I admit I have a Ford preference (and my dad even more so), but when I was still at home we had Chevy suburbans (Excursion didn't exist yet) because Dad didn't want to drive a van, even with 13 kids. He eventually had to give in when my mom bought 2 Dodge vans for $350 each at a school auction. He eventually wound up in Ford vans. I have a 1999 Ford F350 4 door that has been used hard, but is still kicking, which I love. We have a 2002 Ford E350 van that has had a long life, the V10 is starting to show its age, but pulled our cargo trailer to Silverton and back, no problem. For my oldest son, we landed on a 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid, which so far has served him/us well. While I was driving tonursing school I sold a 2001 Ford Excursion to buy a VW Beetle with the diesel engine. What a mistake! I could have driven my pickup to school the entire time for much less than what I poured into that Beetle, thinking I could save money on fuel. I traded the Beetle in and bought a 2005 Acura MDX (I was done with the Beetle, went to a car dealer I trusted and bought the only red SUV/crossover he had). I really liked that Acura, but when the transmission finally failed, it was cheaper to replace the vehicle than to repair it. Anyway, just my 47 cents. I like Fords but think you can get good models from most brands.
