In search of a manly, professional family car--does it exist?

jeep commander?

Personally I think spending 30 grand on something to haul other people’s kids around occasionally is silly. For the 3 times a year you’re going to need more than 5 passengers, you could just take 2 cars.

But if you insist on “needing” a miniature bus, then a minivan, van, or SUV is pretty much your only option if you want to seat more than 5.

well shadow fax, they will probably use it for a lot of other things ttoo. roadtrips, camping, sporting stuff, bycycles. appliances, hauling, pets, who knows, work? the guy had a pickup for a reason probably…

Minivan. I call ours “the peacemaker.” Eight seats when we need them, enormous amount of cargo volume for family vacations, big, heavy, and air-bags all over the place.

do they make a smaller transit van??

I always thought the astro van was fairly manly. when did they stop making them?

My first suggestion for a “manly” kid hauler would be a used Dodge Magnum wagon (2008 was the last production year) in the SXT (V6) or R/T (V8) trim. Those were designed specifically for dads who wouldn’t be caught dead in a minivan.

But if you need more seats, my next suggestion would be the Ford Flex. You should be able to find a used one in your budget range.

http://www.ford.com/crossovers/flex/

well we sw, they didn’t specify that… And if you think many or even most people who drive pickups are driving them because they need a pickup, I’ve got this bridge in Brooklyn to sell ya… :wink:

From a woman’s point of view:

  1. The budget the OP’s husband came into the discussion to post would limit options to a good mid-sized sedan, mini-van, or small SUV, any of which have many models available that meet good safety ratings, have quite adequate cargo area for hauling stollers, groceries, etc. all at the same time.

As long as the children can be gotten in and out of car seats without physical problems for those handling the kids, keep in mind that a sedan with a good trunk can often haul more cargo than the smaller cargo area of an SUV but tends to be more physically difficult and demanding to load and unload bulky items such as strollers than from a hatch back opening cargo area. Depending on the type/size/bulk of stroller/s for the kids, you may or may not find a sedan or SUV the best fit for kids in and out of car seats and cargo in and out of the vehicle. When shopping, I strongly suggest you literally test strapping in a car seat and putting your child in and out a few times to see how easy/difficult it is and then test how easy/difficult it is to load the stroller in and out of the cargo area/trunk and look at what area is left for loading groceries and large volumes of diaper packages, etc.

I know a number of families who find the CRV a great vehicle for one to two kids in car seats and all the paraphenalia that goes with small kids such as strollers and diaper bags, groceries and lots of bulky diaper purchases. They have good safety ratings, are affordable, durable, and reliable.

  1. Given the stated budget, I’d opt for whatever works for your daily sized family needs. If grandparents come to town, then use two cars to haul everyone. Makes far more sense.

  2. Just as a personal female perspective, anyone who thinks a minivan takes away from the manliness of a man has their priorities wrong. A truly manly man is one who takes good care of his family and that may mean driving a minivan to stay within the family’s budget so they aren’t in perpetual debt, the family vehicle is one that is safe for husband, wife and kids, and a vehicle which allows he and the wife to transport kids and needed cargo in a manner which isn’t unduly physically hard on the wife and kids. Granted, minivans are not fun to drive nor look particularly attractive; they are basic, practical, boring transportation. But, human nature being what it is, one’s inner vision of oneself also has value. Why not a good minivan or small SUV for wife and kids and a four door sedan for husband which looks more manly but can also accomodate the car seats when needed?

One advantage of not having a 3-row whatever is that you won’t be expected to volunteer for mass child transport events. While I enjoyed carting scouts around in our 3-row, it did get old at times…

The Dodge Journey crossover someone mentioned earlier is in the ballpark of the stated budget. It is one of the better priced vehicles in its class and may be worth a look.

When I was young, and had two older sisters, my dad retired our minivan for a brand new 4x4 XLT Ford Expedition. That was in 1997. I drove it through highschool, and he still drives it today.

I don’t understand how a car enhances one’s image, but I know there are people that consider their vehicle as an extension of their personality. Years ago, in the late 1960s, when I was a new faculty member at a university, I was having lunch with a colleague from the physics department. We were discussing nuclear reactors when some middle level management administrators sat down at our table. These fellows immediately started discussing what make of car they thought people in their position should be driving. At that time, the president was furnished an Oldsmobile by the university and he also owned an Oldsmobile as his personal car. Most were in agreement that the Oldsmobile was the car they should be driving and all but one owned an Oldsmobile. The one that didn’t have the Oldsmobile was the youngest of the group. He drove a Pontiac because he said it showed he was a bright young man on his way up. These administrators discussed a vice president who had owned a Mercury, but finally saw the light, got in step and traded for an Oldsmobile. My colleague from the physics department looked at me and said, “What kind of car do you drive?” “I drive a beat-up old Rambler”, I replied. “It gives me the scholar image”. Our administrator table guests became silent, burped down their lunches and left the table.
I drive whatever vehicle fits my needs and I can afford which means what I can buy for cash. This image business, in my opinion, is silly.

@triedag that is all so silly, I have trouble replying to this because it is possible I have a trophy wife, and every comment I think of I have to backspace and start over. Just want to say she is tired of being compared to whoever.

It is a status symbol obsession in my book.

My happiness in life does not include living up to some body elses status symbol, though I obviosly do not speak for every one.

Ford, Dodge and GM all make a 4 door Pick-Up and the seats are wide enough for 3 across seating.

Going from a 2-row vehicle to a 3-row vehicle increases the cost substantially. My daughter just bought a 2015 Mazda CX-5 Sport SUV. it has a 2L engine and gets 32 MPG on the highway. The Touring and Grand Touring versions use a 2.5L engine that has more pep and gets the same highway mileage, but slightly lower city mileage. You can put a new Sport on the road for $25,000. The others will have an MSRP that starts near $25,000, then you add the fees and taxes.

The desire/demand for a soccer mom van might be as self indulgent as the desire/demand for a Manly truck. If the husband drives a safe and dependable pickup that is paid off and relatively economical to operate as he needs it a growing family might have more need for the financial security of keeping the truck and avoiding a new debt. Or is the truck a diesel dually with a 7 year note?

I am amazed how pregnancy often results in a feeling of entitlement for everthing that is considered appropriate for the perfect family according to magazines and television.

Pickup a Mazda 5 with a six speed stick before they stop selling it. You may get a deep discount with a soon to be discontinued model. Take out the power steering-bonus points for parallel parking it. You would get Mike Tyson forearms in no time. If this isn’t enough, you can install the Mazdaspeed 3s propulsion system in the 5. Car and driver did it.

I’ve suggested the 5 to a few friends but it is a very small 6 seater, might feel really tight with a full load.

Car and driver did manage to get the Mazdaspeed engine into the 5 but even with an entire donor car and the help of Mazda themselves they had issues, Under the hood everything bolted in nicely and they even managed to get the ESC to work in the 5 when the factory didn’t offer it at the time. But the 5’s Body control module doesn’t play well at all with the rest of the speed3 wiring.

Here’s one that’s manly and seats eight.
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=munster+koach+images&id=36725390D55AF953BF9057A32360AB647D8955E0&FORM=IQFRBA

@triedaq, one day, my linear algebra instructor was lecturing in leather pants. Still being fresh high school grads, me and my classmate were wondering what business a mid age woman had wearing that. And then class was over and I was about to cross the street and head back to my door. There was my prof with her wailing Kawasaki Ninja 500 right before our eyes. We need more cool professors like her.