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Post by Deleted on Aug 1, 2014 14:11:37 GMT -5
That Honda minivan with the vacuum is the high end models ie costs as much as the Tahoe. My brother's a car person and has owned a ton of GM stuff. He says as far as V8 SUVs go, GM has it pretty well down so to buy the Tahoe. Gas costs what it costs and unless you are driving a lot of miles per year or that close to the edge, I wouldn't consider it to much. For myself yes but I bought my Mazda 6 2/17/14 and rolled over 15,000 miles yesterday.
I'd consider the increased costs mainly because they are planning to keep it long term and their budget isn't stable given they have three young kids. So if gas prices go way up and they have to replace 22 inch tires versus 17 inch ones they might freak out. Or not. Depends on how easy they can adjust financially and mentally if the costs are more than they are used to because they will be.
I find it telling when I clicked on a URL for the Tahoe it advertised the highway mpg but I could not find the city mpg. Most people with Tahoe's need to care more about the city mpg, but the highway one must hook more folks into buying when not disclosing both. Plus just looking at mpg and mileage will not give you your true gas costs. You burn gas starting up your car, stuck in traffic, or those times you leave it on and dart into a store or warm it up because its winter. Your gas costs will be higher.
a minivan is not happening and with 3 boys, I don't think a sedan is going to cut it. an SUV is really the only thing that fits all her criteria. Not sure what the Pilot goes for these days (I paid $35k in 2011) but since Honda and Toyota are out she needs to find full size SUVs that she likes. She could go for a hybrid but I suspect they aren't any cheaper.
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ArchietheDragon
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Post by ArchietheDragon on Aug 1, 2014 14:12:40 GMT -5
I'd consider the increased costs mainly because they are planning to keep it long term and their budget isn't stable given they have three young kids. So if gas prices go way up and they have to replace 22 inch tires versus 17 inch ones they might freak out. Or not. Depends on how easy they can adjust financially and mentally if the costs are more than they are used to because they will be.
I find it telling when I clicked on a URL for the Tahoe it advertised the highway mpg but I could not find the city mpg. Most people with Tahoe's need to care more about the city mpg, but the highway one must hook more folks into buying when not disclosing both. Plus just looking at mpg and mileage will not give you your true gas costs. You burn gas starting up your car, stuck in traffic, or those times you leave it on and dart into a store or warm it up because its winter. Your gas costs will be higher.
a minivan is not happening and with 3 boys, I don't think a sedan is going to cut it. an SUV is really the only thing that fits all her criteria. Not sure what the Pilot goes for these days (I paid $35k in 2011) but since Honda and Toyota are out she needs to find full size SUVs that she likes. She could go for a hybrid but I suspect they aren't any cheaper. Minivans fit more stuff better than an SUV, IMHO.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 1, 2014 14:16:44 GMT -5
a minivan is not happening and with 3 boys, I don't think a sedan is going to cut it. an SUV is really the only thing that fits all her criteria. Not sure what the Pilot goes for these days (I paid $35k in 2011) but since Honda and Toyota are out she needs to find full size SUVs that she likes. She could go for a hybrid but I suspect they aren't any cheaper. Minivans fit more stuff better than an SUV, IMHO. And the third row seating is more spacious and easier to get to.
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Opti
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Post by Opti on Aug 1, 2014 14:19:37 GMT -5
Minivans have number and gender ratings against carrying three boys?
Salesman - tell me about your family? Car buyer - we have three girls aged .... Salesman - Would you prefer a minivan, SUV, or large car?
Salesman - tell me about your family? Car buyer - we have three boys aged .... Salesman - OK, a minivan is not happening. Here's what I would suggest...
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Post by Deleted on Aug 1, 2014 14:23:17 GMT -5
Minivans have number and gender ratings against carrying three boys?
Salesman - tell me about your family? Car buyer - we have three girls aged .... Salesman - Would you prefer a minivan, SUV, or large car?
SaleswomanMD - tell me about your family? Car buyer - we have three boys aged .... SaleswomanMD - OK, a minivan is not happening. Here's what I would suggest...
I think she means the minivan is not happening because Lena has stated quite clearly she would rather be dead than drive a minivan.
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Opti
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Post by Opti on Aug 1, 2014 14:26:02 GMT -5
OK, you are right. I forgot.
It just sounded so funny.
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973beachbum
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Post by 973beachbum on Aug 1, 2014 14:27:21 GMT -5
Minivans have number and gender ratings against carrying three boys?
Salesman - tell me about your family? Car buyer - we have three girls aged .... Salesman - Would you prefer a minivan, SUV, or large car?
SaleswomanMD - tell me about your family? Car buyer - we have three boys aged .... SaleswomanMD - OK, a minivan is not happening. Here's what I would suggest...
I don't understand that one either! We have a Ford Expidition. With me driving it like a hypermiling turtle it get 14 miles to the gallon. So if you are afraid of the sticker price don't even think about one as the cost of gas will eat you alive!!! We have two kids and have trucked many a friend along with them. Our favorite was actually a chrysler mini van and a Ford Explorer. the explorer was the older SUV though. It had 4wd and was wide enough to fit three adults. it also got 25mpg. Man I miss that car!
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Lizard Queen
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Post by Lizard Queen on Aug 1, 2014 14:29:10 GMT -5
a minivan is not happening and with 3 boys, I don't think a sedan is going to cut it. an SUV is really the only thing that fits all her criteria. Not sure what the Pilot goes for these days (I paid $35k in 2011) but since Honda and Toyota are out she needs to find full size SUVs that she likes. She could go for a hybrid but I suspect they aren't any cheaper. Minivans fit more stuff better than an SUV, IMHO. Even when my dad had a small minivan, I was able to move my couch in it no problem. Not even close to the space that my dads next car, an SUV had. The SUV was just a giant gas hog.
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lexxy703
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Post by lexxy703 on Aug 1, 2014 14:53:31 GMT -5
a minivan is not happening and with 3 boys, I don't think a sedan is going to cut it. an SUV is really the only thing that fits all her criteria. Not sure what the Pilot goes for these days (I paid $35k in 2011) but since Honda and Toyota are out she needs to find full size SUVs that she likes. She could go for a hybrid but I suspect they aren't any cheaper. Minivans fit more stuff better than an SUV, IMHO. Agreed. I had a Jeep Grand Cherokee & had to borrow my friend's Toyota Sienna to move some stuff because it had more cargo room.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 1, 2014 19:12:07 GMT -5
Minivans have number and gender ratings against carrying three boys?
Salesman - tell me about your family? Car buyer - we have three girls aged .... Salesman - Would you prefer a minivan, SUV, or large car?
SaleswomanMD - tell me about your family? Car buyer - we have three boys aged .... SaleswomanMD - OK, a minivan is not happening. Here's what I would suggest...
perhaps you should reread the first post by the OP - she clearly stated a minivan was not an option.....it's not like I made that restriction.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 1, 2014 19:13:06 GMT -5
OK, you are right. I forgot.
It just sounded so funny. just like lack of reading comprehension is so funny!
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Opti
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Post by Opti on Aug 1, 2014 19:17:33 GMT -5
OK, you are right. I forgot.
It just sounded so funny. just like lack of reading comprehension is so funny! I came back to a thread and read your post by itself.
Without context it was funny; had nothing to do with reading comprehension and everything to do with forgetting the current thread context. I would have deleted the post, but it had already been quoted.
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Opti
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Post by Opti on Aug 1, 2014 19:19:26 GMT -5
Minivans have number and gender ratings against carrying three boys?
Salesman - tell me about your family? Car buyer - we have three girls aged .... Salesman - Would you prefer a minivan, SUV, or large car?
SaleswomanMD - tell me about your family? Car buyer - we have three boys aged .... SaleswomanMD - OK, a minivan is not happening. Here's what I would suggest...
perhaps you should reread the first post by the OP - she clearly stated a minivan was not an option.....it's not like I made that restriction. Read post #112. I'll modify the post to read salesman on the latter part if it will make you feel better.
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DagnyT
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Post by DagnyT on Aug 2, 2014 15:28:43 GMT -5
If you would reconsider a van, I think they are great!! And I went into my first one kicking and screaming, but it was by far our most loved family vehicle. The kids loved it and now that we no longer have one (they are 20 and 16 now), they complain that they really miss it. They loved being able to recline the captain seats. We had a Dodge and a Town and Country. We put over 160,000 miles on each of them, and they were still going strong when we sold them. Wish we hadn't.
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Blonde Granny
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Post by Blonde Granny on Aug 2, 2014 16:35:53 GMT -5
I had a couple of full size conversion vans back in the day before mini-van. I loved them!!! Great for highway travel and the 3rd row seat would fold out almost to a full size bed.
Today, I'm absolutely hands down an SUV lady. I have the Mid-size Mercedes ML as the Mercedes GL was to big even for me to want to drive. I get 19mpg in town, and if lucky 22 hiway.
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milee
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Post by milee on Aug 2, 2014 19:59:31 GMT -5
So instead of bugging you about the minivan again I thought I'd give you a real answer. In my personal experience SUV's with three rows aren't very functional and don't have as much space as you'd think. For one, the third row is usually really hard to get into when there are carseats installed in the second row. The third row also steals space from the second row. Your average sedan probably has more leg space in the back than the second row of an SUV with seating for 7. When I have the third row up I can fit just about three backpacks behind it. A Tahoe is bigger than my SUV but I would really test it out with carseats installed and what you think you'd be hauling around in there. So I wouldn't buy the Tahoe expecting a ton more space and convenience than what you already have. You'd probably still need a roof box and maybe a tow hitch box for trips with lots of gear. Probably a tow hitch box because getting into a roof box on a tall SUV is just irritating. If you want the Tahoe because it's a nice vehicle then go for it, I just wouldn't expect it to be waaayy better than a subaru. I just checked the interior cargo volume and it looks like you'd get about 15 cubic ft more with the Tahoe, with a good chunk of that being less functional than you'd think since they can count the space inside of a cup holder as being part of the cargo volume. This may be true with the Tahoe; but the Suburban, which is a similar price and gas mileage, is positively massive. We had a Suburban - think it was a '01 or '02 that we bought in '04 - and it was cavernous. Without the third row seat in, you could probably haul 10 dead hookers (YM traditional unit of volume measurement for freezers) in the back and still see out the rear view mirror.
Can't honestly recommend the Tahoe/Suburban, though because it had all the usual GM quality issues. The repair issues weren't terribly expensive, but they were inconvenient ones and combined with the awful fit, finish and interior quality, I was really surprised that anyone would pay in the mid $40ks for one. When it was around 5 or 6 years old and still had under 60,000 miles on it, DH opened the driver's side door and the door literally fell off; one of the hinges had just disintegrated. No, it wasn't expensive to repair, but it's a classic example of the crappy build quality and annoyance associated with so many of the American cars. Every decade or so, we get tempted to try one again because they lose value so quickly you can get some screaming deals on 2-4 year old American cars and every single time I've felt like an idiot for believing that whole "they're better now!" spiel.
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swamp
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Post by swamp on Aug 2, 2014 20:05:02 GMT -5
I'd consider the increased costs mainly because they are planning to keep it long term and their budget isn't stable given they have three young kids. So if gas prices go way up and they have to replace 22 inch tires versus 17 inch ones they might freak out. Or not. Depends on how easy they can adjust financially and mentally if the costs are more than they are used to because they will be.
I find it telling when I clicked on a URL for the Tahoe it advertised the highway mpg but I could not find the city mpg. Most people with Tahoe's need to care more about the city mpg, but the highway one must hook more folks into buying when not disclosing both. Plus just looking at mpg and mileage will not give you your true gas costs. You burn gas starting up your car, stuck in traffic, or those times you leave it on and dart into a store or warm it up because its winter. Your gas costs will be higher.
a minivan is not happening and with 3 boys, I don't think a sedan is going to cut it. an SUV is really the only thing that fits all her criteria. Not sure what the Pilot goes for these days (I paid $35k in 2011) but since Honda and Toyota are out she needs to find full size SUVs that she likes. She could go for a hybrid but I suspect they aren't any cheaper.b Pilots go,for about p$40,000. I priced them when I was looking at Odysseys.
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swamp
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Post by swamp on Aug 2, 2014 20:07:21 GMT -5
Minivans fit more stuff better than an SUV, IMHO. Agreed. I had a Jeep Grand Cherokee & had to borrow my friend's Toyota Sienna to move some stuff because it had more cargo room. [img]http://syonidv.hodginsmedia.com/vsmileys/yeahthat.gif[/img] Ive had cherokees and a blazer, and the minivan can haul more crap, no question.
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milee
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Post by milee on Aug 2, 2014 20:14:34 GMT -5
OK, back to the vote.
I guess I'm a mean mom because I don't think it's a huge deal if the kids are a little snug in a car. Unless I'm misremembering, you don't drive a huge amount of miles with the kids - no long daily commute to school or activities - so it's not like they spend even a half hour per day in the car on average. If that's the case and likely to continue, you don't really need a huge hauler and all the associated expense, hassle, repairs, etc. Stick them in the back of the Subaru or whatever you like and tell them to shush up if they get too loud with hassling each other. FWIW, I drove a Mini Convertible (not my choice, it was a gift from DH) for five years when my boys were 6 and 1 until when they were 11 and 6; their school was a 20 minute drive each way and I even took them with me to do grocery shopping and things like that. Not the end of the world. It was cozy but we all survived and they were too little to know any better. Not saying you should get something that small, just giving a real world example of how you don't necessarily need a huge vehicle.
Why not keep the Subaru for you and the kids and replace the Nissan with another economy type commuter car for DH? If he's putting 25,000 miles per year on it, you want something that gets great mileage and will be reliable. No way in heck would I pick American cars to fill that need, but everybody's different. Since Honda and Toyota are out, have you checked out used Mazdas? Consumer Reports seem to love those things and they resell for much less than Honda and Toyota.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2014 20:36:58 GMT -5
OK, back to the vote.
I guess I'm a mean mom because I don't think it's a huge deal if the kids are a little snug in a car. Unless I'm misremembering, you don't drive a huge amount of miles with the kids - no long daily commute to school or activities - so it's not like they spend even a half hour per day in the car on average. If that's the case and likely to continue, you don't really need a huge hauler and all the associated expense, hassle, repairs, etc. Stick them in the back of the Subaru or whatever you like and tell them to shush up if they get too loud with hassling each other. FWIW, I drove a Mini Convertible (not my choice, it was a gift from DH) for five years when my boys were 6 and 1 until when they were 11 and 6; their school was a 20 minute drive each way and I even took them with me to do grocery shopping and things like that. Not the end of the world. It was cozy but we all survived and they were too little to know any better. Not saying you should get something that small, just giving a real world example of how you don't necessarily need a huge vehicle.
Why not keep the Subaru for you and the kids and replace the Nissan with another economy type commuter car for DH? If he's putting 25,000 miles per year on it, you want something that gets great mileage and will be reliable. No way in heck would I pick American cars to fill that need, but everybody's different. Since Honda and Toyota are out, have you checked out used Mazdas? Consumer Reports seem to love those things and they resell for much less than Honda and Toyota. being snug is one thing....not being able to correctly fit carseats/booster seats is a different issue. not just any sedan will fit 3 across like that.
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milee
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Post by milee on Aug 2, 2014 22:01:56 GMT -5
OK, back to the vote.
I guess I'm a mean mom because I don't think it's a huge deal if the kids are a little snug in a car. Unless I'm misremembering, you don't drive a huge amount of miles with the kids - no long daily commute to school or activities - so it's not like they spend even a half hour per day in the car on average. If that's the case and likely to continue, you don't really need a huge hauler and all the associated expense, hassle, repairs, etc. Stick them in the back of the Subaru or whatever you like and tell them to shush up if they get too loud with hassling each other. FWIW, I drove a Mini Convertible (not my choice, it was a gift from DH) for five years when my boys were 6 and 1 until when they were 11 and 6; their school was a 20 minute drive each way and I even took them with me to do grocery shopping and things like that. Not the end of the world. It was cozy but we all survived and they were too little to know any better. Not saying you should get something that small, just giving a real world example of how you don't necessarily need a huge vehicle.
Why not keep the Subaru for you and the kids and replace the Nissan with another economy type commuter car for DH? If he's putting 25,000 miles per year on it, you want something that gets great mileage and will be reliable. No way in heck would I pick American cars to fill that need, but everybody's different. Since Honda and Toyota are out, have you checked out used Mazdas? Consumer Reports seem to love those things and they resell for much less than Honda and Toyota. being snug is one thing....not being able to correctly fit carseats/booster seats is a different issue. not just any sedan will fit 3 across like that. If she has the three in the Subaru now, it stands to reason that she already knows the 3 seats fit in there. I'm assuming that they don't play rock/paper/scissors to determine which kid rides on the roof rack each time.
Three seats may or may not fit in DH's car now and may or may not fit in whatever they get him to replace his car. So what? OP hasn't said that's a huge deal to only have one car that fits the three seats. Not only that, but as her little guys grow, they'll be out of the bulky seats and onto the more streamlined boosters. So even though they'll be older with longer legs, as long as they're within a standard deviation or so of normal weight, their little behinds will take up less room than the car seats did.
Again, Lena - keep your Subaru which you know works for you and the kids. Replace DH's econo scooter with another econo scooter and keep on keepin' on. If in the future you decide to get a honkin' big vehicle, seriously reconsider your aversion to the Japanese makes, since those are your best bets for reliable and great gas mileage.
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imanangel
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Post by imanangel on Aug 3, 2014 0:57:11 GMT -5
We have a Chevy Traverse. The car itself is nice looking, drives nice, and has a lot of room. The bad part, it has so many recalls on it, it isn't even funny. Unfortunately, we cannot get it fixed here in Italy. None of the Chevy dealers here will touch it because it is American Specs.
When we get back to the states we will be back at the Honda dealership for a car for me. My husband's last 2 cars have been American and nothing but trouble.
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Opti
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Post by Opti on Aug 3, 2014 6:26:07 GMT -5
Oops I see this is a YM measurement not EE.
EE freezers are for people you are really mad at like spouses and annoying neighbors. Hookers and blow are to be enjoyed, not stuffed in freezers.
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Knee Deep in Water Chloe
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Post by Knee Deep in Water Chloe on Aug 3, 2014 21:25:39 GMT -5
Are you dead set on the Tahoe? We have a ford Expedition. it has a button to push, and the back seats fold down. So much better than having to take them in and out!!! Try to get the car used and with really low miles. That was our route, and we all know how financially savvy I am. We we use all eight seats frequently. We fill up the back often. And we have four bikes on the back. You'll need five bikes on the back. Definitely the Full sized SUV Am am I helping? How do you like the Expedition. I've been leaning towards the Explorer, but am not a fan of the newer ones that sit on a car axle vs. a truck axle. I think the Expedition is a little bigger than I need or want, but I'm currently debating in my own head. Hi! We went camping for the weekend, so I've not been here for a while. We love it. We've had it since 2008. It's a 2006, and it had 18,000 miles on it when we bought it. It now has 138K miles on it. It is showing signs of wearing down. If it starts to cost too much to repair within the next two years, we'll buy another Expedition. If we can make it at least two years, then we'll be down to one child in the house. At that point, we'll probably go to an F-Series truck. We can comfortably seat five adults and three kids in it--to the point that we drove with that many in it on a 1600 mile round trip
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Knee Deep in Water Chloe
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Post by Knee Deep in Water Chloe on Aug 3, 2014 21:42:57 GMT -5
Um, I went out of town for six days, and I thought that would be enough time to come to a conclusion. Lena, what's going on? Did you buy a car this weekend? Don't think about the overall price; think about the convenience! It's much easier that way. <Chloe waves from the ostrich field in which she lives so she can keep her head in the sand.>
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whoisjohngalt
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Post by whoisjohngalt on Aug 3, 2014 22:00:50 GMT -5
No, no car this weekend.
I like car shopping even less than I like dental work.
I am still 50/50 on the decision.
So, the saga continues......
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thyme4change
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Post by thyme4change on Aug 3, 2014 22:52:25 GMT -5
4 years ago we bought a Pilot, which is basically the size of the Tahoe. There are a bunch of SUVs that size, there are also some that are a little smaller but still bigger than a Subaru. But, they will all be in that $40-$60k range. I love having gigantica. We can take the whole neighborhood to the game (or whatever) and we can haul stuff - like bikes, etc. We just went on a long road trip, and the kids had plenty of room during the drive and we didn't get all stressed out when we were packing up every day. So, all in all, I feel it was worth the money.
We have friends who got a traverse and LOVE it. It has the third row seat, so they can take their 3 kids, plus some friends. It isn't as cumbersome as the larger Tahoe, but it is bigger and more comfortable in the back seat than a sedan.
You seem quite set on one of two. Frankly, I would drive more options in several different classes to see what will really work for your family.
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moneymaven
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Post by moneymaven on Aug 4, 2014 9:49:58 GMT -5
Didn't read the whole thread, but I'd say spring for the suburban in lieu of Tahoe. I have a 2011 Tahoe that I love everything about except one thing. The third row seats do not fold away, so when not in use, they fold up and still take up about 7-8 inches of cargo space. Otherwise, you can remove them. They are heavy and bulky to store. Not sure if the newer models fold away.
When we take road trips, once we're loaded up with bags, food, supplies, and the dog, the car is filled.
The suburban offers more cargo space in the rear and with the three kiddos, you will want it. We also got the DVD stock with it and it's been a godsend for long drives. Happy car shopping!
ETA: I went for 2nd row bench instead of captains chairs. It worked better for us with the car seat.
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moneymaven
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Post by moneymaven on Aug 4, 2014 9:54:37 GMT -5
4 years ago we bought a Pilot, which is basically the size of the Tahoe. There are a bunch of SUVs that size, there are also some that are a little smaller but still bigger than a Subaru. But, they will all be in that $40-$60k range. I love having gigantica. We can take the whole neighborhood to the game (or whatever) and we can haul stuff - like bikes, etc. We just went on a long road trip, and the kids had plenty of room during the drive and we didn't get all stressed out when we were packing up every day. So, all in all, I feel it was worth the money. We have friends who got a traverse and LOVE it. It has the third row seat, so they can take their 3 kids, plus some friends. It isn't as cumbersome as the larger Tahoe, but it is bigger and more comfortable in the back seat than a sedan. You seem quite set on one of two. Frankly, I would drive more options in several different classes to see what will really work for your family. I hated the Traverse and Acadia. I drove both as rentals on trips and they had too many blind spots for me. I used to drive an Envoy and I actually get better has mileage in the Tahoe. The engine shifts automatically between 4 cylinders and 8 depending on speed. I average 14 MPG and I drive a lot of city.
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Knee Deep in Water Chloe
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Post by Knee Deep in Water Chloe on Aug 5, 2014 22:43:40 GMT -5
For our 2006 Ford Expedition, Gas mileage wise, we get 7 - 10 mpg while towing (depends on how fast DH wants to drive). 13 mpg in town. 15 mpg on the highway.
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