trying to choose a new car

549 Views 12 Replies 11 Participants Last post by blessedwithboys, Sep 7, 2009

blessedwithboys

Discussion Starter · Sep 1, 2009

this is going into family safety, frugality and finances, and green living, as all three op those topics will have a bearing on my decision,

i am about to receive an inheritance which will allow me to do something i never dreamed woul dbe possible for me. i will be able to pay cash for a brand new car. please help me sort through my thought processes...

i would love a hybrid vehicle, but i also want something with three rows of seats. i want to be able to cart around my kiddos and their friends. i looked at the suburban or tahoe or yukon or whatever hybrid, but according to ppl who posted on fueleconomy.gov, it doesnt really get the epa estimate for fuel milage. plus, i think its sorta ugly and way too expensive new. i'd have to buy a used one, and i really had my heart set on factory-new.

so...i now have my eye on the honda pilot, volvo xc90 and maybe the dodge journey or ford flex.

the pilot holds 8 passengers and has a cool feature that drops you from 6 cylinders to 3 or 4 when you are cruising, so it saves gas, plus all or most hondas are LEV's.

the xc90 holds just 7 but the interior is oko-tex (sp?) certified for toxins (like hanna anderssen longies), plus i love the swedish culture and way of life (spanking is illegal in sweden!) and would like to be able to support that with my dollars

alos, volvos are supposed to be super safe. the xc90 can have integrated booster seats, as can the journey.

the ford and volvo i can get at employee pricing, which would knock off about 2-3k.

so, if you have any advice as far as cost, environmental impact, and/or saafety of the vehicles for kiddo passengers,please share as is appropriate to this forum.

thanks!

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1 - 13 of 13 Posts

duchess_of_dork

· #2 · Sep 2, 2009

I really, really love my Honda. The gas mileage is often much better than advertised once you start driving and tracking it.

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dmpmercury

· #3 · Sep 2, 2009

What about a Kia Rondo or a Mazda 5. I think the Rono can hold 7 and gets great gas mileage for holding so many and the mazda 5 holds 6. They both are pretty affordable.

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reducereuserecycle

· #4 · Sep 3, 2009

Quote:

the xc90 holds just 7 but the interior is oko-tex (sp?) certified for toxins (like hanna anderssen longies), plus i love the swedish culture and way of life (spanking is illegal in sweden!) and would like to be able to support that with my dollars

i'm all about oko-tex certification....as evidence through my hanna addiction

especially since you want a new car....think about how long all the other new cars will take to off-gas...YUCK!

so, if i had that money i'd get the xc9o.

my second choice would be the honda cause hondas are the only type cars i've ever owned (i'm on my third one) and while they may have poor electronic window motors and bad stereos, the engine and all the parts neccessary to keep the car on the road are soooooo dependable.

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moonglowmama

· #5 · Sep 3, 2009

I was researching Honda Pilots because I like Hondas and I want 3 rows on our next car, but apparently the Odyssey has lots more room than the Pilot for less money, and I'm pretty sure the new ones have 3 rows optional, rather than the 2 captains chairs in the middle row. Just food for thought.

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bebebradford

· #6 · Sep 3, 2009

VOLVO VOLVO VOLVO! haha.. Seriously though.. I've had a couple, and one as a teen. I was a horrible driver, and had a bad wreck once.. I walked away fine. The guys who replaced my wheels said that from the wreck they have no clue how I didn't majorly damage the frame. GREAT cars!

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etoilech

· #7 · Sep 6, 2009

We have the Volvo xc90. We got the smallest engine and the 7 seater. It was the only 7 seater midsized SUV that really had usable pop up seats. We're pretty satisfied. We also have the V70 for when we don't have to haul all our equipment, extra kids around.

Their side curtain air bag goes all the way to the rear pop up seats. Not all do iirc. Look for some of the crash test videos available on you tube. Impressive.

We have several friends who work for Volvo in Sweden. It was designed from the ground up for off road.

One thing to keep in mind is it's an SUV. It drives like a tank. It was built for off road. It is not that cushy, sofa-feeling, ride that many SUVs have.

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MammaG

· #8 · Sep 6, 2009

We bought a Mazda5 in March (same day we conceived #3, so none too soon!) and we love, love, love it. It's way smaller than those honking big minivans and SUVs, so it's easy to park....even when we drove it to Manhattan. As a total aside, it also makes me smile to park next to those SUVs and feel just a teeny, tiny bit superior in the green-department.

I get 30mpg on the highway, which is the same as I got in my old tiny Subaru Impreza. I liked the safety features, which was a HUGE factor for us. Standard three-row side airbags, etc. We have used it with six adults in it and heard from the rear passengers that they were surprised how comfortable and roomy it is back there once you are all in and settled.

Kids love it. DH loves it. We traded in his pick-up to buy it, and he was lamenting the loss of cargo space until we moved earlier this Summer. With all the seats down in the back, we can fit MORE in there than we could in the truck (just obviously not super-tall furniture, etc.).

The only thing I would wish for is the availability here of the options they have available in Europe for this car (mostly the 1.8 litre option and the diesel option).

Oh, and it's the ONLY micro/mini-van here in the US that comes with a standard-shift option, which I wanted both for fuel economy and for safety/control reasons....I just don't feel I'm really driving when I'm behind the wheel of an automatic.

Rave over. Mazda5, great car!

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shelbean91

· #9 · Sep 7, 2009

dont know about the volvo- never been in my realm of possibility. I'd NEVER buy a ford or dodge- they just don't have the reliability and lifespan as a Honda. Now, I know there will be tons of people telling me about their ford or dodge that was wonderful and fine and ran forever. But, there are just as many who had them die a long, painful death at relatively low life span. I've never known a honda to have problems earlier that 100k miles, and most way past that.

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boobybunny

· #10 · Sep 7, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by MammaG

The only thing I would wish for is the availability here of the options they have available in Europe for this car (mostly the 1.8 litre option and the diesel option).

Oh, and it's the ONLY micro/mini-van here in the US that comes with a standard-shift option, which I wanted both for fuel economy and for safety/control reasons....I just don't feel I'm really driving when I'm behind the wheel of an automatic.

Rave over. Mazda5, great car!

pretty much ditto here too.. except we already had child number 3 and I get around 35-38 mpg on the freeway and around 28 around town.. if I keep my foot out of it. I also have the 5 speed.. 2007 GT.. with a sunroof.. no leather. paid 17.5k I have just over 30K miles on it... no problems other than it burned through its tires in less than 30K.

What I dont like.. fit and finish is sometimes kinda cheesy, and the lack of real carpet in the back back.. dog hair just will NOT come out of that felted crap. Oh and of course I can't pull a boat with it.

In a perfect world, I would be driving the ford flex.. but at twice the price, it would have meant payments.. a no go for me at this stage of my life (SAHM)

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boobybunny

· #11 · Sep 7, 2009

We get employee pricing on ford/lincon/mercury/volvo and used to on mazda..

That no hassle walk in knowing exactly what you are going to pay pricing is AWESOME.

The flex we could do at about 32K for the limited.. decked out the way I want. There is an additional 4K cash back.. ontop of the Xplan or whatever they are calling it now.

That is the way we got the mazda as cheap as we did... it was Xplan'd at 17.5K while it blue booked at 21K.

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woodensandals

· #12 · Sep 7, 2009

use Consumer Reports to research. They are a great resource when it comes to major purchases. Many car brands have an image they present in their advertising, but CR's ten years of stats on each model tell the truth.

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blessedwithboys

Discussion Starter · #13 · Sep 7, 2009

i guess for safety i am leaning toward the volvo. ds1 will be learnign to drive starting next month, and i think i might feel less nervous with him in a volvo.

i still need to weigh safety with the cost of ownership and environmental impact, though, so no where near decided yet LOL

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