good people carriers?

Well, it looks like ill be a daddy... Agian... For the 4th time...

Atm I've got a jeep zj as the beater but obviously its not going to be big enough for everyone so I'm looking for suggestions on good replacement.

I'd much rather stray away from mini vans (though if it was a turbo caravan...) Unless they are proven reliable and easy to work on which ive never heard of a reliable minivan

Budget is about 4k tops for a vehicle that carries everyone, reliable, gets good mpgs and cheap to work on or as close to those mentioned as possible.

Any suggestions? Thought about Isuzu Oasis/Honda Odyessy or any quad cab 2wd fullsize pickup... Chevy astro?

Four kids equals minivan. You can do it with a Suburban/Excursion etc, but it's going to suck. Minivans have more cargo space and far easier ingress/egress, especially with car seats that the kids cannot buckle themselves. We have a Caravan. They can be had cheap if you're not picky. Within your budget I'd probably look at the Mazda MPV, not the RWD first generation as that one had terrible crash test ratings, but the rather handsome looking 200x model.

I have four kids as well, 4, 3, 1 and 8 weeks. Sometimes when he's feeling especially good the 4 year old can buckle himself, but there remain three belts to buckle and climbing over a second row (which can't fold over like designed in an SUV to access the third row if you've installed any sort of kid seat there) would suck.

tuna55 wrote: Four kids equals minivan.

This. Read it, digest it, then read it again. Yes, a Suburban will have the room, but tuna is right on about how much of a PITA it is to climb in the back. I've got 3 kids and couldn't imagine doing without our minivan. So easy to get in the back and buckle, etc...thankfully my youngest are now at the age where they can buckle themselves (they're 5yrs old), so things have gotten somewhat easier. Not to mention minivans get better fuel mileage, drive better, and are more versitile unless you're towing.

Early '00s Kia Sedona, Sienna, Oddity, etc...would be great. Or if you want to get funky, find an old Mitsubishi van or Toyota van. The Astro will do well too, as it's a minivan style with a truck chassis.

5.0 Brick

N Sperlo wrote: 5.0 Brick

Dude, we had two kids in a (not 5.0, maybe that makes the difference) brick and it was fine. Three = no way in Hell, four? Not on your life. No wife worth her piss n' vinegar is going to allow use of carseats in the jump seat, and even if she did, there is no cargo room left after that tiny itty bitty seat is popped up.

The little bastards fit well in the back of these up until they are about 5' tall.

You can get 4 of 'em in there but you have to move the seats forward a little :D

In reply to tuna55:

Hey, he's the one thats having a 4th, not me. I think a brick wagon would be fine. My mother did well with 3 in a Taurus wagon, and thats smaller.

N Sperlo wrote: In reply to tuna55: Hey, he's the one thats having a 4th, not me. I think a brick wagon would be fine. My mother did well with 3 in a Taurus wagon, and thats smaller.

I kid you not, seat mandates have changed so much (and are still getting worse) that you literally cannot fit four into a car like that anymore. You can buy super special skinny seats at 2-3 hundred per that might get three across in a normal four seater car, but if your oldest still needs some sort of booster seat, and the car has a passenger airbag, it's literally illegal to transport four kids in it. It may work fine, it may be safe, it may be all you need, but you will be fighting tickets for a while. People will be prohibited by law from letting your kids get into the car from daycare etc as well. it's crazy, but true.

In reply to tuna55:

Hmmm. I wasn't thinking about child seats.

Problem fixed.

http://huntsville.craigslist.org/cto/3514120778.html

In reply to 93EXCivic:

I would lower it and auto-x it.

N Sperlo wrote: In reply to 93EXCivic: I would lower it and auto-x it.

Yes do this. Please.

Lol @ n sperlo Yeah i figured as much... Its just I've NEVER heard of a reliable good mileage minivan, i guess the astro but its suffers from chevrolitus...

I've justnever cared for minivans mostly due to design than anything, basicly drivelines made forlight duty cars with tall cumbersome heavy for the driveline bodies and the driveline almost never holds up(case in point, k-car caravan) had a 94 voyager with 3.0, killed by bad differential iirc

My kids are 7, 5, 2 and -0, the youngest sits in a forward baby seat and the others have boosters (wonder if i can cut the "arms" off for a few inches)

Can anyone account for a good mini van?

Maybe Wally should be piping in.

VG30_S12 wrote: Lol @ n sperlo Yeah i figured as much... Its just I've NEVER heard of a reliable good mileage minivan, i guess the astro but its suffers from chevrolitus... I've justnever cared for minivans mostly due to design than anything, basicly drivelines made forlight duty cars with tall cumbersome heavy for the driveline bodies and the driveline almost never holds up(case in point, k-car caravan) had a 94 voyager with 3.0, killed by bad differential iirc My kids are 7, 5, 2 and -0, the youngest sits in a forward baby seat and the others have boosters (wonder if i can cut the "arms" off for a few inches) Can anyone account for a good mini van?

I have not owned mine for long, maybe a year now, and it's much newer than what you're looking at, 2011. What I am doing is to change the transmission fluid twice as often as recommended. Look at truedelta for reliability stuff. They are honest and their data driven studies appeal to guys like us.

Another good one is the 1st gen Sienna, but they look terrible. They are the most reliable things on the planet, and the NHTSA folks said it was the best performing car period, at that time.

As far as mileage, my Pentastar, 4000 lb +, 6 speed auto Caravan gets 22-25 around town and 28-30 on the highway with the A/C on. Not too bad, really. It actually gets better mileage if you lean on it a bit, and with 270 something HP, it moves pretty well. But it's out of your budget. I think some of the other choices might lose a bit in the mileage department, but certainly they'll be better than an SUV.

VG30_S12 wrote: Can anyone account for a good mini van?

We have had our 06 Toyota sienna for 6 years now, and it has been dead reliable so far. Around 91k miles on it, and zero problems. Does have a slight vibration at 65 now, but is most likely tire/wheel related. Other than normal maintinence it has been super reliable, cheap, and is a great riding people mover.

Man this is gunna be tough... Starting research now...

Btw any 1gen odyessy knowledge here? I saw they are based on the accord, so that might be agood thing as accords are plentiful and parts are cheap, plus posibility of 5speed maybe? I'd probably look at getting an isuzu oasis, to avoid the honda tax

1st gen odyssey isn't even a van its more like the beginnings of the CUV craze and won't be large enough

Or they look ridiculously small more like a mazda5 to me

Low budget minivan around here the ones you see most are the Astro. It's what all the mexican families drive and put tons of miles on.

VG30_S12 wrote: Man this is gunna be tough... Starting research now... Btw any 1gen odyessy knowledge here? I saw they are based on the accord, so that might be agood thing as accords are plentiful and parts are cheap, plus posibility of 5speed maybe? I'd probably look at getting an isuzu oasis, to avoid the honda tax

Crappy crash test ratings.

I'll send you an E-mail...

Jaynen wrote: 1st gen odyssey isn't even a van its more like the beginnings of the CUV craze and won't be large enough Or they look ridiculously small more like a mazda5 to me Low budget minivan around here the ones you see most are the Astro. It's what all the mexican families drive and put tons of miles on.

They have a third row seat. I don't see any reason it couldn't be used. My boss has a 1st gen Odyssey with around 400k miles on it.

Previa... bulletproof but not that easy to work since its mid engined. You should be able to find good example with your budget. There were awd or supercharged versions but not sure on both. Still looks cool imo especially lowered with rims.

driver109x wrote: Previa... bulletproof but not that easy to work since its mid engined. You should be able to find good example with your budget. There were awd or supercharged versions but not sure on both. Still looks cool imo especially lowered with rims.

Previa is right up there with the 1st gen Ody as TERRIBLE (even for the day) crash test ratings. It means something to some people.

Volvo 850/v70 T5 wagon with the optional 3rd row seat

/thread.

VG30_S12 wrote: I've justnever cared for minivans mostly due to design than anything, basicly drivelines made forlight duty cars with tall cumbersome heavy for the driveline bodies and the driveline almost never holds up(case in point, k-car caravan) had a 94 voyager with 3.0, killed by bad differential iirc Can anyone account for a good mini van?

If you're using a '94 Voyager with a 3.0 as your basis for minivans not holding up, I can see why you'd say that. But I think that was more a product of Chrysler's build quality. Tons of minivans hold up well. Ours would be out of your price range, but we have an '06 Kia Sedona. Bought it new, 6 months before my twins were born. It has now gone through nearly 6 years of hauling 3 kids around, two of them from birth. We've beat the living snot out of it. I even have a tow hitch on it and have towed several times. I keep up with maintenance fairly well. It now has 82k hard miles on it and has been trouble free. Only problem I've really had was an air intake hose that split. $15 for a new hose I put on myself and ta-da, it's fixed. Oh...and each headlight burned out...$15 each, including installation. The 1st generation Sedona is bullet proof, as is early Sienna/Previa, Oddessey

93EXCivic, It's been on my bucket list since my kids were born to get an old cheap limo, put some wild paint job on it, flame throwers out the back and take the kids to car shows. I still intend to do it.

What about the Mazda MPV?