Congrats on the twins!!! Hope the Mrs. is doing well. I don't know what your other ride is but like stormforge said the van is easy to get the kids in and out. Keep the GS and get the van. We have 3 kids(17, 14 ,and 9 now). When the kids were younger we had purchased a Sienna(along with our 4-Runner). It worked out very well for toting the kids around and it was nice for road trips. Understanding this is more about getting 3 car seat across, the van would be nice. For us it was function over looks. Now it's the GS and Sequoia. Good luck on your decision.

 

well, you don't have any kids (yet)! sometimes functionality/practicality needs to be considered over personal preferences; my wife hates driving the odyssey minivan we have, but she is resigned to the fact that it is necessary (and we only have 1 kid!).

i test drove the q7 this past weekend, it handles alot better than the new 2010 RX350. the q7 is a definite possibility for beercity to consider if minivans are out of the question. but it will not be as convenient to get in/out of compared to a minivan as bke420 mentioned above.

 

I dont even think the GX will work for this.....time to get a Seinna or move to something like a GL450 and get the kid to sit in the 3rd row....

 

I'm ready to swallow my humility and get the minivan, but the wife has said flat out NO! I'll keep working on her, b/c I agree it's about practicality for the $. She's dead set on an the Escalade ESV, but I'm not willing to shell out those $.

I'll look into the Q7... never thought about it previously. The other vehicle in the family is a 4Runner... just like you BKE420. How do you like the Sequoia? That's another one on our list if I strike out in convincing her for the minivan. I just need to find a way to keep the GS and get the minivan/suv... i'm thinking a lease deal for 3yrs.

 

Don't think an ESV is necessary. What about regular Esky? Or Tahoe/Yukon?

If you're going to lease, another contender IMHO would be the MB R-class. Very nice I think.

 

same with my wife. she said as soon as we have kids, suv hands down. don't even try to bring her to look at the sienna otherwise she'd kill me, hah...

try the q7. especially if you are leasing the car (no need to worry about warranty), i think that's one damn nice car. the handling is extremely good for the car, blow away the x5 (not to mention lexus).

 

The Sequoia was what the wifey wanted after she was done with the Sienna. We bought it new in '03. It's been great. Even though it's a V-8 it serves it purpose very well for our family of 5. I'm a little biased on Toyotas made in Japan compared to our US made ones. (4-Runner...Japan, Sequoia...US) You can probably work out a great deal on the new Sequioa(new body style this year with a 5.7 V-8).

 

LOL! to quote a CL member (i forget who): you gottta keep the pimp hand strong! j/k!

but seriously, the q7 handles extremely well with the quattro...that is one suv we are seriously considering. a bit on the noisy side tho under full acceleration...we may consider the diesel for its fuel efficiency

 

buy this car and keep it for 3 years...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2004-...3A1|240%3A1318
i think back seat is wide enough for 3 car seats... you have no idea how much leg room this car has...

 

I hated minivan and I never understood why people driving minivan not ashamed of themselves.

Well, now I have a 10-month old boy and maybe a second child soon. Somehow, minivan does not look as bad as before. I even test drove an Odyssey and seriously considering buying it if we have a second child.

There are some 7-8 seater crossovers on the market. Some of them are really nice. I don’t think having only one GS will work for you. If minivan is out of the equation, you should start to look for a 7-seat crossover.

 

there appears to be a crack in the left front lip, the trunk is not vacuumed, and the inside door panels seem a bit scuffed up with marks.

 

maybe one of these odys will persuade you to get one...

http://www.vipstylecars.com/forums/s...ead.php?t=3677

 

congrats brother. I think an SUV or at least a Venza is in your future

 

Nice... Pimped out Minivans.... I never would've thought... it just seems wrong.

So it looks like something with a 3rd row will need to be in store and the wife has requested the 2nd row be Captains chairs... she "hates the fold down seat thinggy". And if we go Minivan, then I must drive it. Which means I could sell the GS, wait a few years and buy a performance car. (something the kids would never touch). HA!

I'm thinking Minivan. New Odyssey or Sienna or used SUV (Tahoe or Escalade). I looked at the Q7... nice, but out of the price range. Gots to be down below $30k.

That Benz looks nice (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2004-...3A1|240%3A1318). But i'm leaning towards the van or suv so the kids are not on top of each other.

 

beercity, u want something with captains chairs and 3rd row seats, sounds like a minivan to me. Although on the new Highlander, the middle seat in the 2nd row pops out.