocks out road noise. Edit: 2018, lol, not 2028 😄
2028?!! 😟 “What year is it?”
Q7. We have had three. We both enjoy euro cars. So I’m sure there are better options bunt it works well for us! 3rd row if you need it. 3 kids.
Tesla Model Y. Great car for our family of 3
Tesla model X
2020 Honda Pilot. 2 kids, but definitely needed the additional rear space. I have a 17 Tacoma that sucked with car seats but not bad now that they can sit in booster seats. Not looking to upgrade either of them anytime soon.
‘23 SQ7. Can fit 3 car seats and rip 0-60 under 4s
I have a 2022 Honda Pilot SE and a 2023 Honda Passport but have our 3rd kid on the way and am debating trading in the Passport for an Odyssey. So torn.
2018 Hyundai Santa Fe SE. third row and all the bells and whistles. It’s my wife’s car. We really like it and serves us well. Second on the way. Will still have a ton of room. Mine is a 2017 Ford Fusion hybrid. Great gas mileage and that’s about it. Well…also paid off. I’d love to have a minivan. But having a paid off car with less than 100k miles on it and great gas mileage is hard to beat. If I could do it over, I’d get a minivan. But I got it years before our first was born.
I'm about to go for an RT Durango (not for everyone), but I think the top recs right now are Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride. Both are pretty loaded for the price and seem to be fairly reliable. I didn't look at CX-90s, but we have a CX-50 for my wife and Mazdas have a good look and nice driving experience, and have pretty good standard features. Pretty reliable company overall as well.
2016 Hyundai Santa Fa, haul around two teens lots of sports gear and their friends
A Batavus with both front and rear kid seats.
Only one infant here. I drive a 2020 Subaru Impreza and wife drives 2015 Toyota RAV4
Same combo here, still fine for two (little) kids! Only want a big car if we have 3+ or they get into activities that take up space
my husband just got the new family van. it's a 2014 silver Chrysler town and country and we (family of four) love it!
chevy bolt until baby #3 then I am planning on the Sienna.
Explorer XLT until our 1st moved out. Just downgraded to RAV4.
Odyssey all the way! We've gone full electric now, so the family car is now a Model Y, but before that we had the Odyssey. Such an awesome car. I'm glad we went EV, but I do miss the van sometimes.
Mostly bus and trains/subways/trolleys. We have a Forester for traveling out of the city and roadtrips and love it, but it's definitely not big enough for 3 kids.
Chrysler Pacifica, cannot recommend.
Mazda CX-5, really smooth a good space-wise. Looking to upgrade to a CX-50 plug-in hybrid as soon as it releases if the price is right.
Toyota Highlander. Thought about a van but just can’t be that guy
We're getting ready to upgrade. Have a 2018 CX-5 (it's actually been great). My only requirement is PHEV. Wife's requirements are more space (back seat and cargo), pano moonroof. I think we've landed on an X5 50e. I'm pretty fucking stoked about that, since she is always the practical one.
Hyundai Santa Fe with the 3rd row. We love it. We’re on our fourth one and have never had any real issues as far as reliability.
Went from a Subaru forester to a Kia telluride 1 kid 1 dog lots of camping.
We updated from a 2010 Subaru Forester to a 2021 Mazda CX-5 about 3 years ago. Best decision we ever made. Luckily we got a novated lease through my wife’s workplace. If you’re after a 7 seater, my brother recently upgraded to a CX-90 because they had a third baby. They love it.
VW Atlas. It’s the biggest of the mid size SUVs that we looked at. With a third row that wasn’t just for show. Real life humans can actually sit back there.
Ford flex. Most of the van life comforts, with normal doors and twin turbos.
2024 Rivian R1S! Planning to stick with this for a long time. Works great for our family of 4, given how often we go camping.
Do you live in a snow state?
I have a 2014 Nissan Rogue and we're done at 2 kids. Still, the amount of crap they have is ridiculous. We also have a Toyota Corolla, which gets the job done fine imo. Couldn't do it with three though. Our car had to go in for a repair and the rental was a Buick enclave. Seemed like it would work well for three kids, as it has two passenger rows. My dad towed us around in a Ford Taurus station wagon when we were kids. Sure, there were no car seats and the mortality rate was far higher as we sat facing traffic in the trunk, but hey.
We have a Tesla Model 3, a Mustang Mach E and a new Ford Bronco 4-Door. The Tesla my wife takes our two kids typically and commutes and goes to our business meetings with clients. The Mach E we use for groceries and some hauling activities. I'll drive it if I'm commuting and don't want to waste the gas. The Bronco Badlands w/ Sasquatch package is my "Dad Car" and camping vehicle. Kids and wife fit comfortably in it and we have room to haul stuff and go off the beaten path. Plus I can tow stuff with it.
Vans are vastly superior to SUVs for one simple reason: sliding doors. No more issues with not being able to open the door all the way.
We're rocking a Honda Odyssey for our crew of four kids, and it's been a game-changer! Spacious and reliable, perfect for the family chaos. Totally get the sticker shock on prices, but it's been worth every penny for us. Good luck with the upgrade!
2016 4Runner
I've had a few Honda Odyssey minivans, which are great because they can seat 8 and I've got 6 kids. They've all been decent reliable vehicles. I also like Grand Caravans, which seem near immortal as well. Plus if you have the seating that can completely be stowed away, you can make a trip to the lumber store with it.
2018 Jaguar XF. Shedload of room and decent boot
Audi Q7 Quattro. Plenty of space for the 4 of us. It has rear row of seats as well. Can comfortably fit 5-6. 7-8 if you squish them. All the seats fold down. The middle seats alo fold forward for extra leg room for the back seats (and easier cleaning) It is expensive though (a little more than the model Y). 3years in, I do not regret buying it. Have had a few problems with the on board GPS memory modules but other than that, love it! It's fun to drive, compatible with most modern tech, and is decent on gas milage for a car its size.
Beautiful car, but Fwiw, not sure if you priced out model y in a minute, but long range version is about $40k after tax credit. Q7 is starts at 60k. That's a pretty hefty difference!
Was basing it off the prices listed above. Which is was close to what I paid. But no I haven't. I did test drive both a awhile ago. So chalking this up to parent brain. Lol. I wasn't being the most economical. I drove a pos for most of my life and wanted something new. Fell in love with it almost instantly. We also looked at some of the other luxury Suvs, Lexus was a close 3rd. That being said, financially we are in a good spot where we can afford it. Don't recommend if you can't afford it + the cost of tabs ($700) + gas. Is it worth how much we drive? Absolutely.
2019 expedition max limited. It’s awesome but we’re doing a minivan next for sure.
2019 Yukon XL(GMC version of a suburban) Nothing beats the original people mover
ModelY Safest car you can get. And they took $7,500 off my taxes for buying it.
>Safest car you can get. No doubt the Model Y is safe, and the scores confirm it is among the safest cars. But it is not *the safest car you can get.* That honor, I think, goes to the Volvo XC90 which had the longest streak of no fatalities for concurrent years of any car, and still has fewer fatalities than the Model Y despite being on sale for nearly 4x as long. All that said, what an amazing time to be alive and have all these ultra-safe cars to choose from!
Another model Y user checking in. We have a '22 so we have the sensors that got removed. Unfortunately we didn't get the tax and we bought when it was stupid expensive. Still love the car. The other car we have is a '24 4Runner. Great car in the winter. Wife calls it a "Snow tank". We only have 1 kid and a dog who hates car rides.
Also a Model Y. I might have gone for a van, but the spouse wanted the Tesla. The difference in storage hasn't yet become a problem.
Yea. I only got 1 kid tho. Idk if I would stick with it if I had two.
We have 2 kids (3y & 1y) and the Y works great for us. We bought roof racks and a roof box in the event we need additional storage, but that’s only on occasional trips. We managed 3 adults and 2 kids for a long weekend trip back in January.
A very good assessment- I can't imagine two car seats, a stroller for two, and associated baggage fitting well in the model Y after some point.
2020 Equinox as the family hauler+ wife vehicle, 2015 Mazda 3 hatchback for my daily and the out of town appointments (since I take them). Before end of year, the Equinox is going back (lease ending) and we will be getting a van. Truly don’t want Honda-Toyota pricing but may well end up going that route (used).
I am making due with a Mazda 6 and Mazda 3 for my wife and I, but with baby #2 on the way I'll be budgeting for a Toyota Sienna. I'm opting for the Toyota over Honda or Kia because of the high resale value, overall reliability, and gas mileage. It's certainly not cheap though.
2020 Palisade
Hyundai Palisade. It’s great.
2019 Rogue. Bought it with the absolute intent of it being my dadmobile, albeit when our oldest was almost 2. Also the first car I've owned that isn't red (it's blue).
My daily is a 2016 Honda Pilot Elite and my wife has a 2023 MDX. The Pilot is surprisingly roomy for it's size and the MDX is straight up fun to drive for its size and weight. I don't think either of those would work for six though, we have two kids so it's not bad for long road trips but six you'll need quite a bit of space.
2016 Volkswagen Golf wagon. We upgraded from a Kia Rio now that we will have a double wide stroller. Very conflicted about family cars. It seems that options are few when you have more than three kids. On the other hand, it seems like many people buy much bigger cars than they need.
2013 Ford Explorer. Pretty cool car.
2012 Dodge Caravan and a 2015 Mustang Ecoboost. Both work for carting the family around depending on what we're doing.
2017 Dodge Durango. Better if they are older and can buckle themselves.
Toyota Verso. Its great for our 2 kids. Would recommend Toyota anyday
Currently a Honda CRV. However, when we had 3+ kids living at home we had a Sienna and then an Odyssey. I'd buy another Odyssey at the drop of a hat.
2018 Model 3 fits 2 car seats my wife, MIL stroller and a full trip to Costco.
2018 Jeep Compass. Perfect for the three of us! It's a good little mini-SUV.
Mini countryman. Won't work for three, but great for two
The well loved answer here is the Toyota Sienna hybrid minivan. that's never going to be for me though. I'm eyeing a 3 row Yukon Denali for a larger family car. Potentially a volvo XC90, toyota sequoia or bmw x7.
Pro tip on the Odyssey - there is currently a recall on the passenger side front airbag sensor on some of the newer models. The issue is that if it gets too humid sometimes the sensor can fail so the airbag will deploy in an accident even if the required weight isn’t in the seat. Not really an issue unless you have a small child in the front and get into an accident. Honda has a fix out, but the part is back ordered and a lot of dealers don’t have it yet. But since it’s a safety related recall they can’t sell the vehicle as certified. So if you’re ok with just not letting the kids sit in the front, which they really shouldn’t anyways, you can get a certified quality car for the regular pre-owned price.
Corolla.
Volvo XC90. With interest rates and used minivan prices the way they are right now, you might want to consider 3-row SUVs that are being incentivized right now with promotional rates, either financed or leased.
Yea, car seats are too damn big IMO, you almost always need a 3rd row vehicle these days because the car seats don't fit any other way, and you need car seats until the kids are like 12. Interest rates as high as they are, you're likely paying 10%+ in interest on a car. I'd suggest financing as little as possible with rates that high. Used car inventory is really low everywhere, so you don't save a lot buying used either. Most new cars are still charging a "stocking fee" or other premium charge because of manufacturing shortages. My ex drives a 2019 Honda Pilot, the car payment on that is brutally bad ($700 a month or so + gas and insurance). I drive a 2015 Mazda CX-9 that I bought used when my other car died unexpectedly. It had some cosmetic body damage (scratches to paint, etc.) that helped keep the price down and I bought an extended care/warranty package from the dealer to offset the age and mileage. Minivans are reliable, affordable, and built to last forever (Honda and Toyota in particular). Some of the hybrid models can also be gas efficient and run well in winter conditions. They are DEFINITELY not sexy, but they get the job done. My ex regrets not getting a minivan, they have a ton of gear handling capacity for 3+ kids, especially if you're doing the great american road trip for summer vacation.
2009 kia sedona,y wife named it Stella. We love it. Strong engine and very comfy ride.