New or Used?: Should This Mustang Man Get a Minivan?

I'm going to go a totally different direction here and suggest a 1st Gen (1974-1981) Dodge Ramcharger/Plymouth Trailduster. It's under 200", and I would think the rear seat would accommodate a child seat. You may have to rig up some method of lashing the child seat down though... The upside to an early Ramcharger is the removable roof - kids love open air motoring on a nice day and they can be fun to drive in their own way - not sporty like a car, but fun nonetheless. You can always add an aftermarket roll bar and heavy duty rocker rails that mount to the frame to improve the safety odds a bit. I would have suggested an early Bronco but they are probably too small, plus the prices on nice ones are eye watering. Some other thoughts along the same lines - there is always the full-size Jeep Cherokee made from 1974-1983. These are under your length limit and definitely attention grabbing, but you lose the removable roof. The smaller Jeep Commando gives you the removable roof, but it's been so long since I've seen one that I can't remember how accommodating the back seat is - probably no better than a 1st gen Bronco in that regard. Even though I'm not a GM guy either, I've always liked and respected the 1969-1972 Chevy Blazer and the rarer but somehow cooler GMC Jimmy (introduced a year later in 1970). These are great looking trucks (with an edge to the GMC in the looks department) and built like tanks with readily available parts and support. 1972 is the best year to go with since front disc brakes became available that year.

The problem with your Mustang is that it was made to look good and not to fit people in the back - it's basically a Falcon with longer hood and no rear seat space. So, you need to get a car that was not designed to be sporty looking, but to be a practical family transportation. So, no Mustang, no Camaro, no Challenger. Instead, you need to be looking at Darts and Valiants (and maybe the 67-69 Barracuda or Plymouth Duster/Dodge Demon - all of these have the same proportions as sedans they were based on and thus should be much roomier inside than the 'Stang). Also, 1963-1965 Plymouth B-bodies (Fury and Belvedere) are just slightly over 200 inches and may fit. Yet they're still like a Chager or Road Runner underneath, with brilliant suspensions (much, much better than your Mustang) and great engines. From GM, I would check out the Novas and maybe early model Malibus, as someone suggested above. Also, a Corvair, especially in 4-door guise, looked pretty roomy to me (although I've never been inside one). The second generation one is, in my eyes, even nicer as a four-door. Ford's got a Falcon or 1968-1969 Torino for you. The Torino is 201 inches, which should still fit, and it's quite a bit roomier than Mustang. If the pre-74 year wasn't set in stone, I would also look at Buick Grand National. Also, if I understand correctly, you're Canadian. Any chance you can find a Ford Cortina Mark 3 over there? They're really tiny, but surprisingly big inside. Recently, I sat in a '68 Charger and a '72 or so Ford Taunus (Cortina's German twin) and I was a bit surprised how much roomier the Cortina is, despite being four feet shorter. http://www.goodwp.com/large/201109/19928.jpg Or you can look outside US. Big Benzes and Jags are still under 200", and, say, first generation XJ is truly a lovely car, very sporty for a big sedan of its age and much better handling than anything American of the era. W108 S-class is wholy different animal, but still very interesting and can be had with big V8s. Or maybe some kind of large BMW? E9? Maybe you can go even more radical, and get a Citroën DS? Small, yet large inside - if it was good enough for De Gaulle, your child will surely fit as well.