• If you currently own, previously owned or want to own an Avalanche, we welcome you to become a member today. Membership is FREE, register now!

Avalanche used as a family vehicle

A

andersmf

Full Member
Joined
Jan 16, 2004
Messages
10
Location
Huntersville, NC
I am planning on purchasing a new family vehicle within the next two months. I have looked at many different vehicles, we are leaning towards a Z71 Avalanche. Has anyone bought one for a family vehicle? Taking the kids places, trips, running to the store...has it been convenient for this type of use?
 
I may be going out on a limb here, but I would venture to say that's what the majority are used for. ;)
It's the best on gas, it's not the smallest to park, but it's the best all-round vehicle I've ever owned. :love:
 
Oh Yea I Love mine its great for the kids also ...mine are 12,17&17and there`s plenty of room for them on the inside and then the bed ...spacious.....When we went to beach last year...I didnt have to worry about the sand from all the beach stuff just threw it in the back and washed it out with a garden hose FROM THE INSIDE...LOL just lowered midgate and hosed her out..No fuss No muss and its great for grabbing grocerys or shopping cause you cant see whats in the back so I never worry about people peeking in the windows and smash and grab yanno?...bet part is....only the 12 doesnt have her own car...so the av`s ALL MINE!!!!!! except for family trips. Better than a burb and WAYYYYYYYYYYY Better then a mini-van...safer also.....side impact ...high survival rate SUV...buy one you wont regret it and then you can join this GREAT club!!!
 
This is the exact reason I bought mine. It has a full sized cabin providing plenty of room for my kids (9,4,1.5), room for me and plenty of equipment if the backseats are laying down, which makes it easy to remove items and is very convenient, has a huge trunk with the panels on and the utility of a truck with them off, and I've used the midgate maybe 6 times in a year and a half, and it came in VERY handy.

You don't have to worry much about the interior, since the leather isn't a soft, luxury leather like Nappa that may absorb spills and be prone to staining. The bed is nice for beach/outdoor trips since getting it sandy is much less of a chore to fix than a carpeted cargo area/trunk.

I'd say the Av is a perfect fam vehicle, and haven't found anything that I'd rather have for the job yet.
 
I may be going out on a limb here, but I would venture to say that's what the majority are used for.
Click to expand...

I see women in this area driving quite a few Av's. My wife hates it because it's so "trucky" ,has horrible rear visibility, and is HUGE making it hard to parallel park when combined with the rear view issue. However, apparently many women don't mind these things, and truck sales as a whole have seen a huge increase in female buyers over the past several years.
 
What DS, zedhead12, and txyank1 said.

Not only is this the perfect family vehicle but a terrific hunting/ice ishing truck. Take the family (SU + 17 and 15 year old kids) camping. Also take friends out hunting and ice fishing. It's comfortable and spacious. Harvested animals go in the back along with the gear. It's all covered since we have to be "politically correct" and hide the dead critters from the public. :E:

The only thing I would have done differently is to have picked up a 2500 since I trailer about every weekend of hunting season.

For those that do some surf fishing.... Maybe some of them surf pole holders could fit in the cladded rear bumpers where the steps are ;D That should provoke some thinking.
 
Family...Oh yea....Make sure you put in the after market DVD player with infrared headphones....Keep checking the pockets behinf the front seat for crayons and markers...Check the armrest drink holder between the back seats for matchbox cars and trucks...Keep some windex wipes for the windows..and some ziplocks for those car sick moments...

To keep spills to a min...buy a water pack that can hang on the back of the front seats...kids can drink and never spill with the bite tubes they have now...

Also have on hand a portable or battery vac. to suck up skittles and m&m's...I don't let food in my rig...but on occasion...you know how that goes....Keep the french fries or other grease filled food out the Av....

....Just a few thoughts..... ;D
 
DS said:
I see women in this area driving quite a few Av's. My wife hates it because it's so "trucky" ,has horrible rear visibility, and is HUGE making it hard to parallel park when combined with the rear view issue. However, apparently many women don't mind these things, and truck sales as a whole have seen a huge increase in female buyers over the past several years.
Click to expand...
Seems like most of the women around here drive Jeeps, Pickups, or 'Vettes! I'd love to have a car in the Family, but I want my Truck, and the Wife says cars sit too low so she drives an Explorer. She likes the Av but is a little intimidated by the poor visibility. Now my Daughter....she's just chompin' at the bit to borrow it again come Spring Break and it's off to Colorado. :cautious:
 
"Not only is this the perfect family vehicle but a terrific hunting/ice ishing truck"



Hey IBOHUNT where you go ice fishing in md?.....Cumberland area?

Always been interested in that....except for the falling though the ice thing......and if I get bored I`ll bring along my blades and a stick and a coupla pucks
 
I purchased my '03 Z71 because it seats 6 (front split bench) and I have a future need for the towing capabilities (not sufficient to justify the AV 2500 though).

As your looking at potential options, do consider the running boards. Mine has the dark charcoal running boards.

Welcome to the club. Be sure to mark June 4 on your calendar for the Niagara Falls GTG. Hope to see you, your family, and your new AV there :B:
 
Thanks for all the responses. My lease is due up in the next couple months on my car. Can't wait! I have 3 year old and 10 month old should be plenty of room. We could not even get all the Christmas presents home from New York in the car. Won't be a problem next year.
 
zedhead12 said:
Hey IBOHUNT where you go ice fishing in md?.....Cumberland area?

Always been interested in that....except for the falling though the ice thing......and if I get bored I`ll bring along my blades and a stick and a coupla pucks
Click to expand...

Deep Creek lake and if possible up in Clear Spring at the lakes by Ski Whitetail.

Most of the time you can't use blades and a stick, unless you want to throw them at the &*$ $#*^ snowmobilers :E:, too much snow cover on the ice. I'll be heading to Deep Creek tomorrow. to drill some holes in the lake ;D
 
Andersmf,

A year ago we bought our Av to replace a leased Rodeo. My wife wanted a minivan, but I wanted an Av. As soon as she test drove the Av she fell in love and we bought it. We only had our 15 month old at the time, but were working on kid #2 :D .

After driving the Av for a few weeks she decided it was a great family vehicle, but she didn't like parking it. She gave it to me, and she took my Altima--which she hated. Soon enough, that Altima was traded in on a 2004 Nissan Quest (minivan). After driving both the Avalanche and Quest, the Avalanche is her favorite vehicle to drive now, dispite her decision which lead her to give it to me.

But...she's not getting it back now! :)

Get the Av, everyone will love it. You'll have tons of room for strollers and the rest of the baby gear.

Oh yeah...we have a 2 yr old and 4 month old now.

Craig
 
Only one word necessary to describe the Av as a family vehicle.

PERFECT!!!

Two kids in car seats. Great for camping and long road trips. More fun to drive than the other family vehicle, a minivan. The pocket behind the seat is great for those little diaper changing kits, and the tailgate makes an awesome changing table! (y) If the kid makes a mess or you drop the poopy diaper before you get it all bundled up, just hose 'er down.

Only real problem is that our two year old son has a little trouble saying the word TRuck. He substitutes an F for the TR. It sure brings a lot of faces from people in stores and other places when he screams out *uck, big *uck, daddies *uck, ride the *uck, go *uck, fire *uck, etc. ;D
 
I've got 3 kids, 15, 13 and 9, and the AV is our primary family vehicle for short trips. For longer trips, the 3rd seat in our Suburban is awfully nice for helping to keep some of the kids fighting/arguing at bay. If we had a front bench seat in the AV that would help, but the wife and I just like the buckets too much!!! :love:
 
AvaGator said:
...
Only real problem is that our two year old son has a little trouble saying the word TRuck. He substitutes an F for the TR. It sure brings a lot of faces from people in stores and other places when he screams out *uck, big *uck, daddies *uck, ride the *uck, go *uck, fire *uck, etc. ;D
Click to expand...
:eek: LOL my kid says "tuck" which is cute. Usually "dadda's tuck." Since the exhaust, he says "dadda's vroom vroom"...I'm not kidding :love:

My wife hates it because it's so "trucky"
Click to expand...
Mine too :rolleyes: She'd drive a Tahoe or Suburban in a heartbeat, and wouldn't be caught dead in a minivan :rolleyes: :rolleyes: So she's stuck with her Passat. She has admitted that my Av is really nice to drive, etc. but just too much like a man's vehicle :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

That's OK I don't want her driving it anyway.

Oh, yeah, great family vehicle. We can ride me, wife, kid in carseat, and still fit in a dog crate on the "60" portion of our backseat with two dogs. Then junk goes in the back (y) We'll have to forgo the dogs when we have more kids (I can't wait >:D hate the little rats...the dogs that is)
 
justhrowit said:
txyank1 said:
It's the best on gas :love:
Click to expand...
Did I miss something....mine sure is not the best on gas!!!!
Click to expand...
OK, It's the best in our Family. Wife has a V8 Explorer...ouch!!
What I meant was it ISN'T THE BEST ON GAS. :6:
 
The only problem I see is if you have a child in the back and you don't have bench seats and you need to take down the midgate. I guess you could strap the child to the luggage rack! :-*
 
txyank1 said:
justhrowit said:
txyank1 said:
It's the best on gas :love:
Click to expand...
Did I miss something....mine sure is not the best on gas!!!!
Click to expand...
OK, It's the best in our Family. Wife has a V8 Explorer...ouch!!
What I meant was it ISN'T THE BEST ON GAS. :6:
Click to expand...



I know what you meant, I just wanted to bust your chops. I know what you mean on the "exploiders" gas millage. I have a v-8 Mountaineer a few years ago, and it was brutal. Not sure why either. Relatively small.
 
I just sold my Toyota Tundra Access Cab for the Avalance because I needed more room for the dogs. My wife and I foster dogs for the local MSPCA so we always have 4 or more dogs. I can put the midgate down and the dogs love it back under the bed covers. We don't have children, so the dogs are considered "family". So, I would have to say, it is our family vehicle.

 
Dont forget the steps. I ordered mine from the dealer when I bought it, had to wait about 4 weeks to get them installed. My children 9 and 7 had trouble climbing in, now with the steps it is easy.
 
I just sold my Toyota Tundra Access Cab
Click to expand...

speaking of the Tundra, have you guys seen the new commercial where Toyota is bragging about "better X than F**d" and "better Y than D***e?"

I notice they left out one of the big three in their commercial. Guess they couldn't find anything better than :B:

;D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top