4 kids; what to do

Its Big, has lots of room, and can tow.
http://www.toyota.com/sequoia/

 

You've got lots of time.

Minivan is the right car for your family now.

Drive the Odyssey and also the Sienna. Odyssey drives a touch stiffer - more like a tight sedan. To me it's both more comfortable and more fun to drive, but it's a matter of taste.

If you're going to go on long road/camping trips with the family, they're *way* more comfortable with the minivan, and if you think you're taking a 4-runner on 4WD trails loaded with the with the wife and 4 kids, you're kidding yourself. That's something everyone tries *once.*

When your kids (not necessarily just boys either) are older, you can get an older tacoma and fix it up for a trail rig/second driver and you guys can wrench on it together.

 

Get the sienna for now. I don't mind the look of the white one with gun metal rims.

 

Get the van! Like I taught both my sons, if Mom ain't happy...ain't nobody happy.

Seriously, functionally speaking the van will run circles around the 4Runner for family stuff. And both the Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna have evolved into really nice vehicles. I've known folks who owned one or the other, and they were very happy with them.

Your truck days will come around again. Gave up my first Toyota Pickup when we had our first kid 24 years ago. Need for family friendly vehicles and a series of overseas assignments kept me out of another truck until I retired from active duty fall of 2009. My Tacoma was my retirement gift to myself. Don't want to scare you that you'll go that long...the overseas assignments and then buying our first house after we got to Alaska were the biggest factors that kept me from buying another truck.

Good Luck and Congratulations!

 

I see by your profile that you're 26, in the Navy, and live in San Diego. That means that you are probably not home all year round (just a guess, depends on what you do).

Suck it up. Let your wife decide what's best for her especially if she's going to be the main chauffeur. I bet getting the kids in and out of the van will be much easier on your wife and safer for the kids than a 4Runner.

 

Get a minivan, and a trailbike for the backcountry.

 

If you have to get a minivan at least the Sienna SE actually looks as good as a minivan is going to. It's sad that it's like the sportiest looking model in the lineup these days lol.

 

How about a 4.6 liter Tundra Double Cab with the 6 1/2 foot bed and the full bench seats front/rear for 3 accross each row to seat a total of 6? This would DEFINATELY give you the most utility out of any options mentioned as far as seating room versus capability. You could carry your entire family fairly comfortably, plus any toys in the bed (or strollers for that matter - put a camper shell/canopy on the thing) you could get it in a 4x4, you'd have plenty of power to tow and the 4.6 liter probably gets better mileage right now than your 4.0 liter Tacoma.

 

Preatty simple - you need a mini van !!!

if and when the time comes, get both.

I did. ( wife has her mini van, toyota of coarse )

 

once you fall for a minivan man...your manhood is lost! 4runner all that way and buy yourself a beater taco. put a big lift and boggers on and once your kids get older they'll love it. trust me.

 

Just got out of the Navy. They squeezed me out due to force reductions. Back in CO now with the prospect of a job in WA hopefully.

 

i say get a 4runner!!! my wife and i had a 2008 with the third row and it has a lot of room!! we dont have any kids but it did awesome as a drunk bus!! we just traded it in for a 2011 Limited 4Runner and that thing is worth every penny!! i still kept my 2010 TRD DBL Cab Longbed 4x4 for camping and wheeling and as my rig... i say look at the new 4runner!!

 

Congrats on expecting! I hope all works out well.
We traded our Grand Cherokee in for a new Nissan Quest in 08'
The wife has not even put 20K on it yet!
She loves it though & we have room for our kids and their stuff and their friends and their relatives & their relatives shit....
You get the point.
Best of luck to you, and thank you for your service.

 

With four kids, the mini-van is the way to go. Going places is more fun when everybody is comfortable. The 4Runner with a third seat will have a seatbelt for everyone, but no room for all the stuff you have to take along with small kids.

I loved being able to pile everyone and their stuff into our mini-van when my kids were at home. I really miss those days. This an awesome time in your life, embrace it!

 

buy a 4 door Raptor!

 

x2. my sister has 2 kids, sold her lifted dodge 3500 for a minivan, she said she feels dorky in the van, but it's incredibly practical.

you could pickup a very cool first gen double cab for fairly chep, which will fit the kids if you absolutely need to.

 

Problem with the taco is I can't safely fit all the kids. 3yo, 10month old twins, and another on the way. Not putting the 3yo in the front. Maybe an older 4Runner with the 3rd row

Don't want to spend a fortune on gas

 

I am sorry to say this but get rid of the WIFE keep the taco you can pick up another wife faster in the taco then a minivan.

Just kidding

Sorry your going to have to get something else to hall the gang.

 

I think the 4runner would be a bad Idea. Alot of hassel to get kids to the back seat. You have to fold the middle row up to get to the back which also makes it not very good for stashing all the things kids need when traveling. Some type of SUV (family oriented) or a van would honestly be better than the 4runner. The new 4runners have a 3rd row but still not and easy thing to do with 4 young kids.

 

we had a 4-runner in buffalo, then a mini-van in virginia, then got another 4-runner once back in buffalo.

it wasn't long before she wanted the mini van again.

we only had two boys, but the mini van is the way to go.

seating for seven, or 4 with lots of storage room with back seat down.

like when you have to haul all of their sports equipment

or better yet for any road trips, the mini van is always preferred.