Won't drive minivan....what about large SUV?

I considered the minivan and my husband and I just don't think we want to do it. His car is up for lease in a month. We are thinking about a Tahoe or Yukon; with either captains chairs and third row or 2nd row bench and third row? I have a two year old son, so I need to be able to fit a big car seat and two infant car seats in the second row bench or one in each captain and one in the third row. My car is up in one year, so we figure if the SUV is just not practical we will get the van in a year. Thoughts???? Experiences with SUVS??? Captians chairs or bench?

 

Just wanted to say that I love my Toyota Sienna. I never thought I would get a minivan, but it is very practical and fits our family of 5 great. The power remote sliding doors are fabulous with twins. There is tons of space and storage. We went to the beach for a week and fit everything in, including a double stroller and 2 pack-n-plays. It gets much better gas mileage than SUV's too. My DH said he NEVER would get a minivan, but even he agrees it was a good decision. Just my 2 cents.

 

Totally thought I'd never drive a mini, but I bought it a year ago when we just had one child!! I LOVE IT! I plan on driving it till it breaks, then buying another one.. We have a 2005 Chrysler Town and Country.. you should check out the STOW and GO.. amazing!!

 

The Yukon XL is awesome! We also have a Silverado SS. It fits 3 in the back plus you still have a bed to put stuff in.

 

If you can swing it, I think the Mercedes R class is the perfect family car. (Okay, with the benz connection, I'm biased)
One thing that people don't realize about this car: you can get a really good deal on it because Mercedes is not selling as many of them as they would like. Its beautiful, its incredibly safe, and its HUGE inside!

MB makes some of the safest cars on the road--My husband crashed my benz in a rainstorm (going 75 mph on the interstate), spun at least 5-6 times, hit the guardrail 3 times, and walked away from the accident without a scratch. Not only that, but he drove the car away also--there was no serious damage to the car, even though the front end was smashed up pretty well--all the damage was cosmetic. Since then, there's not a day that goes by that I am not thankful we bought that car.

 

I thought that I would never want a minivan. But now with two toddlers (let alone three), it is all I long for (well, not all, a morning to sleep in would be nice too).

We have a year left to finish paying off on our car (SUV). When that time is up we will definitely get a mini-van. Even my DH, which is a pretty manly guy, WANTS one. I want the sliding doors; not worrying about toddlers opening up our doors and slamming them into someone else' car door. The fact that it is low to the ground is important too. My kids want to get in and out all by themselves and that is difficult to do in an SUV. Lastly, I would love to have extra seats in the car for extra passengers.

If you really decide that you have to get an SUV, definitely get the co-captains chairs. My parents just got a Saturn Outlook. It is a crossover vehicle with the co-captains chairs. It is great!!! It has the look of an SUV with the insides of a mini-van.

 

I don't want a minivan, for so many reasons I can't even list them all. We're looking into either a Durango or one of those new Jeep Commanders. We're looking into something that we can use to tow a loaded car trailer cuz we 4 wheel. And most minvan's can't pull those. And, I'm a big freak about driving anything real big cuz I can't see the end of them when I'm backing up.

 

We are in the same boat---can't quite bring ourselves to get a minivan. we've got a two year old as well, and we have an expedition. It's a good car---but it doesn't have captains chairs. I can defnintely see how those would be great, but it cuts into the space for "stuff". we bring our big dog with us a lot, so we rarely have the entire third row up, but it does have a split-third row with automatic up/down. I'm really happy with the expedition for where we are now. If we decide to have a 4th kid in a few years, we will upgrade to the suburban! I used to drive a VW beetle---now I drive a tank! Yikes!

Reyna

 

my DH and i are completely, 100% anti-minivan, so we're getting me an Armada. we love nissan, so we didn't really look at anything else. and the Armada is like a living room inside! huge!

 

We bought a toyota sequoia (my husband is a toyota person). I wish it had captain seating, but i think the bench will be just fine. The 3rd row can have one of the seats taken out so DD can climb in the back.

 

My DH and I did our "due diligence" and test drove a minivan. We love performance cars and just couldn't bring ourselves to do it. Plus, my DH is 6'4'' and didn't really fit well in the minivan.

We bought the Denali XL last month and I am SO happy with our decision. We are in the same situation as you - we needed room for three car seats - my DD is almost 13 months and the twins are due any week. The Denali holds the three car seats, three adults, still lots of room, and the XL gives you tons of room in the back to fit a double stroller and another stroller for the toddler. We did get the captain seats in the 2nd row and I love it. I figured when I am in back I can access all three girls at any point very easily.

We bought it last month because they had a good deal - 0% financing plus a cash back bonus. If you decide to go this route, monitor their website and I'm sure there will be another deal like this right around the corner. We almost bought in May but felt it was too early, then another deal rolled around again.

Ladybenz - we did look at the GL Class SUV and really liked it! But for some reason we came to the conclusion that all three car seats and all the stuff would not fit? But you gotta love those German cars - we even looked at the X5, but the "third row" they added is intended for anyone 4' and under. You must love the perks of your DH working for Mercedes!

 

I thought I would never have a minivan either- but last month I took the plunge and got one. I got a 2007 Chrysler Town and Country. I thought about it for awhile, and gas is SO expensive- an SUV just wouldn't do it, by the time you get one big enough it has horrible gas milage. I thought about a larger car that I could fit all three car seats in , but then I remembered my son will be a little over two, and will most likely have to sit in the middle, leaving him access to harrass both babies So, against my will, I figured it would be best to get a van. I got one with two captains chairs and a bench in the back. I figure one baby will go in each captains chair and my son in the back, and this allows me to see all of them in the rearview mirror. Also went with stow and go, and entertainment center, just makes things easier. I am getting used to it, and my son loves it, he thinks automatic opening doors are hilarious, and he can climb into it himself. I am sure it will be a life saver when the babies arrive!

 

Hate the minivan...next time will either go for car (bigger one) or SUV...you aren't gaining much room with a van!

 

Never in a million years thought I would want a minivan. I figured our SUV was big enough we'd have no problems. Well it is big enough on the inside but I would KILL for power sliding doors!! that's why we are looking for a minivan. When you have two infant seats and groceries, you've got to put things on the ground to get into the car!

 

I wasn't a minivan person either but LOVE, LOVE, LOVE our Chrysler Town and Country. Lots of room, easy to get the kiddos in and out, power side doors, curtain side airbags and easier on the gas mileage and pocketbook.

 

For a while I was thinking I was the only person on here with a SUV. It was getting kind of lonely. I have a Suburban which is not practical for most I know but I have horses and needed a vehicle that could pull my three horse trailer but still fit my DS and any future children. (We had just found out I was pregnant again when we bought the new one).
My first suburban had a bench in the second row which I thought when we got it was ideal but soon learned was a pain in the butt. With even one car seat in the middle it was a huge ordeal to get anyone in the back. It took me a while to decide to go with the captions seats in our new one because of the lose of the extra seat but now that I have it I love it. Plus with the two babies it is perfect because I will be able to put their seats in the captions chairs and my DS in the middle in the back row and he will have no problems getting to his seat. Also both the Tahoe and Suburban now have a electric back gate (not as good as electric sliding doors I know but boy is it a huge help). It is great when you have an arm full and need to put stuff in the back or when you have an arm full and need to close the back.
I love my Suburban and wouldn’t change it for a mini van in a million years so based on that I would highly recommend looking into the Tahoe, but that is just lonely SUV driving opinion.

 

QUOTE(mandyfish3 @ Aug 13 2007, 04:52 PM) [snapback]366778[/snapback]
When you have two infant seats and groceries, you've got to put things on the ground to get into the car!


I definitely see the benefit of the sliding doors on a minivan. That is one thing I have wondered about.

But on the Denali (and I think most newer SUVs), the remote key allows you to:
1) push a button to turn the car on while you're walking towards it - which is nice in the Texas heat!
2) push another button that opens the rear tailgate (door?) so that you don't have to end up with anything on the ground

Hope this helps! There are definitely advantages and disadvantages to each, and we are paying the price in gas with our Denali so I won't sugar coat that at all! Trade-offs of what you want versus what you can live with for sure.

(Gumberly, I thought I was the only one, too!)

 

Thanks for all of the advice. I know that a lot of you are for the minivan, but it is nice to know that there are mothers of three that are willing to drive something other than the van. I am going to check out the Mercedes before we get the Denali just to make sure. I have an X5 now, and there is no way that two more babies could fit in it....way to small.

 

I had to trade in my Honda minivan when we found out we were having #'s 5 & 6 and I still miss it. I have a Suburban now & I HATE IT! It gets the job done but I miss my van. did I mention that? The Suburban is HUGE but still I feel like I have no place to put my pocketbook. The front feels so cramped, the doors are huge, the seat is so heavy to lift to get to the back; I hate the seatbelts; I could go on & on. We decided to buy it for the seating, storage room & towing capacity (we have a boat), but sorry, if I didn't feel that I HAD to drive it--I never would. It's really crowded where we live too, & I hate getting around in it & parking it! There is really nothing I like about it.

 

We bought a suburban when we got pregnant with #2. It has 3 rows of seats and holds up to 9 people. I love all the room, but it can be a pain in the butt getting anyone into the 3rd row. My husband is anti-mini van and when we researched them I was surprised to find that they weren't much cheaper if at all.

 

I think that the R-class is set up completely differently than the GL--although, I've never been in a GL. Having a husband who works for mercedes is nice, but really I love that he loves what he does--cars are his passion!

I'm just driving an E-class sedan, but I don't have any older children. My previous car was a mazda miata, so I'm used to economizing on space!! You'd be amazed the places I can find to put a purse!!!

 

I have a Yukon XL with captains chairs and a third row (and a dvd for my 3 yr old DD) we got it in place of a trailblazer that just wasnt big enough. It is now my FAVORITE car I have ever owned!!! :wub: There are so many benefits to it, but mostly its because we still have room for more after my family of 5 is piled in, and there is still trunk space to haul all our stuff!!!

 

My hubby and I were of the same mindframe that we would never drive a minivan. We already had a Tahoe, which we still have and we bought a Suburban(used) to fit all the kids and stuff in. We also have an older child and before we had the twins, we just thought it would be doable in an easy kind of way. Boy were we wrong! I hated the Suburban (not the car but the logistics)! I really wanted a new one with the captains chairs and if you are dead set on getting a huge SUV, get them for sure. Getting a child into the 3rd seat is a nightmare and there's no way to get to them if they need something or just need you without pulling off the road. On long road trips, that sucks. I also had a terrible time getting the twins in and out of the second row because they were so heavy to lift so high and the car is just so darn huge that no one ever left us any room to get in and out with them in a parking lot.

We bought a Town and Country and we love, love, love it! I literally lasted 3 months in the SUV before I was begging to go look at them. I refused a Honda and didn't even look at the Sienna, the 2 most popular models. I didn't want the same things as everyone else and once I saw the Town and Country, I was sold immediately. What a luxury car!! My husband loves to drive it and tells everyone how much he loves the van. We really were die hard against getting a minivan but I can't even list all the reasons we love it. Stow and Go is the bomb! The middle captains chairs are wonderful, our 3 yr old loves his back seat and he's easy to get to and get in and out. The automatic sliding doors and automatic back hatch are a lifesaver daily. I can't say enough about it! Good Luck with your choice!

Kelly

 

All I have to say is: captains chairs!

 

you can get captains' chairs in the Armada

 

Do keep in mind that SUV's like the Tahoe have very little room behind the seats for storage/travel when the 3rd seat is in/up. We have a Tahoe and a Town and Country minivan, and with the 3rd seat in the Tahoe the room in the back is the same. The minivan wins out on trips because of the stow and go storage and the captains chairs. If I were to go back to a large SUV it would be the Yukon XL or the largest Suburban made, with captain's chairs only! It can be done with and SUV but it will be harder than a minivan while the kids are small. Just my opinion since I do own both kinds of vehicles with 3 kids. Good luck!

Kelly