caitlinsmom Posted May 17, 2014 Share Posted May 17, 2014 We will be adopting (fingers crossed, we've been selected and are moving through the process now) a sibling group this year. This will take our family size to 8. We currently have a Town and Country that is on it's last leg and only seats 7. It's time to upgrade. We do travel frequently as a family, live 30 minutes from the nearest city, and will have lots of appointments for counseing, OT, etc. We want something that will last a long time yet be cost effecient and affordable (well as much as an 8 passenger vehicle can be). What vehicle do you recommend for comfort, MPG, repair costs, winter driving (if applicable to you) and overall driving ease? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted May 17, 2014 Share Posted May 17, 2014 Congrats. How old are the kids? How many car seats/boosters will you need at a time? I like my Honda mini van. It seats 8 and would have some room in the way back. I like our suburban too but it is a gas hog and harder to park but it is a 1999 one ton suburban that we use for pulling the horse trailer, not general every day use. A 3/4 ton or 1 ton 12 passenger van might be a good option that would allow you to bring a friend or 2 along, have a bit more space, etc. The 15 passenger ones tend to be more tippy but the 12s I have seen appear very stable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livetoread Posted May 17, 2014 Share Posted May 17, 2014 We have a 2012 8 passenger Toyota Sienna. It's great, but the 8th seat is small, uncomfortable, and really just for shorter distances. I usually keep it stowed in its niche in the back area. We have averaged between 22 and 23 mpg since getting it about 6 mos ago. It handles well in snow, even though we didn't get the AWD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraidycat Posted May 17, 2014 Share Posted May 17, 2014 I love my Ford Expedition 4x4. Except for the gas mileage part, but we didn't buy it for MPG, we bought it for seating capacity and 4x4. And the turning radius on it is better than any car I've ever driven. I have a Cmax and a Contour. Expedition is easier to park in tight spaces than the cars! I can whip u-turns on any normal size street in my Expedition, but have to stop and back up with my little cars. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saddlemomma Posted May 17, 2014 Share Posted May 17, 2014 Toyota Sequoia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa B Posted May 17, 2014 Share Posted May 17, 2014 Honda Pilot AWD (at least ours) well made - minimal repairs small enough to drive or park anywhere without issue decent gas mileage nice safety features/good crash test ratings comfortable Downside - serious lack of trunk space Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
busymama7 Posted May 17, 2014 Share Posted May 17, 2014 Chevy astro. We loved ours. They don't make them anymore :( It's a truck bed not a car bed so considerably more leg room etc compared to a mini van With 8 people you may consider just moving up to a passenger van. I like having seats for friends and more trunk space etc. we got ours when there was 9 of us though and we outgrew the astro. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SebastianCat Posted May 17, 2014 Share Posted May 17, 2014 Honda Odyssey (minivan). We test drove a lot of SUVs and they had much less legroom (especially in the 3rd row) and much less "trunk" space. I don't have 8 people in my van all the time, but have comfortably had 8 on many occasions (ages 10 to adult, with the largest age segment being 12-13 year olds). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caitlinsmom Posted May 18, 2014 Author Share Posted May 18, 2014 Congrats. How old are the kids? How many car seats/boosters will you need at a time? I like my Honda mini van. It seats 8 and would have some room in the way back. I like our suburban too but it is a gas hog and harder to park but it is a 1999 one ton suburban that we use for pulling the horse trailer, not general every day use. A 3/4 ton or 1 ton 12 passenger van might be a good option that would allow you to bring a friend or 2 along, have a bit more space, etc. The 15 passenger ones tend to be more tippy but the 12s I have seen appear very stable. We will have 11, 9, 9, 8, 6, and 4. I didn't realize they made 12 passenger vans. I will check it out. We have a 2012 8 passenger Toyota Sienna. It's great, but the 8th seat is small, uncomfortable, and really just for shorter distances. I usually keep it stowed in its niche in the back area. We have averaged between 22 and 23 mpg since getting it about 6 mos ago. It handles well in snow, even though we didn't get the AWD. A friend has a Sienna and I find it crowded all around. I didn't even realize it fit 8. I love my Ford Expedition 4x4. Except for the gas mileage part, but we didn't buy it for MPG, we bought it for seating capacity and 4x4. And the turning radius on it is better than any car I've ever driven. I have a Cmax and a Contour. Expedition is easier to park in tight spaces than the cars! I can whip u-turns on any normal size street in my Expedition, but have to stop and back up with my little cars. :) How many MPG do you get if you don't mind me asking? Honda Pilot AWD (at least ours) well made - minimal repairs small enough to drive or park anywhere without issue decent gas mileage nice safety features/good crash test ratings comfortable Downside - serious lack of trunk space A friend is selling hers. I'll see if I can take it for a test drive. The only time I would need trunk space is for grocery shopping and I will definately be alone for that! :) Honda Odyssey (minivan). We test drove a lot of SUVs and they had much less legroom (especially in the 3rd row) and much less "trunk" space. I don't have 8 people in my van all the time, but have comfortably had 8 on many occasions (ages 10 to adult, with the largest age segment being 12-13 year olds). What year do you have? I've only been in a late model and it didn't seem to have much leg room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymilkies Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 Honda Odyssey. Our 2007 is very roomy with space to spare with three adults plus a 12, 13, 9, 6, and 3 yo all with carseats for the younger 4. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 My Suburban is way better than my old Odyssey for winter driving (steep grades and dirt roads in the mountains). So, it depends on what you mean by winter driving. The Suburban is more annoying to park than the Odyssey (I just replaced a side view mirror after breaking it on... the garage). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
busymama7 Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 The only time you would need trunk space is shopping?!?! You never plan to go out of town? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magic Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 We have a Honda Pilot and really like it. As previously stated there is not much trunk space but we were willing to make adjustments to have the pilot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 With that many people, you might want the Pilot and some sort of luggage rack or trailer that you can use for trips. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitten18 Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 I love my Odyssey, I've been driving it for 9 years and I'm not quite ready to give it up yet. If you the think the Odyssey/Sienna are crowded and don't have enough leg room then you will have to go with an extra large SUV (Suburban, Expedition, etc.) or a passenger van. A regular/large SUV like the Pilot will not have more leg/cargo room than the Odyssey/Sienna. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjand6more Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 I have a 2013 Odyssey and it is very roomy. The 8th seat is full sized. I have 6 kids: 18,12,9,6,3,-1 booster and 2 convertible car seats. Plenty of room for all of us and our luggage and stroller etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 Do you have to do a lot of winter driving? I was very disappointed in our Odyssey this winter with how it handled in the snow. It was fine on the ice but if the snow was the heavy wet stuff and deeper it got stuck on a wet noodle and I have been winter driving for almost 30 years. My other vans were much better in the snow than my Odyssey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto10blessings Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 Chevy Astro, extended version. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elisabet1 Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 I loved our Honda Odyssey. But we had the 7 seat version. When we went to buy the 8 seat version, the Toyota Sienna was a little cheaper and was having 0% interest. We went with it. We regret that. The Honda was so much better. We will stick with Honda from now on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmeraldGirl Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 We have 2009 Sienna 8-seater, all full-sized. After that, Sienna's 8th seat went to the size of an oversized armrest. Not sure what we will do when looking for another, though I see another poster stating that the 2013 Odyssey is a full 8th seat which Honda must have changed b/c in the past it too was also very small. So check the year of vehicles (if buying used) also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LLMom Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 Honda Odyssey. Gets decent gas mileage for a biggish car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelly in IL Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 I have a honda pilot and I love it. That being said. The third row doesn't have enough room for my older boys (14,17) to sit comfortably. My old Yukon xl was way more spacious. The honda just fits us better now that my eldest has graduated and will be moving on. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarinesWife Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 The new NISSAn 12 passenger looks fabulous Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StaceyinLA Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 I am in love with my new Chevy Traverse. I got the bench middle so I can seat 8. The very back is certainly smaller, but for kids it's doable, and there is a lot of leg room in middle and back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiver0f10 Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 We just traded in our expedition ( which I loved!) for a Yukon Denali. The denali has more storage space than the expedition had. It also has 2 bench seats so it seats 8 comfortably. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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