Vehicle options for round Aus with 4 kids

hi mossman
they had an iveco at the perth 4wd and adventure show $105,000 great for off rd but the most dissapointing thing that i noticed was the very ordinary bench type elcheapo rear seat it would be very uncomfortable on a long journeybut the cab area was very roomycheers

Thanks... kids at time of trip are likey to range from 10 to 4. I hear your point re: kids and screens, but we've held firm to the "no screens in car" policy so far, and although I may just be making my own life hell to replicate some misguided idealism from my childhood, we're hoping to keep it that way.

Ask me 7 hours out of Broome and I'll probably be throwing every electronic device I can get my hands on over my shouldrer

Cheers...

that came out wrong, It should have read I beleive VW have brought a new 8 seat 4x4 wagon it might be worth a look.
Broodie H3

Link for the above....
http://www.cmca.net.au/pages/members_market/NovemberMembersMarket.php

Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 Motorhome.

Thanks Eric... the real issue is a vehicle that holds a mob but can still get to far flung places. Before the 4 kids came along, we lived in Arnhem Land for a few years and we'd like to re-visit some old haunts and some places we didn't get to, but this time 4 kids makes it a bit harder. We have a VW Multivan at the moment (slightly upmarket Transporter) and can't speak highly enough of it, but it's not going to tow a camper over some average roads during the wet.

When we lived in the territory, the mantra that Toyota's were the only vehilcle you could get parts for was well and truly alive. It's not so much being set on a Toyota, more a lack of options for off-road trucks that will hold 6 people. We looked long and hard at the Delica's before we bought the VW, but something about being in the bush in a car that was only sold in Japan worried me in terms of service and parts.

cheers...

Thanks Phil... great input!

Do you think an 8-seat Sahara is a viable option for a long trip if you're towing a camper trailer and have 4 kids on board? My initial feelings are that we'd need more storage space in the vehicle if we're planing to head off for an extended period, but I'm happy to be convinced otherwise.

Thanks for the advice.

Use a roofrack for light, seldom-used things. With a trailer as well you shouldn't need much in the car.

8-seater 100/200 series would get my vote.

Gday Mossman,
As chisel has suggested, try not to put too much stuff inside the vehicle. The kids need their space. The roof iss good for light stuff but try to make it simple to store and unpack.

Not sure what camper trailer you have, but have a look at the trakshak - designed by a family from Adelaide who had 4 kids. Plenty of sleeping space and separate living space.

We couldn't afford one back in those days, so our older kids had their own tent. And when they were little we used foam mats, when they got older they got thermorest type matresses. Required a minimum of setting up on my part. Our main tent would sleep the lot for a single night - I'd suggest your camper trailer should do the same, and maybe pull an extra tent out for the longer stays, to give you a bit more space.

The 8 seater 4wds are great for 4 kids. We also owned a Prado 8 seater after the Sahara, but the kids were older by then, so rarely used the 3rd row. Out of interest, after 8 years of having a single cab ute, we're going back to an 8 seater because the grandkids need to look after their grandparents now :-)

Cheers
Phil

I think people over estimate the need for 4wd in a lot of situations.......many of the places people want to go, all the goods and equipment that are there got there on 2wd trucks.
Big wheels, duals on the back and good ground clearance count for a lot.

remember there is nothing stopping you puttingmeaty tyres, a diff lock in the back and a winch on the front of a 2wd.

the coaster will certainly supply the space and the carrying capacity