What is the best "Family Rig"

frankenyoter

frankenyoter

No Rain, No Rainbow
Joined
Mar 17, 2009
Location
DARK CITY
What are opinions on the best family vehicle. We have one child (may expand more) and need to get the wife a new vehicle (so I can drive her car and stop sucking down so much diesel). Need a balance between size/space and fuel economy. Longevity of the vehicle is key along with low maintenance. It will be wifes dd and there is no need for 4x4. Budget is 10k.
 
ZJ. V6 jeep grand cherokee. 250k lifetime miles on motor if well maintained. Parts available EVERYWHERE. wide aftermarket. Plenty of room. Plenty of power. about the best mileage your gonna get out of any SUV with that kinda interior space.

Your other option is any generation 4runner. A four door body being optimal for a family. Same benefits as above mentioned vehicle but with the cool Toyota crowd atmosphere.

A trooper isnt a bad option either but low aftermarket support.

A Landcruiser would be ideal size wise. HUGE interior space. Crappy mileage. Will tow anything...just wont tow fast. FJ80 with 3rd row seating gives you room to grow and lots of creature comfort. Lots of aftermarket support. FJ60 for the cool factor. But a bit more spartan in the interior dept. And for the SUPER cool factor, FJ55.

These are all 4x4 options with longevity in mind.

Im not really up on anything without a transfercase, but anything with a toyota emblem on it cant be a bad choice.
 
Wj grand Cherokee or even the newer wk if ya find the right deal.
 
Fj80's are awesome, we call my buddys the family wagon, but gas mileage sucks. I'd probaly shoot for a 4runner, maybe a 3rd gen with the 3.4 v6.
 
To clarify, I don't need a rig that will tow. I have a crew cab diesel truck. I plan on using the wifes car to commute and park my rig until it needs to do man stuff. I feel like the savings in fuel alone would offset half of a payment.

I would like a 4Runner, but gas mileage is a deal breaker. I like the idea of a Pilot, but again mileage leaves something to be desired.

A VW TDI wagon would be slick, but maintenance issues scare me. I just don't know what years to stay away from or what to look for on a diesel VW.

My dream family rig would be a loaded FJ80 with a diesel conversion, but that doesn't seem practical at this point.

Not terribly scared of a mini van since I don't have to drive it. But, again I don't know what years/models to focus on.
 
frankenyoter said:
To clarify, I don't need a rig that will tow. I have a crew cab diesel truck. I plan on using the wifes car to commute and park my rig until it needs to do man stuff. I feel like the savings in fuel alone would offset half of a payment.

I would like a 4Runner, but gas mileage is a deal breaker. I like the idea of a Pilot, but again mileage leaves something to be desired.

A VW TDI wagon would be slick, but maintenance issues scare me. I just don't know what years to stay away from or what to look for on a diesel VW.

My dream family rig would be a loaded FJ80 with a diesel conversion, but that doesn't seem practical at this point.

Not terribly scared of a mini van since I don't have to drive it. But, again I don't know what years/models to focus on.
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I've got an 04 TDI Passat that has been great. I bought it in 07 with 67k miles on it, now it has 179k miles on it. I've changed an alternator, a CV axle, a wheel bearing, did the timing belt at 100k, changed the oil 11 times, and put 4 sets of tires on it. Also upgraded to HID's when a lowbeam bulb burned out, and replaced one interior light bulb. I wouldn't hesitate to buy the same car again. And top it off with 40mpg everywhere you go, decent power, safe, and everything is laid out just right ergonomically.
 
I DD a 2010 Toyota Sienna. My tow rig sits in the driveway the vast majority of the time. My wife's work hours are crazy, so I drop off and pick up my boy at the daycare. It has tons of room inside to take everything you need when going on vacation. I haven't measured the mpg, but it seems to be pretty good. Yeh, it is a minivan, but once you own one, you quickly get over that "I'll never drive a minivan" BS and see why there are so many out on the roads. They are the most practical vehicle for a family.

I did my homework before buying it because I plan on keeping it for a long time. IIRC, the engine was redesigned for the 2007 models to use a timing chain and I think more displacement too, so you don't have to deal with timing belt replacement. The Honda Odyssey is good too, but I heard the transmission is not as reliable as the Yota one.
 
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We have an 08 Scion xB for the family truckster. It does great for what we need it for. It rattles a little, but it's easy to drive, good on gas, and easy to get the kids and adults in and out of. TONS of rear seat room, and high seating for easy ingress/egress. We've got 90k on it, and I'm just now getting ready to do the brakes. Otherwise, it's been dead reliable. And when it does come time to work on it, it's laid out well enough that I can get in and out of just about anything on it quickly. For a family of 4, I can't think of a much better compromise.
 
We've got an 08 Charger 3.5L that is my wife's car. It gets around 20 mpg's combined city/highway and has plenty of room inside and a large trunk. We bought it new and now it has 84k on it.
 
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drkelly said:
I DD a 2010 Toyota Sienna. My tow rig sits in the driveway the vast majority of the time. My wife's work hours are crazy, so I drop off and pick up my boy at the daycare. It has tons of room inside to take everything you need when going on vacation. I haven't measured the mpg, but it seems to be pretty good. Yeh, it is a minivan, but once you own one, you quickly get over that "I'll never drive a minivan" BS and see why there are so many out on the roads. They are the most practical vehicle for a family.

I did my homework before buying it because I plan on keeping it for a long time. IIRC, the engine was redesigned for the 2007 models to use a timing chain and I think more displacement too, so you don't have to deal with timing belt replacement. The Honda Odyssey is good too, but I heard the transmission is not as reliable as the Yota one.
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I have been considering the Sienna as a top choice. Some friends have one and they are pleased. I have yet to mega research what year model is the best choice. Been narrowing my options first.
My wifes Camry almost kills me every time I get my kid out of the car seat. I know I dont want to contort to reach a car seat anymore.

I too don't want to replace it anytime soon. Any you almost cant kill a Yota.
 
frankenyoter said:
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My wifes Camry almost kills me every time I get my kid out of the car seat.
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Sliding power rear doors with the tall roof of a minivan are awesome.
 
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