Thanks to the wise advice of this board many years ago, I overcame my insecurities around owning a minivan and bought a used Sienna. No regrets, in fact, I've become a minivan promoter. However 8 years, 150k miles, and many spilled crusty moldy unspeakables later, we are interested in exploring the next vehicular phase of life.

Use case: 3 boys (currently twins ages 11 and a 7 year old), frequent road trips, and my wife will commute for work 2x a week 60-70 miles round-trip

We are thinking this is the "get the boys through high school" car which means it'll need to comfortably hold 5 "adults" (lol) and last 7-10 years. My wife will be the primary driver. She's open to Tahoes and Suburbans but the few times she's driven them she feels uncomfortable with how big they are. Plus they are expensive and not the best for gas for her commutes.

I'm typically a used car guy, but I'd love to get some of the newer safety features and tech. Plus it's my wife's 40th birthday and we've been saving for awhile ($50-60k budget), so want to look at newer options and upgrade her from toddler-spilled-drink-minivan-life.

Early options we've been thinking about:

• Sienna - Do we just get a newer one? Toyota tech looks pretty outdated here though
• Grand Highlander - Tech and features much better and I love the size, but can it really handle our family on a road trip? Could use a roof rack. Also, love the Lexus TX version.
• Telluride - Kia seems to really be making great cars suddenly.
• Traverse - Saw an ad for the new redesigned ones but available info is scarce. Looks like it's stuck in some sort of production hold.
• Used Tahoe/Suburban/Full-Size Something - Older tech and features, set aside more for gas, and get used to it.

What else are we not thinking of? Anyone have experience with the above?

And yes, if you're a dealer in the McKinney/Allen area feel free to message me.

Thank you auto board!

Edit to add: AWD is high on the want list too. We have been renting cars to drive to CO and NM for ski trips each year and hope to continue.

Grand Highlander Hybrid Platinum

Grand Highlander

Just bought my wife one 5 months ago


Went with bench seat in the middle so it can haul 8 if needed




It's no sports car but the turbo 4 non hybrid is getting ~ 21 mpg in city and 27/28 on the highway.


Lots of room for everyone and even behind the third row is pretty decent

Traverse has terrible resale value and the ones we looked at were actually more drive out than the grand highlander we bought

I would definitely at least go and check out what $50k can get you on a Kia carnival

krosch11 said:

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2022 CPO sequoia . Back seats are actually full size and cargo space. Bulletproof powertrain.

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And 4wd is AWD. Go back a couple years as well, same vehicle and will last.

Minivan!

We like the Honda Pilot. It's been great for hauling kids and good enough for the occasional home depot run for yard stuff.

She should just get a slightly used Expedition. She'll get used to the driving experience in a little while. We tried a smaller, more fuel efficient suv and everybody complained about the lack of room. I have an aging Navigator and it has given me no mechanical problems and has plenty of room for a driver plus up to 7 teenagers and their backpacks. An Expedition is the same basic vehicle with less expensive trim.

If you MUST go smaller, then I would recommend a Carnival.

Used, old body style (2022 or earlier) Sequoia. This is what I drive. I have two. I love them (had a 15 with 140k miles, bought a 19 with 30k miles and am saving the 15 for twin boys who will be driving in July).

Or the XL Suburban/Yukon. I may get a GMC Yukon XL at some point. It's very rooms and very nice.

Got your solution OP:
http://www.customautosbytim.com/list.html

3 growing boys, 7-10 years, and frequent road trips?

that's minivan or full size SUV territory - those midsize SUV's feel cramped in anything beyond 4 people and 3 hours. i can't speak for minivans but will offer my opinion on SUV.

yukon xl, suburban, expedition max. late models seem to get better and better on comfort and drivability/maneuverability . my wife went from lifelong sedan use to expedition and i was extremely hesitant of that change but she is fine. get yourself one with the 360 cameras, blind spot monitoring, proximity sensors and its a breeze. gas mileage sucks but its cost of doing business and isn't significantly worse than a gas minivan.

we pack two kids, 90 pound dog with kennel and all our luggage with room to spare. never need a hitch rack or roof rack. in the expeditions you can get a bench or captain chairs middle row. 3rd row in the late models seats average size adults comfortably - although it can get a little bumpy from the bouncing suspension.

Yeah... I'd probably go with a full-sized XL.

We got a 2023 Pilot, it's been great for us (family of 4) but as they grow we may go full sized next time. If I had the coin and availability wasn't a problem I'd probably go Grand Highlander or TX. The Telluride was nice too (didn't like the look of Palisade). But damn these are nice too...but scarce:

Take a look at the heavily discounted 2023 leftover QX80, it's a deal. We got ours last September and it's been great.

agracer said:

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Save the $50k, invest it.

Use $5k (MAX!) over the next 7-8 year for anything that breaks on the existing Minivan.

Take the $50k you invested + saving on insurance and gas, buy sportscar for self.

Profit!

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Hah! Genius!

Peter Klaven said:

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I would definitely at least go and check out what $50k can get you on a Kia carnival

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Thanks for the recs on Carnival! I got excited reading about it. If it had AWD I think it would be a home run. Will still explore. Thanks!

FightinTAC08 said:

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3 growing boys, 7-10 years, and frequent road trips?

that's minivan or full size SUV territory - those midsize SUV's feel cramped in anything beyond 4 people and 3 hours. i can't speak for minivans but will offer my opinion on SUV.

yukon xl, suburban, expedition max. late models seem to get better and better on comfort and drivability/maneuverability . my wife went from lifelong sedan use to expedition and i was extremely hesitant of that change but she is fine. get yourself one with the 360 cameras, blind spot monitoring, proximity sensors and its a breeze. gas mileage sucks but its cost of doing business and isn't significantly worse than a gas minivan.

we pack two kids, 90 pound dog with kennel and all our luggage with room to spare. never need a hitch rack or roof rack. in the expeditions you can get a bench or captain chairs middle row. 3rd row in the late models seats average size adults comfortably - although it can get a little bumpy from the bouncing suspension.

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I forgot to add we have a large dog too. I think we will have to consider full-size. Glad to hear your wife got comfortable with the drivability. Cameras and sensors could definitely help. I think my wife is thinking about her experience driving old ones.

JSKolache said:

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krosch11 said:

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2022 CPO sequoia . Back seats are actually full size and cargo space. Bulletproof powertrain.

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And 4wd is AWD. Go back a couple years as well, same vehicle and will last.

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What is CPO Sequoia? Interesting you mentioned the 2022 or earlier models. We rented a new Sequoia for a road trip recently, thinking it was a bit of a trial run. Car was great but cargo room was a joke for a car that size.

AgAttack said:

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JSKolache said:

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krosch11 said:

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2022 CPO sequoia . Back seats are actually full size and cargo space. Bulletproof powertrain.

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And 4wd is AWD. Go back a couple years as well, same vehicle and will last.

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What is CPO Sequoia? Interesting you mentioned the 2022 or earlier models. We rented a new Sequoia for a road trip recently, thinking it was a bit of a trial run. Car was great but cargo room was a joke for a car that size.

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Certified pre owned.

The 2023 model was completely redesigned. I am a HUGE Sequoia fan and I was so upset with the new model. They ruined it. Cargo space on the older model is much better.

Yep. We recently got a 2021 limited with just under 20K miles . Specifically didn't get the redesign due to the cargo issues and 3rd row searing. Old model is fantastic. I'm 6'1 and fit in third row easily. We've had car full of adults, kids, etc with no issue.

You will find that these last-gen Toyotas with the non-turbos will hold their value far better than they deserve to. Good buy

I bought my 2nd Sequoia last year, after the new ones came out. Used Carvana; it was the easiest car buying experience of my life.

After riding in all of the big SUVs(expedition, Suburban, Sequoia etc.) when it comes time to buy a large family hauler, I'm buying a Ford Transit.

My in laws have one and it is pretty dang slick. You can stand up in the back, stretch out in all of the seats and still have room for everything. It is easier to drive than the large SUVs and they make 4x4 models as well.

Go full-sized SUV. You will get used to driving it. They are pretty sweet. We wore out a Suburban and a Yukon XL raising our 4 kids.

I rented a fully loaded, all wheel drive 2022 Suburban Z71 last summer while we were in Colorado for a week. It was a sweet ride.

StockHorseAg said:

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After riding in all of the big SUVs(expedition, Suburban, Sequoia etc.) when it comes time to buy a large family hauler, I'm buying a Ford Transit.

My in laws have one and it is pretty dang slick. You can stand up in the back, stretch out in all of the seats and still have room for everything. It is easier to drive than the large SUVs and they make 4x4 models as well.

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Do you have a dozen kids?

If you want growing kids and adults to fit comfortably on long road trips you need a full size SUV. From there you need to decide if you want all your luggage to fit inside the vehicle or if you are ok using roof top storage or trailer hitch storage.

If you want to fit everything inside you need a suburban, Yukon xl or expy max.

If you are ok with rooftop or trailer hit hitch storage you can consider more vehicles: expy, Yukon, Tahoe, sequoia, armada, and all their luxury variety brands.

Every vehicle is eventually going to have maintenance required.