Car recs

[SoonerTexan]

Whew. Once again daddy saved my butt and found it was a relatively minor issue, not the $200 then $1000 repairs we thought. So we have more time to work this out and figure out exactly what we want. Earlier today I was thinking this was going to have to go down in about 2 weeks.

That was a really sucky and hot car ride though.

[SoonerTexan]

We look at Kias last night. I really liked the Sorento, but I can see how space might be an issue down the line. 3 kids? Perfect. 4? Cramped cramped cramped.

We didn't like the Sedona at all, though it was spacious. And cheap, damn it. I just don't think I can do minivan yet. I know I'm not your average 24 year old, but I'm still only 24 and not ready to be minivan mom yet!!!

I'm looking at the Hyundai Santa Fe and Veracruz soon and then we'll make our decision.

[Thirteen]

*cough* Subaru Tribeca, seating for 7 *cough*

I love my Outback, but I know you guys would outgrow it very quickly, so it's probably not practical.

[ladymoreta]

I think a nice, well-maintained SUV would be great until you're ready to join the minivan moms. DS just moved into his carseat-to-booster at 2.5 years, but he could have stayed in the other one longer if space was an issue.

[SoonerTexan]

A your suburu is super hawt and I love it, but I think they are out of our price range in general

[SuzySunshine]

If you think you might make the jump to a minivan someday why not get the Sorento and upgrade later? How long do you think you'll drive your next car?

[SoonerTexan]

If you think you might make the jump to a minivan someday why not get the Sorento and upgrade later? How long do you think you'll drive your next car?

Ideally, we'd keep it until DH is out of training. 6-7 years if DH does indeed go the radiology route. I can see us having 4 kids by then, which is my dilemma. A minivan is way more than we need now and an SUV would suit us fine until we hit child #4.

I think I have van PTSD from my childhood. We would have LOVED to be driven around in a minivan. Instead, my father decided since he had 5 children, he needed a club wagon. A WHITE club wagon. You know, a church van, airport shuttle (we actually had people get in at the airport once), etc. It was AWFULLLLLLL. All of us hated it, except for my dad. Obnoxious=cool to him. We had to pry it away from him a few years ago. I had to drive the dang thing my senior year of HS to school too!

I know I'm destined to drive something Large and In Charge eventually with the # of kids we want to have, so this might be my last chance to drive something sporty until I'm 50-something. Hell, we might be driving hovercrafts by then! That's why I'm so anti-minivan. (Unless it is an Odyssey because those are always hot)

[Deebs]

If you really think you're going to keep it for that long, you have to look at minivans (I'll be the bearer of bad news).

[Vanquisher]

IMO three kids is a minivan need. By the time you're trying to fit car seats?

I'm sorry, but I still vote minivan. Town and Country.

[SoonerTexan]

Nooooooooo!

DH and I had the same reaction looking at them last night, "So ugly. So boring. But so damn practical"

[Pollyanna]

IMO three kids is a minivan need. By the time you're trying to fit car seats?

I'm sorry, but I still vote minivan. Town and Country.

Yep, honestly it's likely the most financially sound choice because you'll be able to keep it through training. If you don't want a minivan what about a Traverse or something else that can seat 7-8? And FYI on the minivan, they are not so great once you have kids older than 10, it just starts getting too crowded.

[spotty_dog]

I'm so not a "car person" and I have to confess that any car-related argument that doesn't revolve around "it does what I need it to do and costs within my budget" leaves me in the dust. I am continually baffled when my friend insists I "must have lost a bet" to be driving our 1993 Camry sedan all the time. It gets good mileage and it's easy to park, what's not to love?

We bought a 5-year-old Subaru station wagon in MS4 and kept it until a year and a half past the end of training. It suited us great with two kids and a lifestyle that (between the kids' ages and the resident's schedule) kept us close to home. Once we had the time and energy for taking family trips, that's when we needed a bit more room.

According to Edmunds.com, 2008 and 2009 Tribecas have all the features of the newest models, and should be going for $17-19K.

But going back to the "it does what I need" argument, I know a gal who has three kids and a Prius. It works for her because she has an urban lifestyle and uses a lot of public transit, even biking when it's fine out (she has an awesome urban tricycle with a bucket trailer and an infant seat on the handlebars). She also plans a big family of up to 6 kids, but doesn't anticipate looking at new vehicles until #4 is in the works.

[Deebs]

For the record, my license plate is "HL FRZ" - hell froze. I love driving, cars, etc, but with three in car seats, I'm driving a minivan for them.

[SuzySunshine]

I have a big SUV - the GMC Acadia - I'm not sure what the base model starts at but you could get 4 car seats in it easily but then there is very little cargo space, but more then other 3 row SUVs have. I like it because on mine the 2nd row is captain's chairs so you don't have to fold a seat to get people into the back. We looked at the Highlander, Acadia, and Traverse - all would have held 4 car seats but only the Acadia had the captain's chairs.

If you really think you'll have 4 kids in that time frame I think a big SUV or a mini van are your only choices. The Infiniti JX also will hold 4 car seats (supposedly) but its BRAND new so its pricey.

[SoonerTexan]

Pollyanna--my mom has a Traverse and I love it. It's on the list, but it will be difficult to find one in our price range that doesn't have a high # of miles. But we'll be looking. I'm just not hopeful. SuzySunshine--the Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia are pretty much the same car. All pretty

SpottyDog--haha! I'd drive my 2000 Taurus til it died if I could. It has everything I really want--6 CD changer, keyless entry, beige interior, interior thermostat, and a sunroof. It has just gotten so darn unreliable lately--probably because I drive 60-80 miles a day and it is just old!! I have a coworker who jokes he wont ride with me because he doesn't want to die (he hears all my car problems). After the fuel leak, I've realized it needs to go in the next year or so at the latest.

The Tribecas are sooo pretty...but still too pricey. I want a 2010/2011 or newer with 35k miles or less under $20k. It's doable in a couple models, but not a Suburu. No Tribecas even show up in our area. I can do it in the Sorento, the Santa Fe, maybe the Veracruz and Traverse, potentially the Mazda CX-9, and the Sedona/Town & Country/Caravan.

Alright...confession. The reason I'm so resistant to the Town and Country is I'm one of those weird people who keeps up with car redesigns (I can identify ~90% of cars on the road without seeing the make/model on the bumper) and when I saw the current body style when it was released back when I was in college I remember thinking, "eww it looks like a box on wheels. I'll never drive one of those." I'm a little friendlier towards it now, but it reminds me too much of the club wagon of my youth.

ETA--Sorry to keep shooting down stuff...I really do appreciate the feedback. I like to analyze any big purchase to death.