Mid Week Match-Up: Six Seats for Scirocconut

This week's Mid Week Match-Up, victim is Scirocconut who asks DT to help him find a 6-passenger car for his growing family.  Help me find the minivan/ wagon/ SUV of my dreams! With the arrival of baby number two, our beloved 2013 Honda Fit is a just a bit too small and my dearly beloved 2001 VW Golf comes up well under par as well. We want to replace the mighty VW with something that can haul the four of us and the occasional grandparent or two. Biggest priority: not that big -- No land yachts or paramilitary SUVs! Ideally, we'd like the smallest, nimblest thing that can hold 6 people (two of them in car seats). And, Vince, please don't try to sell me your Roadmaster.

Mid Week Match-Up: A Daily For Vance's Lady Friend

Todays Mid Week Match-Up request comes from Vance who writes: So my girlfriend is on car number two for the year, a 2007 Subaru Forester that replaced her 2001 Chrysler Sebring which blew a head gasket back in January. Now the Forester (approx. 110K miles) is showing signs of a bad head gasket, despite her "trustworthy" family mechanic who keeps telling her there is nothing wrong and that she's worrying too much (despite me having towed this car to his shop twice while on the verge of overheating). She really wanted a Subaru and I tried to steer her away from Subarus for this reason. Instead of totaling yet another car, I'd like to find her something more reliable. She really likes small suv's and wagons. I really just need something reliable that will stand up to the Texas heat because I'm tired of trying to put band aids on the gunshot wound that is the bad Subaru head gasket. 4WD/AWD would be a plus. Something in the 5-6k range, 7k at the most.

Mid Week Match-Up: Seats Six

It's Wednesday, so that means it's time for another edition of Daily Turismo's better than running a snake dairy farm for a living game also known as Mid Week Match-Up! Today's MWMU is for DT reader Scot (located in the SF Bay Area, CA) who writes to us: 

Okay gang I could use some help. Have pulled two families together. Me with two kids and her with one. The 1965 Volvo 220 didn’t quite do it and the 1940 Hudson was just right for five. Now we are adding a number six. Want a replacement for the Volvo and Hudson.

Requirements are: Fun and interesting. Can fit five plus a baby seat. Easy to work on as it is a way I am teaching the kids how things work. Does not have to be too reliable as I drive 9 miles one way and have backup modes of transport. 60s and 70s station wagons are getting really expensive and unless you put a lot into them are boring (not including the Studebaker).

5k: 3-Rows 5-speeds: 2006 Mazda Mazda5

The 2nd generation Mazda5 is a mini-minivan build on Ford's global C1 platform, sharing parts with the Mazda3, European Focus and Volvo S40/C30/V50/C70.  The Mazda5 combines 3-row minvan practicality with Mazda's celebrated version of zoom-zoom.  It may not carve corners like a Miata, but it is available with a 5-speed gearbox and won't lean like the average mini-barge.  Find this 2006 Mazda Mazda5 offered for $7,998 in Burnsville, MN via craigslist. Tip from Geraldine.