onecrazyfoo4u Posted March 19, 2015 Report Share Posted March 19, 2015 So we've had our 2012 DJ Crew for 3 years on the dot now...got it for $25k and paid it off over a year ago (thank you overtime). So it's really nice not having a car payment. And we love our DJ, not a single problem with it, runs like a charm. Have 83k miles on it now (put almost 30k a year on it). One of the main pushes for our DJ was the cheap cost and excellent mileage for a big engine. Here's our delema. We have an almost 5 yr old, almost 3 yr old and a new baby due in June. The 5 yr old is in a booster seat now, 3 yr old still in a giant convertable seat. We've tried the 5 yr old in the 3rd row. But it's still too hard for him to buckle his own seat belt...plus it's a pain to have to open the hatch everytime for him to get in and out. Plus we lose most of our hatch storage and can barely fit a stroller in there. So we're back to normal configuration with them both in the second row. I think we'll be able to fit the infant car seat in the middle of the second row. If we can, it'll obviously be crowded, but at least we'll have back hatch storage still. It will be a pain to get the newborn car seat in and out of the middle seat. On top of this, we are relocating to Utah for a new job in a couple months. There we'll be able to drive 1/3 what we do now (average probably 10-15k miles a year). So there won't be a huge need to have 25+ mpg gas mileage. We are thinking of upgrading to a bigger SUV with the 2nd row captain seats, so our 5 yr old can just walk back to the 3rd row to sit. Our DJ would be worth ~$16k private sale or ~$14k trade in. Probably due to our high mileage. But we can easily afford the car payment, no problem. What would you all do? We've looked at minivans and just can't make ourselves do it. I know they're convenient, but we like to go offroad, camping, tow stuff. SUV is more practical for us. If you guys would upgrade vehicles, which SUV's would you be looking at? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2late4u Posted March 19, 2015 Report Share Posted March 19, 2015 (edited) what about the durango it comes with the 3.6 engine. Have never sat in one looks like a lot bigger vec....Congrats on the third baby... Edited March 19, 2015 by 2late4u Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkeaton Posted March 19, 2015 Report Share Posted March 19, 2015 (edited) Durango, Cherokee, Tahoe/Yukon, Explorer. Edited March 19, 2015 by jkeaton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfurth Posted March 19, 2015 Report Share Posted March 19, 2015 Doesn't the middle row have the easy entry to the 3rd row? It's in the 2015, I don't know if it's in the 2012. If it does, then the infant carrier base won't interfere with it too much, and you can still get the 5 year old in and out of the 3rd row without opening the rear hatch, and you've got easy enough access to help him with the seatbelt. The stroller is a different problem, but it should fit even with one of the seats up (yes, you lose most of the cargo space). Which brings me to the solution - roof pod (assuming you have an existing rack)! It won't work well for the weekly grocery shopping, but unless everyone goes to do that anyway, it's not an issue (I've gotten really good at installing and removing car seats in the last 5 years). If you're already towing a trailer for camping, storage space isn't an issue for that. Otherwise: Durango, Explorer, etc. Also - don't knock the minivan until you've really tried it. My 2010 T&C runs great, and handles the weekly duties of a decent size family (soon to be 3rd kid!) like a champ. The 2011s (all Mopar vans) and up come with the Pentastar engine and 62te transmission (and the 2014s have the HD brakes standard). It won't do any offroading, but it will haul anything on any highway you'll ever need. A used 2014 or 2013 Grand Caravan can be had for manageable prices (probably under $15k if you really try). It won't have all the bells and whistles, but if you can swing the loan (and all other costs on maintaining) a second vehicle (with 3 kids, I'm assuming you and your happy spouse are not a one car family), a minivan and a crossover are a good combo to have. Honestly, it's why we arrived at the Journey when we had to replace my '03 Malibu. Keep the Journey for your offroading and camping (and probably your daily driver - just making assumptions on who handles the kids every day), get a minivan for the daily family hauling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onecrazyfoo4u Posted March 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2015 Does the Durango, Grand Cherokee, Explorer, Tahoe have just the two side captain seats in the second row?...so no need to pull up seats to access third row? That's the big killer, is you can't pull or flip the second row seats to access the third row with the big ass car seats latched in. There's just not enough wiggle room. So the 3rd row access without moving 2nd row seats is a must. What SUV would you all turn to if you were to upgrade to a bigger SUV? Doesn't the middle row have the easy entry to the 3rd row? It's in the 2015, I don't know if it's in the 2012. If it does, then the infant carrier base won't interfere with it too much, and you can still get the 5 year old in and out of the 3rd row without opening the rear hatch, and you've got easy enough access to help him with the seatbelt. The stroller is a different problem, but it should fit even with one of the seats up (yes, you lose most of the cargo space). Which brings me to the solution - roof pod (assuming you have an existing rack)! It won't work well for the weekly grocery shopping, but unless everyone goes to do that anyway, it's not an issue (I've gotten really good at installing and removing car seats in the last 5 years). If you're already towing a trailer for camping, storage space isn't an issue for that. Otherwise: Durango, Explorer, etc. Also - don't knock the minivan until you've really tried it. My 2010 T&C runs great, and handles the weekly duties of a decent size family (soon to be 3rd kid!) like a champ. The 2011s (all Mopar vans) and up come with the Pentastar engine and 62te transmission (and the 2014s have the HD brakes standard). It won't do any offroading, but it will haul anything on any highway you'll ever need. A used 2014 or 2013 Grand Caravan can be had for manageable prices (probably under $15k if you really try). It won't have all the bells and whistles, but if you can swing the loan (and all other costs on maintaining) a second vehicle (with 3 kids, I'm assuming you and your happy spouse are not a one car family), a minivan and a crossover are a good combo to have. Honestly, it's why we arrived at the Journey when we had to replace my '03 Malibu. Keep the Journey for your offroading and camping (and probably your daily driver - just making assumptions on who handles the kids every day), get a minivan for the daily family hauling. I don't know what the easy entry 3rd row is, you have to flip up the seats to gain access....which you can't do with car seats strapped in to both sides. We've thought about doing the roof pod or hitch rack to carry excess stuff when there's not enough room in the hatch. Just seems like such a pain to access them all the time. Plus they'll lower mpg a little bit I'm sure. We've tried out the minivans...and they are nice and huge and practical. It's just the offroading/camping thing that's a goner. Two low of ground clearance. We need that capability in a vehicle. Our second vehicle is just my cheap commuter car. We don't want to have two fancy newer vehicles. No need to pay for that. Plus don't want to be transferring car seats back and forth (or purchasing two sets of car seats). It's simple just to have the one nice family vehicle (while I drive the crappy commuter to work ). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfurth Posted March 19, 2015 Report Share Posted March 19, 2015 Does the Durango, Grand Cherokee, Explorer, Tahoe have just the two side captain seats in the second row?...so no need to pull up seats to access third row? That's the big killer, is you can't pull or flip the second row seats to access the third row with the big ass car seats latched in. There's just not enough wiggle room. So the 3rd row access without moving 2nd row seats is a must. What SUV would you all turn to if you were to upgrade to a bigger SUV? I don't know what the easy entry 3rd row is, you have to flip up the seats to gain access....which you can't do with car seats strapped in to both sides. We've thought about doing the roof pod or hitch rack to carry excess stuff when there's not enough room in the hatch. Just seems like such a pain to access them all the time. Plus they'll lower mpg a little bit I'm sure. We've tried out the minivans...and they are nice and huge and practical. It's just the offroading/camping thing that's a goner. Two low of ground clearance. We need that capability in a vehicle. Our second vehicle is just my cheap commuter car. We don't want to have two fancy newer vehicles. No need to pay for that. Plus don't want to be transferring car seats back and forth (or purchasing two sets of car seats). It's simple just to have the one nice family vehicle (while I drive the crappy commuter to work ). The 2nd row in mine has a lever at the top of each side of the 60/40 split. Let's say you put the infant carrier on the driver side (the 40 split). With just the base installed, the seat back is still movable. The easy entry lever will allow the seat to slide forward, lift up the seat, and fold the seat back forward slightly (the base should still be able to be attached while all this is going on). You leave the driver side 3rd row seat up at all times, let the 5 year old hop in, and help him buckle. Then, slide everything back into place and put the infant carrier in place. At the point that you'd need to switch to a larger car seat (the big convertable), you might be switching your middle child to a high back booster (it's at the lower end of the age/weight range, but still legal (in most of the US) and safe enough - dependong in the child), or getting a smaller 5 point harness seat (like a Graco Nautilus or equivalent). Either way, your 6 year old (by then) could probably sit in a backless booster wherever he wants. The worst of it is year 1. After that, it gets easier. If you've already got the base for the infant carrier, go try it out. If it works well enough, then you don't need to buy a new vehicle (and can then work around the storage capacity issue with a significantly lower budget). If it doesn't, then you have a more definitive answer. onecrazyfoo4u 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onecrazyfoo4u Posted March 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2015 The 2nd row in mine has a lever at the top of each side of the 60/40 split. Let's say you put the infant carrier on the driver side (the 40 split). With just the base installed, the seat back is still movable. The easy entry lever will allow the seat to slide forward, lift up the seat, and fold the seat back forward slightly (the base should still be able to be attached while all this is going on). You leave the driver side 3rd row seat up at all times, let the 5 year old hop in, and help him buckle. Then, slide everything back into place and put the infant carrier in place. At the point that you'd need to switch to a larger car seat (the big convertable), you might be switching your middle child to a high back booster (it's at the lower end of the age/weight range, but still legal (in most of the US) and safe enough - dependong in the child), or getting a smaller 5 point harness seat (like a Graco Nautilus or equivalent). Either way, your 6 year old (by then) could probably sit in a backless booster wherever he wants. The worst of it is year 1. After that, it gets easier. If you've already got the base for the infant carrier, go try it out. If it works well enough, then you don't need to buy a new vehicle (and can then work around the storage capacity issue with a significantly lower budget). If it doesn't, then you have a more definitive answer. Oh I see what you are saying. Yeah, our seats are the same. I wasn't thinking about just the infant car seat base...very true, you can probably still flip the seat forward with just the infant base. Unfortunately we don't have one right now to try (we just traded it in for a convertable car seat). That would probably work though...since it's still somewhat easy enough to access the 3rd row to help him buckle in until he can learn himself. Then we'd just have to decide if the loss in hatch cargo space would be acceptable. Hmmm, decisions. I know if we go test drive some bigger/newer SUV's we'll want one for sure of course . We'll have to test it out and see how much of an annoyance it is for my wife to do that several times a day (drop off at school, run errands, pick up from school, activities, etc). She does 90% of the driving with the kids each day. I think she would get tired of doing the seat juggle multiple times a day... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfurth Posted March 19, 2015 Report Share Posted March 19, 2015 She might get tired of it. But for potentially $10k in savings, she might not. My wife is quite possibly the biggest penny pincher in the world. It forces me to be creative in finding solutions to problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhh3 Posted March 19, 2015 Report Share Posted March 19, 2015 I think that 3 car seats in the DJ is pushing it, width-wise. But, all 3 positions are marked for a car seat. I just think it would be a tight fit because of the width of the arm rest (middle position. It is a tight fit when I have 3 kids in the middle seat, and it is hard for them to buckle. I can't imagine doing this with car seats. Grand Cherokee is slightly wider, but no third row. My brother-in-law manages to get three car seats across in his Acura MDX, but the MDX is based on the Honda mini van (wider). With the Explorer, you would have to put up with "MY Ford Touch". I have never read a good report on one. Same can be said for the Expedition/Navigator twins. So, then there is the Dodge Durango, and the Tahoe/Yukon twins. GM finally moved to the 21st century so the third row folds into the floor. All of these can be had with second row captain's chairs. I believe that you would get a better deal on a Durango. You might do better with your local dealer before you move. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bramfrank Posted March 19, 2015 Report Share Posted March 19, 2015 (edited) Or, just pay for your active libido and get a Grand Caravan - those things are rolling bowling alleys - they are specifically designed with the larger family in mind. You are going to need one for shuttle service soon enough anyway . . . and they're cheap. For offroading pick up a used CJ or a fleet of dirt bikes for what you've saved. Edited March 19, 2015 by bramfrank dhh3 and 11journeybama 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhh3 Posted March 19, 2015 Report Share Posted March 19, 2015 Or, wait a year or two for the 3 row Jeep Grand Wagoneer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigtsr Posted March 19, 2015 Report Share Posted March 19, 2015 (edited) Ha ha trade the DJ in on a Grand Caravan and see if they will throw in a vasectomy!! lol Oops! Maybe I should have said "vansectomy" !!! Edited March 21, 2015 by bigtsr dhh3 and Journey_SeXT 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silenze Posted March 20, 2015 Report Share Posted March 20, 2015 You guys are talking trash about the grand caravan and the journey has the same front end. Cant even tell them apart Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacman Posted March 20, 2015 Report Share Posted March 20, 2015 (edited) I don´t live in USA (but I've visited several times) so I don´t know your cars very well. My last visit (whole family, wife and 3 kids, who were 14, 9, 7) was on 2013 summer, and I rented a Grand Caravan, with captain's chairs in middle row. It was nice to drive, but I even didn't try offroading, maybe, as you say, low clearance to ground. On the other way, there was enough room for all our luggage. One option if you want to keep your DJ is placing your middle kid's seat on the third row, at driver's side, 5-years old child in 2nd row at the same side, and trying if you can push front (not fold) the second row seat so that middle kid can reach his seat. Second row, at passenger's side, would be reserved for little baby, and, worst of it, you lose half of your cargo space. Certainly, not easy to decide. I'm not sure if this one is the same option that bfurth has told you, if so, sorry for repeating, sometimes my english is not so good as I would like to be. Finisihing: isn´t Chevrolet Traverse an option for any of you when considering changing to a bigger SUV? Edited March 20, 2015 by pacman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfurth Posted March 20, 2015 Report Share Posted March 20, 2015 I don´t live in USA (but I've visited several times) so I don´t know your cars very well. My last visit (whole family, wife and 3 kids, who were 14, 9, 7) was on 2013 summer, and I rented a Grand Caravan, with captain's chairs in middle row. It was nice to drive, but I even didn't try offroading, maybe, as you say, low clearance to ground. On the other way, there was enough room for all our luggage. One option if you want to keep your DJ is placing your middle kid's seat on the third row, at driver's side, 5-years old child in 2nd row at the same side, and trying if you can push front (not fold) the second row seat so that middle kid can reach his seat. Second row, at passenger's side, would be reserved for little baby, and, worst of it, you lose half of your cargo space. Certainly, not easy to decide. I'm not sure if this one is the same option that bfurth has told you, if so, sorry for repeating, sometimes my english is not so good as I would like to be. Finisihing: isn´t Chevrolet Traverse an option for any of you when considering changing to a bigger SUV? While the third row does have a locking seatbelt, it does not have a LATCH point for the top tether for a convertable car seat (or any other 5 point harness style seat). It would be safe enough for an infant carrier if it were installed in the third row (and good luck with that, I don't think it would fit), but it is not really suitable for use with a front facing car seat (in this soon-to-be parent of 3's opinion). A rear facing car seat (other than carrier) would never work in that third row, no matter what you try. There's just no way to tighten the straps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onecrazyfoo4u Posted March 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2015 Yeah, that's why I think if we had to, we would stick to the setup of the 5 yr old in the 3rd row in his booster seat. Plus it's easiest for him to climb in and out of that back seat by himself. We'll experiment with the setup when the baby comes in a couple of months and see if we like it. If not, we'll start SUV shopping! I'm not avoiding the minivan because of my manhood . I freaking want it to be able to go offroad and camping worthy, just like I've said multiple times in here. Yes, they are very convinient and big and open. But not going to work with the ground clearance of a car. Have you guys tried the GMC Acadia before? It had nice 2nd row captain seats. I guess it's one size down from the Tahoe/Yukon though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhareFred Posted March 20, 2015 Report Share Posted March 20, 2015 Why don't you try a few that have been mentioned by renting for a weekend? I know I get email offers/deals on car rentals. Then you can "test drive" a few without the pressure from a dealer. I think the DJ is a little small just because of all the added baby stuff. I'm thinking Tahoe, Expidition, etc if you don't want a mini van. You will lose big in the mpg area with a big SUVs.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journey_SeXT Posted March 21, 2015 Report Share Posted March 21, 2015 You guys are talking trash about the grand caravan and the journey has the same front end. Cant even tell them apart Alright, I'll give you that but everything else from the front windshield and back isn't the Caravan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emperor5353 Posted March 21, 2015 Report Share Posted March 21, 2015 4 kids here and besides the 2013 DJ we have a 2012 T&C....we'd never function without that mini van....the 2 screen dvd player is a godsend I have 3rd row seating in the Journey and fits my wife and 4 kids comfortably Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfurth Posted March 23, 2015 Report Share Posted March 23, 2015 (edited) That photo should be flagged for abuse! The Transit has to be the one of the ugliest vehicles on the road. Edited March 23, 2015 by bfurth onecrazyfoo4u 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigtsr Posted March 23, 2015 Report Share Posted March 23, 2015 Well they are purpose built ! Not exactly streamlined . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onecrazyfoo4u Posted March 23, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2015 That photo should be flagged for abuse! The Transit has to be the one of the ugliest vehicles on the road. LOL, can't compete with the good ole Aztek though. That's top of the ugly list for everyone... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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