Advice for a large family vehicle

[xjchad]

So we're adding another one to the litter (#5) 
(One of the reasons I haven't gotten out to the sand lately.
Our current Chevy Uplander is out to seats so we're looking to upgrade to something larger.
Main concerns are safety and reliability. We'll most likely be buying used.
All minivans are out since all the kids are still in car seats.
I've always been a Chevy guy, but open to ALL suggestions.
Any advice?

[Tim524]

We are a family of 5 and a Suburban is our family vehicle, plenty of room and comfortable too

[xjchad]

A Suburban is one of our options. Will we be able to fit 5 carseats in it?
How has yours been reliability wise?

[WheresMyBeer]

I have a suburban. Family calls it the BUS. Comfy on long trips.

Gets about 8-10 MPG. Sucks on the debit card when prices are high. Depends on your monthly tolerance.

I'd buy a smaller engine now-a-days.

Have family of 5 ... slurp slurp slurp goes the money ....

Mid-sized SUVs hold 5 no problem. Our 2002 MDX actually seats 7 and gets 16+ on the MPG ... (200,000 miles and still going strong LOL )

Ford's are pretty roomy too ...


Edit --- Oh sh!t you said litter of 5? ... Never mind ... yes Suburban type or school bus.

[xjchad]

Edit --- Oh sh!t you said litter of 5? ... Never mind ... yes Suburban type or school bus.

LOL, yes 5 kids plus my wife and I. And all 5 will be in carseats. Definitely looking at the suburban and full size van options. How is the reliability on the suburban?

[Tim524]

Ours has a 5.3L and it runs great with plenty of power. It will sit 8 people and still room for groceries in the back

[xjchad]

Thanks!  I've always liked the Suburbans, but I've heard some mixed reviews on them.

[Tim524]

Mine is a 2005, just put a new motor in it and it is great, it's the wife's daily driver and she loves. I get to drive it on the weekends when we go places with the family

[xjchad]

Thanks guys!
Going to start looking at used Suburbans.  Anything specific to look at or stay away from?

[WheresMyBeer]

I absolutely hate my dual swinging rear doors. The center line connection point makes it hard to see directly behind you in the rear-view mirror. (Especially when trying to watch for Po Po tails on freeways  )

They've changed on newer models, but just a heads up on the older ones. Stupid design really.

[Pinoyfisher]

The wife and I went minivan. 2015 Honda Odyssey Elite. Fully loaded. Built in vacuum, a little cooler, HDMI connections, WFI hot spot, DVD player, wireless head phones, triple climate control, and can actually fit 3 car seats and 4 "real" sized adults. Cool looking... not really, but talk about functional!

We welcomed a girl child a few days ago, so it was a necessity. And, it's a Honda, so it's pretty reliable and fuel economy isn't bad at almost 20mpg city.

[xjchad]

The wife and I went minivan. 2015 Honda Odyssey Elite. Fully loaded. Built in vacuum, a little cooler, HDMI connections, WFI hot spot, DVD player, wireless head phones, triple climate control, and can actually fit 3 car seats and 4 "real" sized adults. Cool looking... not really, but talk about functional!

We welcomed a girl child a few days ago, so it was a necessity. And, it's a Honda, so it's pretty reliable and fuel economy isn't bad at almost 20mpg city.

Wow, sounds nice!
and...  CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!! 

[xjchad]

Just an update:
We picked up a 2000 Suburban yesterday. Base model but in really good shape. Need to put some tires on it this week. It's a 2wd but I want to put on some slightly larger all terrain tires (just cuz that's what I do  I like a little extra clearance and traction for exploring.
Thanks for the advice guys!