Oakblossoms Posted November 20, 2012 Share Posted November 20, 2012 My 1989 Ford Aerostar is falling apart. It is dead outside as we speak. It needs at least an alternator. I am looking for used vehicle recommendations if any wants to share. Not planning on having anymore children in the next year or two if at all. If you have a lemon, I would love to do know that as well. I might go with another mini-van. Fire away! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotSoObvious Posted November 20, 2012 Share Posted November 20, 2012 Just be REALLY careful right now. There are going to be a lot of flooded cars on the market from coast to coast from the hurricane. That's what they are saying, anyhow... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted November 20, 2012 Share Posted November 20, 2012 We bought a Yukon XL, it seats 8...good thing, since there'll be 7 of us this summer! Wolf *loves* it. It has 4 wd, which in the winter in Canada is a huge deal. He hated the mini van in comparison. It goes down to 4 cyl for city driving, so it also saves on gas in that way. Tow package seems to be standard, which is another bonus, b/c he figures from now on, if we want to go camping w/all of us, we're going to need a utility trailer for the gear! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aelwydd Posted November 20, 2012 Share Posted November 20, 2012 Well, we owned a 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan for about four years. It was very reliable, although we are pretty particular about maintaining our vehicle anyway, so that probably contributed. Things like oil changes, brake fluid flushes, transmission flush and dropping the transmission pan to change out the filter--those types of things. We had very good results. We drove it to Florida and back from Texas, trekked all over the Metroplex and to Austin, and it went very nicely for us. I recommend Yokohama AVID TRZ tires for it, if you live in a southern, or mild winter, climate. Smooth ride, good wear, excellent traction in the rain. We traded it in because we had put a lot of miles on it already. Also, because we figured it was silly for us to have a 7 passenger vehicle that only gets about 20 mpg on the highway, when we have one kid! We got a 2009 VW Jetta, and I'm rediscovering my 20 year old self with the 6-speed manual transmission and turbo engine, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TGHEALTHYMOM Posted November 20, 2012 Share Posted November 20, 2012 We really enjoyed our Town & Country which seated 7 It had a row of 3 in the back, bucket seats in the middle, lots of extra's and was so comfy! Great reviews and long lasting engines....but had to sell it as our surprise (6th child) was on the way! I have the 8 seat Chevy Venture that is good on gas, and has been very reliable. We got this when baby 7 was on the way . We now have an econoline that we had 3 rows of seats put in and it has 11 seats for all 10 of us to travel in. It is roomy but feels like a bus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted November 20, 2012 Share Posted November 20, 2012 I have a 2000 t&c which I love. It has AWD (they stopped making that in the early 2000's) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted November 20, 2012 Share Posted November 20, 2012 Just be REALLY careful right now. There are going to be a lot of flooded cars on the market from coast to coast from the hurricane. That's what they are saying, anyhow... yep. it's common to clean them up on the outside and then sell them somewhere else. pull back carpeting in the passenger compartment floor and in the trunk. flooded cars will often have mold hidden under carpet. do a title/vin search. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TammyinTN Posted November 20, 2012 Share Posted November 20, 2012 Since there was 8 of us..1 teenager, 2 mom's, 3 babies in carseat and Nana and Papa we got an Armada by Nissan....we really like it and it's roomy for all of us to go places together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magnificent_baby Posted November 20, 2012 Share Posted November 20, 2012 Love, love, love my '06 Toyota Sienna. Mine seats 7 but I believe you can get bench seats in the middle and be able to seat 8. Gas mileage is fairly decent, 18 or so city, 22-25 highway. Tons of room. Back row splits and one or both sides can be put down flat. We have owned it since 2007, and will drive it til it dies. A family member loves their Excursion, and I have heard really good things about them on this board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UrbanSue Posted November 20, 2012 Share Posted November 20, 2012 We have a Toyota Sienna and love it. We don't love Toyota customer service but that's another story. If you are looking at Toyota v. Honda (and you may not but many people narrow it down to those two and then can't decide), the thing that tipped us in favor of the Toyota is that the 8th seat (which is an option for both) in the Toyota is a full 8th seat. I was going to be the one sitting in that seat most often next to a baby and wanted it comfy. It is--almost better than the passenger seat, actually. The seat in the Honda is considerably smaller. But if that seat can always be taken by a kid it won't matter. Many drivers prefer to drive Hondas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatholicMom Posted November 20, 2012 Share Posted November 20, 2012 Wow!! I am amazed at all the nice looking vehicles you can get for large families. I thought we were doomed to drive around a big goofy van as our family grows (if God blesses us again). :laugh: Right now we have 7 people in our family and we drive a 2000 Ford Windstar. Not exactly classy or modern, LOL, but we fit and that was the goal. But if we have another baby we won't fit (plus it's 12 yrs old anyway - gulp) so I'm loving this thread... I need to keep in mind 8-9 person options. Too bad this won't fit in my stocking in Champagne Silver :drool5: : 2013 Yukon XL By the way, I would NOT look at Ford Windstars as they are known to have transmission problems, which ours did and cost 1500. Search on, sista. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 We have a Chrysler Town and Country mini van and love it, except that it does seat only 7. It would have been nice to have an 8-seater when all the kids were home so that we could have invited a friend. I like how the Town and Country's seats can fold easily into the floor and you can use it to move a couch or something big. It does seem to burn oil fast, which mechanics have told me is fairly typical for the T&C. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saraha Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 Well, there are 8 of us and we have the doofy Chevy Astro van. We bought it used but well maintained and love it. We packed all 8 of us, enough stuff for a 10 day vacation plus snow gear for everyone and didn't have to put anything on top or cover up the back window! It has tons of room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiver0f10 Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 I had a Ford 15 passenger which I loved, but I totaled it this year. We bought a 2000 Suburban and I love it! It seats 8 comfortably and I have room for groceries etc. I would buy another one wihtout hesitation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamela H in Texas Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 well, we have 11 people currently. I drive a champayne color (would not buy white!) 12 passenger. I pretty much decided I wanted it even if we only had the seven of us who are legally bound as a family. To me, it is no different than a family of four having a minivan. Of course, we've now filled it up :) And Odyssey will hold 7 or 8. Yukon XL Suburban My friend had an Armada and it was VERY roomy (she had adopted a sibling set of five so needed the room). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sassenach Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 We have an 8 year old GMC Savana that has 140,000 miles and is still going strong. We bought it new and have driven it across the country a couple of times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakblossoms Posted November 21, 2012 Author Share Posted November 21, 2012 I would love a Yukon. My mom has a Yukon Denali XL and it is wonderful to drive. It is super roomy, too. Maybe in the future. We are in the middle of a huge transition. A car loan is not feasible at the moment. But, by next year I can move up to a bit better of a vehicle again. I appreciate everyone's input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdventureMoms Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 My family is much smaller (5) but we have a Honda Odyssey which I LOVE. It seats 8. I have gotten as many as 5 carseats and 1 booster in there at once (2 RF harnessed, 3 FF harnessed, 1 backless booster). There's still a good bit of room in the trunk area and a roof rack that could be used on long trips. It would get tight if you needed to get 3 adult sized people in the 3rd row. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
besroma Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 Toyota Sienna or Honda Odyssey...just check for transmission issues. Some model years had problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMV Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 My husband has a 2012 Cadillac Escalade which he loves and can seat eight with additional cargo room. It's great for family trips but I find it bigger than I really want to drive. Until recently I was fine with fitting everyone safely into my volvo if I was taking the kids somewhere without him but now that we have our respite child with us for the foreseeable future (so 3 kids in carseats/boosters plus 2 teen/tweens) that just isn't reality. We need to look at changing something so I guess I'll be watching this thread as well. I really am not a minivan or SUV person which makes it a little hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 Lemon alert: Do not under any circumstances buy a 2005 Ford E350 diesel van. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathmom Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 We love our Honda Pilot! It is an SUV and seats 8. We would have preferred an 8 seater minivan but this was less expensive, so if cost is a factor, check them out. I love the way it drives! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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