Car recs

[spotty_dog]

Ohhhhhh. I had a 1990 Taurus and I'm pretty sure that Fords of that general vintage are set to self-destruct at 100,000 miles. It was great at first but by the time it was 12-13 years old I had nothing but trouble with mine: fuel pump, water pump, power steering pump...when one of them, I think the fuel pump went out they had to re-route the belt and kill the A/C because I couldn't afford the additional cost for that part of the repair, so I went for something like 3 summers in Ohio and no A/C! OMG I was wondering why your car woes sounded so familiar!

If you wait it out a full year how much more can you save up to put toward your car fund?

[SoonerTexan]

It's almost at 130k miles, so it has served me well until now...but yeah, this goes, that goes, etc.

20k is the most we can do and that will likely include some financing. The timing is more based on other things, including how much I get in bonuses/profit sharing and what our tax return looks like.

[v-girl]

T&c

[Pollyanna]

If you love the Traverse you can get one if you're willing to go up a bit in mileage. Carmax has a 2011 with 50k miles for 19k. And some others within your budget. Have fun shopping!!!

[peggyfromwastate]

Just get a minivan. Seriously there's nothing like it for dealing with toddlers and preschoolers. I have the suburban now of course but I fondly remember my minivan bc it was such a life saver. The kids can stand up and walk to their seats, it's much easier to get them
In and out of seats, and the sliding doors make it so much safer and less stressful in parking lots.

I had an OLD no frills minivan. We didn't even have automatic sliding doors-- we only had 1 sliding door on the passenger side! When dh and I rent a new model minivan we are just amazed at how slick they are.

The suburban is find for carting around a whole lotta stuff, but it's not a jump I'd recommend unless your kids (at least most of your kids) can buckle themselves into seats.

[Sheherezade]

Dang it! I'm about to graduate from the minivan mom phase and if you we're closer, I'd have you look at my Honda Odyssey. It's an awesome mom mobile. I'm JUST about ready for something less practical though.

For major mom hood years, you can't beat minivan. This is our second Honda van.

[SoonerTexan]

We rode in my MIL's loaded Odyssey today. I'd drive it in a heartbeat. Michele's swagger wagon too. Sadly both are out of our price range. The Sedona doesn't have quite the same feel...at all. but yeah, we're thinking about it more. Maybe I'll get an SUV now and trade it for a minivan of a similar age and price when we really need it. We'd be past the warranty stage by then. So it wouldnt really matter in that regard.

[TulipsAndSunscreen]

I know I'm much older than you but when I recently rented a car and got a pity upgrade to a minivan from the young counter guy (he looked at me plus the car seat, the BOB, and multiple suitcases) and just upgraded me to a new T&C.

I looooooved it. When you have a lot in your hands, the auto doors are totally amazing. Plus, it was really nice to chuck all the stuff in the back and have it all fit without wrangling.

[ladymoreta]

I agree - go with a cheaper SUV that you can part with in a couple years for a minivan.

[Michele]

No advice on cost/finances. But I still love my van. And I lamely sing the swagger wagon song often while driving.