Family car ?
I am planning to purchase a bigger size family car. - Nissan Quest - Toyota Siena - Chrysler Pacifica Etc. Please share your experience with any of the cars above. Looking for something for budget, gas mileage and long term. - Even after 150 k miles, engine and transmission should be good.
Honda Odyssey is my #1 suggestion, very high ratings, and my wife is a car seat safety technician and says they are the most sought for safety and ease of seat installation. Honda Pilot is another popular choice, Toyota Sienna too. If you don't mind used, we got our used Odyssey, year 2011 w 49k miles for $18k
Odyssey all the way. Unless you want an AWD van for skiing trips, then your only option is the sienna.
Friend of mine has 3 kids in car seats, and he has a Honda Pilot that works well for them. If you're regularly seating 7, then it might be a little tight, but we've gotten 4 car seats and 3 adults in there on occasion. It's a honda, so parts are relatively cheap. It's pretty comparable to al the minivans you mentioned, but it's built more like a SUV. That means you could pull a modest trailer for a vacation (I'd guess 20' camping trailer would be a good size estimate based on the weight it can pull.)
Thank You for the good tips.
But getting to the 3rd row can be a challenge with 3 car seats. We've been thru two pilots but had twins last year with our eldest going with the whole family is challenging. We're going to trade it in for the minivan for ease of 3rd row and the family friendly tech.
Toyota highlander is another good option. Not sure though how well it will fit your need.
Stay away from Chrysler
Highlander
Suburban
I have 4 kids and own a 2011 Sienna and a 2015 Pilot. My only issue with the Pilot is the lack of trunk space when all 3 rows of seats are being used. My only issue with the Sienna is that I didn't get AWD. Honestly I think I will own a minivan until my kids are teenagers. The Sienna is just too convenient to care how it looks.
Tesla Model X
Well that's not a budget car ;)
I'd say the Model X is a super ugly car, but the three above don't set the bar very high. If you really need to seat seven, get the Odyssey. But if you drop the requirement to six or even five, you can get something a lot more fun.