My what to buy thread. Please help!

[Miatch]

So I have to buy a new vehicle and of course I need it to do everything well.

I live in the mid-west so we have tight trails and mud.
I have seven kids=never enough money or space.
I drive a little over 3,000 miles/month.
I drive real easy, so typically I get better MPG than most.

I want something that I can camp with 4 or 5 kids out of.
I coach soccer and always seem to have four kids and two big bags of balls.
I am a salesman and an American so I prefer to drive American vehicles.

So, a Suburban is the obvious choice. Preferably a Sub on 35"s. I am just scared to death that I will end up getting 10mpg, or worse.

Maybe a Jeep Commander?

What else should I consider?

 

[RedF]

Realistically, any 4x4 big enough to haul six people and enough gear for them is not going to be good on fuel. Buy a commuter car and forget about mileage.

Suburban or Excursion will be your only common choices. Maybe a full size 4x4 van?

 

[rayra]

Sounds like another 'Suburban' answer to me. If you are light on the pedal you can eke out 17mpg on the highway in the K1500 / 5.3L. And ours don't seem to care if they are empty or fully loaded, doesn't make noticeable difference in the mpg. Driving habits matter more. eta we get high 14s, mixed with mostly hwy driving
And unless you intend to tow a good bit or on the heavier end of things, you don't necessarily need the 2500 and it's bigger engines and lower fuel economy.

The GMT800s are a bargain, and/but are just starting to get long in the tooth. Better if you can turn your own wrenches, as parts are still abundant and cheap. A later 900 series will cost you nearly 3x as much. ~$20k for a 2009, vs say an '05. They'll both have around 100k mi when you find them. So that price premium wasn't something I was willing to pay for a used car with over 100k mi. And I don't care how old my ride looks, as long as it isn't shabby.

eta - and with fresh perfect hindsight, I say 'don't buy a GMT800 4.8/5.3L with 706 heads!'
/see my 'Hey Vortec Guys' topic

 

[Mo4130]

So I have to buy a new vehicle and of course I need it to do everything well.

I live in the mid-west so we have tight trails and mud.
I have seven kids=never enough money or space.
I drive a little over 3,000 miles/month.
I drive real easy, so typically I get better MPG than most.

I want something that I can camp with 4 or 5 kids out of.
I coach soccer and always seem to have four kids and two big bags of balls.
I am a salesman and an American so I prefer to drive American vehicles.

So, a Suburban is the obvious choice. Preferably a Sub on 35"s. I am just scared to death that I will end up getting 10mpg, or worse.

Maybe a Jeep Commander?

What else should I consider?

Ummmmmm. Where to start........ Anything on 35s is going to get ****ty mileage. Something to cart 7 kids around is not going to be small, cheap or return decent fuel Mileage. Might as well get a mini van if you go the suburban route. E350 or something similar.

 

[calicamper]

Dont get crazy with the tires and easy driving can return pretty decent mileage in the burbs. Father inlaw had yrs and yrs of gas up and mileage records he regularly saw 20mpg.

 

[Miatch]

Ummmmmm. Where to start........ Anything on 35s is going to get ****ty mileage. Something to cart 7 kids around is not going to be small, cheap or return decent fuel Mileage. Might as well get a mini van if you go the suburban route. E350 or something similar.

Funny you mention the mini van. My last plan was to have the mini van as a daily and the Cherokee as the weekend warrior. The mini van now has 302k miles on it and the Cherokee has always been more capable off road than I need and I've never been able to get it street legal. The mini van makes perfect logical sense but I'm too much of a car guy to have a daily driver that kills your mojo. I want something to be excited about.

My wife's car is an E350 extended. It does pretty well on the mild Jeep trails in Colorado.

The Sub on 35's would be my choice if I knew I could get 15 mpg out of it.
I am considering a Sub with a budget boost and 33's. I also found a 5.7 Q2 Commander with a 2.25" lift, 107k miles, needs tires for about $8,500.

I wonder if the two would get about the same mpg?

 

[Martinjmpr]

The Sub on 35's would be my choice if I knew I could get 15 mpg out of it.

.
Yeah, that's not happening. Not without a diesel swap (and you could probably fill the tank on that 'Burb for the next 10 years for what you'd pay for a diesel conversion.) Also in order to stuff 35's on a Suburban you'd need a pretty involved "bracket" lift and those run around $1500+. The reason you'd need that lift is that AFAIK there is nothing in between the 2" "spacer and t-bar key" lift and the 6" bracket lift, at least not for a 4x4 (2wd's can always do a spindle lift.) So, since the 2" won't get you enough lift to run 35's you pretty much have to go with the 6".
.

I am considering a Sub with a budget boost and 33's.

.
If MPG is important I'd probably go this route. I think if you drove it gently you could probably get 15mpg on the highway out of such a setup. Just as a point of reference I've put 11,000 miles on my GMT-800 (2004) Suburban since December. Pulling a fairly high profile 2000lb trailer I get 12.9 average MPG. I've actually only taken one long highway trip without the trailer and on that one I got 18.5
.

I also found a 5.7 Q2 Commander with a 2.25" lift, 107k miles, needs tires for about $8,500.

.
The Commander is considerably smaller than the Suburban. Yes, I know it has "seating" for 7, but as near as I can tell, "seating" is all it has. IOW, sure, you can "seat" 7 people in it, but 7 people who are going camping are going to have a lot of stuff - where does THAT go? I would think with a Commander you'd have to run a trailer and there goes your decent MPG. OTOH one big advantage of a Suburban is that you can carry 7 people and there is still a decent amount of space behind the back seat.
.
Of course, if the Commander is one of your possible choices, have you looked at the Tahoe or Yukon? Same exact thing as a Suburban but 20 inches shorter and a few hundred pounds lighter.

 

[pappawheely]

You didn't say anything about budget. The 4x4 sprinter diesel claims 14 to 18 mpg. http://newatlas.com/sportsmobile-mercedes-sprinter-4x4-camper/37910/

 

[KMG]

A Nissan NV can accomplish your goal.
Seats 12 with seats that can be arranged or removed independently.
Sliding side door prevents kids from banging cars in parking lots.
Hauls 3,535 or tows 8,700.
Quigley offers 4x4.
V-8 gets 12-16 mph.
Cummins diesel in 2017-18.
Built in Mississippi, USA.

 

[Miatch]

.
Yeah, that's not happening. Not without a diesel swap (and you could probably fill the tank on that 'Burb for the next 10 years for what you'd pay for a diesel conversion.) Also in order to stuff 35's on a Suburban you'd need a pretty involved "bracket" lift and those run around $1500+. The reason you'd need that lift is that AFAIK there is nothing in between the 2" "spacer and t-bar key" lift and the 6" bracket lift, at least not for a 4x4 (2wd's can always do a spindle lift.) So, since the 2" won't get you enough lift to run 35's you pretty much have to go with the 6".
.

.
If MPG is important I'd probably go this route. I think if you drove it gently you could probably get 15mpg on the highway out of such a setup. Just as a point of reference I've put 11,000 miles on my GMT-800 (2004) Suburban since December. Pulling a fairly high profile 2000lb trailer I get 12.9 average MPG. I've actually only taken one long highway trip without the trailer and on that one I got 18.5
.

.
The Commander is considerably smaller than the Suburban. Yes, I know it has "seating" for 7, but as near as I can tell, "seating" is all it has. IOW, sure, you can "seat" 7 people in it, but 7 people who are going camping are going to have a lot of stuff - where does THAT go? I would think with a Commander you'd have to run a trailer and there goes your decent MPG. OTOH one big advantage of a Suburban is that you can carry 7 people and there is still a decent amount of space behind the back seat.
.
Of course, if the Commander is one of your possible choices, have you looked at the Tahoe or Yukon? Same exact thing as a Suburban but 20 inches shorter and a few hundred pounds lighter.

Thanks, I kind of discounted the Tahoe/Yukon. The only attraction is slightly better mileage but I don't see giving up the space for 1/2 mpg.

 

[proper4wd]

7 kids yikes. I thought the guy with 5 kids who posted the same question like a week ago was in a tough spot.

 

[Miatch]

You didn't say anything about budget. The 4x4 sprinter diesel claims 14 to 18 mpg. http://newatlas.com/sportsmobile-mercedes-sprinter-4x4-camper/37910/

Those are nice, but not as a daily driver.

 

[Miatch]

7 kids yikes. I thought the guy with 5 kids who posted the same question like a week ago was in a tough spot.

7 is crazy, but like I say, we have a E350 extended to carry everyone. The new vehicle is my daily plus trail capable. Primarily camping off of fire roads and the easy trails with the 4x4 club.

 

[Miatch]

A Nissan NV can accomplish your goal.
Seats 12 with seats that can be arranged or removed independently.
Sliding side door prevents kids from banging cars in parking lots.
Hauls 3,535 or tows 8,700.
Quigley offers 4x4.
V-8 gets 12-16 mph.
Cummins diesel in 2017-18.
Built in Mississippi, USA.

Nissan Motor Company Ltd (Japanese: 日産自動車株式会社 Hepburn: Nissan Jidōsha Kabushiki-gaisha?), usually shortened to Nissan (/ˈniːsɑːn/ or UK /ˈnɪsæn/; Japanese: [nisːaɴ]), is a Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan.

General Motors Company,[1] commonly known as GM, is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, that designs, manufactures, markets, and distributes vehicles and vehicle parts, and sells financial services.

I prefer to support the home team whenever possible.

 

[red EOD veteran]

With 7 kids so 9 people total in the vehicle (max) with some room for comfort your limited to suburban, excursion, or fullsize van. Might get 15+ with a gas suburban on 31-33" tires but expect 13. Better with a diesel but not as common. Excursion's tend to get single digits with gas and low teens with the diesel but the 7.3L can be improved to mid teens, maybe a bit more.

If you're ok with low power the 82-92 suburbans with a 6.2 diesel will get you the best fuel economy. The 82 k20 pickup I had (6.2, th400, np208, 4.10 gears and 37" tires) averaged 20-22mpg