Getting From Here to Anywhere

One of the things on my mind right now involves the family transportation. If you read the travel blog (To Glacier and Back), you know that the transmission in the Volvo wagon is not original to the car. In fact, it is a used transmission installed by the capable folks at Celtic Motors in Kalispell, Montana. There were other problems with the Volvo along the way, several of which just keep coming back -- recurring, if you will.

Not long after we left for Montana, the latch on the back door of the wagon must have been bent or knocked-out-of-whack because the warning light for an open tailgate stays on all the time now. The speed sensors on the ABS and the transmission do not always stay in sync, and the looming issue of a new throttle body is always on my mind. Really, the Volvo V70 XC is not long for this family. I think. Also, it needs new tires. Soon. Very soon, especially with the threat of a snowy winter.

Last weekend we had the three boys and the two dogs with us in the Volvo to go for a hike at Beaver Brook in Hollis, NH. We're talking about a lab-border collie mix, a chocolate lab, and three boys ages 1, 3, and 6. While the dogs have stopped growing, the boys refuse it. Beer, coffee, cigarettes -- they'll have none of it. They eat and eat and grow and grow and, looking in the rearview mirror, I saw a rapidly shrinking station wagon.

How did people do it in the past? Before the advent of the SUV and minivan? Well, I guess you either let luck play a part -- by ignoring common sense, seatbelts, and personal space -- or you bought a big car or a van. Back when vans were vans. I look out the window at that black Scandinavian metal and see something that is no longer suitable.

So what to do next?

Well, I have been adamant a long time about no SUVs, no minivans. But is this a viable stance? Couldn't I either swallow my pride and become a minivan-driving middle-aged soccer dad or join the ranks of swollen-headed gas-leeches and buy an SUV? And which would I rather do? Or do I just sink some more dough into the Volvo and tell the boys to suck-it-up and keep their hands to themselves?

When it comes to SUVs, I have been leaning toward the Honda CRV and the Dodge Nitro. Drawbacks? While the CRV gets respectable gas mileage, you're still talking about a vehicle that seats 5 and would there really be any sort of upside to that? Is the backseat any wider and the flat-floor any roomier than the Volvo? The CRV is a Honda and that means longevity in many ways, and it also means a price premium. There's a front wheel drive and an all-wheel drive. Both are coupled to a mediocre 4 cyclinder that may or may not be comfortable getting 5 people up and down hills and mountains.

The Dodge Nitro briefly became a front-runner when I fell for its more aggressive looks and seemingly larger interior. Certainly it looked as if the dogs would be happier than in the CRV. Again, you're still just talking a 5 seater, but the engines and transmissions varied, and 2 and 4 wheel drive versions are also available. Is the backseat any wider? Who knows. The mileage is definitely weaker. And I read a slew of user reviews that portrayed the Nitro as mechanically questionable. Of course it's a new vehicle (in 2007), so there's always that. But they are pricier than the CRV and that plants a few seeds of doubt.

I've given brief consideration to RAV-4s, the Ford Escape and Edge, the Kias and Hyundais, and -- gulp -- even the Chevy Equinox. Nothing grabs me.

Going any larger in an SUV is doscomforting to the conscience. Sure, you start seeing 7 passenger options, but at a cost to the wallet, the environment, and the ego. Really, I don't want to be a road hog.

But is a minivan any better? Or any less a road hog? The so-called full-size minivans, to me, are bathtubs too large to park effectively and maneuver adequately. My sisters-in-law have Honda Odysseys, very nice minivans, but, having driven them, they leave a lot to be desired. No minivan of the sort has ever struck me as something capable of getting out of its own way. Visibility is bad and the options that make a minivan a true friend drive the price skyward.

So you could go to the small minivan. Mazda 5 or Kia Rondo? I like the Mazda, but Kias scare me. Plus there's the old sister-in-law bugaboo. My brother's ex-wife drove a Kia Sportage that she is reported to have hated from the moment she took delivery. Plus, I never actually liked her, so, why would I ever want ANY Kia? Kia will always be associated with Paula, and any association of the sort is a bad one. As in, "Why don't you just buy the VW Bug Ted Bundy drove when he abducted his victims?" Or "Hey, Jeffrey Dahmer's apartment is available!"

The Mazda 5 is a nice little wedge of driving pleasure. I have never test-driven one, but I have sat in one on several occasions at the nearby dealer. You're talking three rows of seating -- two rows of bucket seats and a single bench. It's a nice people mover. But I have two reservations. The first is the complete lack of storage space behind the third row of seating. When I think of carting the family of 5 plus the 2 dogs, I wonder how that would work. Half the rear bench would have to cold down to give the dogs any room and then you'd be left with minimal interior storage for any kind of travel gear. All luggage would need to go on the roof. My second reservation is the engine. Would the small 4 cylinder be enough to haul us all?

Granted, we are not always on the go together. But, then again, we are. There are not many other - if any - cars in this category. Honda is reportedly bringing a 6 passenger mini minivan to the US in 2009. That's a bit of a wait. I think I might have a kid in college by then.

Back to station wagons. What are my alternatives? The Volvo. (A new one is too pricey.) Heather is against getting another, and she no longer trusts the one we have. Ford Focus wagon? Again, the backseat will have to accomodate three BOYS. Growing boys. For a quick jaunt across town? Sure. Roadtrip to Aunt Jen's? Ugh. Subaru? Several family members have the Forester and like it, but, having just been in the backseat of one, I think 3 GROWING BOYS will kill each other after an hour. Ditto the Outback. And the Tribeca is too pricey, especially if you go for the optional 3rd row.

There was some promise in the 2009 Ford Flex. It looks cool. Seats 7. Isn't a minivan. Isn't an SUV. Decent mileage. All wheel drive optional. Nice. Nice open interior, lots of skylights. Sweet. BUT. It's built on a Volvo platform AND it's gonna start around $27K.

No thanks.

The VW Jetta we drove in Montana was nice, but will there be a station wagon version? Signs point to YES, but. . . For how much? And will there be any more room, really? Because if you try to upsell me to the Passat, my wallet will explode.

What else?

Well, I'll tell you where my sick mind is leading me. A used Mazda MPV. The MPV was the only minivan I ever really liked. Smaller than most minivans but larger than the current Mazda 5, you're talking about a 7 passenegr station wagon upsized slightly to provide the tall ride of a minivan. Plus decent rear-storage. A nice engine, good look, and great visibility. I drove one just before I opted for the Volvo. The only problem here is that Mazda stopped importing this minivan two years ago. They still make them, but they're not available in North America. So the only choices are used.

And that's where I am currently leaning. So unhip. So unwise. So what do I do?