u/LeftoverPozole_

We currently have two paid/mostly settled sedans. Our main family car is a Kia Optima with two car seats. It works and we're still semi-comfortable in it, but we're reaching the point where I can see the value of having substantially more room.

I also have a 2016 Mazda3 that I recently finished paying off. It's primarily my car because it's small, although I can put the kids in it when necessary and occasionally the whole family rides in it.

Now that I'm no longer financing the Mazda, I'm starting to think about our next family vehicle, not necessarily something we need to run out and buy tomorrow.

I've always leaned toward a minivan.

We have two toddlers, use car seats, like road trips, sometimes haul things, and I generally value usable interior space and practicality. Sliding doors, easy access to the kids, cargo room, flexible seating, and having enough space as the kids get older all make sense to me.

My in-laws are empty nesters and drive a BMW X7. Recently they've been encouraging us toward that kind of 3-row luxury SUV instead.

Their philosophy seems to be: if you're already going to spend a significant amount of money and can handle the monthly payment, you might as well get what you really want.

I understand that logic, but I'm not sure it's mine.

My thinking is that if I'm spending serious money on a family vehicle, I want the purchase to solve as many actual family-use problems as possible. I'm having trouble seeing what an X7-type luxury SUV would do better for our household than a good minivan besides being nicer, more prestigious, and arguably more enjoyable to drive.

I'm also hesitant to judge affordability primarily by the monthly payment. Purchase price, financing cost, insurance, maintenance, depreciation, tires, fuel, and what else that money could be doing for the household matter to me too.

So for parents who have actually lived with both:

What did a 3-row SUV do better than a minivan for your family, or vice versa?

Especially interested in experiences involving:

\- two or more car seats

\- toddlers becoming school-age kids

\- road trips

\- grandparents/passengers

\- hauling gear or large purchases

\- keeping the vehicle long-term

\- total ownership cost rather than just the monthly payment

I'm not opposed to spending money on a vehicle we genuinely value. I'm questioning whether a luxury 3-row SUV is actually the better family tool, or whether I'd be paying considerably more for attributes that aren't particularly important to us.

We currently have two paid/mostly settled sedans. Our main family car is a Kia Optima with two car seats. It works and we're still semi-comfortable in it, but we're reaching the point where I can see the value of having substantially more room.

I also have a 2016 Mazda3 that I recently finished paying off. It's primarily my car because it's small, although I can put the kids in it when necessary and occasionally the whole family rides in it.

Now that I'm no longer financing the Mazda, I'm starting to think about our next family vehicle, not necessarily something we need to run out and buy tomorrow.

I've always leaned toward a minivan.

We have two toddlers, use car seats, like road trips, sometimes haul things, and I generally value usable interior space and practicality. Sliding doors, easy access to the kids, cargo room, flexible seating, and having enough space as the kids get older all make sense to me.

My in-laws are empty nesters and drive a BMW X7. Recently they've been encouraging us toward that kind of 3-row luxury SUV instead.

Their philosophy seems to be: if you're already going to spend a significant amount of money and can handle the monthly payment, you might as well get what you really want.

I understand that logic, but I'm not sure it's mine.

My thinking is that if I'm spending serious money on a family vehicle, I want the purchase to solve as many actual family-use problems as possible. I'm having trouble seeing what an X7-type luxury SUV would do better for our household than a good minivan besides being nicer, more prestigious, and arguably more enjoyable to drive.

I'm also hesitant to judge affordability primarily by the monthly payment. Purchase price, financing cost, insurance, maintenance, depreciation, tires, fuel, and what else that money could be doing for the household matter to me too.

So for parents who have actually lived with both:

What did a 3-row SUV do better than a minivan for your family, or vice versa?

Especially interested in experiences involving:

\- two or more car seats

\- toddlers becoming school-age kids

\- road trips

\- grandparents/passengers

\- hauling gear or large purchases

\- keeping the vehicle long-term

\- total ownership cost rather than just the monthly payment

I'm not opposed to spending money on a vehicle we genuinely value. I'm questioning whether a luxury 3-row SUV is actually the better family tool, or whether I'd be paying considerably more for attributes that aren't particularly important to us.