Full Size (LARGE) Family Adventure Rig - Selection Question

[r_w]

My vote is still a full-size van. The COG is an issue if you are going extreme, but they will go further than most people realize.

Seating capacity in a vehicle is like sleeping capacity in a tent--the rating is for just people shoulder to shoulder, if you want stuff inside or comfort you need more space.

[nely]

Whats not to trust about the van?

There available with the same engines and transmissions as the f-series trucks. The 4x conversions are done well. Ujoint makes a great diy 4x kit (thats what i have on my 97 diesel van) its all the same. I feel the ride quality is great. I recently drove a 2005 f series and i gotta say, it was awful. To bounce over the freeway, the 6.0 lacked power in my opinion.

The cog isnt bad on the lifted van. It hanldea great with my 6" lift and 37s. If you stick with the 4" & 33s itll handle even better and have a lower cog.

I have the diesel and i know another guy that has the v10 in his equally equipped van. He gets about 2/3 to 1/2 the mpg i get. He says hes about 8-10 & ive been averaging 15 mpg. Theres some maintenance i need to do thatll improve that, im sure.

All in all im glad i purchased the van and started the 4x conversion. I have more than enough room for my family and gear. Its me, my wife, and 2yr old son. In your situation id look at the ext van. Youll have plenty of room for your family, gear, and have a bed inside. I had a 96 extended van that i started 4x then someone crashed into it. Now i have the 97 rb. I like the ext due to the extra room. The way i want to set up the van the rb is small, but ill deal with that.

What other concerns do you have?

[Heading Out]

I have to vote for the EXT 4X4 diesel passenger van, with a roof rack. Lots of room for little kids and all the stuff that comes with them, the ability to tow a small trailer to leave at base camp now.

Later It can evolve as the kids grow, to tow a larger more comfortable base camp (trailer) and still seat the kids and the friends you know they will want to come along.

Better to have enough space now, with the ability to grow, than to have them all crammed in and grumpy on a long drive.

That will kill the fun and the possibility of future trips in a hurry.

my .02

[78Bronco]

Very happy with our roomy, capable, reliable and safe ***** Ford Expedition. A lot of vehicles have 7 or 8 seats but very cramped, like my montero, but the fullsize 8 passengers have real room, thus real comfort.

[ktm360mx]

It's funny- I stumbled on this thread after posting something similar in the general vehicle modification area.

http://www.expeditionportal.com/foru...r-a-Family-Guy

We are one step ahead of you. We have 5 kids and have outgrown the suburban. What's next for us? I don't know. Here's what we did/are doing:

if you have 4 kids and are only doing day trips and want to off road- go with the suburban. That's what we have and love it. Skip the excursion- no head rests in the back row for accident protection, the gas engines get 10-12mpg (you may get 15 on the highway) and the diesel is dismal. I own the 7.3 and had a 6.0 truck- 7.3 is great, the 6.0 is not. Skip a diesel unless you tow heavy and frequently. Diesel is more expensive to operate and a lot more expensive to maintain. 7.3's have 4 gallon oil changes alone. Diesel is only good if you tow. I prefer diesel and have a 7.3 truck and a dodge 5.9. great vehicles, but we drive the suburban because it's less expensive to operate. Don't forget- the 7.3's are very loud-certainly not for wildlife viewing.....

On the other hand, the suburban does the same thing, slightly less cargo room, but will support a family of 7 on day trips (with or without a roof rack). If you are not doing super hard core stuff (and most don't), the IFS on the suburban is fine. I've driven up Rose Garden in Moab with a IFS Suburban. BTW- if you are going with the 7 seat option- you need a 2003-2006 suburban- the back seat is not split like on the 2007 and up. The 7th person will always be sitting on the crack in the 07's -- not fun!

We've lived your plight- with #7 on the way- you will need room for gear - the sub or excursion can do it. IF you overnight, get a BIG roof rack and you can still do it fine. If you want to bring a friend- you are out of luck. That's where we are at.

Our next vehicle may be a variant of this: http://www.prefix.com/Trekker/

[Awkragt]

What did you end up getting?

The LR3 was like someone said, a maintenance bomb, seemed unreliable at 60K miles. I ended up getting a Toyota Land Cruiser 100 Series with 210K miles. It's rock solid. It's got plenty of room for us, family of 4 right now. It would definitely need a trailer for gear if we had to keep the 3rd row in.

[Sonoran Explorer]

if you have 4 kids and are only doing day trips and want to off road- go with the suburban. That's what we have and love it.

i completely agree with KTM. My wife and I have four kids, aged 10 -16 and our 04 Z71 suburban has been wonderful. we have owned it for nearly five years and it has been, by far, the best vehicle for our family. We have had mini vans, smaller SUVs, full sized trucks, as well as a tahoe prior to the suburban and none of them have been able to match when the suburban has been able to offer our family (the tahoe was the closest, but lack of cargo was it's downfall). Great towing, power, safety, as well as cargo capacity & seating capacity. Ours seats 8, so it's perfect for us. As kids get older, they need their space from their siblings - stuffing three teens/pre-teens in one row, even if it's a suburban, is less than ideal. just got back from a trip to disney land last weekend and the suburban sailed through the trip and the kids were not on top of each other for seven hours straight.

off road, it has proven to be a capable performer and has even surprised me on a couple of occasions with what it was able to conquer. There are (hopefully) some serious mods in it's near future which will give it even more ability, but even if those mods don't happen, I am satisfied with what it can provide in that category.

Just make sure to remember what ever you decide, to balance out what your dreams are for it, with what its day to day reality will be. For us, that meant finding something that was a good platform for a handful of dirt trips each year AND a dozen family (paved) road trips each year in addition to being my daily driver. We have been extremely happy with our choice.

Hope this helps...