Help on choosing a new vehicle (mini van or SUV with a 3rd row seat)!?

Question

My hubby an i currently have a 2003 Jetta. I think we got a lemon, but besides that, we can only afford 1 car at this point, and we have 3 children, 2 who are still in carseats. My oldest is 10 and has to sit in the middle and if he grows anymore, there will not be any room for him! Anyways, we NEED a bigger vehicle, and I know that gas will be more, but our Jetta only gets about 18 miles to the gallon, so that is not really an issue. I would just like to know what we be a good vehicle to invest in. My hubby really does not want the mini van, but they are so roomy! Right now, the kids are on top of eachother and fighting constantly! Any input would be helpful! Thanks!

Answer 1

Okay, so i understand what you are taslking about, my family had the EXACT SAME PROBLEM.

  I would go towards the SUV because of the looks. And quite frankly the gas! Vans can guzzle almost everything nowadays. But here are some options...

VANS:

- Honda Odyssey (Classic) $25,860

- Toyota Sienna (limited comes equipped with Bi-Xenon Headlights and wood trim for some 'classy look'.) $24,440

- The all new Chrysler Town & Country $23,995 ( also with Bi-Xenon Headlights and wood trim,THIS CAR HAS BECOME A HIT.) Very nice car.

There are many more, but hey, thats my choices and the expert critics top 3.

SUVS:(3rd Rows)

-The all new Buick Enclave( VERY NICE CAR!!) (With the soft cabin feature you can barely hear anything when your driving.)

$33,955

- Nissan Pathfinder $26,300 (with just a little more money you can buy the bigger sized Nissan Armada, $36,130

- The All New Honda Pilot $27,000 (very boxy car)

- The Chevorlet Trail Blazer $28,490 and the GMC Envoy is the same car but from GMC which is $28,365

- GMC Acadia $30,470 ( the Saturn Outlook is the same exact car because its made from the same company but Saturns version is much cheaper at $28,960



and so on... if your looking for higher class (above 36,000

then try the:

- Cadillac SRX Crossover ( very nice car)

- Toyota Sequoia ( unexplainable A.K.A too big!!)

- BMW X5 (Beauty on Wheels)

- GMC Yukon

- Chevy Tahoe Hybrid

-The All New Acura MDX

-The Volvo xc90

- NO ESCALADESS!!!

i hope i helped... i am a carfanatic!!

Answer 2

Get either a Volvo xc90 or a Acura mdx.They are both very nice and comfortible suv's that actually get decent mpg.

Answer 3

I love love love my Toyota Sienna! I would not ever buy another van. Even if you get them used, they are still great vehicles.

The one thing you have to worry about is not going over your oil change time or you will get engine sluge & your van will be useless.

I have an online subscription to Consumer Reports & always check with them when ever I need to make any important decision like buying a vehicle.

I have had my Sienna for 2 1/2 yrs, got it used, it was 4 yrs old at the time and have put practally no money into it aside from maintaince.

One thing I learned with buying vehicles, it might be hard to afford it, but the newer & higher rated the better. Newer, nice vehicles are sooo worth it! Especially when you have kids.

Good Luck!

Answer 4

I also have three kids (10, 6, 4). At the time that we had are three child I  drove a Nissan Sentra way to small, so we bought a Dodge caravan used gave us nothing but problems,  so we traded the mini van in for a Honda Pilot and love it!!  right now Honda has really good deals on used pilot and the new 09 are out the a little nicer but you can get a really good deals on the old  ones since they changed the style on the 09.  Good luck!!

Answer 5

Kia Rondo

http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/defaul...

been sold successfully for years in Europe under the name Carens so no worries about reliability.

The Kia Rondo is a five-door crossover vehicle that debuted at the 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show. Based on the front-wheel-drive platform of the Kia Optima, the Rondo is shaped like a small minivan offering spacious legroom and headroom. Sharing engine, transmission and chassis components with the Optima, the Rondo is offered with a 162-horsepower 2.4-liter engine or a 182-horsepower 2.7-liter V6. The four cylinder comes with a 4-speed automatic while the V6 has a 5-speed automatic. Available in 5- and 7-passenger versions, the Rondo offers optional third-row seating that can fold down in a 50/50 split.