Recommend 8+ Seat Vehicle?

[TX_Diver]

Next baby due in April and then the family literally won't fit in our current vehicles... so looking to add an 8 seater.

Given unlimited budget I'd probably pick an Expedition Max, or a Wagoneer, but open to really anything that's reasonable. Would probably even consider a van as my wife will drive this 90% of the time.

Strong preference for 4x4 and a bench seat in the middle (rather than captains chairs) and some level of towing capability that could get a 14' stock trailer around town occasionally. Also strongly prefer the Expedition Max/Suburban size vehicles over a tahoe or regular expedition with the smaller cargo area.

I see a lot of used Expeditions in the ~$40k range with ~40k miles but the 10r80 transmission issues I read about are somewhat concerning as that seems like a roll of the dice on a potential $5-10k issue. The used wagoneers I see tend to be a bit more expensive than comparable Fords, but there are some 2022s that are in a similar price range, with those though the eTorque issue sounds like a potential pain. 2023 and newer tend to be more expensive and I don't know much about the newer engine but for the right price I'd consider one.

What other gems are out there that I'm not considering? Or are the 10r80 and eTorque issues overblown?

I'm also open to other suggestions but I'm not looking to take on a giant car payment.

I'm in West Texas / New Mexico for now, but have plenty of airline miles to fly somewhere for the right vehicle.

Thanks!

 

[Theringworm]

Really only 2 options to comfortably sit 8 out there in the full-size SUV world. Ford Expedition Max (Lincoln Navigator) and GM (Suburban, Yukon XL, Denali XL or Escalade). Jeep Wagoneer, though not as roomy interior wise, would be a close 3rd.

Personally, they all aren't great. Ford would probably be my first choice. GM's quality continues to spiral out of control. Out of the 6 GM full size suvs we have owned, somewhere between 60-80k miles is when we typically started having major expensive issues.

You couldn't pay me to own a Jeep anything as I feel they are more inferior to Ford or GM. Just my opinion.

 

[ARK_Ginger]

I was in the same boat a few months ago and ended up with an odyssey. It sacrifices the one off situations of towing something, but it’s much better ergonomically for small kids.

If I had a larger budget I think I would’ve went with a duramax suburban.

 

[I live in round valley]

MAV or CAV?

 

[TX_Diver]

MAV or CAV?

???

 

[TX_Diver]

I was in the same boat a few months ago and ended up with an odyssey. It sacrifices the one off situations of towing something, but it’s much better ergonomically for small kids.

If I had a larger budget I think I would’ve went with a duramax suburban.

I still have a truck to tow with, just would be nice to have the family and towing ability. Not the deciding factor.

 

[TX_Diver]

I should also add I’m not opposed to something older if it’s a better vehicle.

 

[GunsAreFun]

Not sure the ages, but if you’re not near a point where kids start moving out, they’re all only going to get bigger and need more room.

May need to bite the bullet and get into a Transit or similar. The Nissan NV has the same 5.6 V8 as the Titan, which is a pretty good engine.

 

[String&stick]

Only 7 seats but you can find the bench seats to make it 8 in mini vans.

Sure no 4x4 and no towing but man, we've put 160,000 miles on a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica and outside of tires, breaks, and oild changes I've had two issues.

1. A $250 sensor issue at about 115,000 miles. Mechanic said it was actually the pigtail wiring that looked like it was probably faulty to start and eventually failed.

2. Auxiliary battery failed so my start/stop wouldn't work. . . I didn't fix it and after about 3 years my main battery died and had to replace both.

Average 27 mpg between hwy, town, and remote starting all winter. Live in Nebraska and have driven it in all sorts of weather. Also cost around half of what an SUV does

 

[BCsteve]

I'd also be thinking Ford Transit. SUV's and mini-vans with 8 seats don't leave much room for cargo, especially for 8 people.

 

[TaperPin]

I rented an expedition to drive across country a few years ago - mostly good: great mileage, good power, comfortable, easy to drive. A lot of small quirks that could be ironed out in warranty work.

The main complaint with all the new Fords I’ve rented is with the driving assist - I have to turn them off since they simply don’t feel natural, at least to me. In a heavy downpour with deeply rutted asphalt going down or up hill, driving out of the deepest water to avoid hydroplaning is a constant fight with the car.

You can learn a lot by renting before buying.

 

[GunsAreFun]

I quite like the driving assist on my new to me 2021 F-150.

I don’t have bluecruise, but the lane centering and adaptive cruise when used together is damn near self driving. Obviously need to pay attention, but it makes the quick things everyone does like looking away to change the climate control or check the GPS much safer.

I had a rental Nissan with these features and the lane centering was a joke. Bounced you around like the gutter guards of a bowling alley.

 

[SWOHTR]

???

Mormon/Christian Assault Vehicle…aka a van of some sort.

 

[Mighty Mouse]

I faced this dilemma a few years ago when we were expecting child #2 (and knew we wanted more after that) and settled on a Ford Expedition Max. Ours is a 2019 XLT with 4WD that we purchased in 2021 with 60k miles on it. It’s now at 110k miles and has treated us pretty well. I did have the cam phasers replaced shortly after purchase to get rid of the “cold start rattle” (covered 100% by Ford) and had to have the A/C worked on a few months ago ($700 to replace expansion valve and blend door).

I made a few 300 mile trips towing fairly heavily loaded 16’ utility and cargo trailers when we were in the process of moving from OK to MO, and it did fine pulling those loads 70-80 mph down I-44. Fuel mileage while towing dropped from 20 to 10 mpg, but that’s not surprising.

The transmission does sometimes shift hard, usually in the 4th to 6th gear range. It has done so from the day I bought it but (knock on wood) hasn’t given me any real trouble.

One little known feature of the Expeditions is the ability to remove individual seats from the middle row if you want to switch between bench and captains configurations. We currently have the middle row middle seat removed to make it easier to access car seats in the back row. If/when we want a third seat in the middle row, it only takes four bolts to reinstall it.

Word to the wise if you buy a used Expedition: make sure that MyKey restrictions are not enabled. If they are, make sure you’re getting the parent/admin key so you can disable them.

 

[bowhuntercoop]

We bought an oddesy last spring when the 3rd kiddo was on the way. She drives a 4Runner, I have my Cummins, and the van for a family vehicle. Funny cause we both drive the van more and more. I love it haha. Rolling onto public and pulling out the stick bow and tree stand is priceless outta the minivan.

 

[Brushhawg]

Yukon XL w/ threads 3l duramax

 

[Wapack]

Toyota Sequoia. There super reliable. I’d look at older limited models

 

[Justin Crossley]

All I can think is you're a really slow learner.

 

[TimberRunner]

We have a 2020 Toyota sequoia. Has captain chairs middle row, but we seat 7 in it all the time, comfortably. I think the base model has a bench seat in the middle. Has V8, gets horrible mileage, but get close to Yukon XL/suburban.