Automobiles

[vertical_doug]

For a 2+2, the old Maserati Merak is a beauty.

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[Badonkadonk]

the deal that was the 308 gt4 is unfortunately gone. 2+2 with gated 6 and unmistakeable 70s wedge? yes pls! alas, people have caught on!

[zetroc]

This is totally irrational, but I really want a Ford Courier. Specifically this one:

1974 Ford Courier


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[ChristianSLC]

I went for a test drive in this tonight. Prices on these things are crazy. Can't say I'm seriously thinking about buying it, but can't say I've completely ruled it out either.

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[rwsaunders]

Spotted on a walk with my wife yesterday...super clean 1956 Ford Customline sedan complete with V8, gangster whites and dice for Ronnie.

[robin3mj]

Was all set to buy my mom's Lexus RX cheaply to kick the can down the road a few years but three car seats will not fit across the back.

Back to the drawing board.

I want an E class wagon but I think the (discontinued) R class wago-van might be the better choice.

[maunahaole]

What about the MB Metris minivan?

Was all set to buy my mom's Lexus RX cheaply to kick the can down the road a few years but three car seats will not fit across the back.

Back to the drawing board.

I want an E class wagon but I think the (discontinued) R class wago-van might be the better choice.

[vertical_doug]

For Marty McFly on Back to the Future Day Oct 21, 2015

(You can rent this in London and is a hit with all nationalities)

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[robin3mj]

What about the MB Metris minivan?

Are they even out yet? We need something pronto.
My wife is adamant that we not get a van.

[j44ke]

Did anyone end up getting a Subaru XV-Crosstrek? I remember some discussion earlier. I travel up to Columbia county (NY) every other week to look at land, and I get swarmed by Subarus on the Taconic Parkway. Plenty of Outbacks but also a good number of XV-Crossteks and Imprezas.

I spoke to someone about their Hybrid Crosstrek but was told that the hybrid engine only operates under 40mph or something and not on the highway. So just an emissions device essentially, not gas use reduction really. Nuts.

Why do they put so much plastic fairing work on those Imprezas? They'd be a lot better with clearance maxed rather than reduced. And no ornamental air-scoop on the hood.

The VW guy at Manhattan VW who wanted to sell me a new VW Golf wagon keeps sending me used Audi All-Road inventory updates. I feel kind of sorry for him.

[deadbeef]

Why do they put so much plastic fairing work on those Imprezas? They'd be a lot better with clearance maxed rather than reduced. And no ornamental air-scoop on the hood.

I bet some of the cladding is there for fuel mileage purposes. There's a lot of shaping that goes on to hit those highway numbers.

[dutchess]

Was all set... but three car seats will not fit across the back.

Maybe the Model X with its three rows of seating will be a better vehicle. A Model S does fit your criteria. Not the best vehicle on the road one hears though.




There's something humorous in suggesting ordering it with the child sized jump seats in the trunk. For ease of kid stowage when the first one outgrows the baby seat.

[lumpy]

three car seats will not fit across the back.

You don't want to exile any of them to the far back though. We went through this and the issue derailed me from getting the minivan I wanted, they all had only two spots in the second row seat. We wound up with a Volvo 850 Turbo Wagon with a built-in child seat in the middle. This worked very well and I commend the built-in seat to you. It's space efficient so it frees up room for the outboard seats. The Volvo was fast but the suspension was stiffer than the body and it fell apart quickly once we moved back to the sticks.

[zetroc]

Can I suggest a mid-70s Ford Courier? You can bolt the 3 seats across in the bed.

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[rwsaunders]

3 kids really are challenging in terms of restaurant seating, car configuration and in terms of outnumbering the parents...and I wish that we had ten more. I do see a mini-van in your future.

Was all set to buy my mom's Lexus RX cheaply to kick the can down the road a few years but three car seats will not fit across the back.

Back to the drawing board.

I want an E class wagon but I think the (discontinued) R class wago-van might be the better choice.

[robin3mj]

You don't want to exile any of them to the far back though. We went through this and the issue derailed me from getting the minivan I wanted, they all had only two spots in the second row seat. We wound up with a Volvo 850 Turbo Wagon with a built-in child seat in the middle. This worked very well and I commend the built-in seat to you. It's space efficient so it frees up room for the outboard seats. The Volvo was fast but the suspension was stiffer than the body and it fell apart quickly once we moved back to the sticks.

Yeah, this is my problem in that getting to a third row in a non van, with two infant seat bases installed in row two is evidently a major pain. I'm thinking a stopgap for now- cheapish used larger car/SUV that has a wide second row, then use the next couple years to assess what we'll need long term. I certainly don't see any car trips longer than the 4 hours to my folks at the jersey shore in our immediate future.

Volvos, MB E wagon, discontinued Passat or A6 wagon, etc.

[j44ke]

If you sold the third kid, you could probably afford a pretty nice car with the proceeds.

[rmplum]

Yeah, this is my problem in that getting to a third row in a non van, with two infant seat bases installed in row two is evidently a major pain. I'm thinking a stopgap for now- cheapish used larger car/SUV that has a wide second row, then use the next couple years to assess what we'll need long term. I certainly don't see any car trips longer than the 4 hours to my folks at the jersey shore in our immediate future.

Volvos, MB E wagon, discontinued Passat or A6 wagon, etc.

Yeah, this is a tough situation. Not sure how old the oldest is, but I've seen people use the "Bubble Bum" which is an inflatable booster - it does free up some space (some friends use one to run 3 across in a Prius - but their tallest kid (9) is shorter than my 6yr old).

BUT -

My son is 6 and I still have him in a forward facing Britax seat with a 5-point harness (the Frontier - fits up to 58 inches in harness mode and 90 lbs!). It's a tank.

He's tall enough for a high back booster, but the dedicated 5pt seat is MUCH MUCH safer. I'm in the industry and I know two engineers doing specifically child seat safety engineering and crash testing - keep your kid in as much car seat as you can for as long as possible.

[rmplum]

Are they even out yet? We need something pronto.
My wife is adamant that we not get a van.

Would something like a used Mercedes R-Class work (mmmm, R63 AMG)? Of the similar but way less cool Chrysler Pacifica?

Nice Price Or Crack Pipe: 500-Horsepower 2007 Mercedes-Benz R63 AMG For $48,991?

We have an F150 Supercrew here in the fleet. The back seat is huge. Not a wagon, not a car, but useful, and if anything can fit 3 across (in appropriately safe seats) that might be it.

[AngryScientist]

Yeah, this is my problem in that getting to a third row in a non van, with two infant seat bases installed in row two is evidently a major pain. I'm thinking a stopgap for now- cheapish used larger car/SUV that has a wide second row, then use the next couple years to assess what we'll need long term. I certainly don't see any car trips longer than the 4 hours to my folks at the jersey shore in our immediate future.

Volvos, MB E wagon, discontinued Passat or A6 wagon, etc.

is the aversion to the van just an image thing? we have an odyssey, and for family hauling, it can not be beat. everything is where it should be. carrying bikes, and full sized sheets of plywood are a piece of cake with the ody. roll two bikes, with the wheels on right in with 3 kiddos strapped into seats. drives as good or better than any SUV on the road, and most non-sport sedans as well. impressive fuel economy. sufficiently adequate power.

if it's just that you dont want to be "seen" in a van, you've got three kids, get over it. if it's that the frame of reference on how they drive is the original chrysler van, the 2015 line-up is completely different.

just curious, seems like you're struggling to avoid the most logical answer?