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2 adults, a 10 and 7 and 2 car seats (daughter is two and have a son on the way).
i dont want a suv. please, no soccer mom mini vans. and must be affordable. no luxury cars
It doesn't exist. The closest thing to it is a now rather used Crown Vic.
How frequently do you really (need to) have all six in the car at the same time?
2 adults, a 10 and 7 year. and 2 car seats(daughter is two and have a son on the way). i dont want a suv. please, no soccer mom mini vans. and must be affordable. no luxury cars
You need a minivan! Why wouldn't you want one? Space, easy to put kids into and take out of carseats without breaking your back, easy for the school age ones to get in and out, you can even get an eight seater and go somewhere with the whole family plus two guests. You have four children, two under three years old. You have no "image" to maintain! Get the minivan!
Test drive the Mazda CX9. I think you might like it. It drives like a car. Technically, I think its classified as a "crossover". But has enough room for 7. I've driven my officemate's CX9 and even sat in the third seat and they're pretty good. Sometimes, 6 or 7 of us pile into it when we go to lunch. 2013 Mazda CX-9 AWD Test – Review – Car and Driver
The Ford Flex as some have mentioned. 6 seater. It looks unique. Not like any of the other cars.
The Dodge Magnum is nice too. I believe it's based on the Mercedes Benze E class chassis and transmission. I could be wrong.
Having said that, why not try a used Mercedes Benz E class wagon, with third row seating. We've always had one in our family. If you educate yourself about the car, join some MB owner groups and find an independent German car shop, maintenance costs are not too bad at all, which is the main knock on German cars.
Our last two MBs have been very reliable, both going over 250K miles with very reasonable maintenance costs. My wife's current E320 TE 4matic is at 120K and still runs like a dream. However, after my wife test drove the Mazda CX9, she's mentioned replacing the MB E320 and getting the Mazda CX9. Cheap guy that I am, I'm trying to convince my wife not to because I don't want any monthly car payments.
As with anything, if you decide to buy used, research the reliability and maintenance costs of the car.
Minivan is not that bad? No, it is GREAT!!! Let me count the ways:
1-Minivan is designed with safety as #1 goal to protect you and the kids.
2-Insurance is cheapest for minivan. It is typically not target by thieves.
3-Police tend to overlook speeding minivans
4-Roomiest cabin and very comfortable in 2nd/3rd row for extended trips.
5-Fold down the third row and you have a cavernous trunk so you can buy furniture, 70" TV's, etc
6-Sliding doors. You will love them getting kids in and out and in tight spaces.
I love mine and will replace it with another in another 5 years.
Not sure how much you want to spend, but imo, your most affordable and economical option would be to buy a used Taurus wagon; you can find great deals on these for really cheap, and they are pretty reliable. I think they can seat up to 8. Another affordable option might be a used Ford Frestyle which is technically considered a wagon, not an SUV, and it has a third row seat, but it might be risky because they sometimes have expensive transmission problems. Mazda5 might also be worth looking into; gets good gas mileage and has sliding doors but looks more like a car than a van...
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