New Car Shopping... - Page 2

[shanniesue2]

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

Not sure if you're aware of this or not (and it's kind of a moot point since it's a car you already own), but the Matrix is the exact same thing as the pontiac vibe... GM and Toyota went in on those models together...the only difference is body styling... other than that, they have the same engine, mechanics, chassis, etc. Even the interior styling is pretty much the same (at least the 2007s were... that was when we were car shopping)

I have a vibe that I love...

I have also been in a Mazda 5, and from what I remember, there is more room in it (not a ton, but it is bigger)... I know we put it on our list of things to consider if we ever need a different car. But before I bought it, I would definitely take a few carseats along (we've had 3 already for just DS)... maybe (I'm assuming you have a bucket) take your bucket, and borrow a convertible or two from some friends and just see how they fit. Especially if this is a car that you want to keep for the next 5-10 years... it would suck to get to a point where you needed to fit several carseats and coun't make it work.

[Jenne]

ShannieSue- Yeah, I love my Matrix! I have had it for years and think it is funny that the Vibe is the same car. Oh, those wacky car makers!

We don't have a bucket but we do have a ginourmous convertible so we had planned to take that along. Good to know I'm not crazy for thinking that's a good idea!

Thanks for the help!

Jenne

[allisonrose]

If you already have a convertible to use for your baby, I'd say definitely take it with you. Car-seat.org is a great resource if you want to search check if a vehicle you're considering will work with the seat you have.

For four potential little ones, a minivan might be a good option. There are SUVs with more space and three rows of seats but I'm not very familiar with the options. Hubby was eyeing the Honda Pilot with three rows of seats but when I peeked into one, it didn't look very easy to access the third row of seats. And I prefer the thought of sliding doors with carseats on both outboard positions. Right now with a sedan and a carseat in the middle, I like having the option of popping my guy in from either side in case someone parks too close to one side.