4 kids; what to do

Congratulations Toucan!

The practical answer is to get either a Toyota Sienna SE or a Honda Odyssey Touring. These two are the best ones for the job at hand. Minivans are the ultimate brat carriers. Spacious interior, very nice amenities, nice handling and some have good MPGs. Our 2007 Odyssey came complete with Vid and Nav system. It is equipped with VCM, at cruising speed it runs only on 3 cylinders. This is a plus especially in long drives. I know gas guzzlers are not appealing to you with gas prices rising.

You can always get a Tacoma down the road, you are still young. It makes sad though because your truck is nice looking and you influenced me in getting the Wicked flow exhaust. ( I still love it!)

Good luck on your decision and I deeply wish the best for you and family.

 

4 kids and a single vehicle? What does she haul kids with when you're at work? (or vise versa) Being that you are a single vehicle family I would assume that money is an issue so If your doing any commuting I would recommend the more practical and fuel efficient option. (minivan) Kids don't get any cheaper to raise as they get older. Diapers and formula are cheap. I have one in piano and voice lessons, one in hockey and one in ballet. We are constantly hauling kids around in three different directions.

 

PS - if you get rid of your 2nd gen now while its still current you can get top dollar and start saving up for a 3rd gen!

 

i just got a 2011 toyota sienna SE and i must say its pretty nice

 

I was just thinking about the Family Truckster. At least it has "truck" in its name.

 

4-runner or Suburban
Take my opinion worth a grain of salt, as I'm only 22 with no kids

 

Get a used Sequioa if you really hate the minivan idea and are short on cash. That 4.7 Liter V8 in the first gen Sequioa is proving to be pretty bullet proof from what I've read.

 

you will only hate the mini van idea untill you get one

then when 4 of you all have captian chairs with plenty of leg room

you will see how fast you would change your mind.

SUVs dont offer this type of luxury.

Plus for kids - they wont be touching each other ( parents know what i mean )

 

Don't feel bad, this is what my parents had to buy when they had my little sister (that made three of us). They've come a loooooooooong ways.

And you can always do what my parents did when we were old enough to drive, they kept that ugly thing for us kids to use. I'm pretty sure it was my dads way of getting revenge on us for making him buy a mini-van in the first place.

 

Almost 150K on the wife's 2001 Limited Sequoia and it's running perfectly.

I'd recommend a mid 2000's Sequoia, an equivalent model year Land Cruiser or even a Lexus LX 470. Sure the vehicle will be 5+ years old but it will last JUST AS LONG as the mini van, you won't be 'settling' and you will maintain MOST of your investment when you sell the vehicle in 5 years.

The options will be plenty (6 disc in dash CD, air bags galore, virtually no maintainance, leather, sun roof, etc... plus the vehicle will be broken in so when the kids trash it, it won't break your heart).

I bet you could spend ~$20K and end up with a SUPER SWEET ride that will last just as long as a 2011 Toyota of any model. Toyota is NOT what it used to be so buying new is almost a compromise.

 

Vasectomy


mark

 

Thanks for all the thoughts, opinions, and good reads. Love the vasectomy comments; oh yes, it will be happening now lol. We'll still have to decide what to do. When we looked it was cold and didn't even try maneuvering the car seats. I hope to keep the truck and buy the van because going to one vehicle; while I still have a perfectly functioning truck in case something were to happen to the other vehicle, just doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. Could be the selfish aspect but I've also seen first hand (and no offense to the ladies) how common sense goes right out the window. It seems this way dude largely in part to the fact many women live in the "now and today" while men can appreciate the moment cause something might now last or you'll need it later. Dunno, my buddy and I were talking about that today and it made sense, granted the convo was a little more off topic.

 

As Good as It Gets (1997)

Receptionist: How do you write women so well?
Melvin Udall: I think of a man, and I take away reason and accountability.

 

Yay! Sexist statements!

 

Yeah, that pretty much put an end to this thread. Sorry, if I offended anyone.

 

NEVER a minivan

Go 4 runner...

 

I have to admit. As minivans have gone in the last few years, I'm glad the companies are finally turning around on style. At least Honda and Toyota. I haven't seen such dramatic body lines EVER on a minivan as much as the current Odyssey! Kinda sweet, honestly.


And the SE edition of the Sienna is pretty BA looking, for a minivan.


Like I said, I'm 22 and have no plans of any kind involving kids in the near future. But since I grew up riding around in a 2002 Honda Odyssey, I can understand the appeal. They haul everything and allow all kids to have their own space.

 

Think of driving a minivan like getting your balls cut off by your wife and her feeding said balls to you.

Put your foot down and get SUV.

 

Got it!

 

You have a bed toss the kids in there, just ratchet them down so they don't move. If you go the van may I suggest a cool paint job like the A-Team van... but the van is probably most sound, most leg room once those kids start growing and don't want to sit in the back row of the 4 runner, plus easier access for Car Seat Strapping and unstrapping.