Is a prius a good substitute for a minivan?

If most americans could tell the difference between 'need' and 'want', the country would be unrecognizable.

How many people here say "I need ... " when ordering food at a shop ? I hear it all the time.

 

We've got twins girls, now 6. I'm paranoid about safety, so they still use booster seats. There is *plenty* of room in my Prius, and we're not very careful about packing correctly. It works for camping trips and other family-on-the-road-stuff, but haven't tried it for ski trips with loads of winter gear. On rare occasions my wife has squeezed in between the booster seats when we needed to take a 3rd adult. Didn't look comfortable to me.

Congratulations on the upcoming events (buying a Prius and having the baby!).

 

I've talked some people who have three kids in to at least looking at the Prius but they opted for something else because with three kids, it's too small. Also, for a hockey dad that I know, it just isn't big enough to handle the kids and the equipment. It seems that if you have two kids you're going to have enough room but any more than that is problematic.

 

I've found the Prius to be surprisingly spacious. It seems like one of those magic things that's bigger on the inside than it is on the outside. Aside from our fleet of bicycles and a canoe, the Prius is our only vehicle, and is more than adequate. Last summer, we 4 carried all our camping gear (tents, sleeping bags, stove, barbecue, food, clothes, etc) on a 10,000 km trip.

If a family of four can't fit all their stuff in a Prius, you've got too much stuff.

But, if you regularly need to haul more than 5 people, sheets of plywood, large furniture, or landscaping materials, you're going to need something bigger than a Prius.

 

My sentements exactly! More then 2 adults and three kids or more then 4 adults and 1 kid and you need something larger (I hope to never get there! :huh: )

 

Your point is well taken, BUT don't YOU 'need' food?

 

Not as much as we shovel in to our big mouths

 

You asked for it. My standard family lecture:

Use 'require' instead of the watered down and marketed bit of muddled thinking propagated by 'need'. The word is direct and clear. Qualify require (if not always in speech, then in thought) with 'in order to ..'

So, e.g: I desire a veggie Quiznos sub, please. Hold the dressing (yuch)

I require nutriton to keep my body healthy. A veggie Quiznos would do, as would a Subway, or a Snickers with milk, or a Thai meal, or ...

I suppost one could say "I need a Quiznos to satisfy my desire for a Quiznos", but the silliness in that sentence is self evident ?

 

My wife replaced her 10 year old minivan with an '05 Prius last summer. We have 2 boys. The Prius has been an excellent replacement for us, it has a high degree of utility due to its hatchback and very roomy rear seat. We use the Prius as our family vehicle and it has been a delight to use in that capacity.

 

Two parents, two "boys" although 1 of which is taller than me. 3 hockey players.

Prius is the main family car. We can get 2 sets of hockey gear in if needed. Have owned the Prius since Oct. and really like it. We are planning to drive it on our upcoming family vacation from MN to Missouri. I think three kids is the tipping point, but you could still have the Prius for a second car, just something larger for when the whole family needed to go together.