You lost me on the 12 or 9 person van. I suppose once the new child is born, you might need room for 8, but certainly not 12. One other thing to consider: how often will all 8 of you be going somewhere at the same time? If this will be a rare occasion, consider buying a smaller, more fuel efficient vehicle and renting the larger vehicle for the occasional trip. Another possibility is to buy a small used car, which will serve as the primary transportation, and a second, also used, van for the less frequent, full family trips. I'm not sure if either of these possibilities is realistic for you, but I would sure hate to see you driving around in a 1/4 occupied full-sized van running errands.