What else is in your driveway? Family SUV considerations

I've gotten wife's approval to replace her 2014 honda odyssey! We tried the minivan for a year and a half and pretty much hate its abundance of electrical problems and it generally doesn't feel as reliable as my truck. Which is why we want to cross over to a Toyota or Lexus SUV. She doesn't like the body roll of the first gen sequoia unfortunately.

Looking at getting her a 07 GX 470 (114k miles for $14,000) or an 09 LX570 (167k for $21,000) we have 2 kids in carseats (1 and 3) and a 14 year old who visits during the summers and holidays. The Gx has minor rust on the frame around the welds and the LX VIN shows only Atlanta and Pensacola as its primary residence.
One of these will be moving to California soon so gas will suck but I'll have a cheapo beater when we get there for commuting. My mother in law brought up a good point to stick to whatever we think will last our family size longer, personally I like the lower price tag of the GX but am not sure that the kids will fit in the GX for longer term. Any thoughts?

GX frame weld corrosion:

 

I hate that Honda quality has dropped so much. We went through three Odysseys while raising my kids (one due to being totaled by a drunk driver). You might want to check out the Toyota Sienas. Two car seats and a teen will appreciate the room of a minivan over even a full sized SUV.

 

My personal opinion is that rust on the welds isn't bad, especially considering how everything else around it looks in that photo--my 1GT's got that, too, from too much time in Utah. : ) It's got a date with a wire wheel and some Ospho.

Minivans are great. They are built for kid-and-crap hauling, but if you only have 2 (and sometimes 3), a minivan is probably overkill. An SUV is probably the better choice, and size-wise the difference between the two you're looking at is really negligible unless all your kids were within 2 years of each other and are in high school, so I'd go with whichever of those two you feel is a better deal. You just need to be able to strap the 2 littles in in the second row and a place to stash the teenager when s/he visits, which is easy if second row is a bench.

 

I 100% agree with this, I just wouldn't buy a totally different category of vehicle (even though amazing--huge minivan fan here) for a kid that only visits part of the year, especially where OP has already said they may not be fans of the platform. Plus, that teenager will be able to take over the second row seats once the older of OP's littles is big enough to climb into the third row of whichever SUV he buys.

 

I believe a Tundras.com member just replaced his wife's Suburban with an LX570.

I'm a bad one to ask because we decided the Highlander didn't have enough storage for us and bought a Pilot instead.

 

I can't recommend the Highlander enough. We had a 2012 gas, which we just got rid of for a 2020 hybrid made right before the supply chain problems escalated during the 1st 12 months of the pandemic. Both were Limited package, and haul around us, the 2 kids, and our 60lb plotthound, with luggage and supplies, no prob.

If your family is a little older or smaller, the Rav4 is another one to look at. If bigger, my brother-in-law in Anderson SC with 4 kids has a 2018 Sienna and won't shut up about how much he loves it.

Options are out there. Used car shopping sucks right now though. We got super lucky with our 2020 with around 10k miles, paid cash, and less than a regular gas model cost brand new, about 15-20% less than a new hybrid non-Limited. CarMax score, took 2-3 months of casual hunting and waiting to get it.

Crazy part about our Highlander is, it's got this crazy wool cloth undercarriage cover. Maybe it's to block road salt? I really don't know, but I've never seen anything like it before. And honestly, I don't think I'd ever buy anything manufactured after 2021 due to problems caused by lockdown/supply chain crap. Too many QC probs.

PS - average 34mpg city, around 31 hwy. Almost double what we got in our 2012 gas model. I don't feel any power difference at all.

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Yeah we were totally those people that said we'd never get a minivan, then got one and discovered we don't really like minivans lol (might be totally different if we were in a 2023 sienna but 47k price tag is a bit much)
I might take the boss to a dealership to drive a highlander later, my 14 year old is only around for a month or two in the summer and in a year or two the little ones can crawl themselves into the 3rd row. Thanks as always for the input everyone!

 

My wife loved her Highlander. The Highlander has changed over the years and when she was looking to replace hers the new ones were smaller and she didn't want to go smaller. I told her that I prefer that she get a Toyota so she got a 2022 Sequoia. The Sequoia did not change for 2022 like the Tundra did. Those changes came a year later for the Sequoia. The Sequoia seats the same number of people as the Highlander but has more space for luggage or groceries.

 

I agree, it definitely feels like there's less rear cargo space in the latest model, and it sucks you can't install an insert to add a middle seat in the 2nd row. But I will say, it feels way more spacious in the cargo area. With the kids being in the double-digit ages now, having a little more occupant space vs. cargo space worked for us. YMMV. 3rd row entry in the newest model is much easier than our previous one, too.

 

Wife is going on her 3rd High....00, 04 and now a 17. Glad she likes it cause I know I do.

 

A friend of mine has a 2022? Highlander hybrid and it’s awesome. I can’t provide any info on towing, but it rides super smooth, has plenty enough room, and looks decently good at the same time. 30+ MPG is also really awesome.

I’m not sure how easy it would be to get one at a reasonable price right now, but I would definitely look into one as an option.

There aren’t a ton of good Toyota SUVs that don’t break the bank, but if you’re alright with a pre-2010 car, I’d check out the LX470s. I’ve driven a ton, mostly because I tried for a long time to convince my mom to trade in her Town & Country for one. Test drive one if you haven’t. I love them, and aside from things like 13mpg, they’re really really good.

 

I’ve had a GX and a LandCruiser - it’s hard for me to tell the size difference from an interior perspective. Neither has good cargo room with the 3rd seat up but beats the alternative of not driving a Toyota/Lexus imo.

 

For the latest generation "Highlander Hybrid" and "Towing" don't mix. Toyota doesn't even sell a tow kit for it. There are ways around that, ways to install an OEM tow kit, I looked into it so we could easily throw a bike rack on for certain trips, but it's not - or at least wasn't - supported. I have the parts breakout required, if anyone is interested, here they are:

PT228-48200 Hitch Kit
PT228-48202 LH Rear Lower Cover
PT228-48203 RH Rear Lower Cover
PT228-48204 Lower Bumper Cover (for Standard models)
PT228-48206-01 Lower Bumper Cover (Platinum model)
PT228-48207-01 Lower Bumper Cover (Limited model)
PT725-48200 Tow Hitch Converter / wiring harness
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I also have instructions somehere 'round here...

 

For what it's worth, my friend has 3 kids he hauls around in his GX470. All are car seat age. He says they make it work.

 

What we did when we had two car seats was leave half of the back row folded up so the third kid could get in and out through the rear lift gate. That way they aren’t climbing over seats or unhooking bases to tumble the middle row.

 

If you’re carrying kids, you want the safest vehicle possible.

 

Depends on the kid.

 

You can't go wrong with either. I would pick the 200 series, fuel economy sucks in both anyways. I rode in the middle row of a highlander the other day and was shocked how much room it had. Only thing is I remember it being a bench, not captains like shifster mentioned. Whatever you do, just promise me you won't buy a Navigator!

 

My wife's car...


No kids though. Just us and a dog.

 

Alright pictures it is.

 

@Terndrerrr i think he is talking about you.

 

That’s a cool station wagon.

 

It's pretty fun. It's no minivan but it works well as a people mover or grocery getter too!

 

I drive my wife's Highlander any time she doesn't need it, it's great. We have a 2020 V6 AWD XLE, get's mid 20mpg in town and flirts with 30mpg on the highway. Very quiet and handles as well as a Camry. I've always just had a truck and love my Tundra, but it sure burns a lot of gas and handles like a top heavy yacht compared to a unibody car or SUV.

 

Do it. It’s a bit smaller than the Yukon XL we replaced. But it feels like driving a bank vault. The full time 4wd is fantastic. I have a silver ‘09 (see thread in sig). I’d much rather pack a bit lighter than deal with a full size non-HD GM any more.

 

2nd Gen sequoia is my vote. That’s what else sits in my driveway. We love it. Reasons include but are not limited too and are in no particular order:

[big breathe…]Super comfy, loads or space, 3rd row that fits adults even with adults in the second row, second row that moves forward and backward, folds, and reclines, kids can sit far away enough from each other in the second row that they don’t squabble nearly as much on road trips, super comfy for long road trips, turns on a dime, shares a lot of maintenance items with the tundra, heavy and safe in the event of an accident just like the tundra, v8 equipped, tows whatever I need to tow, THE BEST AWD SYSTEM IN ANY SUV, reliable, more creature comforts than my tundra, lots of little things that add up to a rig that (in my opinion) far exceed the econobox utility wagons from other mfgs even on the lower trim sequoia, shares many aftermarket parts with the tundra, independent rear suspension that is insanely stout, better ride than the tundra, corners very well especially for a big body girl when you put TRD Pro sway bars on, shorter wheel base and more maneuverable than other full-size SUV’s, great AC system, etc etc etc.

 

My wife's 2020 Highlander Platinum. She loves it. She allowed me to put a little lift on it

 

Just picked up a 2016 Highlander XLE for the wife. 104k, black leather. Very nice. Will suit her needs well.

I daily a 2013 Civic EX-L 77k.

 

yeah, we bought our first Hona (CRX) in 1986. Until last week we have always had them. But our last few just seemed to be lacking. The last one left last week a 99 Accord that got my daughter through high school and college. Racked up 176K miles. It just got to be some little thing every month. When she walk din holding the overhead console because teh palstic had dry rotted repalced it and i got $2K for it and the buyer drove over 200 miles to get it. But IMO 2002 was the last of the good Accords.

 

It’s not sexy and it’s AT and the gas pedal is like a neurotic smoker on crack but our ‘18 Odyssey blows all 3 of my trucks away at family hauling.

I would not trade in that 14 for anything that’s been mentioned.