Most economical minivan?

[JSH]

Originally Posted by Isaac Zachary

Another problem I have is lack of drivers. My wife is not a driver, which leaves me to drive. Most of her family that comes to visit doesn't drive either. Her sister is legally blind, for an example. So that puts the burden on me. Maybe some day the kids will get their licenses and be good drivers and can take a second car. Until then, it can be hard to move everyone every once in a while, especially when there's no public transportation here and towns are an hour away from each other.

Originally Posted by Isaac Zachary

At any rate, uncle and family flew in this weekend. So we are 8 packed in the Avalon again. Yeah.

These statements don't compute for me. You say your wife "is not a driver". She physically cannot drive or she just doesn't want to learn to drive? Because I can't see how you can live in a rural area with 1 hour between towns without both adults in the family driving. How does she get groceries, take the kids to school, go to work, etc? How do you go through life in rural American and never learn to drive? Both my parents grew up in rural areas and were driving around the farm at the age of 8 - 10 and legally driving on public roads at 14.

I can't see piling 8 people into the Avalon because you had family fly in. We had family fly in a few weeks ago and had more people than seats in our cars so we rented a car at the airport. You had 7 other people in your car and none of them had a drivers license?

As for 8 passenger vehicles - I grew up riding in the rear facing seat of one of these. Oldmobile Custom Cruiser. Seats 8 (3 on the front bench, 3 on the middle bench, 2 on the rear bench) It is a GM B-Body, came in other GM brands and was made from 1971 to 1992. Dead simple to work on.

https://portland.craigslist.org/yam/...530724677.html
https://portland.craigslist.org/clk/...529401552.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oldsmo...1%E2%80%931992)

[redpoint5]

Here here. Jason has just illustrated the cup half empty vs half full paradox.

[freebeard]

7-passenger PHEV:

Why the new Volkswagen T7 Multivan PHEV is better than VW T6 Caravelle. Full review.

The Late Brake Show
415K subscribers
New Volkswagen T7 Multivan eHybrid PHEV - Better than T6 or ID.Buzz? VW's T7 Multivan is a slightly confusing vehicle, because it is on sale alongside the T6.1 Transporter and the nearly-on-sale ID.Buzz. The T7 Multivan essentially replaces the ancient Sharan and Caravelle MPV in order to be VW's go-to 7-chair people carrier.

It is based upon the MQB platform, which is similar to the Golf, Passat, Arteon underpinnings - not a commercial vehicle platform like the T6. The ID. Buzz uses the dedicated all-new EV platform (called the MEB). In this review Jonny drives the PHEV version, called the eHybrid, which combines a petrol 1.4 TSI (turbo direct injection intercooled) engine with 85kW elec motor to create 218PS and a theoretical 148-156mpg. The T7 will drive on EV power only for up to 31 miles WLTP.

[Piotrsko]

Boatloads of vw vans here in Scotland all configurations. Unavailable in the states?

[Isaac Zachary]

Originally Posted by JSH

These statements don't compute for me. You say your wife "is not a driver". She physically cannot drive or she just doesn't want to learn to drive? Because I can't see how you can live in a rural area with 1 hour between towns without both adults in the family driving. How does she get groceries, take the kids to school, go to work, etc? How do you go through life in rural American and never learn to drive? Both my parents grew up in rural areas and were driving around the farm at the age of 8 - 10 and legally driving on public roads at 14.

Let me put it this way. No, she doesn't drive, at least not over 30mph. And no, most of her family doesn't drive nor have a license. Personally I don't need a car in town, the town is too small. It's a 10 minute bike ride to my place of work. I can ride my bike from one far end of town to the other with no problem in about 20 minutes. So having more than one car is not really necessary, except maybe two vehicles with two different purposes, like a little EV for town and a minivan for out-of-town. Generally my wife drives around town in the car or on her bike and I take my bike (The whole town is 25mph or less except the main drag at 30 or 35mph. Only when we need to drive out-of-town do we really need a car.

Originally Posted by JSH

I can't see piling 8 people into the Avalon because you had family fly in. We had family fly in a few weeks ago and had more people than seats in our cars so we rented a car at the airport. You had 7 other people in your car and none of them had a drivers license?

Correct. It was my wife's family. They are not from here and the majority don't drive nor have a license.

The airport here has only a couple car rentals, and they are only open 1 hour two days a week. They also are out of most everything. We used to rent minivans and even 12 passenger vans on ocassions.

Originally Posted by JSH

As for 8 passenger vehicles - I grew up riding in the rear facing seat of one of these. Oldmobile Custom Cruiser. Seats 8 (3 on the front bench, 3 on the middle bench, 2 on the rear bench) It is a GM B-Body, came in other GM brands and was made from 1971 to 1992. Dead simple to work on.

https://portland.craigslist.org/yam/...530724677.html
https://portland.craigslist.org/clk/...529401552.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oldsmo...1%E2%80%931992)

[redpoint5]

Seems like a Turo market opportunity.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Is keeping a small motorcycle (eventually with a side-car) as a secondary vehicle totally out of question?

[Isaac Zachary]

Originally Posted by JSH

As for 8 passenger vehicles - I grew up riding in the rear facing seat of one of these. Oldmobile Custom Cruiser. Seats 8 (3 on the front bench, 3 on the middle bench, 2 on the rear bench) It is a GM B-Body, came in other GM brands and was made from 1971 to 1992. Dead simple to work on.

Originally Posted by Piotrsko

Boatloads of vw vans here in Scotland all configurations. Unavailable in the states?

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

Is keeping a small motorcycle (eventually with a side-car) as a secondary vehicle totally out of question?

I'm just going to keep the Avalon for now. Hopefully if people want to come and do things they'll bring they're own car or give us time to find a rental instead of supprising us. Hopefully the rental places will get back to 7 days a week and have enough inventory, or I'll need to drive to another town, leave my car there and rent from there.

[ksa8907]

Originally Posted by Isaac Zachary

I'm just going to keep the Avalon for now. Hopefully if people want to come and do things they'll bring they're own car or give us time to find a rental instead of supprising us. Hopefully the rental places will get back to 7 days a week and have enough inventory, or I'll need to drive to another town, leave my car there and rent from there.

Family or not, if they're coming to visit part of the responsibility is to not impose, forcing you to rent a car for their travel seems outrageous to me. But... to each their own.

[redpoint5]

I've got the opposite problem where I offer to pick family up from the airport and give them a spare car to drive, and they rent their own vehicle. My sister in law recently got in a wreck in her rental on the way to the airport and had to have it towed back to the rental agency.