Most of the time, my 3rd row seats are up. I'll have to take a look at that. Mucho gracias.

Did the SE’s come with the retractable sun screens on the side windows? Mine can rattle when they’re down. Pull them up and the rattling goes away.

my 16 SE came with retractable sun screens.

if safety rating is your thing, pacifica and odyssey scored higher ratings than the sienna did

Bump.. gonna be picking up a minivan soon..
I know the general rule is no domestic minivans, but I've also heard good things about the Pacifica. I'm debating between a slightly used pacifica or odyssey..

eg.
https://www.motortrend.com/cars/chry...arison-review/
https://www.cars.com/articles/2017-c...1420696136778/

I believe with the Pacifica, it's a tight squeeze to have 3 car seats in the 2nd row

EDIT: comes down to how many kids you have or planning to have.

have 2, possibly would have one more. But the oldest should be able to sit in the back. I'm not as worried about that as I am about reliability and maintenance on a domestic van.

Growing up, my parents had a 2000 Ford Windstar... and.. thats probably all I need to say about that.

Did you not like the Ford Windstar?
It's a spacious and comfy van way back then !

I bought a 2013 Chrysler Town & Country Limited brand new back in 2013 and it has not failed me at all. Keep in mind Dodge has been building minivans for many years and the Penastar engine is a rock. I have no regrets in purchasing this minivan over a Japanese brand

how many miles?

many FCA products have bulletproof bodies + motors

but your wallet should be scared of the trans going...same goes for any V6 Honda auto

when's the new Sienna coming?

New Sienna coming in late 2020? They finally have a test mule running around.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.aut...na-spy-photos/

Bump.

So my wife and I are expecting our first. Our current vehicle line up is my 2017 focus RS and the 2002 Focus SVT. As of right now due to our age we plan on just having one child, but for the heck of it I say go under the assumption we may have a second.

We’d both like to avoid mini vans as much as possible. We enjoy driving and lead a pretty active lifestyle (camping, hiking, snow sports, kayak etc) and I think a truck or SUV would be a better way to go.

I will need your hugs opinions as well. I am a car guy and can’t separate myself from wanting a cool unique vehicle with character vs a great family hauler that is bland as dish water

I like the idea of the awd Ford Flex, possibly a 4Runner. The wife rented a ‘19 Santa Fe and liked it a lot. And I’d love to go check out one of those new telluride.

Anyways. I’d love thoughts, opinions, wake up calls etc and general direction pointing

Edit double post

First of all, congrats on the upcoming kid!

As far as expectation are concerned, I'd say forget all of your expectations. Literally anything can happen. You may find that you won't need a minivan / SUV at all! Or you may find that nothing less than a full size minivan would meet your needs. You'd still want to go ahead with whatever plans you think will most likely happen, but don't be tied to the idea.

My biggest question is -- with the baby in the family, how many vehicles are you planning to keep? If you're OK with having 3 vehicles, I would embrace the idea of a boring family hauler as bland as distilled water. Besides, either of your current vehicles is totally capable of driving your family (of 3) around, so even if you are going to trade in either the FoRS or F-SVT, there is still going to be at least 1 fun car around.

Lastly, get as many car seats as the number of vehicles you plan on using to drive your baby around. (Usually that means 2+.) Or if you're using the detachable baby bucket type of baby seat, get a base for each vehicle that you'll use to drive the baby around. Baby car seat installation is an absolute major PITA. Once it is installed, you don't really want to mess with it.

Congrats!

Since it's your first I'd wait til your needs actually outgrow your current vehicles before getting something else. You'll have a much better idea of what features you need to get to suit your purposes vs blindly guessing now. Everything I thought I would or wouldn't need before my kid came along was thrown out the window. If neither of your vehicles are quiet/comfy 4 doors then get something cheapish and go from there.

I have a 19 month old and she's in my wifes 05 Matrix 95% of the time, she's rarely in my Jeep. Anything too high or too low sucks for getting the car seat in and out, especially as they get heavier. Trucks are incredibly bland to drive and I would imagine terrible for bringing wee kids around since there's no dry cargo capacity for the stroller and such. If you want something enjoyable to drive you're probably better off with a sporty wagon of some kind, but I don't think anymore makes those anymore.

Definitely can only keep two vehicles. Good suggestion about dealing with it for now and seeing how it goes. The SVT being a coupe would be total dog shit to get babies in and out of, so it makes sense to get rid of it over the RS. But that means just getting more debt. Could trade in the RS but the thought of converting it back to stock makes me want to puke.

I love wagons but no one really makes Them anymore

Double post. The fucks going on

Not true ... but these WILL put you in debt.

Volvo V60
https://cdn.carbuzz.com/gallery-imag...71-840x560.jpg

Audi RS6
https://www.motortrend.com/uploads/s...ound%7C875:492

Something like this might be more affordable ... functional but ... 2019 is last year that VW is making the wagon.

VW Alltrack 4motion
https://images.craigslist.org/00v0v_...KG_600x450.jpg

Or the plain jane version VW Golf wagon
https://images.craigslist.org/00p0p_...XK_600x450.jpg

^ it’s the RS gods telling you it may be a little early for the minivan thread :lol

Seriously though, I didn’t buy our Sienna until we had our 3rd child.. didn’t seem necessary for one or 2 kids at the time but I will say that the sliding doors are awesome for getting car seats in/out, parking etc and honestly, they are super useful vehicles and not nearly as lame as they were when we were kids.

For me today, the best part is if the kids aren’t getting along you split them up with loudest one in the back in solitary confinement lol.

My youngest is now 4 and my wife wants to trade the van in for a truck since he can hop in and out of vehicles easily.. I’m almost considering trading in my accord instead and keeping the van for the reason mentioned above. If we’re on a 5-6 hour journey to the cariboo, for example, and I can’t banish one of them to the very back I might regret that. Plus we’d be missing the widescreen DVD and reclining captains chairs which would likely only make the kiddies start whining faster.

The more I think about it, get a minivan sooner and keep it longer haha

Congrats, my guy!

A Subaru Outback XT turbo would be a good fit for an outdoorsy enthusiast. The Ascent has the same motor but is pretty big IMO.

https://www.subaru.ca/Content/7907/m...lery-14-dt.jpg

The Golf Alltrack is basically a lifted sportwagen 4motion; both available with a 6MT. There is plenty of aftermarket for more power.

Driven a V60 and V90. V60 is drop dead gorgeous, V90 is peak dentist-mobile. Had a hard time driving a V90 because of the high belt line and long hood.

This !!! :clap:

Or ... wait for a low mileage Subaru Legacy XT.

Or since you're pretty good with DIY, wait for a low mileage manual one like this:
https://images.craigslist.org/00l0l_...oY_600x450.jpg

I can chime in. With our first born, the 2017 Subaru WRX was more than sufficient for family duties. Could fit a full size stroller in the boot too. Car was a bit on the low side, doors didn't open wide enough in parking lots to load and unload my son.

Fast forward a bit in time, and second child was born. At that point it was pretty much GTFO for the WRX and in with the Honda Odyssey. Sliding doors are a life safer, especially when everything is keyless.

Turn to today's date, kids are slightly older now and thinking about downsizing the Van.

Sounds like getting rid of the SVT is the best bet. That way if the RS is ever out of commission or you need to have one of you drop them off and the other pick them up on the same day you're not screwed.

Every road trip as a kid my brother sat in the 2 seat middle row and I sat in the 3 seat back row and it was glorious.

For getting one though, IMO hold off longer so you only have to own one. Again this is based on my childhood in the 90's but we had a bunch of friends that bought a minivan right away with kid #1, then had to replace it just as their kids were hitting their teens. Then the kids got their own cars, and the moms were stuck driving these 3 year old minivans with nobody in them.

First off, Congrats mate.

I personally have a Toyota Sienna, 2 kids, and I drive my parents / in laws for family outings and trips. My other car used to be a Ford Mustang (the mid life crisis), then was traded for a Corolla Hybrid.

If you don't plan on driving more than 4 passengers, I'd say opt for a compact SUV (Mazda CX5, Honda CRV, or Toyota Rav4).

I originally owned a CX5 when I had 1 child. That car was a blast to drive. I'd say it was the most fun compact SUV available (at that time, 2014)

Then 2nd kid came, and I needed a bit more space; especially with driving parents / in laws around town, family trips, and hauling those damn strollers.

7 person SUV was not an option. The 3rd row seats were cramped as hell, and trunk space was very limited, hence I went with the Sienna.

Now that the kids are a bit older (4 and 5), we usually drive the corolla around town. Way more fuel efficient than the van.
The Sienna stays in the garage until I really need to use it. So a few things to consider;

1. Trunk Space (damn strollers!)
2. Rear seat space (for child seats).
3. AWD / FWD ? IIRC, Toyota Sienna is the only minivan that offers AWD? Maybe someone else can chime in, I'm not too familiar with the Pacifica, Odyssey, Sedona, Grand Caravan.

4. # of passengers / seats needed.

5. Amenities (sliding doors, rear entertainment unit, folding / sliding seats etc..)

That's about all I can think of right now. Good luck!

Congrats on having a kid!

We just had our first child last year and planning on another soon.

I ended up selling my '15 Focus ST for a '19 Honda Odyssey a month after he was born. Can't recommend getting a minivan enough even with only one kid so far. The wife was very against it at first but loves it now too. Will keep the van till after our second kid is a bit older, then go for a three-row SUV or truck, but for now, with car seats and strollers a minivan is the way to go.

Any way you can add a third vehicle? A minivan for everyday life and keep the RS for weekends?

It seems the wife is adamant on NOT getting rid of the RS. So that means the SVT will be the likely one to go. Right now on the short list to test drive and get priced out are

- fj cruiser (only older vehicle on the list. We here lots of pros and cons and would like to get up and personal with it)
- 4Runner/highlander/rav4 and cross shop while looking at fj
- Hyundai Santa Fe
- Subaru Forester/outback
- Kia telluride (priced very aggressive in the segment, would like to see for shits and giggles)