We've outgrown the minivan! I never thought it was possible, but put enough kids and bikes and camping gear into the equation...
And yes, it has a big bike rack, and a rocketbox, etc. It's maxed out. We can't store or park a trailer of any kind in our neighborhood, so that's out too.
Situation: Family of 6 needs new wheels in the next year or so.
Driving:
-Zero around town, we use bikes and the very good bus system. An average day sees zero miles driven. If we do drive in town, it's to do a shuttle run with the mountain bikes/lots of gear. No solo driving to get groceries.
-Trips to welding/industrial supply stores ~40 miles away once every 2 weeks or so.
-Big road trips 4-5 times per year where we camp, ride bikes, visit family and friends, etc. Obviously those have not been happening this year, but normally they would.
So as much as I hate to say it... are we looking at a Sprinter/Ford Transit kind of situation at this point? What are the pros/cons for folks in similar situations? It seems like it would work well enough for our very limited daily use, and also be great for road trips. But I've never spent more than $5000 on a car in my life (and in fact until we had kids I'd never spent more than $500/often didn't own one). The thought of spending $20-50k on a stupid vehicle...
Thoughts?
-W