We waited until kid 2 to upsize. Was a good call, we learned what worked and did not work. What shit to bring and what shit was wholly unnecessary. What/when food that hit the floor was edible vs gross. etc etc etc etc

Good friend of ours did precisely this. Bought a newer Traverse for about 10k more than we paid for our same-model-year van. Didn’t want a van, wouldn’t drive a van. Whines all the time about getting the kids and their shit into/out of said 3-row CUV, remarks how easy it is with our van. No shit sherlock...

This is why we opted for a used but under-warranty Grand Caravan. It’s a 2013 Touring-L model with every option available (so it’s not rental-fleet spec). I paid 20k (plus taxes) for a less than 2 year old vehicle that had an MSRP somewhere approaching 40k (but if you paid that you are a fool). Similar…

I used to say “It’s only 1 year of terrible, just deal” but now the rec (and the law in some places) is 2 years rear-facing. Most cars just don’t have the rear legroom to deal with it, unless the front pax likes kissing the dashboard. In our van there is tons of legroom, rear facing in the middle row is no problem. …

It’s missing sliding doors. Otherwise we’d prob have this instead of the van. Those rear seats are NOT easy to access IMO. And yes, we’ve spent a long weekend with one and our kids and our friend’s kids. Now that we have a proper minivan and can compare - way more useable space in the minivan. Esp the FCA models…

I’ve got 2 kids, and need a damn van. The ass-end of my van is presently full to the brim with sports gear (baseball season, ya know). 2 kids, 2 parents, with the couple-times-a-month visit from Papa everyone has a seat even with all that baseball/soccer gear perma-stored back there. The van is 1 vehicle to rule…

I had a JSW, wanted AWD, somewhat sporty and 2013 or newer. Drove a lot of CUVs and a few wagons. The X3 with the m-sport package checked off more of the right boxes for me vs the others.

Seriously, I’m dying over here. ROFL

I can tell you, without any hesitation, that my X3 M-Sport handles a kajillion times better than my minivan. I agree though - the van is the bomb-diggity for the family. I preferred the X3 M-Sport to the alternatives, and yes we took the extended warranty to the max because, well, BMW.

It’s a thing of beauty. Truly a sight to behold!

Drove it on Monday evening. It is astonishing.

This. Did it to my son’s Fire last weekend, worked great.

It really depends on the vehicle. BMW says on the rear of my X3 - never on the front. So RTFM really.

http://www.spikes-spiders.com

A/S tires need to have the M+S rating to be in any way shape or form acceptable for truly cold weather conditions. Even still, there is a massive variance between brands and no matter what, dedicated winters are the only tire that is truly appropriate for ice/hardpack. You can get away with many A/S tires, and AWD…

I’m sure you get your fair share of novices in UT. I’m sure you know from being around Tahoe - those folks from the Bay don’t even qualify as novices!

Expensive? Well, I am probably the overkiller, but the Spikes Sports that I used on my (now-gone) JSW were the best I could buy ($500-600 depending on where you source). I now have an X3, which has fresh A/S meat on it and will as often as safety dictates. I’ve accepted it as a cost of playtime in the snow with my…

As you are likely aware, the Sierras don’t just get snow, they get shit-tons of it, and in very short time windows, and it can happen any time between roughly October and May.

My favorite A/S tire. Had them on my JSW and the MkV sedan before that. Also, my boss has had them on his Lexus for nearly 80k (he’s on set #2). Absolutely fantastic rubber. Not sure if they make them in 19" but if they do, I will be looking that way first when I replace the run-flats on my X3 M-Sport.

Plenty of people live outside of California in mountainous areas year round that are every bit or more dangerous and get more snow than the tahoe area.