Well a couple of things (my perception of them anyway from what I’ve looked at and driven…)
1.) MPG - seems most I look at get low 20’s for hwy mpg whereas some of the crossovers I look at claim at least to get mid-20’s
2.) Clearance on the mini-van seems LOW making it difficult to drive in some of the rural areas I need to be able to travel in regularly, HOWEVER…
3.) I work in a larger city and a minivans is a bit difficult to maneuver in the parking ramps, height on the van is too HIGH.
4.) In a minvan seems there is a ton of extra space around the seats and less in the back for cargo and I’d prefer more space for cargo…we just use it for that more.
5.) Plus I just don’t like the feel of how they drive - although I’ve driven only a couple.
Anyway, I’d appreciate any light you have to shed on minivan options that may fit these requirements. Seems like there are several wagon options that might work that have great MPG, great cargo space and plenty of room for kids including a third row seat (which of course you can’t use at the same time as the cargo room but we shouldn’t need to)…so we’re kind of leaning that way at the moment.
Another good suggestion - I do not need to haul extra kids on commuting days so we had considered (and I guess haven’t ruled it out yet) getting an inexpensive van for that purpose. In fact, I recently saw at a local dealership an 1982 Cadilac limo with only 38K miles, three bench seats and a trunk that could fit nearly all the contents of my house…not sure how reliable it is and can’t imagine it’s terribly feul efficient but for running around locally could possibly work (and seemed just kinda fun). My husband has a commuter car and pick-up truck for our ‘rural needs’ so the only downside is having 4 vehicles for the two of us drivers.
I do worry about the saftey of rear-facing seats, although I’ve heard folks who claim Volvo wagons to be very safe.
We did see a Mazada 5 recently and thought it would be perfect and seemed fit everything we are looking for if it only had a bench middle seat. I wonder if a bench middle seat comes as an option at all? I’ll check that out! Thanks!
Not sure your price range, but I thought of something, a Ford Flex. Has 3rd row seating, though it looks a bit cramped. It isn’t much longer than a Mustang either. It even has a mini fridge in the 2nd row center console for keeping kids’ drinks cold. http://www.fordvehicles.com/crossovers/flex/index.asp?v=html&discL=-1
Yep, the used limo idea is not a new one, and I almost suggested it but the availability is pretty hit and miss. I have an anti-GM bias so I will not comment on the Cadillac except to say 1982 is pretty old, but might be OK if it’s well cared for. A mechanic’s pre-purchase inspection would be essential. Oh, and you should try driving that whale around a bit. They can be longer than a van and cornering in town can be tricky.
Volvos are, indeed, safe cars. They aren’t all that much better than many others these days. Their reputation was built 30 years ago, and they are still good, but the rest of the field has caught up. To see safety ratings for various cars you might be looking at go here: http://www.safercar.gov/
Make sure that you compare cars in the same size class and not between classes. A tiny car with a 5-star rating is not as safe as a large car with the same rating. The ratings allow you to compare cars in the same size class only. The test is designed to tell you what the effect of hitting an identical car is.