New Car Shopping...

[Jenne]

Want to help me take daydream to reality? DH and I are in the market for a new/different car. We don't have strong feelings about it being new or used. We do have strong feelings about safety and financial responsibilty (both from the company we purchase from ie we will not purchase from a bailed out company and for us we aren't going to spend more than we are comfortable with). We are expecting our first child in February and plan to have more over the next 5-10 years which is how long we like to own any new cars. While we don't live in a terribly harsh weather condition area DH is required to report to work even when there is ice/snow which other people in our area take as a sign to stay home and off the roads so a car/van/suv that could handle that would be great. And room for 2 messy dogs...

So short story:
-No bailed out companies
-Less than $30,000 new
-Comfortably fit two or more carseats plus one or two passengers (besides driver and front seat)
-Able to handle inclement weather
-No preference whether it is a car/van/SUV although easy loading/unloading would be great!

What do you have and what do you love/hate about it? What would you recommend to others?


Thanks!!!
Jenne

[Jenne]

Really? No one loves their car/minivan enough to tell me to get one?

Jenne

[catters]

We've had Volvo's for a few years. I have an XC90 and DH had an XC70 with well over 150K on it for quite some time. (He recently just traded in for a Subaru Outback).
We love the XC90 for safety, reliable, etc. But, I guess Volvo is owned by Ford (or was?) still, it was manufactured in Sweden.... Anyway, fantastic car. The XC70 (a wagon) was also fantastic.

The Outback is also great, you can get a fully loaded, crazy feature heavy Outback for under 30K. We've only had it for about two months, but it's really a great car. Safe, reliable, lots of cargo room, etc.

[Katie T]

I was loving my 05 Chrysler town and country until recently. Now I want as far away from Chrysler as possible.

[TheGirls]

Well I love my Honda Odyessey, but I think it is too big for what you want. Have you looked at a Mazda 5? It would be great for a family of 3 or 4 with occasional passengers, I think. We need more space with 3 kids and fairly frequent passengers plus cargo...

[allisonrose]

I'm considering a Mazda5: I currently drive a Honda Civic and am looking for something with more space. I don't know if Mazda took bail out money.

The plus sides:
Room for 6 passengers
With fewer passengers, plenty of cargo space
Excellent MPG

The minus sides:
The leg space in the middle and back rows is a bit tight
Not a lot of cargo space with the seats occupied

Also it has recently been recalled due to a power steering issue - I'm not sure if that's a minus or plus because on one hand, the company is acknowledging the problem and fixing it but on the other, a recall isn't a warm and fuzzy...

I don't know it would be a good vehicle for inclement weather. It is a front wheel drive vehicle. (I no longer live in an area with inclement weather and forget the whole front wheel vs rear wheel drive situation.)

[nia82]

Toyota didn't take bailout money... Their Sienna starts at 25K new. We have been eyeing it for a year now and just bought it, the XLE AWD version though.

There is this website, truecarprice or something, that we used. No negotiating, set price. Very nice.

[Jenne]

Thank y'all so much! Ford didn't take bailout money, Chrysler did, I don't think Mazda did...but I cannot remember if they are a subsidiary of another company off the top of my head...

I think our short list (which is what we needed to get to...we just had too many choices!!!) right now is-

Subaru- Outback or something a little bigger
Toyota Sienna (I currently have a Matrix that I love!)
Volvo station wagon
Honda Obyssey
And maybe the VW Routan (I have to look up their safety rating still)

I think the Mazda 5 is about the same size as my Matrix. We'd like a little more room. Thank you for helping us narrow down and prioritize! It makes this daunting task seem less impossible!

Anyone else want to weigh in with suggestions or loves???

Jenne

[bella99]

I have a Chevy Traverse which is a great car, but since you don't want a car from a company that took bail out money....

...the Toyota Sienna is the only minivan that has an AWD/4WD option, and as such, is the only minivan that I would consider if I was going that route.

[CourtBChase]

The Suburus are notoriously horrible with car-seats. We have a forester and an Impreza, and they have tiny back seats, and weird middleseat humps/seatbelts. The new Outback is *really* nice and looks pretty roomy, but if you are thinking three kids in carseats down the road, you probably want a van (or SUV, maybe?). I think it would be a great car for two kids, and a couple of not huge dogs (in the back). I <3 what I have seen of the new odyssey (good review here: http://carseatblog.com/6854/2011-hon...ly-and-safety/ ) and we will probably look at that once we have a second on the way.

[alegna]

I love my sienna. From what I've seen I don't love the 2011s nearly as much (they changed the inside) but mine is an 08 and it's fantastic. I have the 8pass and can fit tons of people and stuff. We don't have ice or snow to contend with here so I can't speak to that, but it handles nasty rain just fine

-Angela

[mbhf]

Originally Posted by CourtBChase

The Suburus are notoriously horrible with car-seats. We have a forester and an Impreza, and they have tiny back seats, and weird middleseat humps/seatbelts.

I have had two Subarus (an impreza outback and a Tribeca and my MIL drives a legacy) and I've had no trouble installing carseats in them.

OP, I love my Odyssey and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

How many kids do you think you will have? It's hard to make a recommendation without knowing.

[nia82]

Haha, I like the 2011 Sienna better. Since we will have a maximum of three kids, the 7 passenger 4WD was the way to go. It is so easy to reach the back row that way.
If one likes the older model better, a certified preowned would be the way to go too. It comes with warranty, and you could afford a higher end model that way too.

Anyways, my SIL has a Subaru, either Forrester or Outback, I always forget! They installed a Britax Boulevard in the back middle seat, and you better not weigh more than 100 pounds if you want to fit on either side in the back. The belt buckle to buckle up a person who rides in the back is under the car seat, that's how little space there is. I scratched my hand bloody just trying to get buckled up. And I was squeezed in there like crazy, and I weigh 112lbs/5'6"!

[painefaria]

Originally Posted by allisonrose

I'm considering a Mazda5: I currently drive a Honda Civic and am looking for something with more space. I don't know if Mazda took bail out money.

The plus sides:
Room for 6 passengers
With fewer passengers, plenty of cargo space
Excellent MPG

The minus sides:
The leg space in the middle and back rows is a bit tight
Not a lot of cargo space with the seats occupied

Also it has recently been recalled due to a power steering issue - I'm not sure if that's a minus or plus because on one hand, the company is acknowledging the problem and fixing it but on the other, a recall isn't a warm and fuzzy...

I don't know it would be a good vehicle for inclement weather. It is a front wheel drive vehicle. (I no longer live in an area with inclement weather and forget the whole front wheel vs rear wheel drive situation.)

We have one and it is really great in the snow. We have had 4 large adults and two little guys in car seats in there... I can't say that it is comfortable but it is doable. I really like the gas milage. We have gotton 34mpg on the highway (manual) which is much better than the average. Overall it is a comfortable car that is fun to drive and is not too big. BTW our insurance DROPPED $300 a year because of this car (safety features).

[DahliaRW]

Originally Posted by nia82

Haha, I like the 2011 Sienna better. Since we will have a maximum of three kids, the 7 passenger 4WD was the way to go. It is so easy to reach the back row that way.
If one likes the older model better, a certified preowned would be the way to go too. It comes with warranty, and you could afford a higher end model that way too.

Though the latch hooks are buried in the '11, and much easier to access in earlier models.

[Jenne]

What great points! Thank you all so much!

Someone asked how many kiddos? We are "planning" for 4 but since we don't even have 1 yet and so much, for us, depends on the kiddos temperaments and such we are also open to fewer. I'm knocking on wood right now as I type but I doubt we would have more than 4 because on our "plan" at #4 I'm pushing 41.

Is it crazy that we plan to take the carseat with us car shopping???

Jenne

[SophieAnn]

Originally Posted by Jenne

Thank y'all so much! Ford didn't take bailout money, Chrysler did, I don't think Mazda did...but I cannot remember if they are a subsidiary of another company off the top of my head...

I think our short list (which is what we needed to get to...we just had too many choices!!!) right now is-

Subaru- Outback or something a little bigger
Toyota Sienna (I currently have a Matrix that I love!)
Volvo station wagon
Honda Obyssey
And maybe the VW Routan (I have to look up their safety rating still)

I think the Mazda 5 is about the same size as my Matrix. We'd like a little more room. Thank you for helping us narrow down and prioritize! It makes this daunting task seem less impossible!

Anyone else want to weigh in with suggestions or loves???

Jenne

Mazda is owned by Ford (since around 1993 or so).

I agree - the Mazda 5 is not going to be big enough for your needs. It was at the top of my list when we went car shopping recently, but I found the 2nd row to be pretty tight (I'm 5'9) and the 3rd row to be completely useless - the 3rd row is smaller than the smallest pickup truck back seat I've ever crammed my legs into. So disappointing. Not even enough leg room for my toes to point forwards (had to turn my feet sideways), and my knees were crammed up high - the vertical distance from the seat surface to the floor surface seemed to be about 6".

Since you said "Comfortably fit two or more carseats plus one or two passengers (besides driver and front seat)"...

It sounds like you need something with 3 rows of useful seating with useable trunk space when all seats are in use. A minivan or a large SUV will probably suit those needs best. Toyota Sienna or Honda Odyssey. We have and love our Grand Caravan, but it sounds like Dodge might be out (didn't pay much attention to the bailouts). Mazda MPV might also be a good option.

[DahliaRW]

Honestly, with 4 kids I'd want a mini van. MUCH easier to access all the seats and the seats tend to be more useable. Though if you're doing new, I would do an Odyssey over Sienna simply because there are more sets of LATCH.

[Joyster]

I was lukewarm on my Odyssey when I first got it, but I'm loving the power doors, the space, the heated seats. *G* I had to drive a Caravan for a week (some doofus smashed my car as it was parked in the driveway) and I kissed my Odyssey when I got it back. It just handles so nicely and sooo not like a van. I have a 2010, the stupid thing about it is in the back, there is only one latch which is in the middle. I did a seat belt install with the hooks in back and they are secure as anything, but I like having the choice.

[DahliaRW]

Originally Posted by Joyster

I was lukewarm on my Odyssey when I first got it, but I'm loving the power doors, the space, the heated seats. *G* I had to drive a Caravan for a week (some doofus smashed my car as it was parked in the driveway) and I kissed my Odyssey when I got it back. It just handles so nicely and sooo not like a van. I have a 2010, the stupid thing about it is in the back, there is only one latch which is in the middle. I did a seat belt install with the hooks in back and they are secure as anything, but I like having the choice.

I believe the 2011 had 3 upper tethers in the 3rd row. Not sure how many sets of lower anchors.