help with ideas for an expo rig for a family with too many kids. lol

[broken1]

Jeep Commander


I roll with my Wife, her two, and my two all the time. It fits though it gets tight if we add a guest. When full of people the roof rack and one of those hitch mounted carriers is necessary for carrying anything more than a couple of knapsacks. I have the Hemi Overland Edition with an OME HD lift. The front and rear lockers and all the electronics more than make up for the lack of flex. It is pretty much everything I could want (besides economy, lol) I've driven it the length of the eastern seaboard with no problems and hundreds of miles of dirt roads and worse. It's heavy and drinks gas like a fish but I couldn't be happier.

That being said I just picked up a 4dr TRDOR Tacoma for more utility and better economy when it is just the two of us.

 

[rayra]

2002 K1500 Suburban, shot of the rear with the 3rd row seat folded up. Cavernous. The 3rd row is 49" across. The 2nd row is full width and they can be had with a 60/40 split bench in the second row, instead of separate seats.

Purchase price with tax and reg was $6k 2mos ago. A few years older are half the price, but will need a motor or trans.


eta ah I see the OP posted he did this.

 

[rayra]

BOX ROCKET, just a thought but, a guy around here had his 3 kids in the bed of his truck on a trip with a camper shell and thought the kids fell asleep on the road. but when he got to his destination all 3 had died of carbon monoxide. I don't think he had a pass through window but I would invest in a CO alarm at a minimum.

there are special-made foam rubber tailgate gaskets sold to help prevent that. They cost ~$20.

 

[kojackJKU]

Suburban is the IDEAL choice. We love the space in ours. We are at the point where things are going south, but its worth to keep replacing things as its such a versatile vehicle.

 

[Buliwyf]

3 kids fit in the back of a Ford crew cab F250 just fine. Two adults and one kid is doable up front as well. I wouldn't overlook pickup trucks.

 

[rayra]

Addendum on Suburban repairs, the parts are common and relatively cheap, if you are at all handy. The engineering has also greatly improved. My '95 C-10, a water pump change is ~3hrs and involved disconnecting damned near everything on the front of the motor, as it overlaps the pump. The Vortecs, the pump and thermostat come clear with just a few bolts and a simple leverage to remove the serpentine belt. Under an hour for a swap. Likewise individual coil packs, the injectors, although both can get add up quick for parts, the work itself is dead easy. Same goes for the ubiquitous fuel-pump replacement. Try and stay away from the soccer-mom taxis, you'll know them when you see them. All sorts of food crumbs in the nooks and crannies, the brakes are toast, the drivetrain feels a bit sloppy from the gas always being stomped on, maybe a clunk in the u-joints, and these are typically driven around with a near-empty tank. The in-tank fuel-pump design relies on being submerged for cooling. So their service life is negatively effected. If you buy one of those with ~100k mi on it, just go ahead and plan the time and place of your fuel pump swap and get it done before any major trips, at a time and place of your convenience. It's $250 for the pump and half a day in your driveway to put it in. vs ~$1000 at a dealer.

 

[kojackJKU]

I guess mine is a soccer dad version. Minus all the mechanical stuff that is fixed asap. Mine has food all over the back from my youngest. but he's having a blast with me, either watchin Thomas in the back while we are plowing the driveways, or going on road trips.