First of all, I would suggest getting some form of extended SUV. You'll be happy you did when they get a little bigger and want to bring along friends, etc. A friend of mine has a 2005 Chevy Tahoe with all the goodies and loves it. It has been very reliable for them and their 4 kids. But there are definately more options out there. Shop around and do your homework before deciding on one too quickly. Check out this site for more info:

http://www.find-cheap-used-cars.com/used/buying-a-used-car.php

 

Hi there.  This is just my personal opinion from what I know about 4WDs.  It depends on the size of car that you want.  I drive a Nissan X-Trail.  It has a smaller engine (2.5L) and is more compact than some 4WDs.  Having said that, we can fit adults in the backseat veyr comfortably (which you can't always do) and I loooove it to death.  It also has fittings for THREE child car seats.  They are cheap, reliable, economical, still great off-road and they have heaps of features even in the base model. 

I would never drive anything Mitsubishi, I would never buy a Pajero.  They are not built to last and from what I've seen at our 4WD club, they don't handle well off road.  For a smaller 4WD I recommend the X-trail or a Subaru Forrester or Outback.  In the mid size I recommend a Toyota Prado or a Nissan Pathfinder and in the bigger sizes go for a Nissan Patrol or a Landcruiser.  These bigger cars are FANTASTIC safety wise and they are built like Sherman tanks...unfortunately they are also fuel hungry.

Brand-wise I really like the way they make Subarus, Toyotas and Nissans (my personal favourite) because they run well, they're reliable and they all have excellent safety features.  I would avoid a Mitsubishi like the plague and while I don't necessarily trust them, I have heard good things about Ford and the Hyundai Santa Fe.  Hope this helps.

hi we have both a station wagon (8 seater) and a 4wd (7 seater) and they are both good except the only thing about our 4wd (nissan patrol) is that theres not enough room for a pram in the boot, we have to put it on the back seat next to my eldest. whereas in the station wagon theres still room for a pram in the back behind the back seat, and my pram is pretty damn huge. feel free to minti mail me if youve got any questions.

Hi there,

After seeing many car accidents and reviewing news articles and press releases I must say that I would be very hestitant upon woning a 4WD. Personally I would think you would be better of going for a wagon or minivan of some type. There are also some great wagons out there that offer 7 seaters. Also some 5 seater vehicles are quite wide. I myself own a Magan Station wagon and there is heaps of room for two car seats, plus the wagon has pleantly of bootspace from pram(s) and gorceries . .ETC

Goodluck . . . Cheers Kellz

We have a 2000 model Toyota  Land Cruiser Prado petrol automatic I love it i find it pretty good on fuel and easy to park as it is not as bulky as some 4WD and ours is an eight seater and fits our four children which 2 are in their teens in well with room for their friends too we bought ours second hand 12 months ago and have not had any problems with it all .

                                             happy car hunting        Cham

Hi there, I was too on the look for a larger car, but I decided to wait as I really like the new jeep commanda, I'll have to wait A while for a secondhand one, I dont waste my money on new cars!! I currently have a ford explorer 4WD and it fits two car seats but my daughter is squished in the middle, and like all babys they like pulling her hair, poor darling!! They come in 7 seats and thats one option we are considering as it will be about 8 months be for i can get my new car, exept they seem to take up a lot of "pram" room. Well i probally wasn't much help, but good luck