AWD or 4WD vans?

[deleted member]

so, we want a new vehicle too for my wife. not been really happy with our Yukon XL. love the room and the interior. but, mechanically, they seem to be a big ole POS. done enough reading to understand there are too many issues with these and the suburbans that are in our price range. they get way too much $ for them in ND. so, we are considering moving to a minivan. but, we need AWD/4WD. anyone out there got any input? just need a starting point and will start the reading. seems this is the bestest place to go for vehicle information these days.

2010 or newer.

 

[Jigaman]

Have you thought about a mid-size suv? We had a honda odyssey when the kids were little but once they were out of car seats (into boosters) we went to a chevy traverse. About the same size as the van but AWD and doesnt feel like your driving a minivan...

I will say though, the loser cruiser was great when the kids were little. The sliding doors were tits when in a crowded parking lot and trying to get the car seat in and out.

 

[deleted member]

we've thought about it. we got 2 in car seats and a 3rd teenager... 15 years old. the yukon xl had the buckets in the middle so he could walk thru to the back. which was nice. we need to be able to have 2 car seats for at least another 1-2 years and a bit of cargo room. i would take input on a crossover as long as it allows him easy access to where ever he has to sit. we tried squeezing him between 2 car seats on a 2nd row bench seat yukon/suburban. but, that was pretty much not gonna work.

 

[Jigaman]

In that case, the traverse might be alittle small for your needs. I have two (7 and 9) so it works well for my familly, plus can easilly pull the snowmobile trailer or popup. Our van did have a little more room but your teenager will be cramped in the back of that as well IMO. Can one of your younger one buckel them selves in yet? If so, put them in the back and let the teen sit in the middle row???

 

[johnr]

No offense to anyone intended. That being said, minivan, seriously a effing minivan.

I have 4 children, 2 are grown now, but still...
We somehow made our Ford Expedition, and 4 door pickup with a bench seat in front and back, work while we had the 6 of us.
I always felt if my life came to the point of driving a minivan, I might as well go balls deep and get an effing purse, fanny pack, and except a rack to the nuts every time one of my buddies see's me in it.

Don't let the wife turn that page on you. I know you think it will just be a short phase of compromise, it wont. You will have to live with being a minivan guy the rest of your days.

Its like the story of my bridge building buddy, for 25 years he built bridges, he was the best in the country. Everyone knew him "Jimmy the bridge builder". Everyday Jimmy packed his lunch, went to his job site, did his job, was hugely respected as being the best in the business. One night not long ago Jimmy was out having drinks with his coworkers, they get pretty boozed up. Jimmy and his coworker Benny ended up but f**king each other. From that day forward Jimmy was known not as "Jimmy the bridge builder", but as "Jimmy the butt f**king bridge builder."

 

[deleted member]

Lol. Surprisingly, it's my idea. Don't get me wrong, I love the layout of the burban/yukon. But new they are 70k+. To get a used one in that 30th range, you get old enough and enough miless that you are gonna have problems unless you are lucky from what I have read. I've tried to talk her into a 4 door truck like I have and she says no dice. The cross overs are mostly too tight. So, a van seems like the best fit for the next couple of years

 

[FishReaper]

Flexs are pretty nice, Full size vans offer a true 4wd and are built far more solid than a minivan.. as far as a minivan.... i dont even know who makes them anymore. seems they are getting away from them in some makes

 

[deleted member]

1

 

[johnr]

So when anything starts out as mini in the description it losses all interest from me. That or when a chick says in a high pitched voice like talking to a child "it's so cute"
Just walk away dude

 

[SDMF]

While Mini-vans do indeed suck the cool right outta a guy, they rate exceptionally high on the convenience factor. Mine weren't AWD but I had 5 different Dodge Caravans for work and I can honestly say that if a mini-van were an offering for a current work car, I wouldn't be able to check that box fast enough!! Pretty sure when momma decides that her AWD Fusion needs replacing it'll be Toyota or Honda AWD mini-van for us.

Going back a ways dad had a Chevy Astro AWD, 3 or 4 AWD Caravans, an AWD Pontiac Montana, and whatever it's Chevy counterpart was. The Astro tranny gave out @ ~75K and that's the last trouble he had with a van putting ~75K on each of them. An AWD min-van will go places you'd NEVER expect them to get to or certainly not believe they'd get back out of.

 

[all4eyes]

Check out the Toyota Highlander or sequoia. Highlander has third row seating and awd. Wife loves hers, and it's a Toyota.

 

[Captain Ahab]

This mini van would be hard to bust a guy's balls for:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIutWHOTDqQ

 

[dust in the wind]

If you get a minivan, you know what you need to do....

 

[Ristorapper]

14 k on a new '14 Traverse. Largest cargo space in its class. think they been around since '09 so may fit your budget. AWD models and front wheel drive models. mid row buckets or full seat. Some have third row which will fit a young non obese teenager. Or child seat in the middle of back row and teen in the mid row.

They are heavy; feels like my truck, starting and stopping but it all ends there. Only thing I don't like about this Trav is gas mileage. 15-18 around town and maxes out at around 23 on the highway, but it its AWD! good luck in your search.

 

[deleted member]

I looked at a couple of sequoia today. They moved up the list for sure. A tad spendy. But, not outrageous.

 

[Kentucky Windage]

So when anything starts out as mini in the description it losses all interest from me. That or when a chick says in a high pitched voice like talking to a child "it's so cute"
Just walk away dude

Miniskirt? With a super hot babe showing it off? No, Yeah, I can see why you wouldn't be interested.

 

[Bed Wetter]

Miniskirt? With a super hot babe showing it off? No, Yeah, I can see why you wouldn't be interested.

#thebridgebuildingbrigade

 

[Norske]

My wife and I are starting to look for a replacement for her V6 Honda Accord because the low seats really bother my lower back.
Start with Edmunds.com, Car and Driver.com., and Consumer Reports online and look for words like "agile" and "nimble" in their descriptions. That will exclude most of the mid-sized "SUV's" which are mostly minivans with less room and a longer hood.
I think the only minivan with AWD is now the Toyota. As for the SUV/minis, only the Dodge Durango, Chevy Traverse, and Mazda CX9 are described as something other than clumsy.
Have fun researching, test driving, shopping, and comparing. Watch out for demos and courtesy vehicles that are being listed as new with the original sticker price. To learn the real value of these outdated vehicles, talk to your insurance agent about what it can be insured for, and your bank about cash value. An accurate estimate can be found by pretending to be a seller of that vehicle in KBB.com.
If you're a member of Costco, their buying program can get you about 10% off list price of a some vehicles.

 

[Bed Wetter]

This mini van would be hard to bust a guy's balls for:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIutWHOTDqQ

Why's sitting so low? Are there a bunch of illegal aliens in the back? That thing really moves for being crammed full of Mexicans.

 

[deleted_account]

No offense to anyone intended. That being said, minivan, seriously a effing minivan.

I have 4 children, 2 are grown now, but still...
We somehow made our Ford Expedition, and 4 door pickup with a bench seat in front and back, work while we had the 6 of us.
I always felt if my life came to the point of driving a minivan, I might as well go balls deep and get an effing purse, fanny pack, and except a rack to the nuts every time one of my buddies see's me in it.

Don't let the wife turn that page on you. I know you think it will just be a short phase of compromise, it wont. You will have to live with being a minivan guy the rest of your days.

Its like the story of my bridge building buddy, for 25 years he built bridges, he was the best in the country. Everyone knew him "Jimmy the bridge builder". Everyday Jimmy packed his lunch, went to his job site, did his job, was hugely respected as being the best in the business. One night not long ago Jimmy was out having drinks with his coworkers, they get pretty boozed up. Jimmy and his coworker Benny ended up but f**king each other. From that day forward Jimmy was known not as "Jimmy the bridge builder", but as "Jimmy the butt f**king bridge builder."

What if you carry a 1911 with an extra mag in your fanny pack? (Certainly not a glock, that's straight up gay)